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- . Jacob Cummer Sr.
In addition to his ability in other lines he was quite clever in the treatment of horses & cattle and was much sought after on this account. Bleeding was of course a common practice at that time & for this work he owned a spring lance made in England, containing several different blades. His skill, moreover, was frequently used in treating his neighbors & his grandson Jacob Cummer was at one time sent to him for treatment. He says of his grandfather, "He looked me over, locating my pain. 'I guess I had better bleed you.' He took out his lance,
examining it carefully, wiping it. Grandmother brought the bowl, expecting to hold it. He said, 'Let him hold the bowl; if he can't, he is no Cummer,' & I held it. He said, 'You will pass all right'
Notes: For the foregoing account of Jacob Cummer & his life we are indebted to his grandson, Jacob Cummer, who several years before his death dictated a partial account of the family to his son, Wellington W. Cummer.
Ref: An addendum to the Cummer Memorandum: pertaining to the Mallmann family, Walter LeRoy Mallman, 1976.
. 1855 Apr 26 York Twp. Agricultural Spring Fair was held Tuesday at Nightingale's Tavern, Yonge Street An import horse, Cumberland, took first prize. General purpose Stallions, 2nd prize, Jacob Cummer.
Ref: The Globe Newspaper, Toronto.
Cummer Memorial. Jacob Cummer s early youth was without stirring incidents. His early education was obtained at the common schools & before he attained his majority he became a flour miller, learning his trade at Lockport, N. Y. For a time he operated the mills at Reading Mills, near Willowdale. He then became a miller at Delaware, Ont. Later he moved to Newaygo, Mich., & afterwards to Croton in the same State. At both places he was engaged in lumbering & milling. At Cedar Springs he devoted himself to lumbering. Then at Morley & later at Cadillac he & his son, Wellington, controlled extensive lumber tracts as J. Cummer & Son.
As the pine forests in Michigan became exhausted the firm found a field for its energies in Florida. Here the business was carried on in the name of the Cummer Lumber Company, with Jacksonville as its headquarters. In this firm were representatives of 3 generations, Jacob Cummer, his son Wellington, & his grandsons Arthur & Waldo.
At Cadillac Jacob Cummer was a devoted member of the Congregational Church, being a charter member of the organization of that body. In the church he held the office of deacon. Political life did not attract him, but at Morley he was elected Justice of the Peace, & at Cadillac he occupied the office of Mayor as well as being a member of the Board of Education for many years.
If he possessed any characteristic which might be called a distinctively Cummer one, it was a firm &positive nature. Moreover he was almost always correct in his judgment & so was greatly esteemed, as a good adviser, by those who knew him. His business methods were simple but lived up to most exactingly. He lived & worked by the Golden Rule. Furthermore, whatever he did was done well. Indeed, he could not even undertake a thing unless it were worth doing well. Whenever he put in a foundation for a piece of machinery, it never failed him. It was by these virtues that his life was regulated.
Originally his trade was that of a miller & he followed it until the fall of the year 1869. Gristing in Northern Michigan was done largely for the early pioneers, & it was his rule never to take toll from the first products of the land, so that in this way many a farmer s heart was made happy. As an example, a young pioneer is recalled, one who had come a distance 40 miles with only 10 bushels of wheat, the entire year s product. Jacob Cummer's son had charge of the mill &, of course, his instructions were not to toll the grist of this young pioneer. When morning came & he was given his grist, the pioneer was asked where his bags should be put. "Why," he said, "I have brought my extra bags & I see that they are filled; therefor there is nothing more due me." The miller insisted that it was all his, & as the farmer stoutly denied it, he was finally told that it was the rule not to take toll from the first products of the pioneer s land. The farmer was greatly affected & the tears coursed down his cheeks as he said, "This perhaps does not mean much to you or your father, but it is every thing to me & my family, & all I can do now is to thank you, but I will never forget this little act of kindness." Nor did he, for on the night of the same day, & for several days afterwards, new customers came to the mill who had designed going elsewhere, but who had made the Cummer Mill their preference through the instrumentality of the young pioneer. Jacob Cummer did these things, not with the view of any direct gain, but because he thought they were right. However, the gain came to him, & many fold.
As an example of his consideration for others, it may be said that at the mill he built a comfortable barn, in which the farmers kept their teams over night, & all that was asked of them was to furnish their horses with the necessary provender. In his large & commodious office he built a series of bunks, which at night, by an ingenious device of his, made comfortable beds that could be rolled together again in the day time, so as to form a bench. In the office he kept a large case of good smoking tobacco & some clay pipes. All these conveniences were free to the farmer.
Near Newaygo there lived a tribe of Indians, the Pottawattames. They became quite familiar with Mr. Cummer & confided to him all the little troubles which came up in the course of their business affairs. The government annuities were paid to them through him & what corn they raised he ground free of cost. Of course, it was not much, but still sufficient for their wants. Their chief, "Poconobino," could talk some English & naturally he was the one with whom Mr. Cummer dealt. During the Sioux War in Minnesota in the fall of 1862, these Indians feared that the whites would wage war against them & completely annihilate them. For weeks not an Indian was to be seen. Of course, the white settlers felt uneasy, fearing that the Indians were preparing for an outbreak, & every man who could drill & shoulder a musket did so. After a while "Poconobino" found a way to avoid the guards & reached Jacob Cummer s home. After a conference with him, he met some of the city s principal officers who assured him that there would be no trouble. With Jacob Cummer's endorsement of this promise he returned to his tribe & old relations were revived.
. 1884 Mar 7, Fri. - Cummer of Cadillac, intents to extend his logging road to Lake City to tap a ten years cut of timber.
Ref: Jackson Citizen Patriot, MI.
. 1886 Jul 12 - The Cummer lumber company will build 2 mile additional to their logging railroad, north of Cadillac, to reach the tract of pine recently purchased.
. 1888 Feb 2 - Cummer's ladder company of Cadillac recently shipped a car load of ladders to California.
Ref: Muskegon Chronicle, Muskegon, Michigan.
. 1904 Jan 30 - Attack of Apoplexy Jacob Cranmer of Cadillac Unconscious Today From Its Effects, Jacob Cummer, pioneer lumberman of the City, was attacked by a slight stroke of apoplexy at his home here last night. He is still unconscious, though he is not expected to die. Mr Cummer, who is the father of W W Cummer, the millionaire lumberman, is himself a millionaire. He has been engaged in the lumber business in this region for a quarter of a century or more & is well known all through this northern country. He is 78 years of age an has been in failing health for some time. Ref: Grand Rapids Press.
. 1904 Jun 21, Tues. The Cadillac Library association has decided to accept the Carnegie offer of $15,000 for a public library. WW & Jacob Cummer, millionaire lumbermen of this city, have donated a fine site in the central part of the city & the work of building will commence in ten days.
Ref: Evening News, Sault Ste. Marie, MI.
. 1904 Nov 4, Fri. - Lumberman Is Dying Jacob Cummer of Cadillac Is Well Known in the State:
Cadillac's pioneer lumberman, Jacob Cummer, is rapidly nearing death at his home in this city. The family doctor sys he will not live through the day. Senility is the cause of his illness. He is one of the wealthiest & best-known lumberman in Michigan.
Ref: Grand Rapids Press.
Biography of Jacob Cummer. Ref: History of Wexford County, MI. 1903, B F Bowen, p 83-85. (MIGenWeb, Wexford Co.)
. Michigan Death Certificate # 963,
Jacob Cummer, 218 East Maston, 2nd ward, Cadillac, Michigan
born First November 1823, age 81 years, days, Willowdale, married
Died Nov 7 1904, chronic Nephritis.
Son of John Cummer, Toronto Canada & Sarah Lockman Smith, Toronto,
Lumberman, Burial Cadillac, MI.
. Obituary, Monday, Nov 7, 1904:
JACOB CUMMER DEAD - Cadillac Man had capital invested in Grand Rapids (Special to the Evening Press.)
Cadillac, Nov 7- Jacob Cummer, aged 80, & one of the best known lumberman in this section, died this morning after an extended illness. He had heavy investments in this locality. For several years he had been a stock holder & director of the Old National bank at Grand Rapids.
. The death of Jacob Cummer, which occurred at his home at Cadillac early this morning was announced at the meeting of the directors of the Old National bank today. A committee comprising W R Shelby, Harvey J Hollister & Wm Judson was appointed to draw suitable resolutions, which will be presented at the next meeting of the directors, Mr. Cummer had been a member of the directorate of his bank since the name of Old National was assumed in 1883, & was one of the largest stockholders in the institution. While some of his associate was delegated to attend the funeral tomorrow, a number of the directors will be present at the services.
Ref: Grand Rapids Press.
. 1904 Nov 8, Tues.,
Jacob Cummer, Prominent Lumberman, dies at Cadillac Nov 7th
Jacob Cummer, a pioneer lumberman & member of the firm of Cummer Diggins & Co., died yesterday, aged 80 years.
He was born in Canada in 1823 & his father, John Henry Cummer, was the first white child born in Toronto. In 1860 he moved to Newaygo & there made his fortune in lumber, putting his logs into the Muskegon river & selling them at Muskegon. In 1876 he & his son Wellington W Cummer, moved to Cadillac & continued their lumber operation near here.
Attack Of Apoplexy Jacob Cranmer of Cadillac Unconscious Today From Its Effects
Note: Very many Grand Rapids Newspaper, etc. articles concerning the Cummer & Diggins Lumber Company have not been transcribed here. -PJA. - - - [1]
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1823 - 1904 (81 years)