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Portrait and biographical album of Newayco (sp) County, Mich.
containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and
representative citizens of the county, together with portraits and
biographies of all the governors of Michigan and of the presidents
of the United States: also containing a complete history of the county,
from its earliest settlement to the present time.

Published by Chapman Bros., Chicago, IL, 1884

Transcribed and submitted by Joyce Pearson
May 10, 2011

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BAILEY, John
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John Bailey, of Newaygo, was born at Vergennes, Vt., Dec. 8, 1848, and is a
son of Jon and Julia (LeMay) Bailey. His father died at Vergennes in 1850,
and his mother was married again in 1853, to David Jarse, of Glens Falls,
N.Y., who two years later removed with his wife and her children to
Newaygo. The pleasant, promising village was then almost in a state of
nature; Main street was a thoroughfare of stumps, and civilization was
represented by the energetic prosecutors of the lumber interests, which
almost wholly attracted hither and held the population.

Mr. Bailey found his first employ at Newaygo in the shingle-mill of
Fairchilds, and afterwards in that of George H. Hess and others, where he
spent some years. In May, 1876, the year after the death of his stepfather,
he rented the Jarse House of his mother and conducted it as a hotel one
year. In 1877 he began to manage a saloon business on Main street, where he
operated successfully until April, 1883, when the fire destroyed his
business and two buildings where he was located. He sustained a loss of
$3,000, with no insurance. He at once entered upon the work of re-
construction, and has erected on the same site an elegant building of the
same variety of white brick used in the edifices on Main street that are
rapidly replacing those destroyed in the “big fire,” which, ruinous as it
was, paved the way for the growing and substantial beauty of the chief
street in Newaygo. The block erected by Mr. Bailey is a double front, 50 x
75 feet in dimensions and two stories high. Mr. Bailey occupies one front
and rents the other. Besides his village property he owns 40 acres on
section 2 in Grant Township. In addition to his regular business he
operates as a loan broker quite extensively.

Mr. Bailey was married at Newaygo, June 20, 1874, to Sarah E., daughter of
Silas and Aurelia Bement, a native of Centerville, Crawford Co., Pa., born
Jan. 29, 1855. March 15, 1875, Lola and Lulu, twin daughters, were born to
Mr. and Mrs. Bailey; also, June 1, 1877, John, and Dec. 26, 1882, Harry.
The latter died Sept. 22, 1883. Lulu died Sept. 25, 1876.
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