My Genealogy Hound

George Fenwick Brondige. In every community great or small, there are found men who by reason of personal attributes, enterprising spirit and natural ability, have arisen above their fellows in business, social or public life. Pontiac, Michigan, has numerous examples and one of these is George F. Brondige, the present register of deeds of Oakland County. Mr. Brondige was born in Springfield township, Oakland County, Michigan, October 15, 1855, and is a son of Eli and Margaret A. (Fenwick) Brondige.

The ancestors of Mr. Brondige on the paternal side were originally from Holland, while on the maternal side they were from England. Eli Brondige, his father, was born near Lockport, New York, February 2, 1828, and died June 21, 1895. Having been bereft of his mother at the age of three years, he was taken to the home of his maternal uncle, Eli H. Day, and was brought by the latter to Michigan in 1838. He followed farming all his life and from 1854 when he settled on the farm in sections 5 and 8, Springfield township, until his death, he resided on the same farm which remains the home of his widow. On July 4, 1850, he was united in marriage with Margaret A. Fenwick, of Rose township. The Fenwicks were natives of England who located first in Seneca County, New York, in 1836 coming to Michigan and settling in Rose township, Oakland County.

Four children were born to Eli Brondige and wife, namely: Eugene, born May 1, 1852, and married December 27, 1876 to Alice Foster, is a traveling salesman for the firm of D. M. Ferry & Company, of Detroit, and owns a fine farm of 200 acres, adjoining the old homestead; George Fenwick, the subject of this sketch; Mary Ella (Mrs. Yager), born June 24, 1862; and Eli J., born July 10, 1873, who is a lawyer at Pontiac. The father of this most creditable family was a Republican in politics and served in numerous official positions in the township, offices conferred upon him by his fellow citizens on account of his ability and sterling character.

George Fenwick Brondige was educated in the public schools of Oakland County and at the Detroit Business College. At the age of 18 he began teaching school, which profession he followed for several years. He then went on the road as agent for a party of Detroit capitalists, purchasing lands in Western Iowa, returning to Michigan in the fall of 1881. In the spring of the following year he engaged in farming, having purchased 85 acres of land in section 1, Rose township, three miles east of Holly village, adding 40 acres to the original tract in 1886, secured from what was known as the John Fenwick farm, in section 36, Holly township. This farm was considered one of the most beautiful rural homes in the northwestern section of Oakland County. During his residence on the farm, Mr. Brondige built up a reputation for excellent farming methods and for the successful breeding of thoroughbred stock. There he continued until 1893, when he removed with his family to Holly village and went on the road in the interest of a mercantile firm in Detroit, with which he remained for several years. In 1897 he removed to the city of Pontiac in which year began his connection with the public affairs of Oakland County.

Mr. Brondige’s careful and intelligent work in the preparation of a set of abstract books from the county records in the office of the register of deeds, was of so accurate and exact a nature, that it naturally attracted attention to him as a possible candidate for the office which he has so efficiently held since January 1, 1903. In January,1899, he accepted a position in the register’s office as deputy register of deeds, under A. G. Griggs, and his election to the office of register followed in the fall of 1902.

Mr. Brondige has always been a stanch Republican, and was that party’s choice for his present position in the campaign of 1902, when he entered the race for the nomination with five candidates in the field. The political history of the county shows that the contest was one of the sharpest ever waged in the party conventions, and he won the nomination on the fifth ballot, with 73 out of a total of 115 votes cast. In the election which followed, he was elected by a handsome majority. Mr. Brondige has shown himself eminently fitted for the responsible position he fills. Combined with business qualifications, he has had the necessary experience and possesses the natural courtesy which so smooths official business. His personal attention is given to every detail and it is a matter of comment that a visit to the register’s office requires, under present conditions, only the time necessary to transact any other business operation. Naturally this leads the citizens of Oakland County to the conclusion that in Mr. Brondige they now have the most efficient, and most affable and obliging register of deeds that has filled the office since it was first opened for business. Its requirements demand a man of certain qualifications and these it has been proved Mr. Brondige possesses.

On October 5, 1881, Mr. Brondige was married to Letitia Foster, who was born June 19, 1859, in Springfield township, one mile west of Clarkston village; when she was four years of age, her parents removed to a farm two miles northeast of Davisburg, where she resided until her marriage. She is a daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Parker) Foster, the latter; of whom was born January 15, 1819, in Leicestershire, England, and now at the age of 84 years is a revered member of her daughter’s home. Samuel Foster was born April 17, 1820, in County Kent, England, and died June 12, 1878. In 1828 he came to America and settled at Utica, Oneida County, New York, but in 1836 moved to Michigan, and in 1845 married the venerable lady who survives him. Mr. and Mrs. Foster were the parents of six children, as follows: Samuel, born September 20, 1847, who is a resident of Chicago; Sarah Ann (Bigelow), born December 26, 1849, a resident of Cass City, Michigan; Charles Thomas, born December 8, 1851, who lives in Rose township, Oakland County; Alice, born January 20, 1854, who is the wife of Eugene E. Brondige, the eldest brother of our subject; Horatio, born December 9, 1856, who lives in Midland, Michigan; and Letitia (Mrs. George F. Brondige), who is the youngest of the family. A family of four daughters has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brondige, viz: Mabel Letitia, born August 14, 1883; Georgina Margaret, born April 15, 1887; and Gladys F., and Glennie F., twins, born May 17, 1890.

Mr. Brondige is of a social nature and is an active member of Oakland Tent, No. 248, K. O. T. M., Pontiac Chapter, No. 76, A. I. U., and a charter member of Camp No. 4399, Modern Woodmen of America. Being a natural musician and possessing a fine tenor voice, Mr. Brondige has been identified with a great many musical organizations in Pontiac, and as a skilled performer on the cornet has been connected with several band organizations, and at present is one of the 25 members of the Oakland Light Infantry Band formerly the Citizens’ Concert Band of the city of Pontiac, a body of musicians well known through the State. He is a member of Local No. 114, A. F. of M.

Without doubt Mr. Brondige is one of the most popular citizens of Oakland County in which he has been and still is an incorruptible public official and a useful public spirited man of affairs.