My Genealogy Hound

James Welfare, deceased, was for many years one of the leading farmers and esteemed citizens of Commerce township, Oakland County, owning a fine farm in section 35. He was born in Sussex, England, April 21, 1824, and died in Commerce township, Oakland County, June 25, 1887, in his 64th year. His parents were James and Elizabeth Welfare, who came to America in 1831.

The parents of the late James Welfare lived for three years in the State of New York, but in 1834 removed to Oakland County, Michigan, where they finally took up a farm in section 35, Commerce township. At that ime they moved into a building which was then used as an Indian trading post, which stood on the site of the present fine home of Mr. Welfare’s widow, around which were camped 300 Indians.

James Welfare was given the best education afforded in the district schools of the time and place, and he continued to farm in Commerce township all his life.

On April 29, 1868, Mr. Welfare was united in marriage with Sarah H. Horton, who is a daughter of Lewis and Henrietta (Sagar) Horton. Mrs. Welfare traces her genealogy back to one Barnabas Horton, who came to America from England in 1640 and settled on Long Island. Her grandfather, Thomas Horton, was a soldier in the War of the American Revolution, while many members of the family have been distinguished. Both Mr. and Mrs. Horton were born in the State of New York, and came to Michigan in 1832. They took up land in Washtenaw County, consisting of 80 acres, on which they remained until the fall of 1843, when they returned to New York. In 1848 Mr. and Mrs. Horton came back to Michigan and purchased a farm in section 2, Commerce township, Oakland County, containing 160 acres, where Mr. Horton died in 1882, aged 75 years. His widow died in the village in 1898, aged 89 years. She belonged to a family noted for its longevity, one sister, Mrs. Catherine Brundage, of California, celebrating her 103rd birthday in 1902 by inviting the friends of her youth to her home. The five surviving members of the family of eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Horton are: William, residing on the homestead farm; Mrs. Welfare, of this sketch; Catherine E., wife of Philander Ormsby, a carpenter in Commerce township, Oakland County; Clara, widow of Joseph Long, residing in Commerce township, Oakland County; and Franklin M.

The one daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Welfare is the wife of Thomas Clutz, who is a son of Charles C. and Eliza (Dukeland) Clutz, the latter of whom was born in 1817 in Canada and died December 24, 1893, in her 76th year, not reaching the age of her father, who lived to the age of 93. Mr. Clutz was a Baptist minister and died in Kansas in 1889 in his 86th year. Mr. and Mrs. Clutz have a bright, intelligent little son, Leon W., who was born September 13, 1895.

Mr. Welfare possessed the respect of all who knew him. He was honest and upright as a citizen and was devoted to his family. For many years he was a consistent member of the First Baptist Church of Walled Lake and was unusually liberal in his support of all moral and religious movements. He took a great interest in current events and voted the Republican ticket, but never desired political honors. His last vote, however, was cast for the Prohibition ticket. He had always been strictly temperate in life and speech. He was sadly missed in the community, but the influence of his good and kindly life remains.