BACK TO THE BIOGRAPHIES MAIN PAGE PREDMORE, JOHN HENRY Thaddeus D. Seeley, History of Oakland County, Michigan, The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago (1912), Vol. II, pp. 783-784 JOHN HENRY PREDMORE. Held in high respect as a man of sterling character and ability, John Henry Predmore holds a position of note among the valued citizens of Clyde, Oakland county, where he is living, a valued member of the farming community. A son of a pioneer of this part of Michigan, Benjamin Predmore, he was born April 17, 1840, in Hector, Chemung county, New York, of Scotch ancestry. A native of New Jersey, where his birth occurred March 6, 1792, Benjamin Predmore spent a part of his early life in the Empire state, coming from there in 1855 to Oakland county, Michigan. Buying land in Orion township, he improved a farm, and there lived until 1864. Selling out then, he bought a farm in Highland township, in company with his son, Miles C. Predmore, who had located there in 1858. He continued his residence in that place until his death, February 28, 1882, at a venerable age, lacking but nine days of being ninety years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Adair, lived but sixty-five years. They reared five sons and one daughter, as follows: Benjamin F., a millwright, was killed while working on the machinery in a grist mill at Holly; Miles C., who served as a member of a company of Michigan artillery during the Civil war, died in northern Michigan; John Henry, the special subject of this brief biographical review; Charles B., who enlisted during the Civil war in the Twenty-second Michigan Volunteer Infantry, died at Lexington, Kentucky; Spaulding D., who served in the Third Michigan Cavalry during the Civil war, died at Leavenworth, Kansas; and Emeline, who married William Livermore, died in early womanhood. As a lad of fourteen years John Henry Predmore began working out by the month, one-half of his wages during the first year going into the family exchequer. He afterwards depended entirely upon his own resources, and being industrious and frugal had saved quite a sum by the time he attained his majority. On July 6, 1864, he enlisted in the Twenty-second Michigan Volunteer Infantry, a new regiment, and first met the enemy in Kentucky, where the regiment was practically cut to pieces, he receiving injuries that disabled him from further service. Being honorably discharged from the army, Mr. Predmore returned to Oakland county, and took up his trade of a blacksmith, for six years running a smithy at Spring Mills. Locating then near Clyde, he bought one hundred and twenty-one acres of land adjoining the village, and has since carried on general farming with most satisfactory pecuniary results. He was for twelve years associated with the Monitor Insurance Company, doing a large amount of business during that time. He has also twice served as township treasurer. For twenty years or more Clyde supported a very good brass band, which had an extended reputation, and was often in demand on public occasions or for local entertainments and amusements, and in it Mr. Predmore pounded the bass drum. [Begin Page 784] Politically he invariably supports the principles of the Republican party by voice and vote. Fraternally he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Order of Masons; and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has passed all the chairs, and has served as a delegate to the Grand Lodge. Mr. Predmore is a man of abstemious habits, using no tobacco, and has never taken a drink of liquor over the bar. He is fond of cards, and enjoys a clean game of "seven-up." On April 2, I864, Mr. Predmore was united in marriage with Mary A. Glass, of Lapeer county, Michigan. Their only child, Willie Predmore, who was a timberman in the copper mines at Butte, Montana, was killed while putting in timbers to support the roof, in August, 1904, at the age of thirty-seven years, being crushed by the falling of rocks.
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