LEONARD WALDO

From "Past and Present of Eaton county" - 1906

LEONARD P. WALDO, a venerable pioneer and retired farmer, resides on his
farm in Oneida township, one and one half miles southeast from the city of
Grand Ledge, and during the long years of his residence in the county he has
contributed materially to its development and upbuilding, ordering his life in such
way as to merit and command the respect and confidence of his fellow men.

Mr. Waldo was born in Jefferson county, New York, October 28, 1826, and is a
son of Jonathan H. and Lovina (Colwell) Waldo, both of whom were likewise
native of that county, where the respective families settled in an early day.
Jonathan H. Waldo was the owner of a farm in his native county and eventually
exchanged the same for land in Ohio, to which state he removed with his family
when the subject of this sketch was six years of age, locating in Lorain county,
where he remained fourteen years, reclaiming a considerable portion of his
land, which was in the wild state when he came into possession of the same. In
February, 1846, he removed to Eaton county, Michigan, and located in Oneida
township, having traded his Ohio farm for two hundred acres of timbered land in
what was called the Canada settlement. He developed a good farm here and
continued to reside on the homestead until his death, at the age of fifty-six
years. He was born in January, 1801, and died in March, 1857.

His first wife died in 1847, at the age of forty-four years, and he later consummated a second marriage, his second wife dying a year or so before his
own death. He was a Democrat in his political adherency but was never active in
public affairs. He was a member of the Baptist church and his first wife held
membership in the Presbyterian church. At the time of his death he owned one
hundred and twenty acres of land in Oneida township. Jonathan H. and Lovina
(Colwell) Waldo became the parents of eight children: Lovina became the wife of
Dr. Hiram Rathbun, of Lansing, and both are- now deceased; Jonathan died in
Kansas; the subject of this sketch was the third in order of birth; Silas died in
Oneida township, at the age of seventy years; Charles E. resides in Delta
township; Andrew died in the city of Lansing, at the age of seventy years; Isaac
resides in the city of Coldwater, Branch county; Ellen is the wife of Albert
Fitzgerald, of Bellevue, Eaton county; and Chester, a son of the second marriage, is a resident of Clinton county.

Leonard P. Waldo gained his rudimentary education in Ohio. He early began to
aid in the work of the farm and learning the valuable lessons of consecutive
industry. He remained at home until he was eighteen years of age when his
father "gave him his time," as the expression of the day put it. He then began
working for himself, remaining in Ohio after the removal of the family to Michigan, but in October of the same year joining the other members in Eaton county, where he bought from his father eighty acres of wild land, in Oneida township. He reclaimed the land to cultivation, erected good buildings on the place and there remained for many years. He then sold the farm and purchased an adjoining eighty acres-a property which he still owns. He remained on his first farm forty-three years and then removed to Grand Ledge, where he erected a house and made his home for some time. He then sold his town property and removed to his second farm, much of which he cleared from the forest, erecting the buildings now on the place. He is now living retired from active labor on his farm.

Mr. Waldo has a fund of most interesting reminiscences concerning the pioneer
days and his experiences in connection therewith. He and one of his brothers
chopped the timber on fully two hundred acres of land in this county, this being the only means by which they could secure needed money. When he came to the county the present beautiful little city of Grand Ledge was represented by a single shanty, the nearest house having been the home of John Russell, one mile west. The first 4th of July celebration in Oneida township was held at the home of Mrs. Waldo's father, and the flag that was proudly floated on that occasion was made by Mrs. Nichols, mother of Mrs. Waldo. A bed sheet was utilized for the white stripes, red calico for the red, and the blue field was cloth home dyed with indigo.

Mr. Waldo has always been aligned as a supporter of the principles and policies
of the Democratic party, and he served as highway commissioner of Oneida
township nine years, making an excellent record and gaining special commendation for his method of road building. Instead of expending the public funds in hauling and scraping dirt he expended it for gravel, the result being that Oneida township can justly claim to have better roads than any other in the county. Mrs. Waldo is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

In 1849 Mr. Waldo married Miss Maria Cheney, who died shortly afterward. June 24, 1851, he was united in marriage to Miss Malinda Nichols, who was born near London, province of Ontario, Canada, November 24, 1833, being a daughter of Truman W. and Betsey (Mitchell) Nichols.

Mr. and Mrs. Waldo have three children: Duran, who was born July 8, 1852, and
who is a veterinary surgeon by profession, residing in Balfour, North Dakota,
married Miss Ella Grinnell and they have one child, Trellis; Eva M., who was
born July 6, 1858, and who now resides with her parents, was twice married, her
second husband, Peter Hulett, having been killed in July, 1905, by the falling of
a building. Mrs. Hulett has one child, Dorris Johnson, born of the first marriage;
Charles W., who was born April 4, 1865, and who resides upon and manages
his father's farm, married Miss Edna Ward, and they have two children, Russell
and Roy.