Julius O. Becraft
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth: 27 Apr 1850 - Dowagiac Village, Cass Co, MI 1
Christening:
Death: 29 Jan 1925 - Dowagiac, Cass Co, MI 2
Burial: in Riverside Cemetery, Dowagiac, Cass Co, MI 2
Cause of Death:
AFN :
Events
• Biography, "The History of Cass County" by Glover
J. O. BECRAFT• Biography, Cass County Michigan Biographies
J. O. Becraft, postmaster of Dowagiac and secretary of the Round Oak Stove Company, was born April 27, 1850, in the city in which he yet makes his home. His father, Isaiah S. Becraft, was a native of New York and came to Cass county, Michigan, in 1848, as one of the first settlers of Dowagiac. He was connected with mercantile interests here for many years and contributed in a substantial measure to the material progress and to the upbuilding and advancement of the city. He held many offices and was one of the prominent and influential residents of Dowagiac. At the time of his death, which occurred in 1864, he was serving as deputy provost marshal and special agent for the United States secret service. In politics he was a stalwart Republican from the organization of the party and fraternally was a prominent Mason, who exemplified in his life the beneficent spirit of the craft. His death occurred when he was fifty-two years of age. His wife, who in her maidenhood was Caroline Wallace, was a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of James and Betsy (Belknap) Wallace. Mrs. Becraft lived to the advanced age of seventy-two years. In their family were seven children, six of whom reached adult age.
J. O. Becraft is the third child and second son of the family. He was reared in Dowagiac and pursued his education in the schools of this city. He started out upon his business career as a clerk in a grocery store and spent about two and a half years as station agent at Cassopolis and a similar period at Dowagiac. He afterward accepted a clerical position in the post office here and later became assistant postmaster, which position he capably filled for many years. He was first appointed postmaster by Benjamin Harrison, was re-appointed by President McKinley and is now serving for the third term in that office by appointment of President Roosevelt. The consensus of public opinion is altogether favorable concerning the service which he has rendered in this connection, for he has given a businesslike administration, has systematized the affairs of the office and care and promptness are exercised in the performance of all the duties connected with the care of the mails.
Aside from his official service, Mr. Becraft has been identified with business interests in Dowagiac. For about fifteen years he has been connected with the P. D. Beckwith Stove Company and is now acting as secretary of the company, the business being carried on under the style of the round Oak Stove Company. He is also a stockholder in the Farmers & Merchants Bank at Benton Harbor and the Lee Paper Company at Vicksburg, Michigan. His business investments have been well placed and are the source of a gratifying and desirable income.
Mr. Becraft was married in 1870 to Miss Harriet H. Britton, and they have one son, Fred E., who is now assistant postmaster. Mr. Becraft belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp, to the Elks lodge, and is a Mason, a Knight Templar and a Shriner. In his political views he has always been a stalwart Republican, and in addition to the office of postmaster he has served as city recorder for fifteen years, was a secretary of the school board for sixteen years and has filled other offices, to which he has been called by a constituency who recognize that according to the merit system he is entitled to the offices and well deserves the honor and trust thus reposed in him. He is today the oldest native citizen of Dowagiac and one of it most prominent residents
J. O. BECRAFT• Census, Federal, 1870 in Dowagiac Village, Cass Co, MI
BECRAFT, BELKNAP, WALLACE, BRITTON
J. O. Becraft, postmaster of Dowagiac and secretary of the Round Oak Stove Company, was born April 27, 1850, in the city in which he yet makes his home. His father, Isaiah S. Becraft, was a native of New York and came to Cass county, Michigan, in 1848, as one of the first settlers of Dowagiac. He was connected with mercantile interests here for many years and contributed in a substantial measure to the material progress and to the upbuilding and advancement of the city. He held many offices and was one of the prominent and influential residents of Dowagiac. At the time of his death, which occurred in 1864, he was serving as deputy provost marshal and special agent for the United States secret service. In politics he was a stalwart Republican from the organization of the party and fraternally was a prominent Mason, who exemplified in his life the beneficent spirit of the craft. His death occurred when he was fifty-two years of age. His wife, who in her maidenhood was Caroline Wallace, was a native of Pennsylvania and a daughter of James and Betsy (Belknap) Wallace. Mrs. Becraft lived to the advanced age of seventy-two years. In their family were seven children, six of whom reached adult age.
J. O. Becraft is the third child and second son of the family. He was reared in Dowagiac and pursued his education in the schools of this city. He started out upon his business career as a clerk in a grocery store and spent about two and a half years as station agent at Cassopolis and a similar period at Dowagiac. He afterward accepted a clerical position in the post office here and later became assistant postmaster, which position he capably filled for many years. He was first appointed postmaster by Benjamin Harrison, was re-appointed by President McKinley and is now serving for the third term in that office by appointment of President Roosevelt. The consensus of public opinion is altogether favorable concerning the service which he has rendered in this connection, for he has given a businesslike administration, has systematized the affairs of the office and care and promptness are exercised in the performance of all the duties connected with the care of the mails.
Aside from his official service, Mr. Becraft has been identified with business interests in Dowagiac. For about fifteen years he has been connected with the P. D. Beckwith Stove Company and is now acting as secretary of the company, the business being carried on under the style of the round Oak Stove Company. He is also a stockholder in the Farmers & Merchants Bank at Benton Harbor and the Lee Paper Company at Vicksburg, Michigan. His business investments have been well placed and are the source of a gratifying and desirable income.
Mr. Becraft was married in 1870 to Miss Harriet H. Britton, and they have one son, Fred E., who is now assistant postmaster. Mr. Becraft belongs to the Modern Woodmen camp, to the Elks lodge, and is a Mason, a Knight Templar and a Shriner. In his political views he has always been a stalwart Republican, and in addition to the office of postmaster he has served as city recorder for fifteen years, was a secretary of the school board for sixteen years and has filled other offices, to which he has been called by a constituency who recognize that according to the merit system he is entitled to the offices and well deserves the honor and trust thus reposed in him. He is today the oldest native citizen of Dowagiac and one of it most prominent residents.
p. 48, res. 432• Census, Federal, 1880 in Dowagiac, Cass Co, MI
Dowagiac vlg., Cass Co., MI:
Becraft, Caroline, 45, keeping house, $1,200 real est., $700 pers. est., PA
Julius, 20, clerk in store, MI
Frances, 17, MI, in sch.
Mead, 15, apprentice joiner, MI
Wallace, 10, MI, in sch.
Britton, Hattie, 21, school teacher, MI
ED 78, p. 25, res. 257• Biography, Charles T. Amsden, 1888 in Dowagiac, Cass Co, MI
Telegraph St.
Dowagiac, Cass Co., MI:
Beeraft, Julius O., 30, deputy P.M., MI NY PA
Hattie H., 31, keeping house, MI PA NY
Fred, 9, MI
In 1888 Mr. Amsden and Julius Becraft purchased the Dowagiac Republican and in the second year thereafter Mr. Amsden retired and embarked in the grocery business in connection with Roland E. Morse, with whom he is still associated, their business being a profitable enterprise of the city.• Biography, "Portrait and Biographical Record of Berrien and Cass Counties, Michigan", 1893
"Portrait and Biographical Record of Berrien and Cass Counties, Michigan." Chicago: Biographical Publishing Co., 1893, pp. 892-893:• Organizations, 1900 Republican National Convention, 1900
JULIUS O. BECRAFT, Postmaster at Dowagiac, formerly editor and sole owner of the Dowagiac Republican, was born in this city on the 27th of April, 1850. He is of German descent, his paternal grandfather having emigrated from Germany and settled in Orange County, N.Y., where he followed farming pursuits. In that county Isaiah S. Becraft was born, and there he grew to a stalwart manhood, meanwhile aiding in the work of clearing and improving the farm. Upon coming to Michigan he located in Macomb County, and thence in 1848 he removed to Dowagiac, where he followed the trade of a builder and contractor and erected some of the first houses in the place.
In Macomb County, Mich., Isaiah S. Becraft married Miss Lydia, daughter of James Wallace, and of Scotch descent. Two children were born of this marriage. After the death of his first wife, he again married in Macomb County and came to Dowagiac, where they lived happily until severed by death. One of the first merchants in Dowagiac, Mr. Becraft engaged in merchandising for a time here. He served as Deputy Sheriff of the county and as Treasurer of the township. At the time of his death, in 1865, he was filling the position of United States Deputy Provost Marshal and also held a commission in the United States Secret Service. In his political opinions he was first a Whig, and upon the organization of the Republican party united with its supporters and remained an adherent of its principles until his demise. Socially, he was identified with the Masonic order and was a charter member of the first Masonic lodge organized in Dowagiac.
Of his first marriage, Mr. Becraft, as above stated, became the father of two children. His second marriage united him with Caroline Wallace, sister of his first wife, and was blessed by the birth of five children. Julius O., one of the children born to the first union, was reared in Dowagiac and attended school until fourteen years old, when he became self-supporting. For about two years he was employed in a basket shop, but later secured a position as clerk in a dry-goods store at Kalamazoo. After working there for two years, he returned to Dowagiac and at first clerked in the postoffice; later he engaged in selling dry goods for a year or more, after which he became freight clerk in the depot at Cassopolis. He was in that position only a short time when he resigned and, returning to Dowagiac, accepted a position in the postoffice. A year afterward he was appointed station agent at Cassopolis for the Michigan Central Railroad. Two years were spent there and a like period in Dowagiac in the same position.
Having been appointed Assistant Postmaster, Mr. Becraft served with efficiency in that position for about nine yers, when a change in administration caused the resignation of the corps of officials. He then embarked in business as a fire insurance agent and was quite successful in that line of work. At the time of President Harrison's election, a change was made in the postoffice at Dowagiac and Mr. Becraft was appointed Postmaster, assuming the duties of the position on the 1st of January, 1890. Mr. Becraft was married, in 1870, to Miss Hattie Britton, a native of Albion, Mich., and the union ws blessed by the birth of two children: Fred E., who is now postal clerk on the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway between Chicago and Port Huron; and Charles, who died in infancy.
Politically, Mr. Becraft has always been a stanch Republican and has been influential in the ranks of his chosen party. For years he filled the position of City Recorder. He has been a member of the Republican Congressional Committee of the Fourth District for twelve years and is now its Chairman. He has been a prominent member of the Board of Education for a number of years, serving as its Secretary at the present time. Socially, his connections are with the Masonic fraternity, he being a Royal Arch Mason and a Knight-Templar; he is also identified with the Knights of Honor and the Modern Woodmen of America, and has held official positions in both organizations.
The Dowagiac Republican, of which Mr. Becraft was proprietor and editor, was established in 1858 and is the oldest paper in the county. His interest in it dates from the year 1890, and it is largely through his influence that it has maintained its position among the prominent political organs of the county. Strongly Republican in politics, it is nevertheless not partisan in preferences, but aims principally to promote the interests of the people of the city, irrespective of political belief.
W. A. Norton's Directory of Dowagiac, Cassopolis (other twps.), 1899. (St. Joseph: A. B. Morse Printers, 1899. Willard A. Norton), p. 19:
Dowagiac
Becraft, Fred E., asst. postmaster, 206 Courtland
Becraft, Julius O., postmaster and cash. Beck. estate, 206 Courtland
note: 206 Courtland was the home of Arthur and Lucy (Becraft) Frazee in the 1930 census.
Julius O. Becraft listed as an alternate for the 4th District, Dowagiac.• Census, Federal, 1900 in Dowagiac City, Cass Co, MI
Ward 2• Visit, The Weekly Press, 17 Jun 1909
Becraft, Julius O, head, b Apr 1850, age 50y, married 30 years, born MI, post master; wife Harriet, b Sept 1848, age 51, (1 child, 1 living), born MI; son Fred E, b Mar 1871, age 29, single, born IA, assistant postmaster.
Mary Graham, servant, b Jan 1857, age 43y, widowed, (2 children, 2 living), born MI, servant.
J. O. Becraft of Dowagiac, was in the city yesterday.• Census, Federal, 1910 in Dowagiac City, Silver Spring Twp, Cass Co, MI
ED 121, p. 1B, res. 25• Obituary, CASS COUNTY MICHIGAN OBITUARY NAME INDEX, 29 Jan 1925
312 Telegraph
Dowagiac city, Silver Spring twp., Cass Co., MI:
Becraft, J.O., 69, MI NY PA, secretary for stove mfg. co.
___, 52, wife, MI MI NY
note: wife's name illegible - could be J.H.
Julius O. Becraft Died Tuesday
Well known Dowagiac Man Died following operation
Julius O. Becraft, prominent Dowagiac citizen, died at the Lee Sanitarium in that city on Tuesday following an operation. He was 74 years of age.
Funeral services will be held from the residence, 402 Green St., on Friday afternoon at 2:00 and burial will be under auspices of the Masonic fraternity, of which he had been a member for many years.
Mr. Becraft was born in Dowagiac, April 27, 1850, being the first white child born in that city. Almost his entire life was spent there, although for a time, while in the employ of the old Air Line railway company, he was its agent at Cassopolis and resided there.
Going to work at an early age he clerked, worked for the railways, and engaged in other occupations, finally becoming publisher of the old Dowagiac Republican, which he owned for many years.
Thirty-five years ago he went with the Beckwith Co., engaging in various capacities, and at the time of his death was secretary of the company. He was also president of the Daily News Co. He twice served as postmaster at Dowagiac, gave many years of service to the school board, and was one who in his active years took a prominent part in local affairs and always to his credit, for he was an efficient executive.
He was married in 1870 to Miss Hattie Britton of Albion, Mich., who died in 1909. Their one child, Fred Becraft, died in 1918. In 1914 he was married to Mrs. Jennie Leckie, who survives him.
The death of Julius Becraft means the passing of one who was public spirited, patriotic, a loyal friend with a genial disposition, and he will be missed by many.
Parents
Father: Isaiah Smith Becraft 3
Mother: Caroline Wallace 1
Spouses and Children
1. *Hattie H. Britton 1
Marriage: 5 Feb 1871 - Dowagiac, Cass Co, MI 4
Status:
Children:
1. Fred Elsworth Becraft 1
2. Charles E Becraft 1
2. Jane T "Jennie" Howard 1
Marriage: 7 Feb 1914 - Dowagiac, Cass Co, MI 5
Status:
Notes
Death Notes:
Death Index, Cass Co, MI, book B, page 288, entry 6Marriage Notes (Hattie H. Britton)
Julius O. Becraft, age 74 years, 9 months, 0 days, born Michigan, died Dowagiac, father Isaac Becraft, b. MI, mother Caroline Wallace, b. PA.
Name:Julius O Becroft
Gender:Male
Burial Date:
Burial Place:
Death Date:27 Jan 1925
Death Place:Dowagiac, Cass, Michigan
Age:74
Birth Date:1851
Birthplace:Mich
Occupation:See B...
Race:White
Marital Status:Married
Spouse's Name:
Father's Name:Isaac Becroft
Father's Birthplace:
Mother's Name:Caroline Wallace
Mother's Birthplace:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number:B51825-8
System Origin:Michigan-EASy
Source Film Number:1021048
Reference Number:v B p 288
Book C2, page 82, Entry 1217Marriage Notes (Jane T "Jennie" Howard)
Book E, page 33, Entry 16
Sources
1. Craig Blyeth, "My American Family, July 2004" (rootsweb.com).
2. Virginia Meachum, "Meachum Family" (rootsweb.com).
3. Craig Blyeth, "My American Family, July 2004" (rootsweb.com). .... Michigan Department of Health, "Smith."
4. Craig Blyeth, "My American Family, July 2004" (rootsweb.com), 1870. .... LDS, Marriage records, 1830-1961; index, 1830-1994 Cass County (Michigan). County Clerk. .... LDS, Michigan Marriages 1868-1925.
5. LDS, Michigan Marriages 1868-1925.