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- Abraham Smolk, the venerable and highly respected father of Mrs. Franks, died at the Mission House, Mackinac Island, at 8:15 o’clock Tuesday evening, July 7th, aged 100 years, 5 months and 12 days. From the Cheboygan News we clip the following sketch of the old gentleman’s life: “He was born at Johnston, N. Y., on January 25th, 1791, and was therefore considerably over one hundred years old at the time of his death. He lived on his father’s farm until 15 years of age, when he went to Auburn, N. Y., and learned the trade of architect and builder. At the age of 23 he was married to Mary Tuttle, sister to Allen and Bradley Tuttle, of Auburn, when he became closely identified with the building up of the village of Auburn of which he was elected chief officer at the age of 25, and served two terms as such. He was the first chief of the fire department of the village. In 1833 he removed to Detroit, succeeding Lewis Cass in the ownership of the old Cass homestead, which was recently destroyed on Larned street. Mr. Smolk was contractor in building the first thirty miles of the Michigan Central railroad, and later constructed fifty miles of the Detroit and Howell plank road. He lived in that city until 1877, when he moved to Mackinac Island, to spend his remaining days with his daughter, Mr. Franks, of the Mission House, but during that time he made frequent visits to Cheboygan. Mrs. Franks and Chas. A. Smolk of this city, are the only living children. There are also living three grand children and thirteen great grand children. Mr. Smolk became a communicant of the Presbyterian church in 1870, and has continued to be a consistent and zealous member. In all his long and eventful life he never used either ardent spirits or tobacco in any form.”
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