Entered A. Second Clas.! - Local History Archives

Page
Twenty
GROSSE POINTE NEWS
Page
Thursday, January 28,1960
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When your next door neighbor's household pet
escapes and nibbles a~ your flowers it's difficult to be
tolerant, especially if that pet is a bear! But Theodore
Hinchman didn't seem to mind when Joseph Berry's
bear wandered into hjs yard. The two merchants were
neighbors in 1875 on the lakeshore and the closest of
irienris. The Hinchman boy:; played billards at the
Berrys and the two families exchanged dinners.
Joseph Berry came to Detroit from NewJerf'cy in
1839 and began a paint and varnish business; the first
batch of successful varnish was brewed on his mother's
stove. In 1868 he married Charlotte Eugenie Dwight and
the pair moved to a small frame house by Lake St. Clair
near Fisher road in 1872. Their first house was humble
but the grounds had the most elegant boathouse for
miles around.
In 1882. Mr. Berry built the mansion which wa4 to
be fabled for its nine foot stained glass window and the
greenhouse which held his famous orchids. Mrs. Berry
died in 1875 but the three Berry daughters grew up in
the house. One, Alice, married Dr. Edwin Lodge and
still lives on some of her father's property, by the lake
in a red and brown brick Victorian structure.
Across the street lives her sister, Charlotte, who
married Henry Gray Sherrard. Lottie Berry, who taught
Sunday School in the Protestant Evangelical Church,
married Hayward Hoyt and \Veni "to live. in Grand.
Rapids
Mr. Berry always drove a pair of horses to his down.
town offices. He had joined a flypapel' manufacturing
company with Co!. Hecker, Mr. Newb~rry and Mr.
Freer. He hated cars because he saw the replacement of
his bdoved horses and knew when the stables disap.
peared so would flypaper. His orchids, wb;.ch were
known throughout the middlewest, were exhibited at
the SL Louis World's Fair. Throughout his grounds,
which stretched from the bend in the lakeshore to be.
yond the present site of Memorial Church, exotic plants
grew and animals roamet:!. Most of the time his pet bear
was chained but occasionally it did escape into the
Hinchman's garden.
Mr. Hinchman had come to Detroit from New Jersey
three, years before his neighbor to clerk in the drugstore
owned by Dr. Chapin and Mr. Owen. Dr. Chapin died
as a result of overwork. during a cholera epidemic and
in 1842 Mr. Hinchman became a partner .. When Mr.
Owen retired in 1853 the business was all Hinchman's.
He was a real pillar of Detroit society and civic life; he
belonged to the Young Men's Christian Society, was fire
commissioner, state senator, president of a bank and on
the board of the State Industrial Home for Girls.
In politics he was a Democrat and his political be.
liefs involved him in the religious quarrel of the day. He
attended the first Presbyterian Church of Detroit of
which the Rev. Henry Neill, also a Democrat, was pastor.
The reverend offended many of his congregation one
Sunday by preaching a sermon on "Bleeding Kansas",
and the Free Soilers and Republicans among his elders
forced him to resign.
With Hinchman and others like-minded he founded
the Westminster Church. Mr. Hinchman, according to
an account of the day always attended, "except when
residinG. at his country seat in Grosse Pointe". Mr.
Hincm;an had married Dr. Chapin's daughter, Louisa,
and the pair had 10 children, of which only five survived.
They moved to the "country seat" the year of Appamatox
and Hinchmans have been here ever since. Mrs.
Theodore Henry Hinchman, of Stephens road, is the
widow of the original drug tycoon's grandson, and her
son, Davic,l Ballantyne Hinchman, of Irvine lane, has a
son. Theodore Henry Hinchman III, who carries on the
family founder's name.
In the January 14 issue this column listed Miss Julia
Fish, granddaughter .of Dr. Isaac Smith, as deceased.
Miss Fish lives at the Park Shelton Hotel. We greatly
regret reporting she had died and hope she will accept
this apology.
who!!where and whatnot
Life of many a Hawthorne road party are Mr. and
Mrs. Grossen Hayes, who perform Oil a home-made
musical instrument called a "gut.bucket". This combination
of a bass and drums is manufactured from a tin tub,
broom handle, strong wire and rubber tubing.
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For those of you who are tired of traditional eggs
end bacon for breakfast try George Taubeneck's morn.
ing meal. He takes all the leftovers from the ice box,
stirs them up for a pot pourri, and swallows it at one
gulp. MIS T. reports that if there. aren't enough remain.
ders he will go out and huy some, prefers carrot tops,
leftover hamburger and the like.
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The Donald Brodericks have two nurseries which
have their friends, and their two tots, entranced. Mr.
B. drew a host of animals, lions, giraffes, elephants, in
bright colors in the cartoon spirit on the pink and blue
walls. The figures were copied free hand from the gay
nursery curtains and create quite an effect.
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That veteran world traveler, home fairly recently
from a jaunt half way around the world. Walker L.
Cisler, spends his Sunday bicycling in a "ery natty. 1
beige cashmere jacket and cap.
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Bridge playing friends of Mrs. Robert Hodges just I
Jove to be invited to her home for luncheon .•. such a !I.
delectable cook is Mrs. R., who can beat up such
delicacies as blueberry cake, pecan pie, cheese rolls,
sandwich cake and Chinese noodle baskets filled with
creamed crabmeat.
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Antique clocks have a special attraction to collectors
with a mechanical bent, • , the A. C, Scotts have an un.
usual collection in their Newberry road home.
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Singer Tony Martin, in town for his opening last
week at Windsor's Elmwood Casino, entertained the
Henrv Fords backstage before he went on ... sang "It's
OnlY"8 Paper Moon" wi th special lyrics for the Fords .. ,
Mrs. F. looked charming in a short red bouffant cocktail
frock.
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Gray's
sox
Featur
Pointer of Interest
JIM CRUICKSHANK, or HILLCREST LANE
By Patricia
sox
[;ray's
Talbot
students and their parents who
wish to learn about the AFS
program will have the oppor.
tunity on February 11 when the
Mothers Club is .sponsorlng a
panel of foreign studenls at the
dents were required to read be- h.igh school to discuss the exfore
sailing was "The UgI) , perience.
American," a frightening por- Jim's family pay for his tratrait
of our countrymen in Asia. veling fare and send him an al-
The AFS chaperones the stu- lowan~e but his expenses at
dents strictly until they are de- school and home are the relivered
to their host home. Jim sponsibility of the AFS and .the
will have to travel 1,000' miles host family. He will be expected
from Auckland to Invercargill to join in the family's chores,
where he will live for seven such as mowing the lawn,
months. He wlll be home to be- (which he does at hamel, and
gin his senior year at GPHS cleaning the fireplaces. (There
next fall. is no central heating.)
His Hosts' Family Proud to Be Chosen
Jim's hosls, the Orbells, A representative teen ager Lo
share with. him an interest in be pt'olld of, Jim is not only a
hunting, fishing and photogra- Sr.'Jut but a member of Tuxi~
phy. Jim is planning to be.a and a good sludent.