William Thomas Gransden

  General Notes:

William Thomas Gransden was nicknamed Hoot Owl Bill. Why?
When his father left for Chicago he stayed at home with his mother. He farmed and also worked out as a lumber jack. William was one of the last, along with brother Dave, to drive the logs from north of the Garish Dam down the Tittabawassee River. This would have been around 1900.
When he was going to get married he built a home near his parents home in section 14 Edenville Twp. on the back end of the north forty. After that be built another home on Water Road on the north side and front of the forty, he moved the little house up to and attached it to the new one. (see picture)
William and Margaret were married in Averill at a little church that is now at the Sanford Michigan Museum.
The house that was built on Water road was built out of hand made cement blocks, with gravel taken from the river in back of the forty.(This house burned down in 1933). He stayed to farm the forty that was purchased by his father and later sold it to his son Lyle. He worked as a personal driver for Mr. Dow in 1916 and then in 1918 returned to Edenville and purchased the property known as the Axford-Moore property. In 1921 they built a grocery and gas station and also, to the south, a new home which is setting on the property at M-30 and Moore St. In 1935 they moved back to Midland to open a new grocery store. Then returned in 1937, came back, and built their last store on Water Rd., next tothe town hall. An agreement with the township was made that he could use the north wall of the town hall as a common wall. The water off the town hall building could run off his roof. They also ran the post office out of this building.

William married Margaret Victoria Wells, daughter of George Charles Wells and Melissa Ann Weese, on 22 Feb 1896 in Averill, Midland, Michigan, USA. (Margaret Victoria Wells was born on 7 Feb 1880 in Edenville, Midland, Michigan, USA, died on 22 Feb 1957 in Edenville, Midland, Michigan, USA and was buried on 25 Feb 1957 in Edenville, Midland, Michigan, USA.)