Dexter Perry Glazier was a descendant of three Glazier brothers who came from Scotland in the early days of the settlement of this country. His father, Sewell Glazier, was one of them, and he was related to former President Franklin Pierce. D. P. was also related to Commodore Matthew Perry’s line on his mother’s side.
Dexter Perry Glazier was born in Brimfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, Dec. 2, 1823. When his father died in 1851, he traveled to western New York, near Buffalo, where he spent several years as an apprentice in the shoemakers’ trade, becoming very efficient. After that he spent some time in Michigan before he returned to Massachusetts. Then he went to Plymouth, New York where he married Sarah E. Swain Aug. 22, 1854. During their marriage, they had two sons and two daughters: Frank Dexter (1856-1932), Irvin Oliver (1861-1934), Cora Olivia (1868-1958) and Carlotta Maria “Lottie” (1869-1959).
In the fall of 1855, they moved to Grand Rapids and remained there until July 1, 1856, when Dexter moved to Newaygo and engaged in selling general merchandise. He was very successful in business and held many offices of trust in the village while living there.
On July 1, 1863 he registered for the Civil War draft while living in Newaygo.
In June 1866, they came to Whitehall where Dexter engaged in the same business as when he was in Newaygo.
By 1870, D. P. Glazier had built the first brick block in Whitehall, now sometimes referred to as the Linderman Block, located on the southeast corner of Colby and Mears. In October 1875, A. T. Linderman, formerly of Grand Rapids, purchased the brick block, extensive business interests and the elegant private residence of D. P. Glazier.
In April 1876, D. P. Glazier then rented and moved into the house that belonged to O. R. Goodno of Montague. By September 1876, he was setting up his new store with a fine selection of goods, but the location of the store is unknown.
In January 1877, Glazier announced he would be combining his Montague and Shelby stores in the spring. By February 1877, he had disposed of his property in Montague and was now devoting his time to his store at Shelby.
In December 1878, D. P. Glazier and his son Frank formed D. P. Glazier and Son. Together they opened a new grocery store in the Foster Block at the corner of Thompson and Colby streets which was located just east of the railroad tunnel, about where the Century Building is now.
On July 4, 1879, Frank Dexter Glazier married Artemesia (nee Parks) Stults in Whitehall. She was born in Walworth County, Wisconsin Dec. 1, 1854 and moved with her family to Blue Lake in 1866 when it was nearly a primitive forest. They had a son, Hugh (1886-1955). She died in Whitehall Dec. 15, 1926.
Dexter P. Glazier also had an extensive farm south of the village, as was reported in the local paper Aug. 22, 1879. Of the 100 acres, 15 acres were set with as an apple orchard, five with peaches, 3.5 with grapes, one acre in strawberries, 10 in potatoes, five in corn and 25 in wheat.
In October 1879, it was announced D. P. Glazier & Son had bought the New York Grocery somewhere on Colby Street.
In November 1879, D. P. bought a hardware store in Pentwater and moved his family there. Later, he traded his hardware store in Pentwater for one in Ludington. He also acquired a jewelry store there which his son Irvin operated for a number of years before he moved to Colorado by 1900.
Dexter Perry Glazier died while visiting his oldest daughter Cora in Wakefield, Michigan, Aug. 5, 1891. He is buried in Oakhurst Cemetery.
Sometime after Dexter died, his wife Sarah moved to Philadelphia and was living with her married daughter Carlotta and her family in 1900. In 1910 and 1920, she was living with her married daughter Cora and her family in Calumet, where she died. Sarah is buried alongside her husband and their son Frank in Oakhurst Cemetery.
Son Frank D. Glazier had been operating a grocery store in his father’s old stand on Colby Street, 2 doors east of the Linderman Block. In June 1888, he bought the Thompson Hardware building next door, had it refit and moved his stock of groceries into it. In 1919, J. P. Jacobson purchased the F. D. Glazer grocery stock. The building was purchased by Leonard & Edna Blomdahl in 1935, torn down and rebuilt in 1953, became A&P in 1956, and is now the eastern portion of the Hokey Pokey.
With his wife’s passing Dec. 15, 1926, Frank Glazier moved to Youngstown, Ohio, where his daughter lived and where he died Feb. 22, 1932.
Correction
In part 2 of the Whitehall seventh-graders’ 1890s recounting of Whitehall history, Merle Gee was mistakenly referred to as the teacher of the seventh-grade class. Gee was a student. The Mirror apologizes for the mistake.
