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BIOGRAPHY: GEORGE RAAB. The poplular Supervisor of the Fourth Ward of Flint, whose claim to public consideration is well founded upon his bravery and loyalty as a soldier, who served his country faithfully in the late war, and who was in the Fourth Michigan Cavalry, is he whose name appears above. As a supplementary work he handles at the present time Stanley's remarkable book. Mr. Raab was born at Wetzler, Germany, in the Province of Nassau, March 17, 1846. He is a son of Eberhardt and Catherine E. (Zimmerman) Raab.
Our subject's father was a tailor by trade and his father was a farmer by calling; he was also a soldier in the Napoleonic wars. Late in life he came to America and spent his last days in Flint; he was seventy-nine years of age at the time of his decease. Eberhardt Raab brought his family to America in the spring of 1855, making the voyage on the sailing vessel "Republic" in which they were confined for forty-two days, being overtaken by a calm that lasted three weeks. The family located in Wyoming County, N.Y., in the town of Strykersville, where the father was employed as a tanner. In 1858 they removed to Flint, Genesee County, Mich., and here Mr. Raab was employed at his own trade, that of a merchant tailor, and lived until 1890, when he removed to Caro, which is now his place of residence. He is sixty-eight years old.
Catherine Raab died in 1876 leaving two children, of whom our subject is the elder; the younger, Jacob, is in the furniture business in Flint. Our subject's family was one of the pioneers in the Fourth Ward, which was then all woods. George attended private school at first then the ward school and later the union schools. At the age of fourteen years he was apprenticed to learn the cabinetmakers' trade under William Miller, with whom he remained until the fall of 1863, when he enlisted in Company F, Fourth Michigan Calvary. He was mustered in at Detroit and joined his regiment at Nashville. In the spring of 1864 the regiment joined Sherman's army at Chattanooga. He was in many skirmishes and the cavalary he was with participated in many battles. He was taken sick after the engagement of Kenesaw Mountain, in July, 1864, and was sent to the hospital in Chattanooga, thence to Columbia, and on being sent back to his regiment, was with a mounted squad that did scout duty throughout that fall. In the spring of 1865, under Col. P. Pritchard, they were at the engagement at Selma, Ala., Double Bridge and Macon, Ga., and participated in the capture of Jefferson Davis, May 10, of the same year. Our subject was one of the one hundred and twenty-eight picked men selected for that important duty. He brought back with him from the war a hand mirror, taken from the wardrobe of Jefferson Davis, and he wore the Confederate ex-President's felt hat until the close of the war. Mr. Raab was mustered out of service at Nashville, August 15, 1865. From injuries received in the army he now draws a pension of $24 per Month.
Returning to Flint after the war, our subject again resumed his trade and in 1867 removed to Lawrence, Van Buren County, where he started a furniture store and conducted it for four years. While there, May 9, 1869, he was married to Miss Hattie E. Tomlinson, who was born in Branch County. She is a daughter of Alex. E. Tomlinson, an English gentleman, who was one of the early pioneers of that portion of the State.
In 1871 Mr. Raab sold out his effects and interests in Lawrence and returned to Flint. He resumed his trade and helped finish the State School for the Deaf. In 1872 he went to Holly and for four years was engaged in the furniture trade there, but was again attracted back to Flint and this time opened a grocery store at the foot of Hazelton Street, in partnership with John Zimmerman. They were burned out two years later and then our subject, in partnership with his brother Jacob, started a cabinet-making shop, running it until 1884, then opened a grocery at the corner of Asylum and Glenwood Avenues, and with Richard Hughes as a partner. They continued in business for two years, when our subject sold out and has since been engaged in handling sewing machines. For the past five years he has been on the road constantly. The open air exercise was beneficial to his health, which has never been robust since his army service. He now handles Stanley's book in this county.
Our subject and his wife are the parents of six children--M. Bertha, a teacher in the county; Myrthis A., a teacher in the city schools; Alice C.; Irving; Ethel E. and Arthur. He has been Supervisor of the Fourth Ward since 1883. Socially he belongs to the Odd Fellows and also to the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a Mason and in his political liking is a true Republican.
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