Obituary: Alfred Kingsford

With my director on "grandma duty" after the birth of a grandson last weekend, I have been keeping busy here.  So busy that I find I forgot Tuesday's cemetery posting.  I will try to do better next week, although she will still be gone then.  In the meantime, here is an obituary for Alfred Kingsford.  He was one of our non-Dutch immigrant, who instead came from Canada.  


From then 1 November 1917 Fremont TimesIndicator:


ALFRED KINGSFORD
Alfred Kingsford was born in Oxford county, Ontario Canada, June 5, 1837, and died October 20, 1917.  He was married to Anna Scott December 1, 1858.  He first came to Michigan in 1863 and lived in Muskegon county for a short time, then moved his family here and settled on his Dayton township farm Mar. 1 1867, where he has since lived.
He was the father of seven children, five boys and two girls, all of whom are living.  He was the third youngest of nine children of whom only one sister, Mrs. Carter, of Canada is living.
Mr Kingsford was a great lover of nature and always got the greatest pleasure in the song of birds and observing them at all seasons.  In nature's wildest and most picturesque places were where he got his greatest enjoyment.
He will be greatly missed by his family and a host of friends.
The funeral services were held last Wednesday afternoon at the home conducted by Rev. R. A. Thibos, pastor of the Christian church.  Interment in Jewell cemetery.

The above obituary was obviously written by someone who knew the deceased.  Mr. Kingsford lived in the area Mrs. Robertson often wrote about.  While no byline for this obituary it certainly seems like one she could have written, with the personal touch of the one paragraph. 
Another thing I often wonder about is the immigration pattern.  Coming from Ontario, Canada to Muskegon, Michigan I wonder if they came by boat, around the mitten to the western side of the state.  Many passenger ships once plied the Great Lakes.  Muskegon was a major port city, so settling near there would make sense.  I love how the study of genealogy so often is a study of history in general.