Legislator Details
Vital Records Information:
Marital Information:
married Caroline C.
Number of Children: 0
Background
Education:
Biographical Sketch:
In the winter of 1835-6 his father, Amos Gould, came to Michigan and located in Moscow, Hillsdale county, where he brought his family the following July, and settled on his land, which was then an unbroken forest. Owing to lack of schools, he learned the alphabet when 8 years old. At the age of 9 years, he was able to render good service in assisting his parents and the neighbors, who were all afflicted with that scourge of
a new country—the ague. In the fall of 1839 he was the only well person in
the neighborhood, and acted as hired man, nurse, and doctor for all the
neighbors, using for medicine "black root," which was found all through the
woods, and was a "sure cure for the fever and ague." In the spring, after he
was 13, he left home and hired out to work on a farm at 3 dollars per month, and worked his full time, 6 months. From this time for the next 7 years he worked on a farm. In the winter of 1850-51 Mr. Gould attended the Union School at Jonesvllle, living in the family of Hon. George C. Munro. Here, he made rapid advancement in his studies, but his schooling having been so neglected, he was compelled to recite his lessons with the juvenile classes in the primary department, the Principal, however, allowing him to occupy a seat in the high school department with young men of his age. He stayed at Jonesvllle 1 year, where he was found qualified to teach a district school and was engaged in the Union School District of Adams and Moscow. In the spring of 1853, at the opening of the State Normal School at Ypsilanti, Mr.Gould was among the first classes formed and continued through the first year. The next year he took charge of the Union School at Jonesville, at
which time he commenced the study of the law. From Jonesvllle, he went to Litchfield, and became Principal of the Union School there, where he remained several years, devoting his time to teaching. In April, 1861, he moved to the city of Jackson. For the first 2 years he was connected with the State Prison as
one of its officers, but in 1863 he entered the law office of V. M. Bostwick, with whom he formed a co-partnership under the firm name of Bostwick & Gould,
for the purpose of conducting the law, loan, real estate, and insurance busi-
ness. In March, 1870, he was admitted to practice in the Circuit Court of the
US for the Western District of Michigan. The firm of Bostwick and Gould was dissolved in 1870 by the death of Mr. Bostwick, and Mr. Gould closed up the business in 1872, and was elected prosecuting attorney for Jackson
county. Mr. Gould was the first President of the Young Men's Christian Society,
formed at Jackson by D. L. Moody, and has served as School Inspector and
Alderman.
Notable Facts: