Ferry Family

The Ferry family has long been prominent in the Detroit community; the Ferrys have carved large niches in the local business, philanthropic, and political arenas. The first of the family to arrive on the Detroit scene was Dexter Mason Ferry (1833-1907), who came in 1854 to be employed by the S. Dow Elwood & Co. booksellers. Ferry supplemented his income by working nights for the firm of M.T. Gardner and Company, Seedsmen. Trading on his knowledge of agriculture, sales, and bookkeeping, Ferry quickly rose to the position of partner in the newly named Gardner, Church, and Ferry Seed Co. Increased demand, lower transportation costs to prairie farmers, and sales on the commission system led to the rapid growth of the firm. Ferry eventually gained controlling interest in the concern and formed D.M. Ferry & Co. in 1879; this firm prospered and dominated the national market into the twentieth century. The seed company formed the core of Ferry's business empire and served as a springboard from which he launched other entrepeneurial ventures.

In many ways, Ferry was the quintessential nineteenth- century capitalist, turning an innovative idea and a regional monopoly to his advantage in gaining the edge in the national market. He built on this edge by diversifying, using the seed firm's profits to finance his ventures in other enterprises. He bought real estate in and around Detroit, including the site and building occupied by the Newcomb-Endicott Co. (now part of the J.L. Hudson block) and the Ferry seed farm in Greenfield. As a man of position and means, Ferry was tapped to serve as president of the First National Bank of Detroit, the Union Trust Company, the American Harrow Company, the National Pin Company, the Standard Accident Insurance Company, and the Michigan Fire and Marine Insurance Company. The positions reflected the esteem Ferry enjoyed among his peers in Detroit.

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