Tag: Michigan

Rosa Susan (“Rosie”) Smith Revisited: What the Records Reveal Years Later

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Looking Back at an Earlier Story

When I first wrote about my 2× great-grandmother Rosa Susan “Rosie” Smith in 2018, the outline of her life was already clear: a childhood in Pennsylvania and Michigan, a long marriage to William Doonan, years spent in northern Ontario, and a life that stretched into the early 1950s. What remained unclear then were the brief, uncomfortable gaps — especially Rosie’s short-lived first marriage to Thomas Osborn and the compressed timing of her remarriage to William Doonan.

In the years since, additional records, closer reading of familiar sources, and the availability of autosomal DNA evidence have allowed some of those gaps to be examined more carefully.

Re-examining the Marriage to Thomas Osborn

Rosie married Thomas Osborn on 17 February 1882 in Bay County, Michigan, when she was just sixteen years old.¹ The marriage was solemnized by Justice of the Peace Nathaniel Enman and witnessed by Charles Horsford and Mary Ann Leary.² It was formally recorded on 27 April 1882.

Marriage record of Thomas Osborn and Rosie Smith marriage.

At the time of the earlier post, it was unclear whether this marriage ended through divorce or death. A subsequent review of the complete 1880 federal census for Beaver Township and Kawkawlin Township — examined page by page — failed to locate Thomas Osborn in either community.³ No additional census, land, probate, or newspaper records have been identified that place him in Rosie’s orbit before or after the marriage.

The record, taken as a whole, suggests a marriage that existed briefly and left no lasting documentary footprint beyond the register itself.

A Compressed Timeline, Clarified

Rosie’s daughter, Rosa Jane Doonan, was born on 22 August 1882 — less than seven months after the Osborn marriage and several months before Rosie’s marriage to William Doonan on 11 November 1882.⁴ The timeline, while long visible, takes on sharper focus when examined alongside later evidence.

Marriage record of William Doonan and Rosie Smith

Modern autosomal DNA results now provide important clarification. Multiple DNA matches descending through independent children of Rosa Jane consistently align with William Doonan’s family.⁵ This pattern strongly supports William Doonan as Rosa Jane’s biological father and shows no comparable genetic connection to Thomas Osborn.

What once appeared as an unresolved question in the paper record is now better understood through the combination of documentation and DNA.

What the Witnesses — and Their Absence — Suggest

The Osborn marriage was witnessed by two community members who do not appear to have been relatives of either the bride or groom. No Osborn or Smith family members were listed as witnesses. Combined with Osborn’s absence from local census records, the marriage appears to have been formally executed but socially thin — a legally valid union that did not establish a shared household or lasting family connection.

This does not explain why the marriage occurred, but it helps explain why it disappeared so completely from the documentary record.

What Hasn’t Changed

What has not changed since the earlier post is the broader shape of Rosie’s life. Her long marriage to William Doonan, the birth and loss of children, the move to northern Ontario in 1908, and her later years as “Grandma Ball” within the extended family remain exactly as they were first understood.

If anything, the additional research sharpens rather than softens that picture. Rosie’s brief marriage to Thomas Osborn now appears as a momentary interruption rather than a defining chapter — a small but telling episode in a life otherwise shaped by endurance, adaptation, and persistence.

Conclusion

Family history rarely unfolds neatly. What can be known at one moment often changes as new records surface and new tools become available. Rosie’s story is no exception. The outlines were always there, but time and patience have filled in some of the finer lines.

This later look at Rosie’s life does not replace the earlier telling. Instead, it reflects the ongoing nature of historical research — the understanding that some answers arrive only years after the first questions are asked.

Sources

  1. Bay County, Michigan, Marriage Register, Thomas Osborn and Rosie Smith, 17 February 1882.
  2. Bay County, Michigan, Marriage Register (officiant and witnesses), same entry.
  3. 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Beaver Township and Kawkawlin Township, Bay County, Michigan.
  4. Michigan Birth Records, Rosa Jane Doonan, 22 August 1882; Bay County, Michigan, Marriage Records, William Doonan and Rosie Smith, 11 November 1882.
  5. AncestryDNA autosomal matches through multiple independent descendant lines of Rosa Jane Doonan.

Henry Munson (1818–1886)

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Early Life and Trade

Henry Munson was born 16 June 1818 in Franklin, Delaware County, New York, the son of Daniel Munson and Frances “Fanny” Tolles. According to a biographical sketch published during his lifetime, his father operated a blacksmith shop, and Henry worked there during the winters, learning the trade at a young age.¹ This early training would shape his working life for decades.

At approximately eighteen years of age, Henry left home and traveled west to Fort Defiance, Ohio, where he spent two years engaged in boating and farm labor.¹ This period reflects the common pattern of young men acquiring experience and capital before permanent settlement.

Arrival in Michigan and Marriage

By the late 1830s, Henry had relocated to Saginaw County, Michigan. He was married on 1 June 1839 in Bridgeport to Elizabeth Foster, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary Foster.¹ The marriage marks the beginning of a long association with Bridgeport and Taymouth Townships that would continue for the remainder of his life.

Their first child, James H. Munson, was born in Bridgeport in 1840, followed by Mary Emaline Munson in 1841. Census and vital records indicate that the family remained in Bridgeport through the 1840s and 1850s, during which time Henry balanced farming with blacksmithing.²

Family Growth and Loss

Henry and Elizabeth Munson became the parents of eleven children. Not all survived to adulthood, a reality reflected both in census records and later family documentation. Ransom W. Munson, born in 1843, died in 1853 at the age of nine, reportedly at the Cass River.³ James H. Munson, their eldest son, died in Taymouth Township in 1881 at the age of forty-one.⁴

These losses occurred alongside the steady growth of the family, which included children born in Bridgeport and later in Taymouth Township. The movement of birthplaces within the family mirrors Henry’s gradual transition from Bridgeport into rural Taymouth.

Settlement in Taymouth Township

In the fall of 1861, Henry Munson purchased eighty acres of land in Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, on section 5.¹ This land purchase represents a permanent commitment to the township, coinciding with a period of agricultural expansion in the area during the Civil War era.

Federal census records place Henry in Bridgeport in 1860 and confirm his residence in Taymouth Township by 1870 and 1880.² Over time, his landholdings increased, and by the early 1880s he was reported to own eighty-seven acres.¹

Community Presence and Newspaper Mentions

Henry Munson’s name appears repeatedly in Saginaw County newspapers during the late 1870s, reflecting his continued residence and standing within the community. In 1879, his name was listed among the jurors involved in the murder case arising from the death of Heber K. Ives, in which Allen Barnum was charged.⁵ His appearance in these reports relates specifically to jury proceedings and represents routine civic service rather than personal involvement in the crime itself.

The repeated publication of juror lists across multiple issues explains why Henry’s name appears more than once in connection with the case. Such reporting was typical of nineteenth-century newspapers as trials progressed through examination, jury selection, and court sessions. These references provide valuable confirmation of Henry’s presence and civic participation in Taymouth Township during the period between the 1870 and 1880 federal censuses.

Occupation and Public Identity

Throughout his adult life, Henry Munson was identified as both a farmer and a blacksmith.¹² This dual occupation was common among early settlers and reflects the practical demands of rural Michigan communities, where skilled trades were often combined with agricultural work.

Politically, Henry was identified as a Democrat, a detail included in the 1881 county history.¹ While brief, this note situates him within the civic culture of the township and suggests engagement with local political life.

Later Years and Death

By 1880, Henry Munson was sixty-two years old and residing in Taymouth Township with his family.² The death of his son James in 1881 occurred during this period and would have marked a significant personal loss late in Henry’s life.

Henry Munson died on 12 December 1886 in Taymouth Township at the age of sixty-eight.⁶ He was buried in Taymouth Township Cemetery, where his grave remains among those of other long-standing township residents.

Assessment

Henry Munson’s life is documented across a wide range of contemporary sources, including federal censuses, land records, a published county biography, and local newspapers. Taken together, these records present a clear picture of a skilled tradesman and farmer who followed a well-documented path from New York to Michigan, established landholdings in Taymouth Township, raised a large family, and remained a visible and trusted member of the local community until his death.

The convergence of government records, printed biography, and newspaper accounts makes Henry Munson one of the more thoroughly documented nineteenth-century residents of Taymouth Township and provides a solid foundation for understanding both his life and the broader settlement history of the area.

Sources

  1. History of Saginaw County, Michigan (Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1881), biographical sketch of Henry Munson.
  2. 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  3. Michigan death records and family documentation for Ransom W. Munson.
  4. Michigan death records for James H. Munson, Taymouth Township, 1881.
  5. Saginaw Herald (East Saginaw, Michigan), 16 October 1879, reporting the death of Heber K. Ives and related proceedings; Saginaw Courier-Herald, 23 October 1879, “The Ives Murder,” listing jurors, including Henry Munson.
  6. Michigan death and burial records for Henry Munson, Taymouth Township, 1886.

Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, Michigan: Formation, Naming, and Place

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Taymouth Township, located in southeastern Saginaw County, Michigan, appears frequently in nineteenth-century records tied to families who settled along the Flint River and its tributaries. Although the township name is well established by the mid-nineteenth century, its formation, original name, and the evolution of local place names require careful reconstruction using legislative acts, census records, plat maps, and contemporary histories. When read together, these sources provide a clear timeline for the township’s creation and naming, as well as continuity of settlement before and after its organization.¹

Indigenous Presence and Early Land Use

Prior to Euro-American settlement, the Flint River valley in what later became Taymouth Township was home to Chippewa (Ojibwe) communities. Land along the river formed part of the Pe-won-o-go-wink (also rendered Pewanagowink) reservation, meaning “Place of Stones,” a name preserved in later historical accounts and visible on early plat maps.²

Treaties signed in 1819 and 1837 resulted in the loss of most Indigenous lands in the region, despite earlier assurances that certain tracts would remain reserved. By the mid-nineteenth century, only a small community remained near the Flint River, associated with an Indian church and cemetery later connected with Rev. Daniel Wheaton (Che-Me-Gas).³

The Area Before Township Organization

In the 1840 federal census, residents who would later be enumerated in Taymouth Township were listed under Saginaw Township, reflecting the fact that Taymouth had not yet been created as a civil township. Importantly, comparison of the 1840 and 1850 census schedules shows the same individuals—identified by full first and last names—appearing in both enumerations. This continuity demonstrates that the population did not relocate; rather, the civil jurisdiction governing them changed following legislative action.⁴

Creation of Faymouth Township (1842)

Taymouth Township was formally created by an act of the Michigan Legislature approved on 17 February 1842. The statute set off territory from Saginaw Township and established a new township under the name Faymouth. The act defined the township boundaries in detail and specified the location of the first township meeting. The law stated, in part:

“All that part of the county of Saginaw (now a part of the township of Saginaw) included in the following boundaries, viz.: commencing on the east side of Flint river, on the county line between Saginaw and Genesee, at the southeast corner of township ten north, range five east; thence north on said township line to the northeast corner of said township; thence west on said township line to the northwest corner of section four; thence north on section lines to the bank of Cass river; thence down said river to its junction with the Shiawassee river; thence up the Shiawassee river to the county line between Saginaw and Shiawassee; thence east on said county line to the place of beginning; be and the same is hereby set off and organized into a separate township by the name of Faymouth, and the first township meeting shall be held at the house of A. F. Hayden.”⁵

This language confirms that Faymouth was the township’s original legal name and that its boundaries were clearly defined at the time of organization.

The Name Change from Faymouth to Taymouth (1844)

Two years later, the Michigan Legislature enacted a statute changing the township’s name. An act approved in 1844 stated explicitly:

“The name of the township of Faymouth, in the county of Saginaw, is hereby changed to Taymouth; and all acts and proceedings which have been had under the name of Faymouth shall be of the same force and effect as if done under the name of Taymouth.”⁶

By the time of the 1850 federal census, the township appears consistently as Taymouth Township, confirming that the name change had been fully implemented in civil and administrative records.⁷

Villages, Post Offices, and Changing Place Names

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, several village names appeared within Taymouth Township. Blackmar, located along the Flint River and the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad, developed into a recognized center of industry and commerce and was acknowledged by the U.S. Post Office Department.⁸

Plat maps reveal additional local place names whose usage changed over time. Morseville appears on the 1916 plat map but is absent by 1920. In its place, the 1920 map labels the same location as Taymouth, suggesting a renaming or re-identification rather than abandonment. Verne, by contrast, appears on multiple maps and does not disappear, indicating greater stability in that place name. Comparison of the 1877, 1916, 1920, and 1955 plat maps highlights how local nomenclature evolved while settlement itself remained continuous.⁹

1877 Taymouth Township plat map
1877 Plat map for Taymouth Township

Land, Agriculture, and Community Development

By the late nineteenth century, Taymouth Township was described as one of the most agriculturally productive areas in Saginaw County. The Flint River and its tributaries supported mills, salt works, and transportation, while fertile soils sustained farming throughout the township.¹⁰ Despite these developments, Taymouth retained a predominantly rural character shaped by its river, its early settlers, and its layered history of Indigenous displacement and resettlement.

Conclusion

The history of Taymouth Township can be traced clearly through legislative acts, census records, and maps. Residents first enumerated in Saginaw Township in 1840 became citizens of Faymouth Township in 1842, and of Taymouth Township following the 1844 name change. The appearance and disappearance of local place names such as Morseville and the persistence of others like Verne reflect changes in labeling rather than population movement. Together, these records provide a precise framework for understanding Taymouth Township’s formation and for accurately interpreting nineteenth-century documents associated with families who lived there.

Sources

  1. Michael A. Leeson, History of Saginaw County, Michigan (Chicago: Charles C. Chapman & Co., 1881), 917–937.
  2. Margaret O’Sullivan, “Broken Promises – Stolen Land – But Still a Proud People,” Montrose Museum, Spring 2024.
  3. Ibid.
  4. 1840 U.S. Census, Saginaw Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  5. Michigan Legislature, An Act to Organize the Township of Faymouth, approved 17 February 1842.
  6. Michigan Legislature, An Act Changing the Name of Faymouth Township to Taymouth, 1844.
  7. 1850 U.S. Census, Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  8. Leeson, History of Saginaw County, 922.
  9. Taymouth Township plat maps, 1877, 1916, 1920, and 1955.
  10. Leeson, History of Saginaw County, 917–918.

Wesley Weldon (1807–1880)

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Early Life and Family

Wesley Weldon was born in 1807 in Glastonbury, Hartford County, Connecticut, the son of Wareham Weldon and Permelia Andrews. His mother died in Glastonbury in 1817, when Wesley was about ten years old.¹

He married Emeline Munson, also a native of Connecticut. By 1830, Wesley was living in Franklin, Delaware County, New York.² Over the following decade, the family moved west. By the early 1830s, they were connected with Michigan, and their daughter Frances Marie Weldon was born about 1833.³

By 1840, Wesley Weldon was residing in Saginaw, Saginaw County, Michigan, placing him among the early settlers of the region.⁴

Settlement in Saginaw County

By 1850, Wesley and his family were living in Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, where he appeared in the federal census as a farmer.⁶ He continued to be recorded in Bridgeport Township in subsequent census years, including 1860 and 1870, with his post office listed as Bridgeport.⁷

1850 US Census showing Wesley Weldon household
1850 US Census for Bridgeport, Saginaw County, Michigan. Wesley Weldon is enumerated next to his brother-in-law Henry Munson.

One record places him in East Saginaw in January 1862, indicating that he traveled into the city at times, likely for business or personal matters, though no specific purpose is documented.⁸ By 1880, Wesley was again enumerated in Bridgeport Township, listed as a widower.⁹

Wesley and Emeline had at least three daughters who survived to adulthood: Frances Marie, Adelia, and Julia. Frances Marie died in 1872. Emeline Munson Weldon died in Bridgeport Township on 4 March 1876. Wesley did not remarry.¹⁰

Later Years

By the late 1870s, Wesley Weldon was in his early seventies. Contemporary newspapers later described him as an “old resident” of Saginaw County, stating that he had lived in the area for more than forty years.¹¹ His occupation continued to be identified as farming.

Despite residing in Bridgeport Township, records indicate that Wesley traveled into the city of Saginaw, as reflected by the location associated with the events surrounding his death.

Discovery in the Saginaw River

On 1 October 1880, the body of Wesley Weldon was recovered from the Saginaw River within the city of Saginaw.¹¹ Newspaper accounts indicate that family members were present in Saginaw at the time of his identification, but the surviving records do not establish a sequence of events involving a prior disappearance or organized search. The evidence supports only that Weldon was found deceased in the river and subsequently identified.

The Detroit News, October 2, 1880

Early newspaper reports described the case as a possible drowning, a preliminary characterization common in river recoveries.¹¹ This assessment was reconsidered following a medical examination.

Coroner’s Inquest and Medical Findings

A coroner’s inquest was held on 2 October 1880. The examining physician documented a contused wound on the back of the head approximately two inches in length, five broken ribs—some fractured into multiple pieces—and a fracture of the spinal column at the middle of the back.¹²

The coroner noted that the head wound showed clotted blood, indicating that it occurred before death. Examination of the lungs led the physician to conclude that Weldon had not breathed after entering the water, and that death occurred prior to the body being placed in the river.¹²

Based on these findings, the initial drowning explanation was rejected. Newspapers subsequently described the case as a homicide.¹³ No suspect was identified, and no further legal proceedings are documented.

Part of page 1 of Wesley Weldon's Coroner's Inquest.
Part of page 1 of Wesley Weldon’s Coroner’s Inquest. This was found in Record Group 71-131 Saginaw County Clerk records box 8 at Michigan State Archives.

Probate Proceedings

Probate proceedings for Wesley Weldon’s estate were initiated in October 1880 in the Saginaw County Probate Court. Administration was granted, and his surviving daughters were identified as his heirs.¹⁴ The probate records address only the disposition of his estate and do not include discussion of the circumstances of his death.

Conclusion

Wesley Weldon lived most of his adult life in Saginaw County as a farmer and long-term resident of Bridgeport Township. His death in 1880 was determined by medical examination to have occurred prior to his body entering the Saginaw River. Although the evidence ruled out accidental drowning, the death was never resolved, and the identity of the person or persons responsible remains unknown.

Sources

  1. Ancestry profile of Wesley Weldon, citing Glastonbury, Connecticut vital records.
  2. 1830 U.S. Federal Census, Franklin, Delaware County, New York.
  3. Ancestry profile of Wesley Weldon; birth of Frances Marie Weldon.
  4. Ancestry profile of Wesley Weldon; birth of Adelia Weldon.
  5. 1840 U.S. Federal Census, Saginaw, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  6. 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  7. 1860 and 1870 U.S. Federal Census, Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  8. Residence record dated 14 January 1862, East Saginaw, Michigan.
  9. 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  10. Ancestry profile of Wesley Weldon; deaths of Emeline Munson Weldon and Frances Marie Weldon.
  11. “An Old Farmer Found Drowned,” Detroit Free Press, 1 October 1880.
  12. Coroner’s Inquest for Wesley Weldon, Saginaw County, 2 October 1880.
  13. “A Murder in Saginaw County,” Evening Leader (Pontiac, Michigan), 4 October 1880.
  14. Probate Records of Wesley Weldon, Saginaw County Probate Court, October 1880.

George Washington Lawhead (1845–1905): A Life Reconstructed from Records

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George Washington Lawhead was born on 10 February 1845 in Westfield Township, in what later became Morrow County, Ohio.¹ He was the son of James Lawhead and Temperance Gilson. His childhood was brief and unsettled. James died in 1846, when George was just over a year old, and Temperance followed in 1851, leaving her children orphaned while still young.²

By 1860, George was living in Michigan, a move that placed him among relatives and, eventually, on the path to military service.³ The details of his early years survive only in fragments, but later records suggest a childhood shaped by loss, movement, and dependency on extended family.

George Lawhead tin-type portrait found in his Civil War pension file.

Civil War Service

George enlisted in the Union Army on 9 September 1861 at Charlotte, Michigan.⁴ He served as a private in Company B of the 2nd Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, a regiment that spent much of the war in the Western Theater.

Partial page of re-enlistment of George Lawhead. He re-enlisted in 1864 for another 3 years.

His service records document extended periods of duty and movement, including assignments associated with the regimental train and service in Tennessee.⁵ Like many cavalrymen, George endured long rides, exposure, and physical strain—conditions that would later be reflected in repeated pension medical examinations.

A photograph taken in Jackson, Michigan at the time of his discharge from service would later become one of the most important documents connected to his life, though its significance would not be fully realized until many years later.

Marriage to Mary King and Early Family Life

After the war, George married Mary King on 16 October 1865 in Eaton County, Michigan.⁶ They had two children together:

  • James Loyd Lawhead, born 28 February 1867
  • Charles Loyd Lawhead, born 4 April 1869

The marriage did not endure. George left Mary while she was pregnant with their second child and moved east into Saginaw County. No divorce was ever obtained. Mary would spend much of her adult life raising their children under difficult circumstances, a situation later documented extensively in federal pension records.

Marriage to Emma Mae Stiles and Children

On 31 January 1869, George married Emma Mae Stiles in Albee Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.⁷ This marriage produced three children:

  • Margaret Jane Lawhead, born 2 July 1872
  • Renaldo Lawhead, born 16 August 1877, who died in infancy on 14 October 1877
  • Effie M. Lawhead, born 26 July 1879

Emma Mae Stiles died in April 1886. Her death marked the only point at which George Washington Lawhead was legally widowed. His earlier marriage to Mary King had ended through abandonment rather than death or divorce, a distinction that would later carry significant legal consequences.

Later Marriages and Life in Michigan

George married Helen Vorhees on 17 August 1884 in Saginaw County, Michigan.⁸ The surviving record of this marriage is brief, and little documentation remains regarding their life together.

By the early 1890s, George was living with Henrietta Savage. Census records, land transactions, and newspaper notices place him in Eaton, Iosco, Saginaw, Crawford, and Charlevoix counties over the course of his adult life.⁹ Real estate notices published in Saginaw County newspapers show both purchases and sales, suggesting frequent movement rather than long-term stability.¹⁰

Henrietta Savage and Children

Henrietta Savage was legally married to another man when she became involved with George Lawhead. In January 1892, a local newspaper reported that she had left her husband and children to go with George.¹¹ The matter was public and later became part of the documentary record surrounding George’s pension.

The Saginaw News, January 1892

George and Henrietta had two daughters together:

  • Ethel Mildred Lawhead, born 24 October 1892 in Frederic, Crawford County, Michigan
  • Jessie Leuella Lawhead, born 22 April 1896 in East Jordan, Charlevoix County, Michigan

George lived with and supported Henrietta and their children for several years, forming the final family unit of his life.

Illness and Decline

By 1890, George’s health had begun to fail. Pension records and medical examinations document chronic sciatica, lumbago, rheumatism, kidney disease, impaired eyesight, and increasing difficulty with mobility.¹² Over the next fifteen years, he filed repeated requests for increases to his invalid pension as his condition worsened.

These medical records provide a rare longitudinal view of a Civil War veteran’s decline, tracing the progression from working laborer to physical dependency.

Death and Burial

George Washington Lawhead died on 20 January 1905 in East Jordan, Charlevoix County, Michigan, from heart disease.¹³ He was buried two days later in East Jordan Cemetery. Contemporary newspaper accounts note the participation of members of the Grand Army of the Republic in his funeral.¹⁴

Even after his burial, questions surrounding his marriages, identity, and family obligations remained unresolved, setting the stage for years of investigation and competing pension claims.

Conclusion

George Washington Lawhead’s life cannot be understood through a single record or a simple narrative. It survives instead through census entries, military documents, marriage records, newspaper notices, and—most notably—a Civil War pension file of extraordinary size.

This post traces the outline of his life: orphaned child, young soldier, husband, father, and aging veteran. The deeper questions—of identity, legality, and how the federal government ultimately judged his family—are stories of their own, explored in later posts.

Sources

  1. Family and census records indicating birth in Westfield Township, Ohio.
  2. Probate and death records for James Lawhead and Temperance Gilson.
  3. 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Roxand Township, Eaton County, Michigan.
  4. Compiled Service Records, Company B, 2nd Michigan Cavalry.
  5. Ibid.
  6. Eaton County, Michigan, marriage records, 16 October 1865.
  7. Saginaw County, Michigan, marriage records, 31 January 1869.
  8. Saginaw County marriage records, 17 August 1884.
  9. U.S. Federal Census records, 1870–1900.
  10. Saginaw Herald, real estate notices, 1878 and 1881.
  11. Grand Rapids Herald, January 1892.
  12. Invalid pension medical examinations, 1890–1904.
  13. Michigan death record, East Jordan, 1905.
  14. Charlevoix County Herald, January 1905.

Gardner T. Rivers (1872–1945)

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Early Life in Southern Saginaw County

Gardner T. Rivers was born on 16 April 1872 in Michigan, the son of John Rivers and Frances Jane Munson. He grew up in southern Saginaw County, in an area that included Albee Township, Taymouth Township, Bridgeport Township, Foster, Burt, and surrounding rural communities.¹ He was raised alongside several siblings, including Franklin, Burt Eugene, James Daniel, Mary Jane, Rose, and Joseph Edward Rivers.²

Gardner appears with his parents in the 1880 federal census in Albee Township, Saginaw County, where he was eight years old.³ Like many farming families in the region, the Rivers family moved within nearby townships rather than relocating long distances, remaining tied to the same general area throughout Gardner’s childhood.

Gardner Rivers on the farm

Marriage and Family

On 13 June 1897, Gardner married Alice Mary Wickham in Freeland, Saginaw County.⁴ Alice was the daughter of Wickham and Munson families long established in the same part of the county. Alice’s mother, Emmaline Munson, was the sister of Gardner’s mother, Frances Jane Munson (known as Jane).⁵

Gardner and Alice had nine children between 1898 and 1913.⁶ Their children were born in Taymouth Township and nearby locations including St. Charles, Gaines Township, and Burt, reflecting brief periods of residence elsewhere before the family returned to Taymouth Township.

Gardner Rivers & family

Farming in Taymouth Township

Gardner Rivers was a farmer throughout his adult life. He is recorded as a farmer in the 1920, 1930, and 1940 federal censuses, all enumerated in Taymouth Township, Saginaw County.⁷ No records indicate that he pursued a different primary occupation.

Land ownership and residence in Taymouth Township are also documented in county plat maps. Gardner appears as “G. Rivers” on the 1916 Taymouth Township plat map and again on the 1920 plat map, placing him in the Burt area of the township during this period.⁸ These maps confirm his presence as a landholder in Taymouth Township in the years immediately before and after World War I, consistent with census records showing him farming in the same locality.

Part of the 1920 Plat Map for Taymouth Township. Highlighted is Gardner Rivers.

The 1910 Census Surname Error

The 1910 federal census is the only known record in which Gardner Rivers and his family were enumerated under the surname Munson rather than Rivers.⁹ The household composition, ages, birthplaces, and children align exactly with Gardner and Alice’s known family.

All other records before and after 1910—including censuses, vital records, newspapers, plat maps, and burial records—use the surname Rivers.¹⁰ The 1910 entry is therefore best understood as an isolated census error rather than a reflection of name usage by the family.

Later Years

By 1920, Gardner and Alice were living in Taymouth Township with several of their children still at home, and Gardner continued farming.¹¹ Census records from 1930 and 1940 show Gardner still residing in the township and engaged in farming into his late sixties.¹²

The family experienced significant losses during the 1930s, including the deaths of sons Ernest John Rivers in 1933 and Earl G. Rivers in 1935.¹³ Despite these losses, Gardner remained in Taymouth Township through the end of his life.

Gardner and Alice Munson Rivers

Death and Burial

Gardner T. Rivers died on 13 January 1945 in Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, Michigan, at the age of seventy-two.¹⁴ His Michigan death certificate lists coronary occlusion as the immediate cause of death, with coronary thrombosis noted as a contributing condition.¹⁵ He was buried on 14 January 1945 at Cook Cemetery in Taymouth Township.¹⁶ Alice Mary Rivers died later the same year.

Headstone of Gardner Rivers and Alice Munson Rivers

Footnotes

  1. Michigan birth records; 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Albee Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  2. Ibid.; Michigan birth and death records for Rivers children.
  3. 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Albee Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  4. Michigan Marriage Records, Saginaw County, 13 June 1897.
  5. Michigan vital records; Munson family documentation.
  6. Michigan birth records, 1898–1913.
  7. 1920, 1930, and 1940 U.S. Federal Censuses, Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  8. Plat Book of Saginaw County, Michigan, Taymouth Township (1916); Plat Book of Saginaw County, Michigan, Taymouth Township (1920).
  9. 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  10. 1880, 1920, 1930, and 1940 U.S. Federal Censuses; Michigan vital records; plat maps; cemetery records.
  11. 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  12. 1930 and 1940 U.S. Federal Censuses, Taymouth Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  13. Michigan death records for Ernest John Rivers (1933) and Earl G. Rivers (1935).
  14. Michigan Death Records, Gardner T. Rivers, 13 January 1945.
  15. Ibid.
  16. Cook Cemetery burial records, Taymouth Township, Michigan

William Henry Lacy (1878–1924)

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Early life in Bay County

William Henry Lacy was born on 26 May 1878 in Michigan, the son of Martin V. Lacy and Nancy J. Whitney.¹ His childhood unfolded in Bay County, where he appears with his parents in the 1880 federal census and again in the 1884 and 1894 Michigan state censuses in Kawkawlin Township.²³⁴ These records place William within a rural farming community shaped by agriculture and seasonal labor along the Saginaw Bay watershed.

William Henry Lacy

Loss marked his early years. Several older half-siblings died before William reached adulthood, and family deaths continued through his youth. His father, Martin V. Lacy, died in 1904 in Garfield Township, Bay County.¹ Two years later, William lost both his mother, Nancy J. Whitney Lacy, and his sister Alice, who died shortly before their mother in Charles City, Virginia.¹ By his late twenties, William was already the surviving member of a significantly reduced immediate family.

Marriage and establishing a household

On 28 May 1907, William married Margaret Doonan in Midland, Michigan.⁵ Margaret, born in Bay County in 1888, was the daughter of William Doonan and Susan Rosetta Smith.¹ Their marriage coincided with William’s transition from his childhood household into building a family of his own.

Early records identify William as a farmer, consistent with his upbringing and the agricultural economy of Garfield Township and surrounding areas. Farming during this period often required supplemental wage labor, and many men combined agricultural work with trades or seasonal employment as opportunities arose.

Children, work, and repeated loss

Between 1908 and 1920, William and Margaret had eight children. The surviving records reveal a family life marked by both continuity and repeated tragedy.

Their first child, Milo W. Lacy, was born and died on the same day in February 1908.⁶ Elizabeth Sabria Lacy was born in January 1909.⁷ In February 1910, Ira Gerald Lacy was born, but he died later that same year.⁸ These early losses occurred while the family was still living in Bay County.

By the 1910s, William had moved his family to Saginaw. Census records, city directories, and his death certificate list his occupation as carpenter, indicating a shift toward skilled wage labor.⁹¹⁰ Carpentry placed William within Saginaw’s expanding residential and industrial economy, offering steadier employment than farming alone.

Eva Lucushia Lacy was born in 1911.¹¹ Howard Guy Lacy followed in 1912 but died in March 1916 at the age of three.¹² Cora Mae Lacy was born later that same year.¹³ Dorothy Helen Lacy was born in December 1917 and died on her first birthday in 1918, during a period when childhood illness and infectious disease were common causes of death.¹⁴

The death certificates for these children record causes such as pneumonia and infantile illness, clinical language that conveys little of the cumulative emotional toll on the family.¹⁵ By the end of the decade, William and Margaret had buried five of their eight children.

Margaret “Maggie” Doonan, William Henry Lacy, Cora Lacy, Eva Lacy, Elizabeth Sabria Lacy.

Later years in Saginaw

Despite these losses, William continued to work and support his household. City directory entries between 1917 and 1923 show the family living at multiple addresses in Saginaw, including North Washington Avenue, South Jefferson Avenue, Williamson Street, and West Genesee.¹⁰ These moves reflect the realities of working-class life in an industrial city, where housing was often tied to employment and financial conditions.

William registered for the World War I draft in 1918, providing confirmation of his birth date, residence, employer, and physical description.¹⁶ Although he was not called into service, the registration places him within the broader national context of the period.

In February 1920, the couple’s youngest child, Martin Van Buren Lacy, was born in Saginaw.¹⁷ The 1920 federal census shows William living with Margaret and their surviving children, still working as a carpenter.⁸

Death and burial

William Henry Lacy died suddenly on 7 July 1924 at the age of 46. His Michigan death certificate lists myocarditis as the cause of death.¹ Contemporary newspaper accounts report that he died at his home at the corner of Williamson and Bradley streets and emphasize the unexpected nature of his passing.²

William Henry Lacy

He was buried on 8 July 1924 in Taymouth Township Cemetery, Saginaw County.¹ His headstone bears the inscription “Wm Henry Lacy and family,” a phrase that quietly reflects both his role as a husband and father and the shared losses experienced by the family he left behind.¹⁸

Remembering William Henry Lacy

William Henry Lacy did not leave personal papers or written reflections. What remains are records: censuses, civil registrations, city directories, draft cards, and headstones. Taken together, they describe a man who worked with his hands, adapted from farming to carpentry, and endured repeated personal loss while continuing to provide for his family.

For those who know him only through documents, his life can appear compressed into dates and causes of death. But for the relatives who remembered him—and for later generations—William Henry Lacy was more than a name on a stone. He was a working man whose life unfolded quietly within the communities of Bay County and Saginaw, Michigan.

Sources

  1. Michigan Department of Health, Certificate of Death for William Henry Lacy, 7 July 1924, Saginaw, Saginaw County, Michigan.
  2. Obituary of William H. Lacy, Saginaw-area newspaper, July 1924.
  3. 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Kawkawlin Township, Bay County, Michigan.
  4. 1884 Michigan State Census, Kawkawlin Township, Bay County, Michigan.
  5. 1894 Michigan State Census, Kawkawlin Township, Bay County, Michigan.
  6. Michigan Marriage Record, Midland County, Michigan, 28 May 1907.
  7. Michigan Birth and Death Records, Garfield Township, Bay County, Michigan, 1908, Milo W. Lacy.
  8. Michigan Birth and Death Records, Garfield Township, Bay County, Michigan, 1910, Ira Gerald Lacy.
  9. 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Garfield Township, Bay County, Michigan.
  10. U.S. City Directories, Saginaw, Michigan, 1917–1923.
  11. Michigan Birth Record, 1911, Eva Lucushia Lacy.
  12. Michigan Birth and Death Records, Saginaw, Michigan, Howard Guy Lacy, 1912–1916.
  13. Michigan Birth Record, Saginaw, Michigan, 1916, Cora Mae Lacy.
  14. Michigan Birth and Death Records, Saginaw, Michigan, Dorothy Helen Lacy, 1917–1918.
  15. Michigan Death Records for children of William Henry Lacy and Margaret Doonan.
  16. World War I Draft Registration Card, William Henry Lacy, Saginaw, Michigan, 1918.
  17. Michigan Birth Record, Saginaw, Michigan, 1920, Martin Van Buren Lacy.
  18. Taymouth Township Cemetery records and headstone inscription for “Wm Henry Lacy and family.”

Emily Rebecca Thompson (c. 1834–1891)

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Early Life in Pennsylvania

Emily Rebecca Thompson was born about 1834 in Pennsylvania, the daughter of John Thompson and his wife Mary.¹ Her early life is documented indirectly through later census records and family relationships rather than through a surviving birth record, a common circumstance for women born in rural Pennsylvania during this period.

Emily appears consistently in federal census records under the name “Rebecca,” suggesting that Rebecca was the name by which she was most commonly enumerated, while later records and newspapers refer to her as Emily.² This dual usage is not unusual for nineteenth-century women, particularly when a middle name or preferred given name was used interchangeably.

Marriage and Family

Before 1854, Emily married Abraham Possinger Smith, a Pennsylvania native born in 1833.³ The couple established their household in Monroe County, Pennsylvania, where they raised a large family. Their known children include:

  • Frank E. Smith (born 1855)
  • Hannah Smith (born about 1856)
  • Jude Smith (born about 1858)
  • Elmira Smith (born about 1862)
  • Robert Smith (born 6 May 1864)
  • Susan Rosetta Smith (born 1865)
  • Fanny Florence Smith (born 1870)
  • Abraham Edward Smith (born 1872)⁴

The family is enumerated in Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, in both the 1860 and 1870 federal censuses, with Emily recorded as “Rebecca Smith,” wife of Abraham.⁵

Migration to Michigan

Sometime between 1872 and 1880, Emily and Abraham Smith relocated with their family to Michigan, settling in Beaver Township, Bay County. This move reflects a broader pattern of post–Civil War migration from Pennsylvania to the Midwest, particularly among families seeking agricultural or lumber-related opportunities.

The 1880 federal census places Emily, again enumerated as “Rebecca,” in Beaver Township, Bay County, Michigan, where she is listed as a married woman and wife of the household head.⁶

The Tragedy of 1890–1891

Emily’s final years were marked by extraordinary family trauma. On 6 December 1890, her son Jude Smith was shot and killed by his brother, Robert Smith, near Linwood in Bay County.⁷ The killing resulted in Robert’s arrest, trial, and eventual conviction for first-degree murder.

Contemporary newspaper accounts describe Emily as physically frail even before the shooting and report that she took to her bed shortly after Jude’s death. She did not attend her son Jude’s funeral and never saw Robert again following the crime. As Robert’s trial commenced in the spring of 1891, Emily’s condition worsened dramatically.⁸

Death

Emily Rebecca Thompson Smith died on 9 May 1891 in Garfield Township, Bay County, Michigan. Her death was recorded in multiple contemporaneous sources under slightly varying forms of her name.

A Bay County death register lists her as “Emily S. Smith,” married, aged 52 years, with parents John Thompson and Mary, residing in Garfield Township.⁹ The cause of death was recorded as dropsy, a term commonly used at the time for edema associated with chronic illness.

Newspaper coverage published shortly after her death attributed her decline to overwhelming grief following the killing of one son by another. One account stated that she “grieved to death over the killing of a son by another,” reflecting both the emotional tone of the period and the family’s widely known tragedy.¹⁰

Emily’s burial followed soon after her death, and she was survived by her husband Abraham Possinger Smith and several of her children.

Name Variations in the Records

Across her lifetime, Emily appears in records as Rebecca Smith, Emily Smith, and Emily S. Smith. These variations do not indicate multiple individuals but rather reflect common nineteenth-century record-keeping practices, especially for married women. Census enumerators frequently recorded women under a familiar or household name, while newspapers and civil registers often used a formal given name or abbreviated married form.

The consistent convergence of spouse, children, residence, parents’ names, and death date confirms that these records all refer to the same woman.

Conclusion

Emily Rebecca Thompson Smith lived a life shaped by migration, motherhood, and endurance. Like many women of her era, her story must be reconstructed from the records left by institutions rather than from documents created in her own voice. Yet through census records, civil registers, and contemporary reporting, her presence remains clear.

Her death in 1891 closed a chapter defined by family, loss, and resilience—leaving behind a lineage whose history would continue to be shaped by the events she lived through but did not survive.

Sources

  1. Bay County, Michigan, Death Register, 1891, entry for Emily S. Smith.
  2. 1860 U.S. Federal Census, Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
  3. Michigan county marriage records; Abraham Possinger Smith and Emily Thompson.
  4. Family structure compiled from census and vital records, 1855–1872.
  5. 1870 U.S. Federal Census, Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
  6. 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Beaver Township, Bay County, Michigan.
  7. Bay City newspapers, December 1890, reports on the killing of Jude Smith.
  8. The Bay City Times, spring 1891, coverage of Robert Smith’s trial.
  9. Bay County, Michigan, Return of Deaths, year ending 1891.
  10. The Bay City Times, May 1891, obituary and death coverage for Mrs. Abraham Smith.

Robert Smith (1864–1947): A Life Shaped by Tragedy

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On 6 December 1890, a violent confrontation between two brothers near Linwood in Bay County, Michigan, ended with one man dead and the other facing the gravest criminal charge available under Michigan law. Robert Smith shot and killed his brother, Jude A. Smith, in what newspapers immediately characterized as the culmination of a long-standing family dispute over land and timber.¹ Within days, the case became one of the most closely followed criminal proceedings in Bay County.

The killing of Jude Smith

Early reports placed the shooting in Garfield Township, near Linwood, during an argument concerning ownership and removal of timber. Accounts varied in their details, but the central facts remained consistent: Robert Smith fired a shotgun at close range, killing his brother.² From the earliest coverage through the conclusion of the trial, newspapers referred to the accused almost uniformly as Robert S. Smith.³

The intensity of public interest was evident almost immediately. Smith was arrested, lodged in the Bay County jail, and photographed for inclusion in the local “rogue’s gallery,” an act reported in the press as a matter of routine but revealing the degree to which the case had already entered the public imagination.⁴

The Bay City Times, December 6, 1890.

Pretrial proceedings and public attention

Throughout December 1890 and into early 1891, Bay City newspapers printed frequent updates on the case. These included notices of arraignment, scheduling delays, and speculation regarding the defense strategy.⁵ At various points, reports suggested that Smith might pursue an insanity defense, though these references appear largely in the context of courtroom rumor rather than formal pleadings.⁶

The coverage also reflected the spectacle of the proceedings themselves: crowded courtrooms, lengthy jury selection, and the presence of spectators from Linwood and surrounding communities who were familiar with the Smith family.⁷

Trial and conviction

Robert Smith’s trial took place in the spring of 1891. Newspaper accounts summarized testimony from witnesses present at the scene, law enforcement officers, and medical professionals.⁸ Despite arguments advanced by the defense, the jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree.⁹

The Bay City Daily Tribune, May 2, 1891.

On 12 May 1891, Smith was sentenced to life imprisonment. Several newspapers printed a statement attributed to him shortly thereafter, in which he denied guilt and attempted to justify his actions as self-defense, framing himself as the victim of prolonged harassment by his brother.¹⁰ The letter provides insight into Smith’s own view of events but does not alter the legal outcome of the case.

Incarceration and release

Michigan prison records confirm that Robert Smith was received at the state prison on 11 May 1891 following his conviction in Bay County.¹¹ Although sentenced to life, his incarceration did not remain static. In August 1893, Smith was transferred to the Ionia State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where he remained for several months before being returned to prison in March 1894.¹²

More than a decade later, his case was reconsidered. In September 1902, Smith was granted a commutation of sentence and formally discharged from custody later that month.¹³ This record is critical, as it establishes that Smith was not imprisoned for life and that his release occurred well before the turn of the century.

Prison card for Robert Smith held at the Michigan Archives

A new life in Washington

Nearly two decades later, Robert Smith appears in Washington State records. On 9 June 1919, a marriage was recorded in Centralia, Lewis County, between Robert T. Smith and Edna Myers.¹⁴ The groom was reported as fifty-five years old, born in Pennsylvania, and entering his second marriage. His occupation was listed as laborer. The record names his father as Abraham T. Smith and gives his mother’s maiden name as Thompson.¹⁵

The use of the middle initial “T” in this record contrasts with the consistent use of “S” in Bay County newspaper coverage. Whether this reflects clerical variation, personal choice, or a deliberate alteration cannot be determined from the surviving records. What can be said is that the Washington marriage record aligns closely with other identifying details associated with the Bay County defendant, including age, birthplace, and parental names.

Death in Tacoma

Robert Smith’s life concluded in Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington. His death certificate records that Robert T. Smith died on 10 February 1947 at the age of eighty-two.¹⁶ His birth date is given as 6 May 1864, with birthplace recorded as Blakerlee, Pennsylvania. At the time of death, he was widowed and retired. He was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Tacoma.¹⁷

The informant for the death certificate was hospital staff, and several personal details—including parental information—were listed as unobtainable.¹⁸ Nonetheless, the combination of birth date, birthplace, and earlier Washington records strongly suggests continuity between the man who married in Centralia in 1919 and the man who died in Tacoma in 1947.

Minnie, the first wife

The 1919 Washington marriage record explicitly states that it was Robert Smith’s second marriage, confirming the existence of an earlier wife. That woman is known from earlier records as Minnie, though it remains unclear whether this was her legal given name or a familiar nickname. Despite extensive documentation surrounding Robert Smith’s criminal case, imprisonment, and later life, no definitive record has yet been identified that accounts for Minnie’s fate. At present, what became of her remains unknown.

Conclusion

Robert Smith’s life cannot be reduced to a single violent act, yet neither can that act be separated from the years that followed. Convicted of first-degree murder in 1891 and sentenced to life imprisonment, he was later released, relocated across the country, remarried, and lived into old age. The surviving records trace a trajectory from public disgrace to relative obscurity, marked by gaps that resist easy explanation. As with many lives reconstructed from fragmentary sources, some questions remain unanswered—but the outline of the story is now firmly grounded in the historical record.

Notes

  1. Bay City newspapers reporting the killing of Jude A. Smith near Linwood, December 1890.
  2. Contemporary newspaper descriptions of the shooting and its circumstances, December 1890.
  3. Bay City press coverage consistently identifying the accused as Robert S. Smith, 1890–1891.
  4. Newspaper report noting Smith’s photograph taken at the Bay County jail for the rogue’s gallery.
  5. Bay City newspaper reports on arraignment and court scheduling, December 1890–January 1891.
  6. Newspaper references to a possible insanity defense during pretrial proceedings.
  7. Reports describing courtroom crowds and jury selection during early 1891.
  8. Trial testimony summaries published in Bay City newspapers, April–May 1891.
  9. Newspaper accounts of the guilty verdict and sentencing, May 1891.
  10. Published letter attributed to Robert Smith following conviction, May 1891.
  11. Michigan State Prison prisoner index card for Robert Smith, received May 1891.
  12. Prison record noting transfer to Ionia State Hospital and subsequent return.
  13. Prison record documenting commutation and discharge, September 1902.
  14. Lewis County, Washington, marriage record for Robert T. Smith and Edna Myers, 9 June 1919.
  15. Ibid., parental and birthplace information.
  16. Washington State death certificate for Robert T. Smith, Tacoma, 10 February 1947.
  17. Ibid., burial information.
  18. Ibid., informant and missing personal details.

William Doonan: Decline, Illness, and a Troubled End

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By the time William Doonan relocated his family to the Temiskaming district of northern Ontario, he was no longer a young man. Newspaper accounts place the family’s move from Michigan to Pense Township by about 1908, when William—described repeatedly as elderly—set about clearing land and establishing a farm in an isolated settlement north of New Liskeard.¹ This move explains his absence from later United States records and marks the final geographic shift of his life.

Michigan state census records show that by 1894 William and Rosa Susan Smith were raising a growing family together, firmly established in Bay County.² Those records reflect a household that expanded steadily through the 1880s and 1890s, before economic pressure, family conflict, and William’s advancing age appear to have pushed the family toward a more marginal existence.

1894 Michigan State Census for Beaver Township, Bay County.

Life in Pense Township proved difficult. A June 1910 newspaper account described the settlement as one marked by deep hostility among neighbors, with William Doonan’s farm identified as the center of repeated disputes.³ One incident escalated into violence when neighbors attempted to cross his fields with a wagon and were refused permission. A fight followed in which George Ellis was struck unconscious by William Doonan, described in the article as “Doonan senior.” William was arrested and tried at North Bay, though the court was compelled to cover witness expenses because the family lacked the means to do so. He was ultimately released on a suspended sentence due to his age.⁴

These reports are notable not simply for the violence described, but for what they reveal about William’s condition. The articles consistently emphasize his age, poverty, and the fragile social position of the family. They also record a pattern of accusations and counter-accusations involving livestock, property damage, and threats—suggesting a man under strain in a community where tolerance was wearing thin.⁵

The North Bay Nugget, September 30, 1913, Page 2.

By 1913, William’s health had clearly deteriorated. Newspaper accounts from the Temiskaming district reported his death by suicide, following a period of illness and mental decline.⁶ The articles avoid sensational language, but the circumstances described point to a man worn down by years of conflict, physical decline, and isolation. His death occurred at Lady Minto Hospital, bringing his long and troubled life to an end far from the Michigan communities where he had spent most of his adulthood.⁷

The Temiskaming Speaker, October 17, 1913 Page 1 – bottom of one column and top of next column.

William Doonan’s story is not preserved through orderly civil records or consistent census appearances. Instead, it survives through fragments: state censuses, court proceedings, and the sometimes-blunt language of small-town newspapers. Together, those sources document a life shaped by instability, conflict, and hardship—one that cannot be understood through a single record type alone.

In the end, William Doonan did not disappear from the historical record. He faded out of one jurisdiction and reappeared in another, carrying with him the same struggles that had marked his earlier years. His death closed a chapter defined not by prosperity or permanence, but by endurance in the face of circumstances that steadily narrowed his options.

Sources

¹ North Bay Nugget (North Bay, Ontario), 29 June 1910, p. 7.
² 1884 Michigan State Census, Bay County; 1894 Michigan State Census, Bay County.
³ North Bay Nugget (North Bay, Ontario), 29 June 1910, p. 7.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ The Temiskaming Speaker (New Liskeard, Ontario), October 1913.
⁷ Ontario death registration, Temiskaming District, 1913.