Jacksonport Through The Generations

Volume One

Volume One of our series is a compilation of oral history presentations given at monthly Historical Society meetings. These presentations were made by descendants of some of the original families who settled in the area and focused on their family history and the reasons they settled in the township of Jacksonport. These stories include many family pictures. A brief history of Jacksonport along with the following families comprise this interesting and well sought after book, printed in 1997.

• Lincoln and Fred Erskine Families
• Byron Erskine Family
• Charles Lincoln Erskine Family
• Ed and Pansy Kohls Family
• Bagnall Families
• Peter and Anna Campbell Family
• Margaret Campbell
• Joseph A. and Almira (Le Claire) La Mere Family
• William and Alec Halstead Families
• Louis and Olive (Halstead) Martinson Family
• Anna Halstead - The Herlaches in Jacksonport
• William (Will) Halstead
• Sarah (Sadie) Halstead
• Elizabeth (Halstead) Bagnall
• Frank Halstead Family

Volume Two

The second book published by the Jacksonport Historical Society in 1999 is entitled Jacksonport Through The Generations – Schools and Teachers, Volume Two. This book is illustrated and includes the history of the four school districts in Jacksonport township, and the stories and anecdotes shared by many of the teachers who taught in the schools. Also included in our book is a list of teachers of each school district beginning as early as 1869, through the consolidation in 1960. Family members and students have also contributed stories and memories of their school days. The names of the teachers of the school districts in this volume are too numerous to list. The school districts are as follows:

• Jacksonport District One
• Farview District Two
• Groveland District Three
• Washington District Four

Volume Three

Volume Three was released in the fall of 2000. The family stories in this volume were given as oral presentations at Jacksonport Historical Society meetings in 1997–1999 by family members. Using the dates and information they gleaned from researching their ancestry, these individuals now share their heritage in printed form so that future generations will realize that we do not stand alone like a tree without leaves, but that our lives and hearts touch each other creating this community called Jacksonport in Door County, Wisconsin. Volume Three is also illustrated with many interesting and treasured family photos. Families included in this volume are:

• Michael Schoblocher Family History
• Six Generations of Simons in Jacksonport
• William J. Finnegan
• Emil Schneider Family
• Frank A. Schneider Family
• The Goepfert and Walther Families
• Carl Gustav Adolph Birnschein
• Charles (Birnschein) Burns
• Bruno Franz Birnschein
• Emil, William, and Herman Birnschein

Volume Four

Our most recent book, Volume Four, was released just before Christmas 2001. Once again the descendants of the early settlers in Jacksonport have diligently researched, presented and now written of the trials and tribulations of the ancestors. As you enjoy these histories you become aware of the importance of clearing the land of virgin forests to establish family farms, promoting the lumber industry, and facilitating the construction of many wood buildings in this area.

Volume four is also illustrated with many interesting and treasured family photos. Families included in this volume are:

• John Sr. and Mary Teich
• Joseph Robinson
• The Robinson Families of Jacksonport
• The Joseph Wilson Family
• Joseph and Margaret Wilson
• Henry and Sarah Maria Wilson
• Margaret (Wilson) and Thomas Bagnall
• William Alexander Henderson Wilson
• James Forsythe Wilson I
• Frances (Wilson) and Thomas Bagley
• Lilly (Wilson) Robinson and Belle Wilson
• Barbara (Wilson) and Gustav Oldenburg
• Eleanor (Wilson) and Arthur Bagley
• Henry Maxwell and Lucy Wilson
• Myrtle (Wilson) and Edward Bower
• Harry and Kathleen Wilson
• The Smith Family in Jacksonport
• Jacksonport
• The Reynolds Family
• Thomas Reynolds
• Charles Reynolds
• Descendants of Thomas and Jenny Reynolds
• Anne and Mabel Reynolds
• John W. Reynolds Sr.
• Thomas H. Reynolds
• Paul Nangle Reynolds
• Edith Reynolds
• Sidney Reynolds
• Lucille W. Reynolds
• Jane Reynolds
• Helen (Reynolds) Krueger
• The Reynolds Family Conclusion

Families and chapters included in this volume are:

• The Logerquist Family
• The Kiehnau Family
• The Kiehnau families in Jacksonport
• Fondest Memories of Grandma and Grandpa
• Franklin William Kiehnau
• Champeau History
• The Dietrich History
• The Mathias Jonas Family
• The Luethge Family
• The Story of the Ocean Trip to America
• Friedrich Wilhelm Robert Luethge
• F.W. Robert and Alvina Luethge
• This is Your Life Alma Luethge Lautenbach
• The Flock/Flok Family
• John Anton and Margarette (Orf) Flock Family
• Christian and Helena (Klingbile) Flock Family
• Christian Flock and Alfred Flock Families
• Richard and Emma Flok Family
• A Door Opened Up to the Past
• My Memories of the Flock/Flok Families

Volume Five

The year 2004 has been productive for the Jacksonport Historical Society, as they have once again had volunteers who contributed in the publication of their fifth book,Jacksonport Through The Generations, Volume Five.

In Volume five of our Jacksonport History you will have the opportunity to learn more about those who came to this area to settle and raise their families.

You’ll read about families who came from Sweden, Germany, and France. Their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren have given us a clue as to what life was like for their ancestors. We are thankful for their many hours spent researching, finding photos, and writing stories so that we have a glimpse into the past.

Today, it is difficult for those of us whose ancestors can be traced back several generations to realize the struggles of clearing the land, building a house, and making a living while caring for a large family. It’s amazing how those many years ago they had the foresight to provide their children with an education as well as religious training.

Sadly, many of the individuals who could share their live stories are no longer with us, and their history is being lost. Let us appreciate the stretches of stone fences and the wide-open fields that were cleared in order to support their families. Each one of those stones that we see in the stone fences were picked, loaded on a stone boat or wagon, and then unloaded by hand to build the line fences of farm owners. Does it touch your heart to see these remnants of bygone days disappearing? We must be filled with gratitude for the rugged individuals who settled here in Jacksonport.

Book price: US $17.50 including shipping.
Ordering information

Volume Six  

The Jacksonport Historical Society has just published their sixth book of Jacksonport Through the Generations, and it is now available to purchase.

Carol Halstead wrote the Foreword, and it is as follows:

As Ben Logan was quoted in the Wisconsin Magazine of History (Winter 2000-2001), “Every person has a story to tell. Every family has a story. Every community has a story. And in telling and hearing our stories, we can find a story to live by, begin to understand more fully who we are, where we've come from, what we value and where there may be a place that will invite us to put down roots and call it home.”

So as we read the family stories in this volume and previous publications we must begin to realize how the first settlers in this township have blended together to form strong families. This book will introduce you to Rev. Jameson and his family and how his leadership brought faith, inspiration, and courage to early settlers. The Wagners, Ehlers, and Johnsons were hard working families who cleared the land, built homesteads, and educated their children. They share some of their traditions and memories, and you’ll enjoy the story of the first baby born in Jacksonport. These stories are about families working together and struggling to survive in the beautiful area.

“Good history is the history of everybody.” – Elsworth H. Brown

Book price: US $17.50 including shipping.
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Families in this book are:

• Reverend Joseph Jameson and Sara (Kingston Reynolds) Jameson
• Annabel (Jameson) Muckian
• The John Ehlers Family
• My Grandma and Grandpa Ehlers
• George Christian Wagner Families
• Gone But Not Forgotten
• August and Mary (Anderson) Johnson
• Mary Tolerton (Bagnall) Keith
• Memories of my Grandfather Burt Keith
• Memories of my Grandmother Tollie Bagnall