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Third Generation
11. Ezekiel
ACKLEY1 was living
1900 & 1930 in Germfask, Schoolcraft , Michigan.19,34 He was
born on 22 Feb 1844 in Brantford, Ontario , Canada.2,4,5,6,18,22,34,35 He appeared
in the census in 1851 in Norwich, Oxford Co., Ontario, Canada. Between
1870 and 1880 he was Farmer at Deerfield, Lenawee , Michigan.5,18 He was living
between 1870 and 1880 in Deerfield, Lenawee , Michigan.18 He was living about 1875 in North Branch, Lapeer, Michigan.36 place listed in son Normans death
record He purchased land on 6 Aug 1889 in Schoolcraft , Michigan37,38 Document
Number : 1268
On 28 Apr 1930 he was a farmer at Germfask, Schoolcraft , Michigan.34 He appeared in the following
News Article from the The Charleston Daily Mail on 3 Jun 1940 in Charleston,
Kanawha , West Virginia
TOWN NAME
In 1881 John Grant, Matthew Edge, George Robinson, Thaddeus Meade, W W French,
Ezekiel Ackley, Oscar Sheppard and Hezekiah Kraggs settlrd in Michigan. Next
year they paid themselves tribute by naming the town :Germfask," after the
first letter of their last names.
He died about 1940 in Germfask, Schoolcraft , Michigan.4,22,35 He was buried in Old Germfask Cemetery , Germfask,
Schoolcraft , Michigan.22,35,39 He appeared
in the census 1870, 1880, 1900 & 1930 in Michigan. June 3 1993 The
Manistique Pioneer-Tribune.
Final three were Sheppard, Ackly and Knaggs
by Del Sheppard
Ezekial Ackley
Ackley the "A" in Germfask was the second to come to area south east
of what is now the town of Germfask. He filed for his homestead Nov 26, 1880.
The land description being T 44 N, R 13 W, SE 1/4 of Sec. 12. Ackley was born
in Brantford Canada Feb 22, 1844 (it seems he and George Washington had some-
thing in common) the son of Hugh and Elizabeth (Sutton) Ackley. He died Dec 27,1940
at the homestead of George Tuttle.
George Tuttle was married to Ackley's niece. He was also the son of a sister
of E Ackley's wife's sister.
Ackley 15 buried in the cemetery bearing his name, the land he donated from his
homestead.
He married a Betsey Bates Jan. 1, 1866. She was born in Lapeer Michigan Mar 11,
1845 to Zadock and Eliza (Webster) Bates. She died at their homestead and was
later interred to the Ackley cemetery. The Ackley's children were Eliza Ann,
Sept. 1,1866, Estella, May 8 1868, Luella, April 18. 1872, William, July 21,
1877. His second marriage was to a Alice Clark, a nieceof doctor W. W. French's
wife.
At this point, I would like to clear up an issue of nationality. I could care
less what Mr. Ackley was. Another point is I haven't a thing against the Native
American, but let's tell it like it is. A Native American, Ackley, was not, as
it was so stated by a writer of a Grand Marais newspaper some time back. The
quote was, "Acklev was 1/4 Mohawk". I remember him as having blue eyes
and I do remember that my grandfather saying when younger, his beard was sandy
colored. Now for the people who are interested, his second wife Alice Clark was
part
Native American, so the descendants of his second family would be part Native
American.
The children of this family were Edna, Nov15. 1887, Lee, June 11 1889, Edward,
Aug. 17, 1893, Carl, Feb. 2.1895.
Alice Clark was a niece to W.W. French's wife.
Everyone's life and destiny are controllred by the good Lord. The ways that
he has of doing this varies with what he expects of a person or of his or her
apabilities. In Ackley's case it was a team of mares that controlled his future.
This team (unable to read several words in this sentence) W W French and the
two had foaled when French decided to head north for a new life and practice.
In doing this he left his team with Ackley until the colts were old enough to
travel. When the time was right Ackley boarded a side-wheeling boat by name of
of Kewanan at Lexington Michigan Oct. 1880. Lexington is located on the lower
West shore of Lake Huron and has one of the deepest harbor of the Lakes. Ackley
had a very rough trip weather wise. It was during this same storm, a ship the
Alpena, sank in Lake Michigan. Ackley landed safely with his four critters. it
was then that French told Ackley about government land being let out in brown
100 miles to the West for homesteading. In the accompaniment of an land-looker
by name of Moore, Ackley went aboard a boat out of St. Ignace and went west
where he landed at Naubinway. From here the two men went northwest traveling
on a wagon trail to the settlement of Lakefield. Here they met a man by the name
of Robert Byres, who went with them across Manistique Lake. They looked over
the new and Ackley chose the S.E. 1/4 or Section 12 in T 44 N, R 13 W. He also
took back two other descriptions for his brother John and nephew Hezekiah Knaggs.
When Ackley returned home he sold his farm, which was an 80 acre plot of land
to his hrothcr-in-law. It was then then Ackley took his family and moved north.
He
was accompanied his brother John, a neighbor by name Smith Wilson, who by the
way had sent his family to Canada until he would return. For the benefit of the
people of areas of Manistique and Gould City this Smith Wilson was the father
of George Wilson of ~Manistique and a Wilson who was a barber ib Gould City for
many years.
Ackley also had livestock with him which included Wilson's team of mules.
They went by train west to Grand Rapids, then north to the end of the line which
was Petosky. From here it was Wilson's team of mules and sleigh including the
crossing of the Straits of Mackinac on the ice. He stored his family and other
belongings at WW French's while he and the men of his party went back to Petosky
to bring up the rest of supplies, which he had stored in the train depot along
with Wilson's goods.
When Ackley returned from Petosky he found a house for him and his family to
live in. At this time Ackley had four children, Eliza 15 years, Estella 13 years,
Luella 9 years and William 3 years.
John Ackley returned to his home after get Ezekiel settled.
In early April Ackley and Wison loaded up the sleigh and headed west following
the north of Lake Michigan. They landed in Naubinway and headed toward Lakefield.
They then left the north shore of Manistique Lake from a homesteader's by name
of John Stevens. At this point I would like to. discuss this man Stevens. The
late Billie Doyle had a story about a man who had great
enjoyment out of sneaking about and hiding along trails and such to scare people.
He dressed in brown clothing and while pulling his pranks lie was mim
icking animals verbal noises. This fellow's name was also John Stevens. The
Stevens whom I'm writing about dressed in the same garb of brown and was shot
a
killed by someone thinking him to he a deer. LcRoy~--check this out. Ackley and
Wilson beached on the south shore of Manistique Lake at what the old timers called
the High Landing. This property in later years, was owned by the late Angus McDougel.
On a section line running west Ackley and Wilson brushed Out a sleigh trail to
his homestead site. Smith Wilson helped Ackley make a crude lean-to which was
a row of sticks laid against a fallen log about 4 feet in dianieter at a 45 degree
angle and was then covered with tree bark to help shed the rain water, Here Ackley
would be living until he could build himself a house. After helping Ackley
build his lean-to mansion in the woods, Smith Wilson returned to Lower Michigan.
In the meantime John Ackley, his wife a Lilessic Sheppard, Hezekiah Knaggs,
his wife a Milicent Sheppard and a Oscar Sheppard who was a brother to the two
ladies just mentioned arrived at St. Ignace. These people brought livestock
with them including a team of horses belonging to John Ackley. John and Knaggs
with their wives, livestock and Sheppard boarded a boat which took them to Naubinway.
Here they disembarked and with their group headed over land to Lakefield. At
Robert Bryers home the men left the women and with Ackley's team followed the
beach of Manistique Lake to the west, swimming the horse across the Lake Branch
of the Manistique River. From here they found E Ackley's brushed out wagon trail
and with the help of the good Lord found E Ackley (several words unreadable)
house. The four men finished Ackley's house which was 14' X 20'.
They then built John Ackley and and Knaggs houses.
After all the homes were built they moved their families in, but you can't say
they lived happy ever after. Life is not that way for it's not intended to be.
E. Ackley lost his wife and infant son in childbirth, but he did remarry and
raised a second family. He didn't spend his entire life at this location, but
in later years had a home in Mackinac county. What I remember of him here was
the popcorn he used to raise in his garden. He also spent a winter at our home
on the Sheppard homestead.
At that time I was going into Germfask on the bus to school and was his errand
boy. Kentucky Club pipe tobacco and butter were his main items with occasionally
something else thrown in. He always would say there's a little extra, buy yourself
something. He and I would sit off to one side in the evenings with
him puffing on his pipe and the aroma of the Kentucky Club tobacco filling the
air. He'd teU deer stories and tales of his early days. He would let me use his
rifle, which was a .44-40 Winchester with a "buck horn" sight on the
rear. He was a man who always had time for a kid. I guess you might say, he had
a long and fruitful life for he was almost 97 years old when be paused away.
If any-
one deserves a letter in the name of Germfask, I'd say it would be this man.
Ezekiel ACKLEY and Betsey E BATES were married on 1 Jan 1865 in Germfask,
Schoolcraft , Michigan.2,4,5,18,40,41,42,43,44 another
source has marriage date as 30 Dec 1865
Barabra J Barrus Betsey E BATES (daughter of Zadock
BATES and Eliza WEBSTER) appeared in the census 1870 & 1880 in Michigan.
She was born on 11 Mar 1845 in Lapeer, Lapeer , Michigan.4,5,18,36,45,46 She died
on 30 Jul 1882 in Germfask, Schoolcraft , Michigan.4,45,46,47 possibly
died in childberth as another un-named Ackley listed as dying on the same date
Ezekiel ACKLEY and Betsey E BATES had the following children:
+31 | i. | Eliza
Ann ACKLEY. | +32 | ii. | Estella ACKLEY. | 33 | iii. | Elizabeth E ACKLEY
was born about 1869 in Michigan.18
She appeared in the census in 1880 in Michigan. | +34 | iv. | Luella ACKLEY. | 35 | v. | Norman ACKLEY was born on 7 Sep 1875
in Deerfield, Lenawee , Michigan.2,4,48
He died on 10 Sep 1875 in Deerfield, Lenawee , Michigan.4,48 | +36 | vi. | William Webster ACKLEY. | 37 | vii. | ACKLEY was stillborn on 30 Jul 1882
in Germfask, Schoolcraft , Michigan.36,49,50 |
Ezekiel
ACKLEY and Martha Alice ALLEN were married on 22 Feb 1886.4,19,34,51,52,53,54,55,56,57 Martha
Alice ALLEN appeared in the census 1900 & 1930 in Michigan. She
was born on 1 Nov 1853 in Canada.4,10,19,58,59
1900 census has birth as Nov 1856
grave record has 1858 She appeared in the census in 1920 in Minnesota.
She was living in 1920 in Trout Lake, Itasca , Minnesota.59 living with son Alton 1920 She died about 1931.4,10,58 She was buried in Riverside Cemetery,
Germfask, Schoolcraft , Michigan.10,58 Ezekiel ACKLEY and Martha Alice
ALLEN had the following children:
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