×

Early Marquette pioneers: Jonas and Emily Watson

Emily Wood Watson and Jonas Watson are seen in a photo taken in 1840. (Photo courtesy of the Rankin Collection via the Marquette Regional History Center)

MARQUETTE — Jonas William Watson was born in Ireland in 1815. As a young boy, he attended boarding school. Around the age of 15, he knocked down another student in a fight. Fearing that he had killed him, Jonas ran away from school and shipped out as a sailor.

After two years at sea, he returned home to find that the other boy had survived. Shortly afterward, in April 1832, Jonas and a cousin immigrated to Canada. Jonas briefly served in the Canadian army before finding work on the ships plying Lake Erie.

In February 1838, Jonas married Emily Wood, he was 23 and she was not quite 17. The family story recounts that when Jonas called for her, she was washing dishes. He looked in the kitchen window and told her to “Come along.” She took her sunbonnet off the peg and followed him just as she was.

Jonas and Emily lived in Port Stanley, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, where their first child, Florence Matilda “Til” was born in December 1838. Shortly after, they moved across the lake to Cleveland, Ohio, where their next four children were born. Edward Michael in 1840, Jonas William Albert “Albert” in 1842, Emily Harriet “Pem” in 1844 and George O’Neal/O’Neil in 1846.

During the Irish Famine, Jonas sent money to his family in Ireland, so that they could purchase food, primarily corn imported from America. Letters indicate that he invited his parents and siblings to join him in Cleveland, although they never came.

Jonas Watson with his youngest daughter, Carrie, are shown in 1870. (Photo courtesy of the Rankin Collection via the Marquette Regional History Center)

Around 1851, Jonas’ business (probably a store) “got into confusion owing to the rascality of a trusted clerk, and he was obliged to close it up and sell out.” He decided to take his family on an extended trip to visit his family in Ireland. Jonas travelled ahead, leaving Emily and their five children to follow him. The family stayed in Ireland for nearly a year before returning to the United States.

Upon their return in 1852, the family settled in Sault Ste. Marie where Jonas worked in his brother-in-law, Zera Wood’s store. Finding that the store business was too small to support his family, Jonas next found work as a clerk on several Lake Superior steamboats.

In November 1853, he was aboard the steamer Independence when the boiler exploded shortly after leaving Sault Ste. Marie. Although his bed was directly over the boiler, Jonas was protected by his mattress and escaped relatively unharmed.

Following the death of her sister-in-law Samantha (Johnson) Wood, probably in early 1854, Emily took in her niece Henrietta “Hettie” Wood, raising her as one of her own. Then in August, Emily gave birth to a daughter who only lived four hours. A few days before, Adeline (Culver) Dickens, had died leaving a four week old baby, so Emily also took her baby to nurse. The Watsons fostered Emily Adeline “Addie” Dickens for two years before she returned to her father.

In the spring of 1855, Jonas and his eldest son Edward were engaged by James Pendill, a merchant from Sault Ste. Marie, to take a stock of dry goods to Marquette and open a branch store for him. It took five days of pushing through ice fields for the ship to reach Marquette. In a letter to his wife, Jonas wrote “This place is going to be a great place- there is not less than fifty new buildings in the course of construction here now and many of them better than any at the Sault…”

In addition to the normal provisions, Jonas had his children dig up worms and send them to him in Marquette as “People here want the worms so much for fishing, there are no worms here but the trout are fine.” The rest of the family came to Marquette in July 1855 and were passengers on the second boat to pass through the Sault canal after it was completed.

The family home was on Lake Street (now Lakeshore Boulevard) right on the harbor, in the area below High and Pine streets. In 1856, Emily bore twins but they didn’t survive. Two final children joined the Watson family, William J. in 1859 and Caroline Clement “Carrie,” born in May 1864. Carrie is better known as Carroll Watson Rankin, the author of “The Dandelion Cottage.”

After James Pendill came to take over his store in person, Jonas and Edward worked at the Campbell Brothers store. In 1864, shortly after Edward returned from serving in the Civil War, he and his father purchased the business which became known as Watson & Son.

One of youngest daughter Carrie’s earliest memories was when she was about 4 years old. She awoke one morning to the smell of smoke. Her father placed her on his shoulder and pointed to the smoldering buildings. The downtown, including the store on Baraga Avenue, had burned to the ground in Marquette’s Great Fire of 1868.

Luckily a large part of the merchandise had been saved by a quick transfer during the fire. The Watson home on Lake Street was also spared and many displaced residents sought shelter with the family. The store was soon rebuilt, now on Front Street.

As the older girls reached courting age, Pem remembered that her father would not permit her male callers to stay very late. He would drop a shoe on the floor above as a warning and when the second shoe fell, they had to be out.

Jonas made another trip to Ireland in 1874 to visit his ailing sister. Following her death, Emily and Carrie joined him in visiting his remaining siblings. Jonas’ health declined while they were abroad and he was very ill when he arrived back in Marquette in April 1875. He died in June and was buried in Park Cemetery.

To find out more about other “Forgotten Founders” join the History Center for our 16th Annual Cemetery Walk on Thursday, June 24, 2021. We will tour Park Cemetery this year to learn about those less well known founders such as Martha Bacon, Samuel Barney, Mehitable Everett and William Gaines.

There will be three options for tours on this day: 1) in the afternoon a self-guided tour allows you to maintain social distancing and go at your own pace, in the evening you can 2) walk with one of our guides, or 3) bring a lawn chair for a seated presentation. All tours meet near the main gate. Call 906-226-3571 or visit marquettehistory.org for questions. $5 suggested donation.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today