Mehitable Everett

We often talk of the male founders of Marquette- the movers and shakers- but what about the women? Philo Everett was known as “the Father of Marquette County.” But his wife Mehitable supported his endeavors, including helping with the relationship with the Native Americans.

Mehitable Johnson was born in New Hampshire in 1815. The name Mehitable is a variant of the Old Testament name Mehetabel (meaning “God benefits”). She married Philo Marshall Everett in 1833 in Utica, New York. They had seven children, five of whom survived to adulthood.

In 1840, they migrated to Jackson, Michigan. Then, in June 1845 Philo first travelled to Lake Superior. Originally bound for Ontonagon, while travelling through Sault Ste. Marie, he changed his destination to the area that would become Marquette and Negaunee after hearing reports of mineral wealth. After securing a land permit to “hold the fort,” he returned to Jackson where he organized the Jackson Mine Co. with 13 partners. Philo spent the next several summers opening the Jackson Mine and building the Jackson Forge, returning to Mehitable and their family in Jackson during the winters.

Finally, in 1850, the entire family moved to Marquette. Letters written by Mehitable talk about the first years here. There was a housing shortage. She describes their four-room house with a lean-to housing 14 people, seven of them children…one room for each family. The residents included Mehitable, Philo and their five children, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Johnson (Mehitable’s relatives), Mr. and Mrs. John Burt, Miss Huntoon, and Hiram and Alvin Burt. All the cooking and washing was done in the lean-to or out-of-doors entirely depending on the weather. The house stood on the east side of Front Street near the corner of Main Street.

Mehitable recounted the second Christmas in the village, “In 1850, we looked upon a small number of houses scattered here and there among the pines, mostly built of logs, and one small store, from whence all the necessities to sustain the little community were distributed, mostly in small allowances, so no one would fare better than his neighbors. In the autumn the little steamer Napoleon was chartered to bring supplies, but passed by Marquette on what we feared would be its last trip, and consequently there was fear that we should be left without food for man and beast. November came and went, with no boat and no mail communication, and the same thing the first two weeks of December. Finally, the 15th, I saw a faint smoke and told the young lads to go out and shout ‘Propeller’ up and down the streets. Soon every home sent out its inmates to swell the crowd. Men shouted and swung their remnants of hats, women waves their aprons, and little feet that were almost bare for want of shoes that were on the boat, danced out in the cold. Food had been doled out for two weeks, so that everyone would share alike, and there on the boat was enough for everyone and clothing to cover the shivering bodies. All was now peace and harmony and plenty covered every board.”

Mehitable also wrote of the first of many New Year’s Day visits by a group of Native Americans “All at once the door opened and before me was a group of laughing Indians of all ages, from brave old chief, Marjegeezick (Mah-je-ge-zhik), to all the members of his family, including papooses, he could gather together. All the members of my family ran out of the room and peeked out to see how I would receive my callers. The old chief rushed up and greeted me with a kiss, and the rest followed his example.” This was the beginning of a long friendship, every New Year’s Day for many years, the family never failed to visit and “eat salt” with her.

In a letter written by Marion Cole, she spoke of Mehitable as an “iron woman.” She went on to write that “one night Mehitable fell and broke her leg and that night gave birth to Aunt Kitty.” Katherine Everett was one of the claimants to being the first European child born in Marquette. One source gives her birthday as February 23, 1851, while another states 1850. A Joseph Bignall (a grandson of Basil Bishop) was born on Feb. 12, 1851 and also claimed to be the first. Imagine a home birth under these living conditions–likely no doctor to set her leg, and no trained midwife for the birth, only some experienced women to assist.

At their 50th “Golden” Wedding Anniversary, in 1883, the entire town was invited to the party. Among the presents they received was a gold brick from the Ropes Gold Mine with the name Everett engraved on it and a pair of gold spectacles. Mehitable died later that year, on Dec. 1, 1883.