Frank Good & The Civil War

Who is Frank Good? Husband of Mary Ann Ducklow; She was the 1st child of Thomas and Elizabeth Ducklow

Frank Good was drafted into the Civil War, likely in the year 1863 when he was about 22 years old and two years before his marriage to Mary Ann Ducklow. You may recall that the Civil War occurred between the years 1861 and1865. The federal government imposed several drafts on Wisconsin men to build the ranks of the Union army. But Frank’s conscription to military service was short, ending when he got to Janesville.

Janesville was a mustering point for drafted men across the region. There they were assigned to a troop, given uniforms and arms, and first orders. It was also there that Frank was able to pay the government a bounty of $300, called a commutation fee, which allowed him to return back home. The government used money in-turn to pay someone else to join the army and serve.

Father Thomas Good relied heavily on his son Frank to help run their farm in Cottage Grove. Frank was one of only two sons, and his younger brother Tom was not fully able-bodied as he had curvature of the spine (scolioious). Losing Frank to serve in the war, or worse losing him in battle, would have been a very difficult burden, prehaps even catastrophic for the family. It is certainly understandable why Thomas decided to pay the fee and have his son home.

The commutation fee was legal and was one way the federal government allowed men of means to continue providing economic benefit to their families and local economies. It was an option Congress had to give to the public as a concession for those who did support the war. The option was highly controversial as it also meant that it was mostly the poor, who could not afford the fee, that were drafted when there we not enough volunteers. The commutation policy was discontinued in late 1864, one year before the Civil War’s end.

The sum of $300 doesn't sound like a lot of money, but consider the effects of inflation. Using an average of 4 percent inflation over 144 years, the fee equates to more than $80,000 in today’s dollars! Frank, or more likely Frank’s father Thomas, apparently had considerable assets to draw upon. Imagine the risk the family undertook: A 22 year old man, traveling by horse on a difficult, multi-hour ride, eventually meeting up with other anxious draftees on the same dreaded journey. All were likely strangers to one another. And Frank had the equivalent of over $80,000 cash in his pockets! Remember, there was no Master Card or Visa, no checking accounts, nor wire transfers. Transactions were done with cash, most likely in the form of gold and silver coin. Many in Wisconsin at this time were suspicious of paper currency and only accepted payment in hard coin.

So Frank took the money, made the journey to Janesville and paid the fee. This too involved risk because some men were still held to military duty after paying the fee; the clerk accepting the funds not be honest and pocketed the money for himself then claiming the fee was never paid. In Franks case, all turn out well, he paid the fee without incident and returned home to help his father farm.

By one account, out of 14,955 Wisconsin men drafted in 1863 roughly 5,081 paid the commutation fee. It also is notable that the same draft over 2,600 men simply failed to report to duty at all!
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History Back Drop: Huguenots and Religious Persecution

Huguenots was the name used by the French for refering to Protestants who were members of the Protestant Reformed Church. This was the church originally established in 1550 by John Calvin. French Catholics openly persecuted Huguenots from the mid 1500s into the 1700s for their differing Christian practices and threat to Catholic power. This persecution came with support from the Pope in Rome. At times Protestants were slaughtered by the hundreds. In one particularly nasty event, hundreds of guests were invited to a rare, Catholic – Protestant wedding. Upon their arrival, the Protestants were all slain.

During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715) a policy of “one faith, one law, one king” was adopted in 1685. This new policy replaced a long standing “Edict of Nantes” which had brought relative peace between the faith groups. In the period from 1685 to 1700 at least 250,000 Huguenots fled France to countries such as England, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, America, the Netherlands, Poland and South Africa. These were countries that either accepted or tolerated their faith views, or where Protestantism was the embraced by the reigning government. During the same period of 1685 to 1700, another 250,000 Huguenots did not escape and were executed. -

Dukelow from DuCloux: Dukelows Likely French Immigrants to Ireland in 1600s

The Dukelow surname is very likely an anglicized form of one of French family name of Ducloux (or one of its variants: Duclou, and Duclos). The change of the Ducloux surname change likely occurred when our Protestant Huguenot ancestors fled from religious persecution in France and emigrated into England and Ireland. This emigration occurred around the year 1685 during the reign of France’s Louis XIV.

The Ducloux families who fled to Ireland no doubt wanted to fit into their newly adopted homeland. The ‘oux’ ending on their name made this problematic. Those literate in English would find French ending of ‘oux’ odd, difficult to pronounce properly and flag of an emigrant French family. So the ending morphed into a more readily spelled and pronounced ‘low.’

As far as the start of the name goes, it is a really a small step to get “Duke” from “Duc” when speaking with a Irish brough. In addition, the families surely recognized that in both France and their new Irish homeland they were governed by a crown that includes a royalty class called Dukes. The use of ‘Duke’ in the first syllable may have intimated the family had connections to royalty. By way of all of these elements, the “Dukelow” spelling better suited the family and the “DuCloux” spelling fell out of common use in Ireland.

The French Ducloux name is a conjunction of two words: du Cloux, meaning “of the” (or from) and the place name “Cloux.” Cloux is a small village in the center of France. Many original French surnames frequently told of where a person was from. For example, someone with the given name of Jean Claude might be asked from where he comes, and the natural reply being “I’m Jean Claude du Cloux.”

The "cloux" may indicate that the area was a small valley forming a small region. This word appears to be related in language to other words describing boxed-in spaces such as closet and enclosure.
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Mary Ann Ducklow and Family

Mary Ann was Thomas and Elizabeth Dukelow's first child, born on Christmas day, 1842 near Rochester in New York State. When Mary Ann was age five she moved with her parents from the Rochester to their homesteaded land in Ashippun Township in Dodge County, Wisconsin. She lived a child’s pioneer farm life. As the first born, much was expected of her in helping her mother prepare meals, clean, and take care of many younger siblings, along with daily chores. She attended some primary school that was walking distance from the Dukelow farm.



Mary Ann Ducklow Good

Marriage to Francis “Frank” Gallagher Good

When she was 23 years old, Mary Ann married Francis “Frank” Gallagher Good in Nashotah at the Chapel of Saint Mary the Virgin. The wedding date was the 31st of March 1865. Frank was 24 years of age.

Frank Gallagher Good

The Good and Dukelow families had a long association, perhaps expanding decades while both families were in Ireland. Thomas Good, her father-in-law, was also Mary Ann’s baptismal sponsor at her Christening at St. Luke’s Church in Rochester. This occurred when she was just three months old. Both families decided to move from New York to Wisconsin. While Thomas and Elizabeth settled in Dodge County, their friend Thomas Good bought land in Dane County, some 50 miles to the west.

Today, the Good family is counted among the first settlers to Cottage Grove Township in Dane County. Thomas Good came to Cottage Grove in 1845. Their homestead is near a place called Seminary Spring and stands only a short distance east of the Seminary Springs Schoolhouse. The home still exists today and has much charm with an appealing brick exterior. Frank and Mary Ann inherited this farmhouse from Frank’s father and is where they farmed and raised their family. The farmstead remained in the Good family for over 140 years, but was sold outside the family in the 1980s.

In the 1960s Interstate 94 was constructed and lies just a few yards to the south of the historic farmhouse and barn. If you know where to look you can see it as you travel east towards Milwaukee from Madison.


Good Family Homestead Near Seminary Springs, Dane County, Wisconsin. Photo taken October 2007.





Together, Mary Ann and Frank Good had seven children on this farm between the years 1867 and 1875: (1) James W, (2) William Thomas, (3) Francis G, (4) George F, (5) Charles J, (6) Nellie J, and (7) Sidney E. Together they created a very successful farm. Barbara R. Good, a granddaughter who knew her grandparents well, wrote: “Grandfather was kindly with a sense of humor and was exceptionally proud. He acquired several farms and they lived in a stately red brick house. They always had a hired girl, and the family lived a comfortable life.”



Good Family Photo Circa 1907; Compare with the color photo taken in Oct 2007


Frank’s death was both sudden and tragic. In late July of 1924 there was a Ducklow family gathering in Barron County, at the farm of John and Elizabeth (nee Ducklow) Hanson. Frank and John went into the nearest town to re-supply needed groceries for the event. John had recently bought a new 1923 Ford Coupe that he enjoyed showing off, so this what they drove to Poskin. They collected the needed supplies at the Farmer's store started back home. No doubt deep in conversation, their car came to the railroad crossing just to the north of town. As they crossed the tracks, an east-bound SOO passenger train slammed into their car throwing them some distance and killing them both instantly. Frank did have a long life, as he was 84 at his death. Sadly, John Hanson, age 68, had apparently just retired from farming.


Mary Ann Ducklow Good lived another eight years after Frank's death. She died 25 May 1931 at age 88. She and Frank are both buried in the Cottage Grove Cemetery near their family farm in Dane County. Three of their seven children, William, Nellie, and Sidney, are also buried in the same family plot.

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Ducklow From Dukelow

Those of us with the Ducklow surname could easily be spelling and pronouncing our name as Dukelow. In fact, many of our distant relatives are Dukelows. By one accounting, the Dukelow name is three times more common than Ducklow in America. Thomas’ father, John, was a Dukelow. Thomas himself was called Dukelow when he first arrived in Dodge County in 1848.

So how is it that today we call ourselves Ducklows?

Neither Thomas or Elizabeth could read or write English. Legal papers, census records and church documents dating between 1840 and 1880 show a range of spellings including: Dukelow, Duclo, Duclow, Ducklow, and Duklow. Each time a census was taken, or a legal document prepared, the spelling was completely up to the clerk at hand. Thomas and Elizabeth both signed with an “X” (* see footnote) and apparently neither could rectify incorrectly spelled names. So anyone recording the name likely spelled it the best they could based on how they heard it pronounced. Or perhaps how others in the area spelled it. Try saying “Dukelow” with a strong Irish bough and ask a stranger spell what they hear; you’ll see why there are many variations.

But most curiously, from the year 1885 forward, the spelling on legal documents and records becomes a consistent spelling of "Ducklow."

The first adult child of Thomas and Elizabeth’s to die was Thomas junior, their fourth child. And his was a sudden and tragic death. On the early morning of July 30th of 1885 a summer thunderstorm struck Dodge County. Thomas and a hired hand were asleep in a farmhouse. This was not the main Ducklow residence, but rather a house that was part of new land that the family acquired. It likely was to have been the new home for him at age 36.

Thomas and a hired labor were asleep in two beds in an upstairs bedroom. The room had an exposed chimney stack, and the beds were set near it. As the thunderstorm passed, lightening struck the top of the chimney and traveled down. On its path to find ground it jumped from the chimney stack to the metal-framed bed were Thomas slept, killing him instantly. Fate was kinder to the hired hand. He was not injured, but jolted awake. When he realized the event that had just occurred, he went to the main farmhouse and alerted the family to the awful tragedy.

The family grieved hard. One display of their grief is the large (10’ tall) and ornate grave marker to pay tribute to Thomas’ memory. The tombstone of course needed to have his full name with accurate spelling. This forced the family, or more precisely the literate adult children, to decide upon a spelling. At this point the children must have agreed to spell Thomas junior’s surname as "Ducklow."

But why Ducklow and not Dukelow?

A reasoned assumption is that the Ducklow spelling most closely matched the way the children heard their parents pronounce it. So the family paid a mason to chisel the stone that marks Thomas’ grave. The chiseled stone is more than just grave marker. It is also the marker that set forth the spelling of Ducklow for all that descend from Thomas and Elizabeth.

The primary supporting evidence for this line of discussion is that Thomas and Elizabeth’s grave markers are chiseled with the Ducklow spelling, as are all the grave markers for their seven sons and one unmarried daughter. [Their married daughter’s graves stones are marked with their spouses’ surname]. In addition to consistency in grave marker spellings, census records and other public documents recorded after 1885 mainly use the "Ducklow" spelling.

The Ducklow spelling is unique compared to the rest of Thomas’ family who came to America with him. All of Thomas’ half-brothers (John, Samuel, Richard, Peter and Frank) who settled in southern Wisconsin have grave markers with the original Dukelow spelling.

Photo Left: Grave stone for Thomas Ducklow, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Ducklow [Dukelow] Located in St. Paul's Cemetery, Ashippun Township, Dodge County, Wisconsin. It is one of the largest stones in this cemetery standing about 10' tall.

*Footnote: The evidence that Thomas was illiterate occurs in his Declaration of Intention document where he claims his allegiance to the United States, signed on 2 March 1844. Thomas made his oath in front of a clerk in City of Rochester, New York where in two places Thomas he uses an “X” to sign his name; His name is then written out (signed) in the same hand (not Thomas’) used in the rest of the document. The evidence that Elizabeth was illiterate occurs in her last will and testament, as witness by an attorney she signs her will with an "X."

History Back Drop: Faith and Political Power

From the late 1600s into the early 1800s, Protestantism was the religion of vast political power in Ireland. This power had wide social implications, including marriage between faiths. While marrying outside of one’s faith was not illegal during this period there were many disincentives for a Protestant to convert to Catholicism and many incentives for Catholics to become Protestant. For example, if a Catholic man owning land died, his property would be equally divided between his surviving sons. That is unless one of the sons was Protestant; in that case the Protestant son would receive all the land! Such draconian rules were called Penal Laws.

Penal laws were strictly enforced for over 140 years from 1689 to 1829. These laws were enacted to extract power from the Roman Catholic majority and came about under the Protestant crown reigns of William and Mary, William III, Anne, and George I and II, each subsequent rulers of the United Kingdom. Penal laws isolated Catholics and Protestants creating separate social classes, giving economic and political advantages to the Protestants. The Penal laws began to be repealed in 1829, but tensions between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland persist to this day.

The Dukelow [Ducklow] families of the 1800s and early 1900s frequently choose the first names of George, Mary, William, Anne and Elizabeth for their children. These names were often selected by the tradition of naming children after a father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, aunt or uncle. It seems unlikely that the first use of these names were just a coincidence in matching names of the ruling royalty. The original choice of these names in the Dukelow family no doubt demonstrated patronage, honor and respect to the crown.

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Interconnected Families – A Shared Faith Community

John and Elizabeth Dukelow (Thomas’ parents) were one family of a cluster of Protestant families that were tightly interconnected. Catholic tenant farmers dominated the population in much of County Cork, Ireland. But, as a result of some artifacts of ancient land ownership rights, there was a small concentrated group of Protestants tenant farmers in far western side of Cork. Because of so few Protestants families around them, these families formed a tight and complex social network with each other. Nearly all the Protestant families there were either related by blood or by marriage. These inter-family complexities occurred for many generations, with the subculture reinforced by Penal Laws (see the History Back Drop on Penal Laws). From the outside this group appeared to be one large extended family. Family names in this cluster included the Swantons, Goods, Roycrafts, Loves, Youngs, and likely also included the Gallaghers and Nicholsons.

These strong inter-family relationships continued when families emigrated from Ireland to New York State and held fast as some families from this cluster eventually settled in Wisconsin.

One example of this interconnectedness is revealed around the Christening and eventual wedding of Thomas and Elizabeth’s first born, Mary Ann. Mary Ann’s baptismal sponsor when she was three months old was Thomas Good. Twenty-two years later, the same Thomas Good became her father-in-law! Mary Ann married Frank Good, son of Thomas Good, in the year 1865. This wedding appears to have been an "arranged" marriage. Mary Ann lived in Dodge County and Frank lived in Dane County. This distance of 60 or more miles was a major obstacle to romance in the 1860s! Imagine the effort it took to travel that distance (and back) by horse. Frank and Mary Ann had only met each other two or perhaps three times before their wedding. However, they apparently got along well as there marriage lasted over 59 years!

The strong inter-family relationships also became a part of the political picture in Rochester New York during the 1800s. The Dukelow family was part of what was labeled the “99 Cousins” which controlled much the Rochester City government in the 1840s and 1850s. More on what were called the “99 Cousins” will be discussed later.

Thomas and Elizabeth’s son John T married twice. His second marriage in 1904 may be some of the last vestiges of this closely connected extended family group. John’s marriage, at age 57 is to his first cousin, Kathryn Nicholson, age 37. Kathryn is Elizabeth’s niece, daughter of Elizabeth’s brother George Nicholson [see separate discussion about George Nicholson under post "Elizabeth Nicholson's Family.]

The Children of Thomas & Elizabeth Ducklow [Dukelow]

[Updated 11/18/2008]

Mary Ann about age 35, 1875

1. Mary Ann Ducklow
b. 1842 Rochester, Monroe County, New York
d. 1931 Cottage Grove, Dane County, Wisconsin
Trace Descendants: 196; More to Discover
Cause of Death: Unknown

Fanny's Gravestone, St. Paul's Cemetery, Dodge County

2. Francis "Fanny" Ducklow
b. 1844 Rochester, Monroe County, New York
d. 1892 Oconomowoc, Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Descendants: None
Cause of Death: Influenza

John T about age 16, 1863

3. John T Ducklow
b. 1847 Rochester, Monroe County, New York
d. 1923 Oconomowoc, Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Traced Descendants: 20; More to Discover
Cause of Death: Unknown

Thomas' Gravestone, St. Paul's Cemetery, Dodge County

4. Thomas Ducklow
b. 1848 New York
d. 1885 Ashippun Twnshp, Dodge County, Wisconsin
Descendants: None
Cause of Death: Struck by Lightening


5. Infant George Ducklow
b. 1849 Dodge County, Wisconsin
d. 1850 Dodge County, Wisconsin
No known picture or grave marker


George's Wedding Photo, Dec 31, 1875

6. George Ducklow
b. 1851 Ashippun Twnshp, Dodge County, Wisconsin
d. 1928 Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota
Traced Descendants: 342 Children
Cause of Death: Asthma


Charles about age 47, 1900

7. Charles "Charlie" Ducklow
b. 1853 Ashippun Twnshp, Dodge County, Wisconsin
d. 1911 LaCrosse, LaCrosse County, Wisconsin
Traced Descendants: 54; More to Discover
Cause of Death: Complications after Gallstone Surgery


8. Infant Maria Jane Ducklow
b. about 1855 Wisconsin
d. about 1855, Wisconsin
No known picture or grave marker

9. Infant Elizabeth Ducklow
b. about 1856 Wisconsin
d. about 1856 Wisconsin
No known picture or grave marker


Elizabeth's Gravestone, Wayside Cemetery, Barron County

10. Elizabeth "Libby" J Ducklow
b. 1856 Ashippun Twnshp, Dodge County, Wisconsin
d. 1947 Barron County, Wisconsin
Traced Descendants: 50; More to Discover
Cause of Death: Heart Disease & Broken Hip



William's Gravestone, St. Paul's Cemetery, Dodge County


11. William "Bill" Thomas Ducklow
b. 1858 Ashippun Twnshp, Dodge County, Wisconsin
d. 1941, Hartford, Washington County, Wisconsin
Descendants: None
Cause of Death: Unknown


James about 35, 1897

12. James "Jim" Richard Ducklow
b. 1862 Ashippun Twnshp, Dodge County, Wisconsin
d. 1949, Rice Lake, Barron County, Wisconsin
Traced Descendants: 17; More to Discover
Cause of Death; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Ruptured Appendix & Peretonictie



Peter's Gravestone, LaBelle Cemetery, Waukesha County

13. Peter "Pete" Edward Ducklow
b. 1863 Ashippun Twnshp, Dodge County, Wisconsin
d. 1940 Oconomowoc, Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Traced Descendants: 13; More to Discover
Cause of Death: Unknown


Lucinda circa 1895, age 30

14. Lucinda Isabelle Ducklow
b. 1865 Ashippun Twnshp, Dodge County, Wisconsin
d. 1918 Waldheim Sanitarium, Oconomowoc, Waukesha County, Wisconsin
Traced Descendants: 3; More to Discover
Cause of Death: Tuberculosis


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Thomas and Elizabeth’s Early Years in America

Less than 18 months after helping his stepmother Nancy Ann come to America, Thomas became engaged to Elizabeth Nicholson, who was also from Ireland. They married on April 12, 1842 at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Rochester, New York. Elizabeth was 21 years old and Thomas was 30.

They began a family immediately. Mary Ann, their first child, was born on Christmas Day, 1842. Fifteen months later their second child and second daughter, Francis, was born on March 31st, 1844. John T came next. He was their first son, born November 17, 1846. Then just ten months later their second son, Thomas, was born on September 18, 1847. These first four children were all born in New York State.

It was after the birth of daughter Francis that Thomas fully committed to making his life in America a permanent decision. On November 2, 1844 he rescinding his allegiance to the Queen of England [whose reign included Ireland] and swore an oath of alliance to the United States of America. The official papers recording this new allegiance are called the Declaration of Intent documents.

By the middle of the 1840s, many Irish families living around Rochester had decided to move to southern Wisconsin. There are likely several reasons for this: The middle of the 19th century was the time when Wisconsin was transitioning from being a U.S. territory with quasi-governmental ties to the Union to a fully recognized state. This change brought the hope and excitement of new opportunities and investment from Eastern businessmen.

Wisconsin was officially accepted into the Union on the 30th State in May of 1848. Many of the Irish families that helped and supported each other in Rochester saw the chance to homestead land in Wisconsin. By comparison, they saw that the highly desirable land for farming New York had already been claimed. The middle of 19th century was also a period in our Country’s history that Irish immigrants were treated cruelly. As a class they were viewed as dirty, lazy and stupid. They often were unfairly cited as the cause of economic problems and degradation of American society. This discrimination led many Irish to continue their migration in seeking a better life. So for these reasons, and perhaps others, Thomas and Elizabeth and their four children moved approximately 800 miles west to Dodge County in 1848.

Many immigrants who came to Wisconsin from New York in the 1800s traveled via the Erie Canal to Buffalo, then boarded a steam ship crossing Lake Erie, then transferring to another steam ship to across Lake Michigan. Ships docked at or near Milwaukee. Once in Wisconsin, previously established family or friends often met and helped move newcomers to the southern tier of counties with available government land. Thomas and Elizabeth homesteaded in Ashippun Township which forms the southeast corner of Dodge County and set upon a pioneer farm life in the largely unsettled wilderness of Wisconsin.

After moving to Wisconsin, Thomas and Elizabeth’s family continued to grow. Elizabeth delivered their fifth child, George, about September, 1949. Tragically, George died as an infant in October 1850. Thomas and Elizabeth's sixth child most curiously was also named George. He arrived August 10, 1851. Today it seems odd to have named two children from the same parents with the same name. But in the 1800s it was a common custom to name the next born of the same gender after the name of the child that died. It was a way to both honor and remember the child.

Besides infant George that died in 1850, there were one or two other babies that died at a young age. The three babies who died in infancy have been difficult to document. There are no specific birth dates for these children, nor grave markers, but there are two baptism dates: It appears that one of the infants was named Elizabeth, was baptized November 11, 1855, Maria Jane, baptized November 9, 1856.

The rest of the children born to Thomas and Elizabeth were: Charles was born April 3, 1853, Elizabeth in October 1857, William Thomas on October 21, 1858, James Richard on February 2, 1862, Peter Edward on May 21, 1863, and Lucinda Isabelle on December 6, 1865.

In all, Elizabeth gave birth to a total of fourteen babies. Of these, three died as infants or toddlers. The remaining eleven children lived into adulthood. From Mary Ann, her first, to Lucinda, her last, Elizabeth was delivering and raising babies over a 24-year period. Mary Ann was married and out of the house before Lucinda was even born!

History Back Drop:
Native Hunting Lands and U.S. Westward Expansion

The land that Thomas homesteaded in Dodge County Wisconsin in 1848 was just fifteen years earlier a part of a large swath of territory inhabited by several Native American tribes. These tribes were primarily the Winnebago, Chippewa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi. The Dodge County area was part of a large hunting and fishing region that sustained the native's way of life and culture for hundreds if not thousands of years.

During the period between 1830 and 1833 the tribes living in the area (in these years the area was a part of Michigan Territory) were forced to sell or give their land to the federal government. This action was part of a broad policy of the United States at the time to expand the boundaries of the country westward. Sadly, this expansion policy came at the expense of the native people. Once the land was ceded, the Indian groups were moved west of the Mississippi River. Most Potawatomi, Ojibwa, and Ottawa tribes who lived in this area in the 1830s were relocated to Kansas.

Source: www.scils.rutgers.edu/~dalbello/FLVA/voices/839/voices/amind/landcessions.jpg

Elizabeth Nicholson’s Family

Elizabeth Nicholson was born November 17, 1822 in County Cork, Ireland. Her father was Thomas Nicholson and her brother was George Nicholson. Elizabeth likely had other siblings, but at this writing, they have yet to be discovered, nor the identity of Elizabeth’s mother.

She came to America as a young woman, at age 18, arriving in Rochester New York in 1840.

Elizabeth’s father Thomas Nicholson came to America to join his family. He was living with his son George in Calumet County, Wisconsin during the 1870 Federal Census. At that time he was age 84 making his birth year 1786!

George Nicholson was born in the early 1820s, likely September 1823 in County Cork, Ireland. He came to Rochester, New York in 1844 and then moved on to Wisconsin and settled in Calumet County in 1846. This was about the same time sister Elizabeth and Thomas Ducklow and their four children moved from Rochester to Dodge County, Wisconsin.

In 1864, at age 40, George joined the Civil War were he fought in numerous battles for the Union Army. He returned home in 1865, rejoining his family in farming. George Nicholson was 81 years when be passed on February 26, 1906.

George Nicholson, circa 1865

History Back Drop: Bias Against the Irish

Many Irish immigrants, especially those that arrived in the port cities of New York and Boston, were regarded with contempt and treated terribly by Americans. During the peak immigration years of 1840-1860, an estimated one million Irish arrived in the United States. This mass influx of people overloaded the economy, housing, and social support systems.

The Irish fled Ireland in large numbers due to famine and encouragement of the governing British crown. When they arrived in America many were taken advantage of. Most were illiterate, few could even sign their name. Many fell victim to unscrupulous landlords who sub-divided dwellings into cheap housing. Immigrant families were over-charged to live in a single nine-by-eleven foot room with no water, sanitation, ventilation or daylight. Irish men wanting of work were offered enticing jobs at fair wages digging canals in upstate New York (e.g., Erie Canal). But once they arrived, they were told the wages were half, or less. For lack of options, most had no choice to accept the work.

Thomas Dukelow's Parents, Siblings and Irish Life

Thomas Ducklow [Dukelow] was born 17 March 1812 to a prosperous farming family that lived near Durrus, Ireland. Durrus is located in the western edge of County Cork, on the far southwest edge of the Ireland. Thomas’ father was John Dukelow. His mother’s name is uncertain, but may have been Elizabeth with a maiden name of either Swanton or Swetnam. Unfortunately, only fragments of information have been located (so far) that document Thomas’ parents.

Two house-keeping notes: (1) Thomas' name changed from Dukelow to Ducklow while living in Wisconsin. A separate entry of why this happened is coming. (2) For simplicity in writing about John's wife, I will assume her name was Elizabeth; further evidence will be needed to confirm it.

Besides Thomas, John and Elizabeth Dukelow had two daughters: Katherine and Martha Elizabeth. They were born after Thomas; around the years 1819 and 1820 respectively. It seems likely there were other children born after Thomas and before Katherine, but no information has been found to identify other siblings. Sometime shortly after giving birth to baby Martha, mother Elizabeth Dukelow died. While her age is uncertain, she was likely less than 29 years old.

About 1821, almost immediately after Elizabeth’s death, Thomas’ father, John Dukelow, married again. His second wife was Nancy Ann Johnson, who then was just 16 years old. He was 27. Upon marriage, Nancy Ann became an instant mother of three children: Martha, who was a baby, Katherine who was two, and Thomas who was then the tender age of nine. Within the first year of marriage she and John had their first of seven children together.

John Dukelow did not live a long life, dying about 1839 at age 45. His death left Nancy Ann, at age 35, a widow to raise a young and large family. She no doubt needed help, as her seven children’s ages ranged from nineteen down to two. Apparently important members of her family and social circle who could assist her had immigrated to the United States to start a new life. With her husband deceased, and her stepchildren having their own adult lives, she found it necessary to immigrate too. It is quite possible that ongoing hardships caused by potato crop failures played a large role in this decision as well [see History Back Drop].

The decision to leave Ireland was the beginning of a long and difficult journey. A passenger ship’s voyage to America normally took two months, but sometimes could take three. To make the difficult journey possible, Nancy Ann enlisted the help of her stepson Thomas to immigrate with her. So in the fall of 1841 she (at age 35), step-son Thomas (age 28), son John (age 19), son Samuel (age 17), son Richard (age 11), son Peter (age 9), daughter Ann (age 7), daughter Francis (age 3) and daughter Phillis Jane (age 1) all came to America by passenger ship. Their voyage took them across the Atlantic Ocean, and then up the St. Lawrence River to Lake Ontario docking at Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. After a brief stay there, they entered America at Rochester, New York by crossing Lake Ontario. At 28 years of age, Thomas became the father-figure that helped ensure everyone safely made it to New York state. Once they arrived, Mary Ann and her children joined extended family and friends living in the Rochester area. These families likely included the Johnsons, Copithorns, Swantons, Goods, and Gallaghers.

Thomas’ sister Martha Elizabeth also came to America, although it is not clear when. She married an Irishman named William O’Connell and eventually they settled in Washington County, Wisconsin. It appears that Martha did not travel on the initial voyage made by Thomas, Nancy Ann and her children.

Thomas was likely to have been married prior to 1841 (before his marriage to Elizabeth Nicholson). One genealogical source identifies Thomas as having a wife named Ann Connell. She could possibility have been the sister of William O’Connell, Martha Elizabeth’s husband. Ann Connell did not immigrate with Thomas and Nancy Ann, and so it is likely she died prior before October 1841. There were no known children from this first marriage.

Other Dukelows who also immigrated to North America likely took the passenger ships from Ireland to Port Hope, Ontario. But instead of going on to Rochester New York, some put down roots in Ontario, Canada. Today there are numerous Dukelow and Ducklow families who live across Canada, but especially in small cities of Ontario; most within a few hundred kilometers of Port Hope. It appears very likely that these families too trace their lineage to the same Dukelows from County Cork, Ireland. The prime evidence supporting this claim is occurrence of the same set of given names in both the Canadian and America Dukelow and Ducklow families. Given names that are common to both branches include John, Thomas, Francis, William, Charles, Samuel, Mary Ann, Elizabeth, and Vernon.

George and Emma Ducklow Family, circa 1890

Thomas and Elizabeth's sixth child was son George Ducklow. At age 24 George married Emma Hamilton in 1875 in Rock Elm, Pierce County, Wisconsin. These are two pictures of the George and Emma and their family. The top photo appears to have been taken about 1890. It looks that young Vern is about ten years old. The photo below was likely taken about 1926, just a year or so before George's death.

George and Emma Ducklow Family, circa 1926

Back row, left to right: Joise, Emma, George, Nellie
Front row, left to right: Clayton, Frank, and Vernon

George Ducklow b. Aug 10, 1851 d. Jan 7, 1928 Age 76
Emma Euince [Hamilton] Ducklow b. Aug 21, 1852 d. Jun 12, 1938 Age 85
Nellie Laurine [Ducklow] LaGrander b. Oct 16, 1876 d. Dec 16, 1948 Age 72
Vernon George Ducklow b. Jun 27, 1880 d. Jul 12, 1961 Age 81
Joise Emma [Ducklow] Rickerd b. Feb 14, 1883 d. Nov 15, 1961 Age 78
Frank Erwin Ducklow b. Feb 17, 1885 d. Jun 6, 1975 Age 90
Clayton Joesph Ducklow b. May 12, 1893 d. Jun 16, 1965 Age 72

Historical Back Drop: Potatoes and Immigration

During the early 1800s the everyday diet of the people of Ireland depended largely on their potato crop. Potatoes could be readily cultivated in the marginal soils available to most farmers. When successfully grown, they provided an abundant food source for large families owning or renting small plots of land. Tragically, a water-borne fungus known as the “potato blight” made the crop’s annual yield unpredictable. Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, in particular the 1820s through the 1840s, various regions of Ireland suffered full or partial loss of their crop due to this fungus. The large crop losses caused great hardship and famine conditions, as potatoes were Ireland’s primary food staple.

In 1839 the potato crop failure occurred throughout Ireland causing many starvation deaths. The scope of crisis became a full-blown calamity, called the Great Irish Potato Famine, during the period of 1845 – 1852. These were years of successive and total crop failure across the whole of Ireland. The combination of blight and inadequate humanitarian policies of the governing British Empire caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. Some historians have written that over one million died from hunger or from the consequences of hunger during the famine years. Between 20 and 25 percent of Ireland’s population died.

The famine caused many families to make the difficult decision to leave Ireland and start new lives in new lands. Perhaps up to a million and a half Irish immigrated to Australia, Canada, and the United States during the 1800s.

From Ireland to America: The First Wisconsin Ducklows
[Updated 10/14/2008]

Thomas and Elizabeth Ducklow are the ancestral immigrants to which nearly all Ducklows living in Wisconsin and Minnesota today can trace their family roots. Up to seven generations of descendant children can point to them as distant great grandparents. Many other families surnames of Wisconsin link to Thomas and Elizabeth. These names include the Good, Hanson, and Ostenson familes.

Thomas Ducklow / Dukelow Circa 1890
Elizabeth nee Nicholson Ducklow / Dukelow Circa 1890

Thomas and Elizabeth were both born in County Cork, Ireland. On separate voyages their families immigrated to America seeking a better lives. Thomas came in October of 1841, arriving at the Port of Rochester, New York. Elizabeth's family also arrived in Rochester, coming in 1840.

Rochester was where Thomas married Elizabeth Nicholson. They wed in Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in 1842 and shortly after began a family. Six years after their wedding they, along with their first four children, moved from Rochester to Dodge County of Southern Wisconsin. There they had found government land in Ashippun Township and made a homestead claim.

As pioneers in the untamed wilderness, they cleared and worked the land transforming it into a productive farm. To help succeed in farming, Thomas and Elizabeth raised a large family. In all, “Betsey” bore thirteen [or maybe fourteen] children over a period of twenty-three years. Of these, eleven children lived into adulthood, nine married, and eight raised their own families. Today the number of descendants from Thomas and Elizabeth number more than 700.

Signature of Frank Erwin Ducklow on WWI Draft Card

Who was Frank Erwin Ducklow? Son of George Ducklow; George was the 6th child or Thomas and Elizabeth Ducklow


Here is an image of Frank Erwin Ducklow's signature copied from his WWI draft registration card. Frank is George and Emma Ducklow's fourth child, born February 17, 1885. World War I started in 1914, so Frank was about 29 year old when he registered for the draft. At this point in his life, he had married Jessie Lousie Roatch his second wife.

Frank had two living sons in 1914: Willis and Gerald. Gerald was born in July of that year, with Jessie as his mother. Willis' mother Francis Mary Prine died shortly after Willis's birth in 1910 from measles.

How did the Eau Galle River get its name?
[Updated 9/22/2008]

While researching family history I recently came across two intriguing letters published years ago in the Wisconsin Magazine of History. They each independently discuss the origin and meaning of the name for the Eau Galle River. And a third reference of the name's meaning was also found from a report by U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The Eau Galle and its wooded hills are so much a part of the local landscape in Spring Valley and because the river's name is unique, I found these letters fascinating.

The first letter was written by Robert K Boyd of Eau Claire and was published in March of 1920. In part of his letter, Mr. Boyd discerns the meaning of river’s name based on a copy of a very old lumber contract he obtained. It is dated June 10, 1844. This document called for a “season’s cut of lumber” to be milled at the Carson & Eaton Mill which was located at the present day village of Eau Galle. The spelling of river’s name in this document is not Eau Galle but rather “Augallett” and Augalett.” These spellings, Mr. Boyd says, are clues to the intended words of: “Au Galet.” In French this can mean “in the pebbles.”

A completely independent letter was published regarding the Eau Galle by the same magazine but a different author and some twelve years forward. Camille Bisson’s wrote in December of 1932 to tell her understanding of the river’s name. Her story further illuminates what Mr. Boyd wrote. She describes a childhood period that occurred some 65 years prior, during the early 1860s. This is when a traveling French-Canadian trapper stayed with her family for a few days.


During his stay, the itinerate trapper regaled her family with stories of place names, translated from an Indian language to French, that were given to the various features of the land. The trapper was literate in both French and English and well educated. Now it happened that Camille’s parents were recent immigrants from France, and her mother was teaching her French during the trapper’s stay. So the trapper took some time to teach the young Camille several French river and lake names in Wisconsin, including “Rivière aux Galets,” “Rivière aux Clercs,” “Sault Saint Croix,” and “Lac du Flambeau.”

Camille goes on to write that their guest explained “Rivière aux Galets” is known to us as the “Eau Galle River.” “Rivière” in French means “river”; “aux” means “of the” or “in the” and “Galets” means “stones” (or more accurately, “small round pebbles.”) So a literal translation becomes “River in the Pebbles.” “Rivière aux Galets” is pronounced “RIV-YAIR O GAL-LAY.” Try saying these words out-loud, with a French accent, and you will see how “Galet” became anglicized to “Galle.”

Camille lived in Downsville at the time she wrote the letter. She must have been familiar with the river valley north of Spring Valley as she points out that the Eau Galles’ “upper reaches are very stony,” and indicates that this may be the reason for the river’s name. Some readers will know that the stretch of the Eau Galle upstream of Lake George serpentines north several miles cutting into the limestone hills. My father, Vic Ducklow, always referred to this area as “Rocky Coulee.” After a large spring runoff, the floor of Rocky Coulee is littered with a fresh bed of uncountable numbers of rocks, stones, and pebbles as well as other flotsam scoured out by a strong current. It seems that this part of the river could have been the inspiration for its name.

In Robert Boyd’s letter of 1920 he points to the mouth of the Eau Galle that empties into the Chippewa River as the reason for its name. Here the river has deposited is a “heavy gravel bar.” He states that it seems natural that the early explorers gave the river a literal name “The River in the Pebbles” based on this feature. Others that Mr. Boyd conferred with agreed that the river was named for its identifiable gravel mouth were it meets the Chippewa River.

Unfortunately, Camille Bisson does not say in her 1932 letter how old she thought the French-Canadian trapper was. But assuming he was at least age 40, his childhood and early adulthood would have occurred during the 1820s and 1830s⎯a period when just a handful of European men journeyed in the area to hunt, fish, and trap. Generally speaking, these men comfortably shared the land with the native peoples and often learned their languages—including their place names.

When mapmakers of the 1800s wanted to identify the names of land features, they called upon the early voyagers, hunters, trappers, and fur traders for their understanding of the proper names. In many cases these men were French or French-Canadians. In this way the Indian names became translated French names. And over time, the French names were modified again to be more pronounceable to the growing demand for maps in English. As Camille Bisson writes, the names became “corrupted.” The French “Rivière aux Galets” was simplified to “Eau Galle.” The pronunciation of “aux” and “eau” are very similar; both are spoken as “O.” Coincidently, “eau” means water. This no doubt caused confusion for the non-French speaking immigrants and so two words “Rivière aux” became understood as “Eau.”

Once on a map, identifying place names became generally accepted and used by a rising tide of permanent settlers to the territory. And settlers started coming in larger numbers during the later half of the 1800s for lumber, land, and then (at least in Spring Valley) iron ore!

While Robert Boyd’s letter of 1920 or Camille Bisson’s letter of 1932 are not definitive proof of how the Eau Galle was named, they certainly have an elegance that fits our area’s history and offer a sense of authority that is hard to not accept. If you would like to read the original letters, these links will take you to a PDF view at the Wisconsin History Society:

1920 Boyd Letter
1932 Bisson Letter

1981 U.S. Corp of Engineers Cultural Resources Report

In addition to the letters of Boyd and Bisson, another terse reference to French meaning of the Eau Galle appears in a report published for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. Apparently the Army Corp, who manages the Eau Galle Reservoir, hired a company to research cultural aspects of the area. The report created and published by Archaeological Field Services, Inc. in 1981. Parts of the report were republished in local history book called "... And All Our Yesterdays" published in 1988 by the Spring Valley Area Chapter of the Pierce County Historical Association.

With all that said, the one sentence quote from the report that is of interest is: "The L'Eau Galle, from the French meaning 'River of the Gravel Bank.'" Sadly, no sources for this intreputation are supplied (at least in the excerpt that was republished). However, it is consisant with both the Boyd and Bisson letters.

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So there you have it. You might now properly call the Eau Galle River the “River in the Pebbles” next time you see it.