“Cross Roads” from the March 24, 1941 Door County Advocate
Cross Roads
By GEORGE CLARKIEU
ALSO IRISH
Monday all true sons and daughters of Erin will be a’wearing the Green, for that is the day of days for all ‘Pats and Mikes’ and all their fun-loving brothers and sisters. A hasty glance at our own CROSS-ROADS and you would answer, “So what?” There we are mostly Scandinavians, scattered in both the north and south, and then there’s our large Belgian population in the south with a generous mixing of German descents. But take another look and you’ll find many, many of our own people who sprang from the ‘old sod.’
Fact is that many of our prominent families trace their forefathers back to County this or that in old Ireland. In pioneer days there was a strip of the Peninsula that runs cross-wise from Jacksonport and Baileys Harbor on the Lake Michigan side to Egg Harbor on the Green Bay side that seemed a favorite spot for the Irish to homestead and start families that have spread out over the state to be widely known for their achievements. Take the Reynolds family that settled at Jacksonport—John Reynolds, former attorney general, came from this group—, but one of the largest was the Carmody family at Egg Harbor. “Uncle” Tom is the best known of this family that drew its seed from Limerick, Ireland. Few there are in Door county that don’t know the smiling wit of Uncle Tom. He was the pioneer road builder on the peninsula, but for years now has been host to his countless friends at his night club in Egg Harbor.
The McArdle family at Baileys Harbor is too well known to permit much mention in this small piece, but that township will remember and honor that name as long as there is a Baileys Harbor, due to the generous goodness of the late Michael McArdle whose sole thought after he had won fame and fortune was to do something for his boyhood home.
The Collins family is another prominent one at Baileys Harbor. The original Hugh Collins came from County Louth, and down at Jacksonport there is the Bagnall family, large and prominent, hailing from Dublin, many years ago. Truman Bagnall is present town chairman of Jacksonport.
But not all the Irish settled in this neck of the woods, and it was woods in those days. There is the Perry family in Forestville township, whose ancestors came from County Tipperary and William (Bill) Moore, our former assemblyman whose forefathers hailed from County Kerry.
Very much Irish were the Bill Donovans of Sturgeon Bay who annually held an old fashioned Irish party. Bill passed away recently, it will be recalled. Then, don’t forget the Irish on Washington Is., about whom a series of articles was run in The Advocate. Supt. Harvey Cornell is a descendant.
We could go on and on mentioning the Irish who have settled on this peninsula, if space would permit. There have been hundreds of them, and all of us are better for their coming. It seems the race was favored by a sunny, happy-go-lucky disposition, and the women—ah, those fair complexioned, dark haired, colleens. What ‘young buck’ hasn't thrilled at their beauty and gracefulness! Did some one say, “Sh-h-h-h, not so loud! What about the wife?” Sure and that I have, but it’s okay, for she’s 50 percent Irish on her dad’s side . . . so Irish that in our home we have a shamrock growing so “The Green” will be all ready Monday morning . . . .
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
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