How the Lumbering Era Affected the McHugh and Foegen Families
Lumber Era
Patrick McHugh married Bazlice Mailhot on June 13, 1875 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Muskegon, Michigan. They had eight children, of which only four survived: Rosanna, Joseph, James and Eugene.
Letitia, John, Mary Alice and Marie Letitia were the names of the children that died young.
The name Letitia was a common name within the family. Rose's daughter was named Letitia. Her photo is above.
Rose married Frank Foegen January 4, 1904 in Muskegon. Both were age 27 according to the marriage license info found in the Muskegon County Courthouse. Witnesses were Joseph McHugh and Francis Campbell both from Muskegon.
Frank Foegen and Rose McHugh at the dunes in Muskegon's Pere Marquette Park, approx. 1890's.
Log Sorting Grounds
Logs to Market 1887
Mills at Lakeside - Muskegon
View From Lakeside Looking Towards Muskegon
Birdseye View From Third St.
Shingle Mill Muskegon, MI
Lumbering in the Snow
Thayer Lumber Muskegon, MI
Lumber Mills
When Patrick McHugh first came to Muskegon, there were at least 50 mills on the Muskegon River. Once employed at a mill in Whitehall, he would walk home on weekends to spend time with his family, attend Sunday Mass and after participating in a filling Sunday Supper, he would walk all the way back! We have only a few lumberjack stories to pass on, as the surviving relatives back in the early 1980’s, when this project began, were just children then. Patrick would switch from speaking English to French when around young ears!