The Covell Gates Ekdahl
Jurva Tree
Including Covel, Covill, Covil, Coville, Gates,
Ekdahl and Jurva
Revised
Fire in the sky over Keweenaw Bay
WELCOME TO THE
Sorry,
no horns
THE MYSTERY OF JAMES IS SOLVED!
David
J. Silverman in his book Faith and Boundaries
states that James and Keiape were bound by the
|
James Covell, Indian servant on
Martha’s Vineyd sold 1693 to Jacob Mayle. |
|
Date: |
Vol 2. p.74
15th day of September…Anno Domini:1693
“Matthew Mayhew Of Marthas Vineyard Esq. having two Indian servents the one named
Keiape the other James Covell bound for the full term of seven years” sold
these servants to Jacob mayle.
p. 75
Jacob Mayle of the city of
Mr. Silverman also mentions
that he found no evidence of formal marriages (by English standards) among the
colonists and Native population which speaks volumes for the colonist’s
perception of the Native people. This accounts for the fact my Covell oral
history seems to be the only record of the marriage of James (born 1620) and an
Indian lady on
Back in the early 1980's we visited the
What struck me as I
reviewed the material was the fact Franklin had been born in Newaygo Co., MI
9-25-1874. I knew there were Covells in that area about that time so I went
looking in my database. There he was, son of Willis Wallace Covell, right birth
date but with a middle initial of "W". So, I had him all along but just hadn't made
the connection. Below you'll find some notes on Franklin and a picture
that Lee passed along. Many thanks to him for passing this along so we may all
enjoy this tid-bit of Covell history.
Interestingly, Lighthouse Research does not list
Franklin as being at 14 Mile Point at any point in time. The 14 Mile Point
Station is very isolated and located between Ontonagon and Houghton, MI. It’s
privately owned now.
This is an early picture
of the Split Rock Light Station and homes of the Keeper and his assistants. To build
the station you have to remember there were no roads into that area, everything
needed to build the station came in by boat and was lifted by hoist to the top.
If you'd like to learn more about how beautiful the
http://www.mnhs.org/splitrock.html
Some years later I discovered the small town of
This is reputed to be the Covell Coat of Arms. On the back
of the photo is the name and address of a photography shop in
The Surname/Given Name database for these families is located
at:
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=agcovell
It was last updated on
This picture was taken in 1923 some three years
after the death of my grandfather, David Wilmot Covell. In the top row (l to r)
are Maud, David, Marvin and Lawrence. In the center is my father, Alvin. In the
front are Lyman, my grandmother Lucinda, Jack and Luella. All of the boys had
served their country in WWI, four were in combat, two were wounded and one was
the most highly decorated soldier of
Our home on
A stormy day building on
I took this shot on Presque
Isle north of Marquette, MI several years ago. Some of you may remember Mount
St. Helen spewing tons of materials
into the atmosphere when it erupted years ago. The golden color of the sun
setting here is a result of that event.
Many
years ago someone in the family began collecting information
about our Covell line. The same was true of the Gates family but I'll get
to that later. The main interest appears to have revolved around
family members that had served in the Revolutionary War. A cousin of mine who
was stationed in the Pentagon back in the 50's was able to have a family
tree built from that information and contacts he made at the Library
of Congress. Fortunately, I've been able to trace
the family from there back to James Covell who received a grant of
land on Martha's Vineyard in March, 1651. I'm certain he was born in
.
St. Dunstan's In The
East was virtually destroyed during the
James Covell, born in
London, England in 1620 and baptized at St. Dunstan’s in the
East, arrived in Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard in March, 1651. His brother,
Ezra, had arrived in Boston as the indentured servant of John and Anne Allen
aboard the ship Abigail in 1635. Ezra appeared in the “Able to Bear Arms”
in Woburn, MA in 1643 and nothing more of him is known until 1677 when he
builds a home next to James. James married, had 4 children and lived out the
remainder of his life on the
Oliver Covell
Several years ago some teenagers
decided they wanted to dig up a skeleton and did so in this cemetery. Oliver
was their target and the deed probably would not have been discovered were it
not for the fact they took one of his thigh bones to school where they
displayed it for their friends. This brought them to the attention of the court
and as part of their sentence they were required to do a research paper on
Oliver. The story was put on the wire service where I found it printed in a
Tucson, AZ newspaper. As the boy’s were under the supervision of a professor
from a nearby university for this project I wrote her asking she send me a copy
of the boys research paper when it was completed. Little did I know that
distant relatives I knew nothing about also were requesting the same
information but that is a story for another time.
When it was found that Oliver had been
a veteran of the War of 1812 his remains were again interred with full military
honors in the cemetery.
While my line of Covells traveled from
While my wife, Ellen, was in
Pine Grove Cemetery is located along the north
side of Route 6 in Corry, PA.
Above is a rather unique burial plot. The
stone carries inscriptions on one side for Clarence L. Covell and on the other for
William W. Covell. Then, arranged in a circle around this central stone
are markers for Ellen E. Covell, Frances Covell Young, Alvah W. Covell
and Amanda Covell.
This is William and his family.
After leaving Corry I traveled on to
The Old Covell Cemetery
The marker for Emily Jane and Maurine Covell
In 1870 a diphtheria epidemic invaded the
Bentley Creek locale. Emily went to care for children of another family where
the epidemic had struck. Emily contracted the disease and died at age 21.
Gravestones of Lovina and Albert Covell
Grave of Miles Covell
Platt's full name was Clinton Platt Covell but the story goes that he detested the name Clinton. He was a Civil War vet.
Gravestone of William and Perlina Covell. Their epitaphs on the stone follow.
William Perlina
A
faithful friend, a father
dear, Other's
hands are folded,
A
loving husband lies buried here, Farewell
our mother dear,
In
love he lived, in peace he died, May
thy spirit guide thy children
His life was asked, but God denied.
While we tarry here.
And
when our hands are folded,
And
to Heaven's gate we come,
Then
greet us with a welcome,
A
welcome, welcome
Also buried here are Blanche, Elson, Louise, Emily and Maurine Covell.
Later that day I stopped at
the Bently Creek Cemetery. Buried there is is Edward Howe. Edward was raised by
Miles and Hannah Covell but was never adopted by them that I know of. However,
he went by the name of Covell as you'll see below.
Edward Howe Covell
As
you travel
from Bentley Creek to Wellsburg you follow along Bentley Creek for quite
a distance. The area had experienced several heavy rains just before my arrival
so the Creek was running swiftly as you'll see below.
In
actuality there are two cemeteries that surround the
The Old Baptist Cemetery dates from ca. 1793 and
surrounds the church on three sides. Found there are menbers of the Coleman,
Comfort and Cummings families, all of whom figure in my ancestry. Located
in the Ashland are several members of the Covell Family, among them being my great-great
grandfather, Capt. James Covell, his wives and their children. Also to be
found there is my great grandfather, Calvin T. Covell and members of his family.
The
Calvin T. Covell, his wife Elizabeth and four of their children are buried in the Ashland Cemetery.
Buried in the same plot are his
father, Capt. James Covell and his wives, Rebecca and Hannah. James
was a drummer boy in the Rev. War and later served in the War of 1812 as a
Captain. The story goes that
he would set by the kitchen stove and drum on it with pieces of kindling.
Some
who remember the Hackley Union Bank in Muskegon, MI may recognize
these prints. They were the creation of an artist by the name of Victor
Casenelli who made his home in
From the Vineyard to the Mainland and Beyond
Family
members migrated from Martha's Vineyard to Killingly, CT
and on to VT, ME, NY and eventually to Bradford Co., PA. It was there that my
great-great-grandfather, James Covell, settled in the Bentley Creek area
having moved from Washington Co., NY. James served as a Captain in the War
of 1812. One of his sons, Calvin, had twelve children and most
of them moved on to Whitehall, MI where they engaged in the lumbering
business. One of those who journeyed to Whitehall was David Wilmot
Covell, my paternal grandfather.
Here he is with his faithful dogs.
I have the cane he is holding in this picture.
It has a pewter head, well worn, and the wood is held together in several
places with old screws and nails. The varnish is cracked and chipped its entire
length.
During WWI all 6 sons served their country, four fought with the AEF and
two of them were wounded.
Somewhere
in
Dear
Father:
It has
been a long time since I wrote you a letter so will try and write you a few
lines this morning. Everything is going well over here, that is the Huns
are on the run and I think this war is just a matter of a few weeks
the way things look now. Germany is all by her lonesome and she is in a puzzle
what to do. She is not doing much fighting--she is just backing up because she
has to.
One
morning as we went over the top it was rather foggy, we could not see very well
and were right onto them before we knew it and it was rather warm around there
for awhile. Talk about machine gun bullets. They were just cutting the grass
all around me and how they missed me is more than I know. I was just lucky for
they were falling on both sides of me, but at last we got the best of them and
they started on the run and we made it rather warm for them for awhile.
That was the morning that
Has
Lyman been home yet? We heard from Jack once. He had not been to the front yet,
but was anxious to get at the Huns. Oh yes, we had a letter from Jim Gregerson.
He is over here. He is railroading. Little Maggie had sent him our pictures and
he sent them on to us. We also received the picture of you and mother, but I
can see you are both getting older. Even myself--I notice that I am not as
young as I used to be. I have a few grey hairs in my head, but they are not
coming from being scared for I have not been that way. I have had some awful
funny feelings at times, don't know if you would call it scared or not, but I
have not turned my back to the enemy yet nor run--that much I can say.
We have
had some awful weather here. It rains most of the time and then they call it
"Sunny
Well,
it is almost Xmas time and I am wondering what it will be like over here. They
gave us coupons so that we could send them home and have a Xmas
package sent to us, but I am not sending mine for so many things get lost in
the mail and there is nothing that I need. We are well taken care of. There is
just one thing that I would like and that is some of mother's pancakes.
Well, I
think I have written quite a letter so will close for this time. With love and
best wishes, I remain always,
Your son
Wilmot
I don't know when this picture of "Wilmot"
was taken but the fact he has a cigarette in his hand leads me to believe it
was begore he was gassed (see letter above).
Wilmot mentioned his brother, Lyman, in the above letter. Here is a picture of
Lyman and an excerpt from a letter wrote.
Well to begin with it is 2:15 A.M. and I am on
duty, but not very busy, but in a fairly safe place, a dugout. They are not
always the safest place I have found, but that does not worry me anymore. In other
words I have gotten over it for this is no place to worry. One needs all
his wits about him to best Fritz so this leaves no room for anything like
worry.
We have seen quite a lot of this country but I
can't say that I am crazy about it except for the sightseeing. But the
soldiers. You have got to hand it to them and I will take my hat off to them
any time. They are getting pretty tired of the war but now since the American
soldier has come, it has put new life into them and they are fighting like devils.
From the
Sergeant Lyman Covell was in the first line
trenches and had been ordered, with a few other men, to reconnoiter. They were
surprised by a number of Germans, who opened fire on them. His companions were
going down on all sides of him. A witness saw him shoot seven Germans and then,
while still under fire, turn around to help the wounded. The Huns were beaten
off by reinforcements.
Lyman was awarded The Cross of The Order of
Leopold, conferred by King Albert of Belgium for heroic services on the
battlefield; France awarded him the Croix de Guerre while General Pershing
issued a citation commending him for his bravery.
This is the old Wilson School in Fruitland Twp.
where my dad went to school. He's in the top row, 5th from the left. It was
taken in 1913 so dad was about 15 or 16 at the time. His brother Marvin is
probably in the picture but I can't spot him. Knowing Uncle Marv as I did he
could well have been playing hooky that day.
I remember years ago my dad telling
me of a poem about a wreck on a narrow gauge rail line that led
to the Covell lumber camp north of Whitehall. One day in the early
1960's while living in
It might seem odd to some to see only one
team of horses hauling this load of logs but can be easily explained. During
the winter months the trails were watered at night during freezing
weather. The result was a very slick "roadway" that made the log
hauling far easier. It is reputed that this is the largest load of logs, 18 ft.
long, ever hauled in the world, and hauled by one team. Height of the load 33
ft., 3 inches. Weight of logs, 144 tons. Nine flatcars were required to convey
the logs to Chicago.
After
James, Jr and Sally Covell (nee Dewey) divorced in the mid 1850’s Sally and
most all of her children migrated west to CA, OR and NV.
Above is Sally Cook (nee Covell), who moved to
Calvin and Elizabeth Covell
This old cemetery outside
At least one son or daughter (sometimes both)
of every Covell generation has served their country in time of
peace as well as war. Here's my dad and I back in 1951 as I was leaving for
overseas.
When I returned from
overseas in 1953 I met an RN from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. On February 17,
2006 Ellen and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary.
The Gates Side Of Things.
As is the case with many of us I made the mistake
of putting a lot of my initial efforts in tracing the Covell line. Partly, this
was because my dad had some information that I could make use of. As for my
mother's side, well, she just never did say anything about her ancestors. Her
mother died when she was 22 and, as I look back, it must have been a very
painful loss to mom--she would rarely talk about her mother and grand-dad was
sort of as stern type, not given to much in the way of chit chat. What is
surprising is that mom's family was in Michigan some 30 years or so before
my dad's family having traveled from Onondaga Co., NY to St. Joseph Co., MI in
the 1830's. Maybe this was one of those "family secret" things
where females bowed to the male ego? At any rate follow along below for
some really interesting history --Dan sure is a stern looking individual don't
you think? Somewhere in my notes is a quote from minutes of Nottaway Township
in St. Joseph Co. that Dan's father, Hiram, was taking his turn as a
sentry in the fort to guard against Indians in 1837.
Here are the three sons
of Dan and Delilah; Otis, Leon and Frank, my grandfather.
This photo of my maternal grandparents, Frank
and Amaretta (Prouty) Gates was taken some time prior to 1925, the year of
"Retta's" death. It was taken at the family homestead in Laketon
Township, Muskegon Co., MI. Frank's father, Dan, homesteaded this property in
the 1860's. More about that later.
This is my mother, Gertrude Alfreda Gates. The
photo was taken when she was 19 years of age and shortly before her marriage to
my father, Alvin Lee covell.
Noah Gates was born in Norwalk, CT November 5,
1766 and died in Cayuga, NY March 26, 1813. He married Abigail Betts and they had
nine children, all of whom were born in NY. Noah was a Captain in the War of
1812 and died at some point during that conflict.Three of the children
eventually moved on to Michigan; Ashbel, William and Hiram, my
great-great-grandfather. Ashbel and William later moved on west.
Hiram
was born December 11, 1801 in Mt. Morris, Onondaga County, NY and died in Burr
Oak, St. Joseph County, MI on August 5, 1857. He married Margaret Engle on
October 10, 1824 in Mt. Morris. She died July 8, 1865 in Burr Oak. Both
are buried in
Daniel,
more commonly known as Dan, married Delilah McMillan on February 14, 1861 in
Burr Oak. In the fall of 1863 they began their journey to Muskegon
County, MI where they had decided to make a home for themselves. They had no
horses or any other way of getting there so hired a man with a team to
bring them there. Every thing they owned was loaded onto the wagon and their
six day journey began. They made it to Kalamazoo the first night and Grand
Rapids the next since the roads were fairly good. However, from Grand Rapids to
Muskegon there were only woods and a wagon track so around the
stumps and through the mud they went. In one place they had to ford a creek
where the water was deep and one horse fell. They had to go for help and
returned with a man and team of ox. Even with this man and ox power it still
took a half day to get the horses and wagon out of the mud hole. Muskegon was
reached on October 6, 1863 and there on the shores of Muskegon Lake they
boarded the Algoma for the trip to the north shore where North Muskegon was
coming into being. The wind was blowing hard and when they reached the middle
of the lake waves began to wash over the rails. Dan and his wife had never been
on a boat so this was a most terrifying experience for them. Safely reaching
the north shore they took the old state road towards Whitehall stopping just
beyond Dalton to stay with a brother-in-law. Here they built a small log cabin.
After paying off their travel expenses they had $1.85 left and with this amount
bought boards for the cabin roof, a door and half a window. Dan worked in the
woods and they lived quite comfortably that winter. Potatoes were 35 cents
per bushel that winter.
The
following spring was very wet, their well overflowed so water for household
purposes was difficult to find. Dan happened to be working near the head of
Bear Lake that spring and came across a spring whose water he thought to be the
purest he had ever known. They decided to build their home there and after
selecting their homestead site they homesteaded 160 acres. That
spring Dan went to Whitehall (about 15 miles) to cast his first vote. He
returned with a hen under each arm and thus began their start in poultry
keeping.
At that
time there were five families, beside Dan and Delilah, between Muskegon
and Whitehall. They were Dow, Califf, Tyler, Knickerbocker and Gordon. These
men were the ones who helped organize the townships of Laketon, Dalton and
Fruitland. My father, Alvin Lee Covell, would be born in Fruitland
Township in 1897. As the area population expanded Dan built another cabin,
this time 28' by 30'. Here three sons were born; Frank Jay(my grandfather),
Otis Ray and Leon John. In 1884 Dan built another home for his family,
this time a roomy two story home. As I write this in 2001 that
home still stands and occupied on what is now Horton Rd.
The
Muskegon County-Obituary Index (date and publisher unknown) states the
following:
"D.J.
Gates is one of the native-born sons of Michigan who have taken a warm interest
in the progress of the state and contributed to its material advancement. An
enterprising and energetic farmer, he has been highly successful in the
cultivation of his place, which is located in Section 11, Laketon Twp, Muskegon
Co., and which, through his labor, is one of the best farms in
the township. He is a man who uses skill and judgement in the rotation of
crops and fertilization of the soil, and consequently is able to secure the
very best results from every acre on his property."
From Suomi Came The Jurva's And Ekdahl's
The Ekdahl & Jurva Connection
. An Ekdahl Family Reunion was held June 8,
2002 in Hetekylla, Finland. Some 200 members of the family were in
attendance and extended a warm welcome to my wife and her brother
John, who traveled from Michigan for the event. Their parents both came from
Finland to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the early 1900's. Family ties remain
very strong even though some 90 years have passed since their arrival
here.
"Lest We Forget"
Even though it's been 27 years since
I visited Finland I still can not remove from my memory the lost of life
and sacrifice suffered by Finland and its people during the Winter
War. A wreath was laid at the foot of this monument
during the June, 2003 Ekdahl reunion in remembrance of all the fallen soldiers,
one of whom was Frans Ekdahl, an uncle of my wife, Ellen. The two soldiers
standing guard are members of the Ekdahl family. Both Ellen and her
brother, John Ekdahl, attended the reunion.
Shortly after the turn of the last century Antti
and Kaisa (Ekdahl) Jurva came to
Anna left Hanko, Finland Sept. 16, 1911 aboard
the Urania.
Heikka left Hanko June 29, 1912 aboard the
Polaris
Anna's brother, Annti returned to Finland in
1910 where he married Heikki's sister, Kaisa. They returned to America on the
Arcturus sailing from Hanko Sept. 10, 1910.
The
above pictures are from the collection of Aleksi Lindstrom of Helsinki,
Finland. He has a very interesting web site that you may view at:
Ellen's parents were married on Oct. 23,
1912 in Calumet, MI by Rev. Paul Heideman. To Henry and Anna were born 12
children. First came 9 sons, 7 of whom served in WWII, 4 saw service
during the Korean Conflict and 1 in Viet Nam. In fact, the last mentioned
served in all three conflicts. Three girls (And the last shall be best) were
then born, the eldest being my wife. Last winter we learned that a
relative of Ellen's, Mikko Kalkaja lived in Oulu which is but a short
drive from Pudasjarvi and Utajarvi where a reunion was held in June,
2002 of the Ekdahl family. Oddly enough, also living in Oulu is Helja
Okarinen, a lady who spent part of a summer with us back in the mid 70's. She
is an M.D., married, with two sons, age 12 and 15. Her husband, Aarne is
also a doctor and teaches in the medical school at Oulu University.
The nine Ekdahl boys at the homestead in
Keweenaw Bay, MI.
This picture
was taken at a reunion Elsie and Eddie hosted in the mid 90's.
From the left:Elsie, Ellen, Eino (deceased),
Eddie (deceased), John and Fred
This picture was taken on the ice of Keweenaw
Bay sometime in 1930's. Then, as now, the favorite method of taking lake trout
in the winter is by "bobbing". Lying between the 6 trout are 3
"Bobbing" sticks. The 300 feet of line was made of braided strands
and then tarred. As a result the lines didn't freeze and neither did they
stretch. Attached to the end of the line was a lead sinker and below
that a mother of pearl spoon with a red dot in its center. The large
hook attached to the spoon was baited with a strip of sucker bait, flesh side
out. I can attest to the fact you develop a very sore wrist from the constant
jerking of the wrist so that the spoon would move up and down with
a fluttering action. You have to be very careful that you don't let too
much line out. If you do the sinker hits bottom, stirs it up and scares the
fish away. At least that's what the pros tell me.
This is Anna Jurva Ekdahl, mother of the 9
Ekdahl boys and 3 girls. Anna left Finland in 1911 when she was 18 years old.
Unable to speak anything but Finnish she made her way to Michigan's Copper
Country where she met her brother Antti Jurva and his wife, Kaisa Ekdahl Jurva.
I wonder if she had any idea she would be marrying Kaisa's brother, Heikki (aka
Henry) within a year or so.
Anna always told her children that by putting
her right hand to her cheek she was saying good-bye to her homeland.
This is Mayme Ellen Jurva Bekkela, daughter of Antti and Kaisa Jurva. Sadly. Mayme pasted away in
January, 2006. Both Ellen and I miss her greatly.
During the June, 2003 reunion of the family a
service was held on the church grounds where Ellen's grand-parents are
buried. Standing next to Col. Timo Ekdahl (Ret.) are his mother and John,
Ellen's sister. Col. Ekdahl has recently been recalled to active duty and is
now with United Nations forces in Sri Lanka. Some years ago he was in a command
position in Lebanon during peace keeping operations there.
My wife Ellen and I spend our summers at our
home on Keweenaw Bay north of Baraga, MI. This is the view from our
porch. Ellen has planted flowers around the house but
there are also a lot of wild flowers there, mostly in shaded areas.
However, when fall arrives Lake Superior
grudgingly begins to give up the warmth she has stored over the summer months.
When this warmth collides with the colder air sweeping across the lake
it begins to "smoke". Winter is not far away and we take this as
a sign to close the cabin and begin our trek to Arizona.
Fall on one of the U.P.'s side roads.
One of my hobbies is that of scuba diving. This
picture was taken in Bonaire while diving with my nephew and his wife on a
shipwreck in 95 feet of water. At that depth you are under approximately 4
atmospheres of pressure which helps to explain the compression of features.
Afew years ago I had the chance to do some
diving while on the island of Maui. An area there is called "Turtle
Town" and it really lives up to its name. These turtles are a most
sociable lot and very curious. This one approached to within a foot of me
as I hung just below the surface. She was so close I could not have taken a
picture had I wanted to. Her shell is roughly 4 feet in
diameter.
After what seemed like an eternity she eased
away and headed for the bottom.
Sadly, we had to put our beloved Doxie, Anna to sleep
in 2003 after 18 years of great companionship. In her place arrived Amanda
Dixie's Angel, aka Mandy, born Aug. 12, 2003,
weight 2.5 lbs.
Mandy has grown a bit. Kissa (Finnish for cat) loves to taunt Mandy into a chase. The result of one last December caused Mandy to rupture a disk in her back. That caused paralysis in her hind quarters and a trip to surgery. She’s recovered remarkably well.
I hope you've enjoyed looking at our Tree and all its branches.
Hang loose!
Molokiini Crater,