Information of the Kerr Family

The Family of William Kerr and Amanda F. Earl Kerr arrived on Bois Blanc Island from Woodslee, Ontario Canada in the year of 1884. They Bought 80 acres of land for the sum total of $1.00. They built their homestead High on the Bluff, West of McRae Road (Now Firetower Road) and on the south side of Boblo Drive (North Shore Road). It was a two-story home that overlooked Lake Huron with a view of Mackinaw Island. They planted apple orchards, vegetable gardens and French Lilac Bushes. Water was carried up from the lake below, with a yoke and two buckets before the wells were dug. Will Kerr lumbered and sold the virgin timber from the island. They arrived on the island with the family of John and Mary Holin McRae. Listed below are the members of the William Kerr and Amanda F. Earl Kerr who came to the island.

Robert Kerr who married Mary Guinne (no children)       (Everett’s Great Uncle)
Will Kerr Jr. (never married)
Mary Jane Kerr who married Sam Place (May 3 1886)
Elizabeth Kerr who married Andrew Moody
Sarah Kerr who married William Kennedy, April 4, 1887 (buried in McRae-Kerr Cemetery)

Kate Kerr who married Will McRae
Frances Kerr who married Dave McRae
Amanda Kerr who married John Miles
Ellen Kerr (Died at five years and buried in McRae-Kerr cemetery)

Mary Jane Kerr and Sam Place had three children:
Millie Place who Married John Bible (no children)
Gladys Place (no information)
Matt Place (no information)

Kate Kerr McRae and William Kennedy had two children:
Harry McRae who married Josie Metivier  (Ray Plaunt’s Aunt)
Mabel McRae who married John Duman  (Mabel was the first white woman born on Bois Blanc on March 16, 1885)

Sarah Kerr and William Kennedy had two children:
Clara Kennedy who married Frank McRae
Ed Kennedy who married Nora Perrot

Amanda Kerr and John Myles had an adopted daughter:
Nellie Myles who married George Wilkie

Francis Kerr and Dave McRae had two sets of twin girls:
Lillie gay McRae who married Alan Wesley Jewell    (Everett Jewell’s Parents)
Ella May McRae who Married Ernest Jewell
Minnie Amelia) (Died in infancy and buried in McRae-Kerr cemetery)
Winnie Ethyl  (Died in infancy and buried in McRae-Kerr cemetery)

Burials in Bois Blanc Cemetery
McRae-Kerr Cemetery

 Only visible tombstone is that of Mary Hollin McRae, with the most beautiful Inscription. It stands alone in the forlorn little cemetery and has weathered the elements of time, intact and discernable.

*****Items in Italics were added – Everett Jewell (Whom everyone knows as “Biff”) still resides near Cheboygan and is a regular at a hunting camp on the island – He spent most of his early life on the Island. Biff got his Nickname from Jim Vospers Dad; He called him “Biffalo Bull”.  He was a good friend with Jim Vospers, who recently wrote a book about island life, Jim told Everett that he had written a segment about Everett, but it didn’t get in the book.

An added note: Mike White emailed me and mentioned about the late Gene Babcock telling him of three others that he thought might be buried in the cemetery:

A Moody child
A Lucere child (died at birth)
Also a youngster of Henry VanAlstines – Died on it’s way to the Doctor in Cheboygan, thought to be around nine years old.

I asked Everett about this and he thought it to be very possible and wasn’t sure if there might not even be more that he doesn’t know about.

Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse

Established  1829 - Discontinued 1924
Rebuilt 1838 & 1867

Keepers and Assistants

*Acting Keeper
Henry Metivier way Ray PlauntsGrandfather.

Some other interesting information from Everett:
Everett acquired an article written in 1903 by a visiting Lighthouse Keeper from the Les Chaneaux Islands, on which he tells about wild boars on the island. They had gotten into their tent and ate up all their food. They had been brought to the Island about 40 years before that to get rid of the Rattlesnakes and eventually reverted to wild pigs. They also mentioned about trying to date Everett’s Mother's twin sisters and was unable to tell them apart!!

North Shore School
District no. 4
Bois Blanc Island, Bois Blanc Twp.
Mackinac County, Michigan
1913 – 1914
Emma Perry – Teacher 

Pupils: