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Michael was born aboard ship on the voyage
from Ireland to North America. He has often been referred to as a "character" and had an adventurous life
as the first settler in Stephen, Marshall county, Minnesota. In addition to MN, he also traveled to and resided at St. Georges,
Canada, the Dakota territory near Grafton, ND and the Hudson Bay, Kandiyohi, MN. In the 1860's he lived in Tamarac township,
Marshall county, MN. He
was a fur trapper and trader, and constructed a saw mill in Kandiyohi, MN. He also worked as a farmer. He has been honored
in many ways for his pioneering spirit, including a museum and most recently, a Senior citizen housing project in Stephen, MN was named for him. More information on the museum
can be found at www.stephenmncom (click on CITY OF STEPHEN, then scroll down and click on OLD HOME TOWN MUSEUM). On October 14th, 1851, he married Irish born (as per 1880 Federal
Census) Flavia Bridget Roderick (originally Roderique). She was the daughter of Joseph Roderick (mother not mentioned), born
April 6th, 1830. She, too, must have been a strong character, as she sold the homestead she shared with Michael a few years
after his death and moved to Kittson Co., MN where she operated a farm until 1908 when she moved into "town", Hallock,
MN. She died on the fourteenth of April, 1915 at Hallock, at the age of 78 , and was buried in Grand Forks, ND. Michael, having died in the fall of 1883, at about the age of 67,
was buried in the McCullough Family Cemetery in Tamarack Township, MN. Together, they had nine children. I recently found an interesting web site mention of Michael McCollough. Credit the following to
"My Minnesota Genealogy": The government had encouraged settlement by granting land as subsidies to railroad companies on condition that they extend their lines, and by selling land to actual settlers, who, under certain circumstances, could obtain as much as 480 acres. Long processions of emigrant regions, called "prairie schooners," passed along the trails to settle in the Red River Valley. Many settlers came from the south and the east, and others came directly from Europe, especially from Norway and Sweden; others were Germans, Britons, Scots, and Irish. The first settler to remain on his homestead was Michael McCollough, a hunter and trader, and an outstanding character, who arrived about 1872. He did not file on his homestead near Stephen until May 6, 1879. Others had filed on claims before him, but had abandoned them later. He became a. close friend of Charles Wentzel, a.sturdy German blacksmith, who came from Prussia and arrived in 1874, settling near the present site of Warren. Mr. Wentzel lived in a log shanty for a few years, later building a log house, and in 1880, a frame house. Others who came in 1878 and settled near Wentzel were Frank Smith, W.A. Wallace, A. P. McIntyre, James B. Titus, Emmet W. Rossman, J. W. Slee, Ed Slee, A. E. Flint, A. B. Nelson, J. McCann, and G. O. Gross.
MICHAEL "TAMARACK MAC" McCOLLOUGH
b. __/__/1816
aboard ship en route to North America from Ireland. d. "Fall"
1883, at Tamarac Township, MN, and buried there in the Family Cemetery SEE PICS. m.
10/14/1851, at St. Georges, Canada to FLAVIA BRIDGET RODERICK (originally Roderique) There
are two versions of her dates: 1. b. 4/6/1830 at St. Joseph, Quebec,
Canada, daughter of JOSEPH AND __?__ RODERICK. 2 (and probably the most accurate:
b. 4/22/1836 at St. Georges, Beauce, youngest daughter of THOMAS RODRIQUE and CLOTHILDE
VACHON POMERLEAU. Version 1 also says: d. 4/14/1915 at Hallock, Kittson Co., MN. Buried at Grand Forks, ND.
* Much information for these pages comes from the excellent book McCollor/McCollough Family History and Genealogy by Clair Nelson and Kathy McCollor Stigman. I thank them profusely for writing such a thorough and helpful book. |
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