Drummond Island Michigan - The Seaman and Bailey families
Drummond Island, the third largest freshwater island in the world, is located in Lake Huron at the eastern tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The 136 square mile Drummond was seeded with Seamans by a grandson of Caleb Seaman in 1853. This island, located at the juncture of three of the Great Lakes, became home for a long line of descendants of Daniel Murray Seaman, an early adherent to the Mormon religion. In 1880, George Warren Bailey and family came to the island and soon the families started to merge.
A hundred years after the Seaman family arrived on Drummond Island, John T. Nevill wrote a series of articles about them and these were published in a local newspaper, The Evening News. The entire 1953 series of 17 articles is reproduced below. Thanks to the Chippewa County Genealogical Society for providing copies of the articles!
Installment 01 - The Name of Seaman is a Familiar One on Drummond
Installment 02 - King Strang Had Great Influence on Life of David Murray Seaman
Installment 03 - Believe No Seaman Living Today Is a Follower of Mormon Faith
Installment 04 - Many Are the Tales of How the First Seaman Came to Drummond
Installment 05 - Grandma Betsy Seaman Guided Destiny of Family in Early Years
Installment 06 - Sault Locks Were Being Started When Seamans Moved to Drummond
Installment 07 - Betsy Seaman and Her Boys Cut Wood for Early-Day River Tugs
Installment 08 - Indians Had an Influence On Early White Days on Drummond
Installment 09 - Celia Seaman Hill Was a Firm Believer in the Supernatural
Installment 10 - Seamans Married Into Historic Sault Family Founded by Famed J. Johnstone
Installment 11 - Sam Butterfield, Bearded Giant of a Man, Was another Patriarch of Family
Installment 12 - Three Youngest of D.M.'s Children Overshadowed the 13 Preceding Them
Installment 13 - The Bailey Clan Figures Prominently In Drummond Island's Seaman Story
Installment 14 - Seamans' Most Unspeakable Blow Was Ghouls' Work at Grave Back In 1919
Installment 15 - Only Two Substantial Ties Remain Between Seaman And Bailey Families
Installment 16 - Era of Ludlow and D.M. Seaman Jr. Believed Family's Most Interesting
Installment 17 - 15 Children Before Naming One Junior
Webmaster's note: While very interesting reading, these articles were written largely for their entertainment value and, although there are many facts and clues imbedded in the stories, they should not be considered to be source materials. The articles cover local history, family stories and perhaps, tall tales. Many of the stories that were recollected by family members are from tales told to them as children.
In 1999, almost 120 years after the arrival of the Baileys on Drummond, Jill Brumwell wrote a series of articles for the The Evening News about the Bailey's introduction to Drummond Island. She has graciously agreed to allow reproduction of the articles here. Jill is the author of several books about Drummond Island including: "Growing up on Drummond Island", "Drummond Island: History, Folklore and Early People" and "Adventures with Jill, Gayle and Donny on Drummond Island". They are available at Amazon.com or you may contact the author directly
There are 10 articles in the Bailey series and all are reproduced below.
Installment 01 - Bailey name prevalent on Drummond Island
Installment 02 - Six Bailey children arrived with their parents on Drummond Island in 1880
Installment 03 - Drummond Island, An Untamed Wilderness
Installment 04 - Drummond Island, the gem of the Huron
Installment 05 - Drummond Baileys met in Wisconsin, born in the east
Installment 06 - First Bailey Child Born on Drummond Island was Alda Anne
Installment 07 - The Seaman clan figures prominently in Drummond Island's Bailey story
Installment 08 - Drummond Island floored with green and roofed with blue
Installment 09 - Baileys Helped shape Drummond Island's destiny
Installment 10 - Lumber brought the Baileys to Drummond Island
