- Born
- 1898
- Died
- 1974
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- maritimeheritagecommunity
- Within
- Saint James
Summary
Bertrand J. “Bert” McDonough (1898–1974) was a Saint James boy, reported as nine, named in the July 1909 account of a raft rescue near Beaver Island. The report says he and Kenneth Gallagher drifted through Friday night before the tug Violet rescued them Saturday.
Evidence and limits
The cemetery index supplies the full name and lifespan. Its connection to the 1909 report rests on the distinctive given name, shared Saint James setting, and later local reporting of Bert McDonough; the newspaper’s age is not treated as a precise birth-date calculation.
Open questions
- Can a parish, census, or school record independently confirm the 1909 age?
See also
Sources
- Charlevoix County Herald, July 3, 1909, “Adrift on a Raft.”The report names Bertrand McDonough as a nine-year-old Saint James boy and one of the two children rescued by the Violet after drifting on a cedar-tie raft. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
- Lists Bertrand J. McDonough (1898–1974), husband of Mary Turner Boyle. The unusual given name, Saint James setting, and later Beacon reports of Bert McDonough’s Beaver Island life support the identity bridge; the 1909 article’s reported age is retained as reported.
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 2 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Bertrand J. “Bert” McDonough”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/bertrand-mcdonough-raft-1909/, accessed [date], citing Charlevoix County Herald, July 3, 1909, “Adrift on a Raft.” (and 1 further source listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-02. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
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