The Awful Storms of 30 July 1885 that 
Killed Thomas Ducklow
[Published April 25, 2010]

Thomas Ducklow, second son and fourth child of Thomas and Elizabeth Ducklow, was tragically killed by lightening while sleeping in his farmhouse bed in the early morning of July 30, 1885. He was 36 years old.  Two accounts of his death and details of the storm that killed him were originally published in the Hartford Press (Hartford, Wisconsin) on July 31st and August 7th of 1885 and are re-published here [see footnote].  They are a fascinating read.

Left: Lightening Image from Wiki Commons

Four things you might notice while reading these accounts is how values, sensitivities, and child labor laws have changed in 125 years:

(1) Newspaper writing of the day was both flowery and graphic in detail,
(2) Priority of values —the first article describes the loss of barns, hay, equipment and farm animals ahead of the loss of human life,
(3) The innocent description of two men in the same bed for the practical purpose of sleeping,
(4) The apparent starting age of a shoemaker apprentices was about 11 years old



Here are the two newspaper accounts:

Hartford Press

July 31, 1885

Page 3, Col. 4

A terrific electrical storm passed over this locality last Wednesday night.  The storm, which commenced about eleven o’clock, was preceded by a violent wind, which was followed by heavy rain and in many places hail.  There was on continuous roar of thunder accompanied by wind and incessant, flashes of lightning which lighted the whole heavens and earth for miles around which at times rendered the midnight as bright as the glare of the noonday sun.  Our citizens were soon aroused and lights were seen flashing from many windows.  Soon the sound of the fire bell was heard ringing an alarm, and the voices and hurried footsteps of the firemen were evidence that the lightning had effected its work of destrction [sic] somewhere in the neighborhood.  It was soon learned that two large barns one belonging to Eugene Anderson, and other to Bruno Gehring, just north of the city had been struck and were in flames.  Both barns with their contents were entirely consumed.  Mr. Gehring’s loss aside from his barn was about twenty-five tons of hay, and a quantity of farming tools.  Mr. Anderson’s loss was much greater, he having one valuable horse killed, and a calf smothered in the flames.  He lost about twenty tons of hay, all his farming tools, wagons, sleights and harness.  Both barns were insured.  The house of Thomas Duklow [sic] in the north part of Ashippun was struck by lightning, and Mr. Duklow [sic] was killed by the stroke while in his bed.  This is the saddest result of the storm.  A son of Mrs. Wapp of this city, who was sleeping in the same bed with Duklow as badly shocked but it is thought the will recover.  It is believed that other accidents happened in the adjoining towns, but which up to this writing have not been reported.

Hartford Press

August 7, 1885

Page 3, Col. 3-4

DEATH NOTICES

Thomas Ducklow, whom we reported in our last issue as being killed by lightning at his home in Ashippun, on Wednesday night of last week, was born in the city of New York in the year 1849, and had he lived until September next, would have been thirty six years old.  He was a single man, and his sister was keeping house for him at the time the fatal accident occurred.  There were at the time four persons in the house, all sleeping on the upper floor.  Mr. Ducklow and the hired boy, Wapp occupying one bed, and a brother of deceased in another bed in the same room, and his sister who slept in an adjoining room.  The bolt of electricity struck the chimney, and passed down to the stove pipe into the room, and near where deceased and Wapp were sleeping; leaving the stove pipe the current divided and took different directions.  The fatal portion seemed to leave the pipe in a direct line for the bed.  Coming in contact with the left leg of deceased it passed upward to his head, burning the hair from his left temple.  One of Wapp’s knees that was resting against the body of deceased was injured so that it turned black and he himself was for a time insensible.  Mr. Ducklow must have been awake at the time, as only a few minutes before he was up and closed the windows.  The deceased was well known and highly respected in this and the neighborhood where he lived, having resided in this vicinity since he was an infant one year old.  He was a shoemaker by trade, and in years past worked for different firms at his trade in this city.  In fact he served his first apprenticeship and learned his trade here with Mr. Fred Brause; some twenty five years ago.  While a resident here, as elsewhere he enjoyed the earned and honored reputation of being a sober, steady industrious and honorable man, any and all of which must be long credited to his memory by all the living who knew him in life.  He was buried at St. Paul’s cemetery on Saturday last, a large concourse of friends and neighbors being in attendance.

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Right: Grave marker for Thomas Ducklow. Born Sept. 18, 1848, Died July 30, 1885.  This marker stands approximately 9 feet tall and is one of the largest in the small St. Paul's Cemetery in Ashippun Township, Dodge County, Wisconsin.

The death of son Thomas was a major milestone in Ducklow family history, as has been noted in earlier posts.  Thomas' death was the likely event that set spelling of the Ducklow name used by the greater family in America today.  Prior to his death, the spelling of the family name varied greatly, including Dukelow, Duklow, Duclow and Ducklow.  Note even the difference in spelling in the two accounts above.  Upon Thomas' death, the family decided to purchase a tombstone and have a hire a mason to chisel his name in the stone.  Naturally, the mason needed to know how the family wanted the name spelled.  Our ancestral grandparents Thomas and Elizabeth and Thomas' parents were not literate, and so the decision on the proper spelling was decided by the ten surviving adult children.  They came to choose the "Ducklow" spelling over the more common "Dukelow" spelling in use by many of their cousins.  Once the name was chiseled into Thomas' grave marker, the name became consistantly used by all of Thomas and Elizabeth's children and their descendants.  You might say it was in 1885 that the greater Ducklow family name in America became "written in stone."

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Footnote: The copyright of these articles has expired and they are in the public domain.

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The Mysterious Death of Eva Ducklow’s Father – John Shaw
Missing for More than Three Years
[Updated February 3, 2009]

Who was Eva Ducklow? Eva was Charles Ducklow’s wife. Charles was the 7th born child of Thomas and Elizabeth Ducklow. Eva was born in Rock Elm Center in Pierce County to parents John and Jerusha Shaw. She married Charles Ducklow in 1882.



Eva Shaw Ducklow, circa 1895
Cropped Photo from Deb Ehlers Good Photo Collection


Eva Ducklow’s father, John Shaw, died quite mysteriously. In June of 1904 John left Spring Valley [Pierce County] to “take up a claim” of land in the far reaches of northern Minnesota near International Falls. It is not clear what his motivation was to make a claim of land so far from his family, and at the age of 63. But none the less he traveled the 300 plus miles towards his stake which laid some thirty miles west of International Falls and near the Bear River. Mr. Shaw was reported to have made it to a local trading point near there, and after purchasing needed supplies, started off down the trail for his land.

Location of International Falls Minnesota
Graphic from Wikipedia Source

That was the last anyone saw of him. He went missing after that and searches in the area including those conducted by two of his nephews, George and Fred Shaw, failed to locate him. Three years passed without a sign of him.

Then, in the spring of 1907, the remains of his body were discovered a bit off a trail leading towards his claim. His skeleton lay near the banks of the Bear River, discovered their by log drivers. Identification of his body could only be made by his remaining compass and watch. The exact cause of his death is speculative as his demise was never completely explained. He could have become exhausted and died from exposure as suggested in the Pioneer-Press article. But it seems most likely that he injured himself badly or had heart failure and could not reach help before succumbing to death. But sinister causes could have occurred too: Was he followed out of the trading post and then murdered for his money and belongings? Did he venture into an area were land ownership rights were disputed and got into a mortal fight? The true cause of death remains a mystery as apparently no formal investigation or autopsy was done due to the length of time the body was exposed to nature and the remote location of his death.

While the confirmation of Mr. Shaw's death was certainly difficult for his family to hear, at least they had relief from the uncertainty regarding his whereabouts. Mr. Shaw's remains were not transported back to Wisconsin, but rather he was buried on his land claim near the Bear River.

Source: June 6, 1907 Spring Valley Sun
Source: June 2, 1907 St. Paul Pioneer-Press: Homesteaders Remains Found Near a Trail
International Falls, MN, Special, June 2-John Shaw, a native of Ellsworth, WI settled a claim on Bear River, thirty miles west of here, in the fall of 1903. The following June while following a trail from his trading place to his homestead, he became lost, and despite the efforts of his relatives and neighbors no trace could be found of him. Log drivers had just found the skeleton of the old man on the banks of the Bear River, a short distance from his trail, the being identified by a watch and a compass. Nothing was found to indicate foul play and it is more than likely the aged homesteader died from exhaustion and exposure. The bones were buried on the homestead and thus ends a mystery that has for three years been a subject of interest in the locality.

Note: More information on the Shaw family can be found at this link.

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