Daniels of Massachusetts Bay Colony - Generation VII Jasper S. Daniels (1838 - 1910)

GENERATION VII

Jasper Sargent Daniels

b. October 4,1838, Hammond, Saint Lawrence County, New York, d. September 25,1910, Pike Lake, Minnesota

Daniels Family Moves to Wisconsin

1844, 5 year old Jasper along with his 4 brothers and 2 sisters moved with their parents to Wisconsin.

Civil War Breaks Out - Jasper Joins 2nd Wisconsin

April 19, 1861, 22 year old, Jasper Daniels enlisted into Company A, Second Wisconsin Infantry from Pt. Washington, Wisconsin.

Jasper In Uniform

Jasper Daniels in the Iron Brigade

Click on image to enlarge
Blackburn's Ford, Va. - Bull Run 1st, Va. - Orange Court House, Va. - Beaver Dam Station, Va. - Rappahannock Station, Va. - Sulphur Springs, Va. - Gainsville, Va. - Bull Run 2nd, Va. - South Mountain, Md. - Antietam, Md. - Fredricksburg, Va. - Fitzhugh's Crossing, Va. - Chancellorsville, Va. - Brandy Station, Va. - Gettysburg, Pa. - Wilderness, Va. - Spotsylvania & Laurel Hill, Va. - North Anna & Jericho Ford, Va. - Tolopotomy, Va. - Bethesda Church, Va. - Cold Harbor, Va.- Mine Run, Va.

2nd Wisconsin Time Line



Re-enlists with 1st Wisconsin

October 9, 1864, Jasper re-enlisted with 1st Regiment Heavy Artillery, Company I with the rank of Senior 1st Lieutenant.

Company I was stationed at Fort Farnsworth , Fairfax County, Virginia. Fort Farnsworth, one of 13 forts along the Virginia side of the Potomac was designed to protect Washington DC from attack by the Confederate army. Located high on a bluff the men had a clear view of the Masonic hall once attended by George Washington in central Alexandria, the Potomac River and the Richmond highway. On a clear day the soldiers could see the partially completed Washington Monument and the US Capitol building off in the distance to the northeast. Fort Farnsworth was never challenged, however, on July 11th and 12th, 1864, Confederate Lt. General Jubal A. Early lead an attack on Fort Stevens; one of 20 forts located on the Maryland side of the Potomac. The enemy was repelled never to return to attack Washington again.

      April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox.
      April 14, 1865, Lincoln was assassinated.
      May 26, 1865, The last Confederate troops surrendered.

June 8, 1865, Jasper is discharged at Alexandria, Virginia. Jasper was now 26 years old.

1867, Jasper spend 2 years on an exploring expedition in Canada

1869, Jasper settles in Duluth, Minnesota area.

1870 Census

Census record dated July 8, 1870 lists Jasper as a Saloon Keeper in the first ward of Duluth. It appears that he may be co-owner of the establishment with John Blakley also a native of New York. The total population of Duluth at the time of the census was 2,645.

Jasper Daniels - Elicy Johnson Marriage

May 13, 1879, 40 year old Jasper marries Elicy Johnson the 19 year old widow of Harry Jackson who died in August of 1877. Elicy (Elcey) and her family had arrived from Nogersund, Mjalby Parish,Sweden in June of 1872. Elicy was the daughter of John Johnson (aka, Johannes Jonsson in Sweden and Hanna Olson aka, Hanna Olsdotter in Sweden).
Note: Their are two spellings for Elicy on official records, Elicy and Elcey. Her headstone uses the Elcey version.

Elicy Johnson's Daughter

Elicy came into the marriage with a daughter named Mamie that she had while she was married to Harry Jackson.

Becomes Marshal of Duluth, Minnesota

May, 1880, Jasper Daniels was appointed Marshal of Duluth. Duluth's population had swelled to 33,115 people representing a 13 fold increase since 1870.

Source material: The following entry was published in the volume titled, "History of the Upper Mississippi Valley", published 1881, page 690. After the civil war Jasper "Was for two years on an exploring expedition in Canada, and in 1869, came to Duluth and was for several years employed at various occupations. Since June, 1880, Mr. Daniels has been Village Marshal, with three assistants on the police force."



Photo Courtesy of the Reference Division, Duluth Public Library
Click on image to enlarge


Jasper's Home Built

Two new houses are to be commenced immediately in the west end of town about half a mile beyond W.W. Spaulding's grocery store and on the lower side of Superior Street. Leonides Merrit, of Oneota will build one, a two story house 24x84 and to cost from $1,500 to $2,000. Jasper S. Daniels, village marshal will build the other, which will not be quite so large. David Smith who built Wm Linn's hotel, has the contract for both houses.

Source: Lake Superior News, July, 29, 1880

Duluth News-Tribune Article - Silver Mining

1882, December 20, Jasper's ownership in a silver mine located near modern day, Thunder Bay, Ontario some 151 miles to the east northeast of Duluth was mentioned in a Duluth News-Tribune article.

Duluth News-Tribune Article

The following article was published by the Duluth News - Tribune in its Centenial Edition on Sunday July 12, 1970.

The City of Duluth is fortunate in having had for many years an honest and efficient Police Department. E.W. Dindorf and W.J. Gibbions wrote a history of the Duluth Police Department which was published in 1920. Their account of the early days tends to hero worship, but perhaps the police of those days really were heroes. Their number one superman was Jasper S. Daniels, who was made marshal in May 1880. In their words, "No history of the Duluth Police Department would be complete without liberal reference to Jeff Daniels, a veteran of the Civil War. "In earlier days he was chairman of the vigilance committee. He was a born police officer, just the kind of man needed during the time in which he served. "And fight? - he could finish more men in less time than any man who ever lived here. "A bunch of young fellows once trespassed on the sacred precincts of Jeff's domicile without an invitation and for the purpose of cleaning him up. �There were 12 in the party and when they returned to the saloon from which they started 24 black eyes reflected in the bar room mirror "While Jeff was marshal there came to Duluth from Buffalo a bunch of the toughest men that plied the chain of lakes. They were dock workers and believed when they reached here they had found an easy town that they could run as they did the waterfront in Buffalo. "The first man they encountered was Marshal Daniels. The fight was fearful and there were a good many close calls, but when the fray was over, the marshal was boss. "From that day they both feared and respected him, and there was not a man among them who would not lay down his life for Jeff Daniels. "He was no Christian and he seldom saw the inside of a church; he did not always tread the straight and narrow path of personal rectitude, but in his dealings with others and with the city he was every inch a man, and men like Judge J. D. Ensign, Alfred Merritt and Walter Van Brunt united in paying high tribute to him for his unfaltering courage; his fidelity to duty and his 'many manly virtues. "His salary was $60 a month in 1880. This was later raised to $1,000 a year."

Retires from Police Department

June 1, 1883, Jasper Daniels retires from the Duluth Police Department. A gold-topped cane with the following inscription was presented to him upon his retirement.

"Presented to Jeff Daniels by the citizens of Duluth June 1st 1883"


Jasper Moves to Pike Lake

After 1883, Jasper built a home and moved his family on what is now called Daniels Road off the recently built Miller Trunk Highway on the shore of Pike Lake which at the time was part of Rice Lake Township, 11 miles northwest of Duluth, Minnesota.

Canosia Township History

In 1887 Canosia Township splintered off from Rice Lake Township and became an independent township. During this time land speculators attracted many new residents by promoting its free land, bountiful supply of lumber and sawmill. Road improvements to roads such as Swan Lake Road also helped to bring more people into the area. The majority of Canosia�s early settlers were ethnic Germans or Scandinavians. There was also a smaller number of ethnic Poles, Irish, English and Scots.

Logging and farming were the two main industries in Canosia in its early years as these industries grew so did the population of Canosia. However, in 1918 Canosia was struck by a great forest fire which stretched from Moose Lake to the Duluth area townships. The fire claimed a number of settlers� lives and drove many more settlers from their homes.
- Canosia Historical Socitey

Jasper at GAR Reunion



Jasper Daniels back row left hand side


This undated photo show Jasper with a number of his fellow Civil War compatriots remembering the old war days.

Jasper's Friends Discover the Mesabi Range

1884, Jasper's close friends and neighbors, the Merritt brothers find the largest deposit of iron ore in the world in the red earth of the Mesabi Range. Later they lose their mining company and a fortune to John D. Rockefeller. It is unknown if Jasper was involved in any way with the Merritt brothers expeditions.

Family Additions

January 20, 1882, Marine Elser was born

February 19, 1887, Ann Jane a second daughter was born

Nelson Stewart Daniels is Born

June 21, 1889, Nelson S. Daniels was born in a log cabin located on the shore of Pike Lake, Canosia township, Minnesota. Nelson was to become my grandfather.

November 18, 1893, Ruth Hannah, Jasper & Elicy's 4th and last child was born.



Jasper & Elicy Daniels with their 5 children. Mamie, Ruth Hannah, Nelson, Marine Elser & Ann Jane


Jasper S. Daniels Dies

September 25, 1910, 72 year old, Jasper Daniels died at his home died at Pike Lake, Canosia, Township.

Taps Sounded Over Grave of Duluth's Early Chief of Police

The late Jasper S. Daniels, veteran chief of Duluth police and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, whose death of heart failure occurred at Canosia, Sunday was buried with military honors at "Soldier's Rest," Forest Hill cemetery, yesterday morning.
The funeral was conducted under the auspices of Willis A. Gorman post, No. 12, G.A.R. and the Sons of Veterans at the J.L. Crawford chapel.
The room where the service was held was crowed to the doors with comrades and old friends of the departed pioneer. Floral tributes of every description were heaped high above the casket. Among these was a representation of the G.A.R. emblem containing the eagle and flag.
Accompanying the body to the cemetery went the firing squad of the Sons of Veterans, who fired a salute while taps was sounded during the lowering of the casket in to the grave.
"Jeff" Daniels as was popularly known, was a pioneer of St. Louis county, having headed the local police force in the early 1880's.

Source: Duluth News-Tribune, September 29, 1910

Forset Hill Cemetery

Jasper is buried in the GAR Section at Forest Hill Cemetery, Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota, USA

Elicy Johnson Daniels Dies

July 21, 1936, 75 year old, Elicy died at her home at 8:30 PM. at Pike Lake, Canosia, Township, St Louis County, Minnesota.

Forset Hill Cemetery

Elicy's grave is located at Forest Hill Cemetery, Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota, USA

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