Identification & Site Information

  • Vessel Name(s): Emily
  • Former Name(s): None recorded
  • Year Built: 1853
  • Builder: James M. Jones
  • Build Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • Owners: Capt. Jacobson & N. Thompson, Milwaukee
  • Home Port: Milwaukee, WI
  • Dimensions:
    • Length: 65 ft (19.8 m)
    • Beam: 19.25 ft (5.87 m)
    • Depth of Hold: 6.08 ft (1.85 m)
  • Hull Material: Wood
  • Rig: 2-masted Schooner
  • Propulsion: Sail only
  • Date of Loss: April 1857
  • Waterbody: Lake Michigan
  • Coordinates (Approximate, Presumed Loss): 43°48.683’ N, 87°17.067’ W
  • Reported Depth: 0 ft (never officially located)

Vessel Type

  • Class: Great Lakes 2-masted Schooner
  • Use: Short-haul cargo vessel
  • Cargo at Time of Loss: Unknown; departing Milwaukee for Sand Bay, Door County

Construction & Description

The Emily was a small, wooden 2-masted Schooner, designed for the mid-19th-century Lake Michigan cargo trade.

  • Tonnage was modest; she was considered “a fine, staunch craft” in the Milwaukee Sentinel.
  • Valued at $3,000 and insured for $1,300 through the Merchants’ Insurance Co.
  • Well-suited to the timber and grain trades common along Wisconsin’s shoreline.

Operational & Ownership History

  • 1853: Launched at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, owned by Capt. Jacobson and N. Thompson.
  • Primarily operated between Milwaukee and northern Lake Michigan ports (Door County, Green Bay region).
  • Crew Composition (Final Voyage):
    • Capt. Jacobson (Master & co-owner)
    • Mrs. Jacobson (Captain’s wife, passenger)
    • Lewis Andersen, crewman, of Milwaukee
    • Henry, crewman, from Manitowoc
    • Two additional unidentified crewmen

Total persons lost: 5

Final Voyage & Disappearance

  • April 6, 1857:
    • Emily departed Milwaukee for Sand Bay, Door County.
    • Severe spring gales swept Lake Michigan shortly thereafter.
  • No subsequent sightings; the vessel was presumed to have Foundered mid-lake.
  • April 28, 1857 – Milwaukee Sentinel reports:
    • “Vessel probably lost… not been heard of since. It is feared that she Foundered in the late severe gale…”
    • The Schooner was declared a Total Loss; all hands presumed drowned.

Last Document of Enrollment:

  • Surrendered February 26, 1857 (posthumously marked “lost at sea”)

Final Disposition

  • No confirmed wreckage has been recovered.
  • Presumed mid-lake sinking between Milwaukee and Sand Bay (Door County).
  • No salvage or inquiry records located in contemporary insurance archives beyond the $1,300 payout.
  • Unknown exact location; coordinates provided represent a possible search reference, not a verified wreck site.

Casualty & Memorial Information

  • Victims: 5 (crew and one passenger)
  • Identified:
    • Capt. Jacobson – Milwaukee
    • Mrs. Jacobson – Milwaukee
    • Lewis Andersen – Milwaukee
    • Henry – Manitowoc
  • Unidentified: 2 additional crewmen

No known graves or memorials exist; they were lost at sea.

Resources & References

Historical Significance

The Emily represents the perilous early era of Great Lakes Schooner trade, when small wooden craft operated seasonally, often without the benefit of accurate weather forecasting. Her loss in 1857 is typical of mid-lake founderings that left little trace, contributing to the Great Lakes’ “ghost fleet” of unlocated wrecks.

This wreck is important archaeologically because:

  • It reflects pre-Civil War Schooner construction in Milwaukee.
  • Discovery could provide insight into early lake trade vessels under 100 ft, a category for which few intact examples survive.