The unmarked graves of two Civil War veterans were discovered in 2009
in Maple Lawn Cemetery, Boyne City (located 12 miles south of Petoskey).
Lansing historian Chris Czopek has identified the soldiers as John Jacko and William Isaacs. Both men were Native Americans who fought in the Civil War. They served in Company K, 1st Michigan Sharpshooters.
The Sons of Union Veterans, a fraternal order dedicated to honoring the memory of Civil War veterans, temporarily marked the graves with white wood crosses. Permanent gravestones were ordered from the government and installed by the Boyne City maintenance department (our thanks to them).
There was a special DEDICATION CEREMONY for the new gravestones on
Saturday, May 7, 2011. The Robert Finch Camp 14 of the Sons of Union Veterans sponsored the event. Over 100 people from around Michigan attended.
Special guest of honor was Henry Field Sr., the grandson of John Jocko.
His presence was a living connection to the two veterans being honored. Also present was Simon Otto, grandson of Company K soldier Marcus Otto.
John Jacko grew up on the Leelanau peninsula near Northport.
He enlisted in Company K on February 14, 1865. Sent to the front as a “replacement”, he fought in the last battles of the war. His father, Jacko Penaiswanquot, had earlier joined Company K. Unfortunately, the father was captured, sent to the infamous Andersonville Prison, and died there of starvation and disease. The son may have joined the army to take his fathers place. John Jacko survived the war, moved to the Charlevoix area, married and raised a family. He died in 1907 and was buried in the back row of the veterans section. No one ordered a gravestone.
William Isaacs belonged to the Swan Creek – Black River bands near Saginaw. He enlisted in Company K at Isabella on May 19, 1863. He fought in Virginia in some of the fiercest battles of the war. He was twice wounded. Once by gunshot in the right leg; The second time by a cannon ball that literally dropped between his legs! It did not explode, but dirt thrown into his face injured his eyes, nearly blinding him. After the war he married and had children. His descendants still live in the Saginaw area. William Isaacs moved north at the end of his life and worked in lumber camps with John Jacko. He died in 1907 and was buried in the Potters Field section. No one ordered a gravestone.
