Jackson, Joseph 1812 - 1881 | Wisconsin Historical Society

Historical Essay

Jackson, Joseph 1812 - 1881

Jackson, Joseph 1812 - 1881 | Wisconsin Historical Society
pioneer settler, architect, businessman, b. Killigavanah, County Monaghan, Ireland. He migrated to the U.S. with his family in 1817, and learned carpentry and the building trade in the East. In 1838 he moved to Wisconsin, settling in Green Bay where he was commissioned to erect the Morgan L. Martin (q.v.) house, which became one of the state's architectural landmarks. Although academically untrained, Jackson was one of the really gifted architects in early Wisconsin, and his architectural reputation stands chiefly on the "colonial" style houses that he constructed in the Green Bay area. In 1844 he moved to Oshkosh and devoted his talents to various business and political interests. He was receiver of the Oshkosh land office (1850- 1851), several times mayor of Oshkosh, and a prominent dealer in land, lumber, and general merchandise until his death. Commem. Biog. Record of the Fox River Valley . . . (Chicago, 1895); P. V. Lawson, et al., eds., Hist. of Winnebago Co. (Chicago, 1908); Wis. Mag. Hist., 18; WPA MS.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]