The untold story of an intrepid pioneer family in Michigan's Upper Peninsula comes alive in The Bouschor Family of the Upper Peninsula: The Ancestors. Simon and Harriette Bouschor's 1859 establishment of a fishing and farming homestead at Barque Point on Lake Michigan created a legacy that lives on to this day. From braving the perilous Great Lakes as sea captains and fishermen to farming the U.P.'s rugged terrain to participating in the expansive timber industry that built some of America's greatest cities, the Bouschors embody the robust determination and ingenuity that came to define the American frontier. This volume examines how the Bouschor family's fortunes and challenges dovetailed with those of the U.P. as a region. Particular attention is devoted to the Upper Peninsula locations in which the family put down its deepest roots, including Mackinac Island, the Garden Peninsula, Thompson Township, Schoolcraft County, and Manistique.

This groundbreaking volume traces five generations of Simon and Harriette Bouschor's ancestors, taking the reader on a four-century journey through colonial New France in present-day Canada and exploring the family's historical legacy in Acadia, France, New Brunswick, and the Isle of Man. The book also details the Bouschor family's Native American ancestry and connection to the Odawa people of the Great Lakes region. Ample documentation, photographs, and maps provide context for our ancestors' day-to-day lives. The Bouschor Family of the Upper Peninsula: The Ancestors is the first of a planned two-volume series intended to tell a comprehensive story of the Bouschor legacy and reveal the struggles, successes, and motivations of the individuals who have helped define who we are today.