- Born
- circa 1830
- Died
- 1906-06-20
- Eras
- Irish eraModern era
- Concepts
- agriculturesettlementirish-arranmoretoponymycommunity
- Within
- Beaver Island
- Media
- Beaver Island History Map, 1978 revision
Summary
Barney O’Donnell (about 1830–20 June 1906) was an Irish Beaver Island farmer associated so strongly with Barney’s Lake that Helen Collar’s files distinguish him as “Barney of Barney’s Lake.” GNIS attributes the lake’s name to him as an early settler and owner of surrounding land, and Collar’s notes place his farm on the lake’s north shore. A contemporary 1906 notice records his death at his farm home near Saint James.
Evidence and limits
The name-origin case is convergent rather than based on a found naming act: GNIS, the 1978 Historical Map, and Collar’s compilation agree, while the land notes place a Bernard O’Donnell holding on the north shore. The underlying federal patent, census, and death-record images still need direct inspection. This person is not the younger Bernard O’Donnell born in 1914.
Open questions
- What is the earliest dated source calling the water body Barney’s Lake?
- Can the 1873 patent and complete O’Donnell farm deed chain be obtained?
- What exact birth date and birthplace do the census, parish, and death records support?
See also
Sources
- *Charlevoix Sentinel*, 21 June 1906, local notice.Contemporary notice says Barney O’Donnell, a Beaver Island pioneer, died at his farm home near Saint James the preceding day. It supports the 20 June 1906 death and farm residence but does not name the lake. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
- Attributes Barneys Lake to Barney O’Donnell, described as an early settler and owner of land around the lake. GNIS preserves the attribution but does not identify its informant or naming date.federal · gnis · gnis_feature_descriptions
- Places Barney and his half-brother Darky Mike at the original O’Donnell farm by the lake and transcribes an April 1873 federal land transfer on its north shore. Its heading gives 1830 from a census and 1906 from a death record; the underlying images have not been checked here.web · collar_biographical_biographical-papers-n-s
- Described in this archive: Beaver Island History Map, 1978 revision.Says Barney’s Lake was named for Barney O’Donnell. GNIS and Collar independently preserve the same association.
Added 7 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “Barney O'Donnell of Barney's Lake”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/barney-odonnell-barneys-lake/, accessed [date], citing *Charlevoix Sentinel*, 21 June 1906, local notice. (and 3 further sources listed on the page).
Last revised 2026-08-07. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.
BibTeX for “Barney O'Donnell of Barney's Lake”RIS for “Barney O'Donnell of Barney's Lake”