- Born
- 1870-12-01
- Died
- 1963-09-26
- Work
- Sailor · Farmer · Lumber worker · Commercial fisherman · Real-estate worker · Folk-song performer
- Spouse
- Elizabeth Roddy Green
- Eras
- Modern era
- Concepts
- communityirish-arranmoreheritagemaritimefishingmusic-folklore
- Within
- Beaver Island
- Media
- Beaver Island History Map, 1978 revision
Summary
John W. Green was born on Beaver Island on December 1, 1870 and died on September 26, 1963, according to the local obituary, which does not say where. The notice remembers a working life across sailing, farming, lumbering, fishing, real estate, and politics, and says he preserved more than 200 folk songs and nearly as many stories.
The held Ivan Walton collection summary also lists John W. Green among its Beaver Island performers and speakers. That is a catalog listing, not a verified item-level recording inventory and not a biography.
Lomax’s 1939 report calls his Beaver Island collaborator “Johnny Green” and describes an exceptional ballad singer with a large reported repertory. The nickname aligns with the obituary’s “Johnny Green.” It is held as that and no more, and it does not make every similarly named catalog record the same man.
The held 1938 Library of Congress metadata names “Green, John W., 1871–1963” as performer on 48 Saint James sound-recording records dated 25–29 August. The shared name and death year, island setting, and Lomax’s contemporaneous “Johnny Green” reference make this a probable association with the obituary subject. The catalog’s 1871 birth year conflicts with the obituary’s specific December 1870 date, so this article records the association and its evidence rather than silently treating the two sources as a resolved identity.
Evidence and limits
The obituary gives no exact death place, burial, parents, civil identifiers, or complete list of children. The record remains separate from other Green and Gallagher records unless a source establishes the relationship.
The 1978 History Map also credits John W. Green with building a Michigan Maple Block Company dock in 1928 at the end of a tramway from Miller’s Hill. Contemporary reporting confirms a Maple Block Company camp on Beaver Island by January 1930, and Green’s obituary supports lumbering as one of his occupations. Neither source establishes that he built this dock, that it was built in 1928, or that a tramway connected it to Miller’s Hill. Those details remain map-attributed research leads, and no precise dock or tramway geometry is derived from them.
See also
Kin
Sources
- States that John W. Green was born on Beaver Island December 1, 1870, died September 26, 1963, worked in sailing, farming, lumbering, fishing, real estate, and politics, and had more than 200 recorded folk songs and nearly as many stories; it identifies his wife as Elizabeth Roddy.data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 1963-10_Beaver-Beacon
- The held six-page issue scan is paired with the OCR source and confirms the published notice or report; it does not expand the source-specific identity, event, or outcome claims.data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 1963-10_Beaver-Beacon
- The project's held collection summary lists John W. Green among Beaver Island performers and speakers in the Walton materials; it does not independently identify every recording or establish that all catalog references concern this obituary subject.web · bentley_walton_finding_aid_umich-bhl-86328
- Lomax says Ivan Walton introduced him to “Johnny Green” at Beaver Island and describes Green’s reported ballad repertory. This is a contemporaneous source-level connection; the nickname is not treated as proof that every Green catalog label belongs to this obituary subject.documents · lomax_afs_annual_report_1939
- Forty-eight held sound-recording item records name “Green, John W., 1871-1963” as performer at Saint James. The authority-form birth year differs by one year from the obituary’s December 1870 date; common name, death year, place, and Lomax’s “Johnny Green” report support a probable cross-source association, not a confirmed merge of every catalog label.audio · lomax_michigan_1938_beaver_island
- Described in this archive: Beaver Island History Map, 1978 revision.Attributes construction of a Michigan Maple Block Company dock in 1928 to John W. Green and draws a tramway from Miller's Hill. Contemporary records support Green's lumbering work and a Maple Block camp on Beaver Island, but no inspected source connects him to this dock, date, or tramway.
- Charlevoix Courier, January 22, 1930, “Plane Rescues Injured Indian.”Contemporary report identifies a Petoskey Maple Block Company camp on Beaver Island and its foreman, Mr. Russell, after worker Joe Wells was injured. It establishes company activity by 1930, not Green's role, a dock, a tramway, or a 1928 construction date. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.data1 · beaver-island-archive · charlevoix · charlevoixcourie1005unse
Added 1 August 2026 · revised 7 August 2026. Recent changes
Cite this article
Beaver Island Archive, “John W. Green”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/john-w-green/, accessed [date], citing Beaver Beacon, October 1963, “Old Friend Passes.” (and 6 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.