The Niles Star

Lighting the way

By By Friends of Silverbrook Cemetery
When one thinks poetically of a lighthouse keeper, imagining tends to lean to that of a solitary man standing in the top deck of a tall white and red lighthouse perched on a craggy piece of rock at world's end.
A close look at Thomas Fitzgerald dispels such a vision quickly.
Thomas Fitzgerald was born April 10, 1796 in Germantown, New York. He served in the War of 1812 and was injured at the Battle of Lundy's Lane which took place at the site of present day Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
It is not exactly clear how or why Fitzgerald made the transition from New York to Indiana however www.politicalgraveyard.com shows that from 1825 to 1827 he served in the Indiana State legislature.
He then was a probate judge there in 1829.
Fitzgerald made the transition to St. Joseph, where in 1832, he was appointed lighthouse keeper at St. Joseph.
This was the first lighthouse, built on a mainland bluff, to be erected along the shores of Lake Michigan in Michigan.
It was built the same year Fitzgerald was appointed its first keeper so perhaps it was the job that brought him here.
It was 14 years later that the first wooden pier extended out into the lake with a new lighthouse being built at its furthest point. A year after its completion in 1846 Fitzgerald moved from St. Joseph to Niles.
He was not, as we said, your average everyday lighthouse keeper. Fitzgerald was also the first attorney in St. Joseph. He occupied many prestigious positions both in the county and the state.
Fitzgerald was a member of the University Board of Regents in 1837 and a member of Michigan's state House of Representatives from Berrien County in 1838 while also serving as a bank commissioner. This was after he had served as St. Joseph's first president of the village in 1834.
He had subsequently served as supervisor of the township, was a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Michigan in 1839.
There is some discrepancy in dates as some local history books show him as Judge of the Probate for the county and then say that in 1848 was appointed United States Senator to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of General Cass. These state he was re-elected until 1850, when General Cass it would seem came out of retirement.
They also suggest his candidacy was for President.
However the political website states he was U.S Senator from Michigan from 1848 – 1849 and a probate judge in Michigan from 1852-1855.
Whatever the case this man was no slouch.
It could be that some of the confusion comes from the fact that his son Jerome, earlier profiled in Silverbrook Legacies, followed his father into the political realm during roughly the same time frame.
We chalk it up to yet another fascinating mystery surrounding those whose final resting place is Silverbrook Cemetery in Niles.
Thomas Fitzgerald died March 25, 1955.
The lighthouse of which he was keeper is still undergoing changes as it is sold to private enterprise and becomes part of the current renovation of all that area of Lake Michigan shoreline whose place in our regional history is secure.
For more information on Friends of Silverbrook Cemetery and how you can get involved contact Tim or Candace Skalla at 684-2455, wskalla@sbcglobal.net or Ginny Tyler at 4445-0997, SPHINX1974@aol.com. You can find out about membership in this worthwhile group, volunteer opportunities including work days to help restore monuments and catalog information.