Editing Wakefield, Michigan (section)

===George M. Wakefield===
Mr. Wakefield moved to [[Milwaukee|Milwaukee, Wisconsin]] in 1879 and established a real estate business, dealing in timber and mineral lands in [[Michigan]], [[Wisconsin]], Texas, and [[Alaska]].  He was secretary-treasurer of the [[Ontonagon River]] Improvement and Boom Company, organized in 1880.  They made it possible to float logs out to [[Lake Superior]] and built a sawmill on an island near the mouth of the Ontonagon River in [[Ontonagon, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gogebic.org/history.htm |title=Gogibic County History |publisher=Ggogebic County Government | access-date=March 3, 2011}}</ref>

The G. M. Wakefield Mineral Land Company was formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 18, 1899, for the purpose of dealing in mineral lands, timber, agricultural lands, and real estate.  George M. Wakefield, his wife and their son Vernon T. Wakefield were the stockholders with a capital stock of $50,000 divided into 500 shares.  Most of the land held was in Township 47 North, between Wakefield and [[Lake Gogebic]].  Mr. Wakefield was also a major stockholder in the Beacon, Continental, Cosmos, International, and Summit mineral land companies.

The Wakefield ancestry is traced back to John Wakefield, who was born about 1614, probably in Gravesend, County Kent, England and immigrated to Virginia aboard the "America" in June 1635, along with his brothers Richard Wakefield and Thomas Wakefield.  John Wakefield eventually settled at [[Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts]].