THE JACKLEY FAMILY

The Jackley family was a prominent family in the Brookside neighborhood. Their land – including the land where their house once sat – is now a City park, appropriately named Jackley Park.  This 1957 photo from the City Tax Assessor shows how the back of the house sloped into the park.

Michael Xavier Jackley was usually referred to in print as M.X. Jackley, but was usually addressed as "Jack." He came from Iowa, and took a law degree from Drake University. He moved to Minneapolis and lived in a house by the current Highway 35W, and started Jackley Real Estate. But it was the beginning of the depression and he lost the house, and the family moved to St. Louis Park in about 1931. During WWII he sold asbestos insulation. In 1956 he died when he slipped on ice while walking to Excelsior and Brookside. He was 76.

Margaret Avery Jackley worked at Hartman Hat Co. downtown before she had six children. She died in 1966 of a heart attack.

Their children were (not in order):

• Carroll, who served in WWII
• Anna Mae, born in 1921 and married Lloyd King
• David
• Theodore X “Ted.” Wife Charlotte, children Susan, Tony, JoAnne. Died in December 2000 at age 84.
• Joe – best friends with Bill Jenkins – died of cancer at age 42 6. Dorothy

Although M.X. was born Catholic, the family became Christian Scientists, and lived on the same block as the tiny Christian Science church on Brookside Ave.
 

JACKLEY PARK

Half an acre of land to be used as Brookside Park was obtained from the State in 1943. The City asked the Jackleys, who owned the adjoining land, if they minded if some equipment was placed on their land, and they agreed. (In 1951 the Jackleys complained about damage to their driveway and garage by traffic in and out of the park.) Mrs. Jackley sold some of her land to the city for $150 on September 11, 1957. When Mrs. Jackley died in 1968, the family house proved difficult to sell, so the family donated/sold for $10,000 the land to the City for the park, which was then renamed Jackley Park. The park featured ball diamonds in summer and two ice rinks for figure skating and hockey. Parks employee Elmer C. "Shorty" Dale presided over the warming house.



 

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.