It seems obvious that Donges Bay Elementary School was named for its location on Donges Bay Road, but where did "Donges" come from? According to a 2006 Donges Bay website archive, we know that Jac Donges was the first of his family to make an impact in the Mequon-Thiensville area:
"History tells us that in 1842 Mr. Jacob Donges and his wife emigrated to Milwaukee from Germany. In 1860 they had a son, Jacob Jr. Jacob Jr. or Jac, as he preferred, grew up to become an entrepreneur businessman. His successful ventures included investment in Lake Michigan real estate. He owned several miles of lakeshore property north of Milwaukee along what would become known as Donges Bay. Some of the land was co-owned by Jac's friend, Fred Usinger, (founder of the Usinger Sausage Co.) and John Schuch who built Chalet on the Lake resort and restaurant. The restaurant overlooked the Bay until 1992 when it was razed to make room for further real estate development."
