Captain A. H. Reed

The family to which this gentleman belongs is one of importance in the history of the five Great Lakes, two previous generations having spent their lives in marine service, and played a conspicuous part in the events of that period.

George Reed, grandfather of our subject, was a native of New York State. The most active part of his career was about 1830, when he was a vessel owner, builder and master of considerable reputation, having made the quickest trip from Cattaraugus, N.Y., to Green Bay that had ever been made up to that date. Upon this trip his cargo consisted of potatoes, which were exchanged for furs on the homeward trip, the whole voyage lasting about three months. Another notable incident of his life was a trip he made to Michigan City for grain, and the people of that place presented him with a purse containing $100 for so doing, from the fact that they soon afterward received an appropriation from the government for the building of a harbor. His son, William A. Reed, father of our subject, was a prominent marine man for years, having spent forty years of his life in active service. He was born in Chicago, but spent the greater part of his life in Sheridan, New York.

His son, Capt. A.H. Reed, was born November 11, 1862, at Sheridan, and at that place has lived since with the exception of ten years' residence at Buffalo. The calling to which his father and grandfather had devoted their lives was his earliest desire, and at the age of eleven years he went on the lakes, having been on them every season since that time. He first went before the mast as boy on the Helvetia, and on her remained three years, then coming to the F.A. Georger for a season in the same capacity. On this boat he was promoted to second mate, acting as such three seasons. After spending one year on the Hazard he began steamboating, going on the B.W. Blanchard and the Dean Richmond as second mate. Upon the New York he also spent a season as second mate, and then transferred to the steamer Alpena as mate, subsequently serving in the same berth on the Australasia. He next went on the David Dows as master, and in the fall of the same year took command of the steamer Raleigh, where he remained two years. Until September of the following year he was in command of the Australasia, and at that time went in the North Star. He then brought out the Nimick, new, and sailed her six years, coming in 1896 to the Maruba, which he sailed until October 1, at that time taking command of the Maricopa. Captain Reed stands in the front rank among marine masters, and his care and precision have won for him the greatest confidence of his employers, so that at the present time he is in command of one of the finest boats on the lakes.

The Captain was married, January 21, 1884, to Miss Nellie Clark, of Buffalo, whose father, George H. Clark, a native of New York State and now residing in Buffalo, has been a sailor for fifty-two years of his life. Her brother, William E. Clark, is captain of the Saginaw Valley at the present time, and her brother, John Clark, is also a sailor in active service. Captain and Mrs. Reed have two children: Alice A. and Clark H., both of whom are in school. The Captain's brother, William Reed, has sailed for ten years, and is now first mate in active service, having served in that capacity on the Maruba, and for the three preceding seasons on the Nimick.

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Volume I

This version of Volume II is based, with permission, on the work of the great volunteers at the Marine Captains Biographies site. To them goes the credit for reorganizing the content into some coherent order. The biographies in the original volume are in essentially random order.

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.