Captain F. O. Burrows

Few names are connected more closely with the marine work of the lakes than that of Captain Burrows, who has been shipmaster and also engineer for many years, holding papers for either duty, and serving in either as the opportunity presented itself. He was born March 24, 1838, at Olmstead, Ohio, and is a son of Orlando and Abigail (Ames) Burrows, both natives of Massachusetts. Orlando Burrows spent the greater part of his life as a millwright, coming to Ohio in 1834, and dying in Cleveland in 1886. Captain Burrows is a member of a family of five children; the others being: O. B., E. C., Ellen Elizabeth (wife of H. Larkin), and Marie P. (unmarried), all of whom reside in Cleveland.

At his native place Captain Burrows lived but four years when his parents removed to Dover, and then, in 1853, moved to Cleveland, where he has since made his home. In 1856 he sailed out of Cleveland on the D. P. Rhodes, as fireman, and soon afterward served in the same capacity on the propeller Manhattan. He then came off the water for a period of three years and was employed by Orsemas Sherwood, who was engaged in pile driving and dock work in Cleveland. At this time he built the steamer Ella Burrows, and upon it acted as engineer, four years, operating in freight trade on Lake Erie, then going on the same as master, and running on Grand Traverse Bay in the passenger service. He later took the machinery out of this boat and made a barge of her, and put the machinery in a new boat called the H. C. Schnoor. On this he sailed twelve years and then sold her, after which he entered the employ of the Republic Iron Company. Upon the steamer Specular he spent two seasons as engineer and then came to the J. C. Lockwood in the same capacity one season, after which he came off the lakes and was employed as engineer of the Merchants Bank & Storage Company. On returning to the lakes, he was chief engineer of the steamer A. L. Hopkins for one season. In the employ of the Cleveland Athletic Club he acted as engineer for a short time, and remained two years as superintendent, and in 1896 resumed the marine occupation by going on the steamer Marquette as engineer.

On March 19, 1872, Captain Burrows was married to Miss Ella Rushmore, of Michigan. They have one child, Jay H., who is a dentist, and resides in Cleveland.

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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.