Captain Frank Forbes

Captain Frank Forbes a well-known seaman, and whose marine life is worthy of mention in this work, was born in Algonac, Mich., March 29, 1856, a son of Thomas F. and Hortense (La Croyx) Forbes, the former of whom was a soldier in the Civil War and of good repute.

Young Forbes attended the public schools of Algonac until 1867, when he shipped on the scow Ida and Mary, joining the schooner Seaman the following season, and subsequently handled the wheel on the tug Satellite. In the spring of 1870 he shipped on the schooner Wanderer. On April 11 this schooner was wrecked during the prevailing of a northeast gale on Kelley's island. The crew was rescued by fishermen, and he then transferred to the Tawas. In 1871-72 he was wheelsman on the tug Kate Moffat. His next boat was the propeller Robert Holland, on which he remained two seasons. In 1875 he shipped on the propeller St. Joe; in 1876 as wheelsman on the steamer J. S. Fay; in 1877 as master of the Canadian tug Colin Munroe; 1878 as mate on the W. R. Clinton, and in 1879 on the steamyacht May Lilly, on which he remained three years. In the spring of 1882 he was appointed master of the steamyacht George B. Hill, of Detroit, closing the season on the May Lilly, now the Grace, of which he was owner, as her master, holding the berth until the close of the following season. In the spring of 1883 he joined the tug Allie May as master, sailing her two seasons. During the next four seasons Captain Forbes was mate of the barge Maxwell, and was with Capt. D. Geraw, when he was killed in Port Huron, and in 1890 he was mate of the propeller, Araxes.

In the spring of 1891 Captain Forbes was appointed master of the barge American Giant, and, while in town[sic], of the propeller Araxes, both vessels being wrecked at Point aux Barques. The next season he sailed Mark Hopkin's yacht Bointa. In the spring of 1893 he shipped as mate on the barge City of the Straits, transferred to the Montgomery, and closed the season with Captain Ludington on the bark Monitor, remaining with him on that boat until the fall of 1894, when they were both transferred to the propeller Westford, occupying their respective positions until the close of navigation of 1897.

Captain Forbes was wedded to Miss Josephine Genaw, of Algonac, Mich., February 22, 1877. Their children are Lilly (now Mrs. Frank Bassitte), Harvey and Maud. The family homestead is at Algonac, Michigan.

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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.