George Gibson

George Gibson, son of Jacob and Katharine (Peters) Gibson, of Bergen, Norway, was born at that place on September 8, 1859. After attending school there, he began, at the age of fourteen, a seafaring life, which he has followed ever since. His cruising has been on both salt and fresh waters, and has carried him all over the globe. Mr. Gibson's first berth was as deck boy on the ship Amelia, of his native place and after remaining on her for over two years he engaged as ordinary seaman aboard the bark Alida, being on her nine months. Following this he served four months in the same capacity on the bark Eugenia, which he left on her arrival in New York. This was in 1877. He now went for nine months as able seaman on the American bark Peter, plying between New York, Richmond (Va.) and the Rio Grande, leaving her at Boston to go on the ship Brown Brothers, on which he made a trip as able seaman for Boston to San Francisco, the voyage covering a period of 163 days. At the latter port he engaged as able seaman on the Pactoles, which made a fast trip of 118 days to Mexico and Liverpool, England, where he left her, shipping on the Guisan to New York City. There he embarked on the steamship Hedgie, on which he remained eleven months, going to the islands of Jamaica and Porto Rico and back to New York.

At this time Mr. Gibson began shipping on the lakes, engaging as man before the mast on the schooner Queen City, on which he was engaged for two seasons, the last five months acting as her second mate. He was next on the schooners Stampede and Nellie Wellington, and during the winter of those two seasons went to New York and shipped to the West Indies on the Ella M. Watch, and to Kingston and Jamaica on the John C. Gregory. In 1884 he went on the Anchor line boats, commencing as wheelsman on the Conestoga and serving in that capacity for two seasons; the first three months of the ensuing season he was on the Susquehanna as wheelsman, finishing on the India, in the same berth. In 1887, the following season, he was second mate of the Gordon Campbell, and back to the India as second mate in 1888, the next season becoming her mate. In 1890 he was given mate's berth on the Juniata, serving in all six seasons with the Anchor line. For the seasons of 1891-92 he was mate of the John M. Nicol, of the Crescent line, of Detroit, and then of the Northern King for two months, the E. P. Wilbur two trips and the H. E. Packer for the balance of the season. Later he was mate of the John V. Moran, of the Union Transit line, and for the season of 1897 served with the Lehigh line.

Mr. Gibson was married at Buffalo in January, 1896, to Miss Katherine Jansen, of Denmark, and they have one child, Annie Katrina. They reside at No. 9 Sylvan street, Buffalo, N. Y. Fraternally Mr. Gibson is a member of the Northern Star Lodge, I. O. O. F., and the American Association of Masters & Pilots, belonging to Local Harbor No. 41.

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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.