John William Greene

John William Greene, of No. 24 Ferrett street, Cleveland, is a practical machinist and marine engineer of wide experience. He was born in Saginaw, Mich., in 1851, his parents removing to Cleveland in 1853, and in 1866 he became an apprentice in the Globe Iron Works. He served out his term of three years and remained one year longer as journeyman machinist, after which he was employed in various Cleveland machine shops, among them the shops of Soovering & Fleming, Thomas Manning & Co., the Arctic Ice Machine Company, Gardner Ranson Air Brake Company, Novelty Iron Works, Teare & Thomas, L.L. Crane, King Bridge Company, Younglove Agricultural Works, Cleveland Rolling Mill Company and the Sheridan Horse Nail Company. In 1878 he returned to the Globe Iron Works, where he has been employed ever since except while sailing. His lakefaring career began in 1881, when he became second engineer of the Henry Chisholm, completing the season in this vessel. The following year he became second engineer of the steamer R.P. Ranney, and he was chief engineer of the steamer Selah Chamberlain the next season, after which he held the same berth in the R.P. Ranney for two seasons. In 1886 he took charge of the tool-room of the Globe Iron Works Company, being a skillful toolmaker, and he retained this position until 1895, when he sailed during the early part of the season, being chief engineer of the Horace B. Tuttle for six weeks. On April 16, 1896, he became chief engineer of the steamer Superior, running between Cleveland and Euclid Beach Park, and he continued in this vessel during the excursion season of that year. Mr. Greene was elected, in 1889, on the Republican ticket, as water works trustee, of West Cleveland, and served three years.

In 1871 Mr. Greene was married to Miss Mary Horan, and they had two children, William and Thomas. Mrs. Greene died in 1881, and in 1886 he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Cavanaugh, of Cleveland, who died in June 1896. This union was blessed with three children - Walter, Hugh and Mary.

Return to Home Port

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.