Captain William R. Harlow

Captain William R. Harlow was born at Toledo, Ohio, June 30, 1871, and he has always made his residence in that city. He attended school until his sixteenth year, and at that time, led by a strong desire for the occupation to which his father, Capt. William J. Harlow, had devoted his life, he shipped on the V. Swain, as cook. He did not remain throughout the season on that boat, however, finishing on the schooner F.C. Leighton, owned by his father. He next spent one season on the Michael Groh, as watchman and wheelsman, after which he went on the Ida M. Torrent, shipping as wheelsman, and he remained on her two seasons, the latter part of this time as mate. He then took command of the tug Charlie Boy, owned by his father, continuing on her until the fall, when he took the schooner Sunshine. Later he was master of the tug Ben Campbell, of Cleveland, for L.P. Smith, the tug Allie May, of the V.O.T. line, and the tug Iceberg, for J.R. Jones, after which he was night manager of tugs for the two companies on the piers in Cleveland. He then went to Chicago and shipped as mate on the John Oades, subsequently holding the same berth on the Preston, under the command of his father, who was also managing owner. During the season of 1896 he sailed the Black Diamond for the Cleveland Cedar Company, until November 1, when he came to the Aragon, as mate. Captain Harlow was the youngest pilot on the lakes at the time when he received his papers. He is a competent ship master and has been very fortunate as regards accidents and shipwrecks.

Captain Harlow was married July 19, 1891, to Miss A. Annie Rooney, of Cleveland, and they reside at No. 138 Michigan street, Toledo, Ohio.

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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.