Henry M. King

Henry M. King was born at Buffalo October 31, 1854, and received his education in Public School No. 4 of that city. He is a son of Mitchell and Catherine (Willberry) King, the former of Canadian and the latter of English parentage. Mitchell King was twenty-five years a marine engineer on the Great Lakes. He was chief of the propeller Nile in 1864, when she was blown up at the dock at Detroit, the accident taking place on the second engineer's watch, while Mr. King was asleep.

In 1871, at the age of seventeen years, Henry M. King began to learn the machinist's trade at the King Iron Works. In August, 1876, after five years in their employ, he shipped as second engineer on the steamer Wissahickon, and remained in that service until June, 1877, when he was compelled to leave and return home on account of sickness. On August 20 of that year he went as second engineer on the Badger State, finishing that season on her, and the following season, 1878, he continued to fill the same position until August 14, when he was made chief of the Empire State, holding that berth continuously until the spring of 1883. At that time he was made chief of the Buffalo, remaining with her five years steadily, and in 1888 was made chief of the Milwaukee, in which berth he remained three years. During the years 1891-92 Mr. King was chief engineer of the Philadelphia & Reading Cold Storage plant at Cheektowaga. On November 30, 1893, he became a partner in the firm of Greenough & King (formerly Greenough & Tumeltry), in engineers' supplies, which is the principal firm in that line in the city of Buffalo, and enjoyed this business relation for a year, when the firm changed to King & Walker, which partnership continued until about June, 1897.

Mr. King has been a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association No. 1 since 1879, and was its treasurer for about five or six years. He is also a member of the National Stationary Engineers Association, Keystone No. 50, which he joined during the latter part of November, 1896.

Mr. King was married at Buffalo, December 21, 1879, to Harriet Bernard, and they have two children: Jennette C., now (1898) aged fifteen years; and George N., aged ten years.

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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.