M. S. Laucks

M.S. Laucks was born in Rondout, N.Y., February 22, 1866, son of Samuel and Samantha (Pettengill) Laucks. He comes of a patriotic family, for his father's brothers, David and Chester, and his mother's brothers, Manford and Alanson, were veterans of the Civil war, and took honorable part in all the engagements in which their regiments participated.

Mr. Laucks attended the public schools of his native town until he reached the age of eighteen years, when he went to Watertown, N.Y., and entered the employ of the Watertown Engine Works to learn the machinist's trade. After remaining there three and a half years, during which time he became a competent and skillful mechanic, he purchased a threshing or traction engine, and ran it through the farming regions contiguous for two seasons. In the spring of 1891 he entered the employ of the Byron Cupola Works, in Detroit, as foreman, holding this position for about a year, after which he went to Chicago and worked in the shop of Baker, Smith & Co., as a steamfitter. In the spring of 1893 he took out his first papers as marine engineer, and was appointed to the tug Clara Belle, operating out of the port of Chicago. The next season he went to Grand Haven, and took the tug Elk, a large boat having compound engines. Before the close of the season the Elk was sold, and he took her to Buffalo and delivered her to the purchasers, remaining with her until the close of the season of 1895. Mr. Laucks then opened a marine engineers' supply and steamfitting shop in Buffalo, which he carried on a number of months, selling out at an advance of $2,000, and returning to Watertown, N. Y., for the winter. In the spring of 1897 he went to Detroit and engaged with Mr. Hackett to run a tug, giving entire satisfaction. During his service on the lakes, Mr. Laucks has proved himself to be a sober, industrious and thoroughly qualified engineer. He is a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, and of the Knights of the Maccabees.

In 1895 Mr. Laucks wedded Miss Lizzie Warner, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Warner, a Baptist minister, and one son, Edward Stanley, has been born to this union. The family residence is at No. 41 Lyman street, Detroit, 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.