George A. Miller
George A. Miller possesses all the requirements necessary to enable him to take a prominent place among the chief engineers on the lakes. He was born in Lockport, N.Y., May 14, 1850, and is the son of George A. and Jane (Bolstar) Miller, both natives of New York State. His grandparents were natives of Vermont.
Mr. Miller acquired a liberal education, graduating from the high school of Lockport. He learned many of the fundamental principles of the calling he elected to follow by serving an apprenticeship of three years in the shops of the Pound Manufacturing Company, of Lockport, N. Y., after which he went to Titusville, Penn., and entered the employ of F. Ames, with whom he remained two years. In 1870 he came to Port Huron and entered the employ of the New York Coast Wrecking Company. The next season he shipped on the steamer Nelson Mills, as fireman, and in the spring of 1872 took out a marine engineer's license and was appointed first assistant on the steamer Mary Mills. In the spring of 1873 he was appointed chief engineer of the tug C. M. Farrar and ran her until she was sold, finishing the season on the steamer J. L. Beckwith, as first assistant. This boat was sold to the Port Huron & Sarnia Ferry Co., and the next season he went on the lake tug Frank Moffat, which was engaged in wrecking. Here he remained until in the spring of 1877 he was appointed chief engineer of the tug W. B. Castle, transferring to the tug J. L. Hawkins that fall, and the following season coming out as chief of the Beckwith, which berth he held three seasons. In the spring of 1881 Mr. Miller was appointed chief engineer of the steamer City of Concord. He also fitted her out the next season, but afterward joined the Omar D. Conger, plying as ferry between Port Huron and Sarnia, and remained in her until August, 1885, closing that season on the steamer Simon Langell. In the spring of 1886 he was appointed chief engineer of the steamer Kalkaska and has had charge of her machinery eleven consecutive seasons, serving also during the season of 1898. In 1894 the mate of the Kalkaska fell overboard in Cuyahoga river at Cleveland during the great flood, and would have been drowned but for the prompt action of Mr. Miller.
On December 8, 1876, Mr. Miller wedded Miss Mary E., daughter of Charles and Sarah Church, of Port Huron, Mich. One son was born to this union, Charles, who married Miss Sarah McCollam, their children being Florence and George A. Miller. Charles Miller is in business in Port Huron as proprietor of the Empire steam laundry, which his father purchased for him. The family home is at No. 828 Wall street, Port Huron. Socially Mr. Miller is a Master Mason, a member of Royal Arcanum, the Knights of the Maccabees, and the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association.
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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.
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