Captain Hiram D. Moore

Captain Hiram D. Moore is a prosperous and enterprising citizen of Algonac, Mich., where he has at different times been engaged in the grocery and dry-goods business and he also erected a building and conducted a drug store successfully. He is a man of good business methods, and has acquired a handsome competency in real and personal property. Captain Moore is the son of Hiram C. and Orilla (Harkett) Moore, and was born in Rochester, N.Y., February 14, 1853, the family removing to Algonac, Mich., about the year 1856. The father sailed out of Algonac for a time in the earlier days of his residence there, and before retiring from the lakes to enter business became mate of the Planet, Comet and Orient, the Telegraph being his last vessel. He was a man of sterling integrity and won the friendship and esteem of all who knew him. He died March 7, 1895, preceded to the grave by his wife, who passed away May 10, 1894.

Captain Moore received a public-school education, attending until he reached the age of fourteen years. He also went to school winters for some years after he commenced to sail, which was in 1867, his first berth being in the tug Mayflower as deckhand, with Captain William Ames. The next spring he shipped before the mast in the schooner Lucy Orchard, and he was also with Captain Day, in the old schooner Burchard one season. In 1870-71 he sailed the little barge Jennie. Then followed a period of several years during which he was wheelsman on lake tugs, notably the Sweepstakes, Satellite and Champion, with Capt. Hi. Ames. In the spring of 1878 he shipped as wheelsman on the steamer Ella Smith, serving two seasons in that capacity, after which, having taken out his license in 1879, he was promoted to the office of mate, holding that berth three seasons more. He came out as mate of the Star of Hope in the spring of 1883 and closed that season in the Lowell, in a like capacity, sailing in her again the following season. It was in the spring of 1885 that Captain Moore became mate of the steamer Rhoda Stewart, and four years later he was appointed master, sailing her for two seasons. In 1891 he stopped ashore and superintended the construction of the steamer F. W. Fletcher, in which he owned an interest, bringing her out new that season and sailing her until August, 1896, when he sold his interest and purchased a stock of groceries and dry goods in Algonac. He conducted that business successfully and also carried on a drug store in Algonac, for which he erected a substantial building, but in the spring of 1898 he disposed of his business interests ashore and purchased a steamboat which he purposes to put into a special trade; it will doubtless prove remunerative, as he has the necessary business qualifications.

On January 21, 1880, Captain Moore wedded Miss Maggie H. Lyons, daughter of Harker and Hannah E. (Cummings) Lyons. Her father died September 22, 1887, her mother April 10, 1887, at the age of sixty-nine years. The family homestead is a modern built house on Water Street, Algonac, Mich. Fraternally the Captain is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

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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.