D. C. Tibbits

D.C. Tibbits, the present chief engineer of the Yale School Building, at the corner of Yale avenue and Seventieth street, Chicago, was born in Coldwater, Branch Co., Mich., in 1847, a son of W.F. and Mary (Olney) Tibbits, the former also a native of Michigan and the latter of New York. The paternal grandfather, Allen Tibbits, was one of the old and honored pioneers of Coldwater. At an early day the father of our subject removed to Vilas, Wis., where he conducted a wood dock and was also engaged in the flour business. He continued to make his home in Wisconsin for many years, but finally removed to Chicago and entered the employ of the Denver & Rio Grande railroad. He died in Denver in 1894, but the death of his wife occurred at Girard, Mich., in 1886.

The boyhood and youth of D.C. Tibbits was passed in Wisconsin, where he attended school, and on leaving home he began sailing upon the lakes, being thus engaged for many years. In 1872 he removed to Chicago, where he has since made his home. In 1867 he commenced sailing out of Chicago in the employ of the Goodrich line, and the same year took out his first license as engineer. For a part of that season he was engineer of the Sea Bird, which was burned off Waukegan, all on board being lost save one. From her he transferred as second engineer to the Comet, and the spring the Sea Bird was burned he was on the Comet, from which he transferred to the Alpena, and later to the Corona, which he fitted out, remaining as her chief engineer for several seasons. He then remained ashore for two or three seasons, and on his return to the lakes entered the employ of the Union line as second engineer. The following season he fitted out the James Fisk, of which he was assistant engineer on one trip, from Buffalo to Chicago, and later he was chief of the propeller Waverly for several seasons. In the employ of the Union line, he was then chief of the Starrucca, which was lost in Lake Superior. Mr. Tibbits then returned to the Waverly as engineer for one season; she belonged to the Vermont Central line. In 1888 he quit the lakes, and became first assistant engineer of the Home Insurance building; was then assistant engineer at the Auditorium; and later chief engineer of the Appraisers Store at the corner of Harrison and Sherman streets; and since then has been chief of the Yale school. Socially he was at one time a member of the old original M.E.B.A. No. 4.

In Grafton, Wis., Mr. Tibbits was married, in 1869, to Miss Henrietta Wooden, a native of that State and a daughter of Timothy Wooden, a pioneer of Wisconsin. One son has been born of this union; George F., now a dentist of Chicago. The family residence is at No. 7430 Stewart avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

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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.