R. J. Walder

R.J. Walder, of Cleveland, Ohio was born May 8, 1868 at Meaford, Ont., and lived at that place for three years. His father, Rudolph Walder, who is a native of Germany, came to America in his youth and settled in Meaford, where he now lives, engaged in farming. In 1871 the family removed to Port Huron, Mich., and there Mr. Walder received his education in the public schools, afterward removing to a farm near by, where he remained until his eighteenth year. At that time his strong inclination for marine life led him aboard the Ogemaw, on which he served one season as deckhand. The next year he spent on the Business and Oscoda as wheelsman, later shipping on the Samuel Angell as watchman, and after six months transferring to the Topeka as wheelsman, there steering with one of the first hydraulic gears in use on the Great Lakes. The following season he served on the Minneapolis as wheelsman, from that boat going on the Kitty M. Forbes and the Cayuga as second mate, and after a year's service in the same capacity upon the John Oades he went upon the Hiawatha and the J. W. Moore as mate. He then engaged as mate of the Andaste, and remained on her during the season of 1896. Mr. Walder is a single man. Fraternally he is a member of the Ship Masters Association, the Masonic Order and the Foresters.

Mr. Walder is a brother of Levi Walder, who is chief engineer of the J. W. Moore; J. S. Walder, second engineer, formerly on the lakes, but now in the employ of the Cleveland Electric Luminating Company, and W. Walder, who is on the lakes as oiler at the present time.

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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.