Captain Joseph Waltman

Since 1892 Capt. Joseph Waltman has not been actively connected with marine work, but his interests are still in that line, and he is identified with the shipmasters of Detroit, where he resides at the present time. His retirement from sailing was of short duration, however, and he was soon following his favorite occupation again, as he had the greater part of his life.

Captain Waltman was born in Monroe, Mich., in 1847, and in that place he spent the days of his boyhood. Early he had a desire to be a sailor, and when ten years old shipped on a steamer running out of Monroe, as cabin boy. After five years' service in this capacity, he acted as decksweep for a time, then shipped on the tug B. F. Bruce as wheelsman. On this boat he remained two years in that position and then became her mate, after which he took command of the tug Gore. He held this position throughout the season, and the next year acted as mate on the tug John Martin, after which he became master. In 1863 he entered Winslow's employ, and brought out new the Maria Love. She was sold in the fall to the government, and he delivered her for the owners in the Brooklyn navy yard. On Winslow's line he was employed ten years, going on the Kate Williams, and the Winslow, after the Maria Love was sold. He then spent two years on the Gazelle, running between Sandusky, Put-in-Bay and Cleveland, and one season on the W. R. Clinton steamers, and five years in the Dunlap and the Metropolis, of the Bay City and the Alpena line. He spent the next season on the Salina, and then went on the St. Mary, running from Detroit to Toledo, there remaining one season. After one season spent on the J. E. Potts, and one on the yacht Lelia, and the I. U. Masters, he was engaged in the wrecking business on the Kate Williams.

In 1881, Captain Waltman was married to Mrs. Hattie M. Dewey, of Brattleboro, Vt. They reside at No. 56 Howard street, Detroit. He is a member of the Ship Masters Association; is a 32d-degree Freemason, member of Union Lodge, F. & A. M.; of Peninsular Chapter No. 16 , R. A. M.; is a Knight Templar, of Masters Commandery No. 12, and member of Moslem Temple, Mystic Shrine; is also a member of the A. O. U. W. of Detroit.

Return to Home Port

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.