Archie M. Williams

Archie M. Williams came with his parents to the United States from Belfast, Ireland, where he was born in 1866. He was but three months old when they landed on American soil and took up their home at Gloucester, Mass., at which place he attended the public schools until he rached the age of fourteen years, when he went to work in the office of a commission merchant engaged in the fishing business. After graduating from office work Mr. Williams shipped on a coaster, the schooner Sarah C. Pyle, out of Gloucester in the fish trade, and was also on various other vessels in the same line of business. In the fall of 1886 he sailed out of New York, as quartermaster, on the steamer Barracuta, of the Atlantic & West Indies line, in the passenger and general merchandise trade, and remained in that employ five months. In 1887 he went to Buffalo and shipped as watchman on the steamer Wallula, continuing on her for one season, and the following season went as wheelsman on the steamer Sitka for three months, finishing on the steamer Yakima. During the year 1888 he stopped ashore and engaged in newspaper work on the Cleveland World, part of the time in the advertising department and as collector. In the spring of 1889 he shipped as wheelsman on the steamer J. C. Lockwood, which berth he held two seasons, being then appointed second mate of the steamer Yakima, where he also remained two seasons. The following season he went as mate on the Yuma and in 1894 fitted her out and remained on her one month, shipping as mate on the steaamer Bulgaria until the close of the season. In 1895 he went as mate of the Nyanza, and in 1896 held the same berth on the Sitka with Capt. Charles A. Benham, laying up the steamer at the close of the season. Mr. Williams is a young officer, but he has the reputation of being efficient and zealous in the line of his duties. In fraternal affiliations he is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Knights of the Maccabees and the American Association of Ship Masters & Pilots. Mr. Williams was united in marriage to Miss Carrie E. Peacock, of Cleveland.

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.