Captain David F. Doville

Captain David F. Doville was born at Sodus Point, N.Y., July 7, 1854, a son of Henry and Mary Lucile (St. Peter) Doville. His father was a lake captain and ship-builder, and just as he had got the timber out for the construction of a new schooner he died (March 12, 1863), and his five sons, all of whom are lake captains, finished the vessel. It was named the William Hunter, and on this boat David F., after attending the public schools of his native town, commenced his lakefaring life. He remained on her until September, and in the spring of 1865 shipped on her again. In 1866 he sailed with his brother, Henry on the scow Morgan, and the following year began in the schooner Alma with his brother Henry, but closed the season in the Sylph with his brother Charles. In the spring of 1868 he again shipped in the schooner Sylph with his brother Egbert, remaining until September, when he joined the F.T. Barney, and was with her at the time she sank. The crew took to the yawl boat, and was sighted and picked up by the schooner Clayton Belle. During the winter he went to school at Vermilion, Ohio, and in 1869 he joined the schooner J.F. Card, of which his brother Egbert was master, and that winter attended school at Berea, Ohio. In the spring of 1870 Captain Doville was appointed mate of the schooner Sherwood, and at the close of navigation he went to Springfield, Mass. The next season he made one trip on the schooner Wanette, and was then made mate in the schooner Algeria. He was in the Chicago harbor at the time that city was destroyed by fire. In the spring of 1872 he joined the schooner Ben Franklin with his brother Joseph, transferring as mate of the schooner Bailey, second mate of the Winslow, mate of the Gibson, and closing the season on the Ben Franklin. The next season he shipped on the schooner Comanche, but was sent home sick from Chicago. In 1873 he joined the William Hunter as mate, and the next season he opened a boat livery at Sodus Point, N.Y., sailing in different boats in the fall months until the spring of 1879, when he was appointed mate in the schooner Young America.

During the years 1880-81 Captain Doville sailed the schooner Volunteer. The next two years he sailed as mate in the schooner Barney Avery; 1884, mate in the schooner St. Lawrence, and in 1885 he stopped ashore at Sodus Point and kept a meat market. He then purchased an interest in the A.J. McBrier, and sailed her for four years. In the spring of 1890 he was appointed master of the schooner Anna P. Grover, and sailed her two years. In 1892 he entered the employ of his brother, Capt. Egbert Doville, of Toledo, as master of the steam sand-sucker Nicolette, transferring in 1893 to the steamer Commerce, in which he has sailed successfully for five years, being in her at this writing. The fraternal orders of which he is a member are the Maccabees, Royal Templars, and Independent Order of Good Templars. He has a life insurance in the latter society.

In December, 1893, Captain Doville was united by marriage to Miss Frances Scott, of Sodus Point, N.Y. Four children, Robert LeRoy, Edna, Glenn, and Nina, have been born to this union. The family homestead is at Sodus Point, New York.

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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.