Evans Jenkins

A man more devoted to his calling could hardly be found than Evans Jenkins, of Cleveland, who holds the position of chief engineer on the Penobscot at the present time. He was born October 14, 1851, at Glasgow, Scotland, and at the age of three years came to America with his parents, the family settling in Ogdensburg, N. Y., where he attended school and lived for some years. He commenced his active career by shipping as boy and cook on the sloop Dolphin, of Alexandria Bay, and he subsequently entered a shop at Bay City, Mich., and worked at the machinist's trade for several months. Upon a harbor tug at East Saginaw he spent some time as fireman and then went to the Fanny White in that capacity, becoming engineer after the first season. The following season he spent upon the tug M. F. Merrick and the A. F. Gay as chief engineer; next season was second on the steamer Antelope; and then, after a year on the Coffinberry as second, spent two seasons on the J. W. Bennett as chief. He spent the succeeding seasons upon the Wellington R. Burt, Bell Cross, Kitty Forbes, Favorite, Robert Rhodes, Neosho, Neshoto, Thomas Cranage and Pioneer, and then, in 1896, transferred to the Penobscot.

On July 13, 1876, Mr. Jenkins married Miss Bridget Maher, of Bay City, a sister of Michael Maher, who was for some time local inspector at Port Huron. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins have five children: Hattie, Evans, Jr., Thomas, Walter, and Mary, of whom Hattie is married to Adelbert Ward, and Evans is at present with his father in the Penobscot as oiler, having previously spent a season on the Pioneer in the same capacity. Fraternally Mr. Jenkins is a member of the Royal Arcanum and the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association. John Jenkins, brother of Evans Jenkins, is master of the W. H. Sawyer; his father, David Jenkins, born in Glasgow, Scotland, spent the greater part of his life as a marine engineer on the Great Lakes, and died in July, 1873.

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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.