Felix Neider

Felix Neider, a well-known and thoroughly competent marine engineer sailing out of the port of Manitowoc, Wis., is a highly esteemed employee of the Goodrich Steamship Company, for whom he has been in various active capacities for the past thirty years, with the exception of the short period when employed in the railroad shops of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Company. He was born in Austria, December 28, 1849, and is a son of Vincent and Annie Neider, who came to the United States in 1853, locating in Manitowoc, Wis. The father died the following year, and the children then looked to the mother for guidance until 1874, when she too, passed away.

Felix Neider was very young when he was thrown upon his own resources, but previous to this had enjoyed a few years in the public schools of Manitowoc. At the age of twelve years he began to make his own way in the world, and in 1866 shipped as boy on the schooner Addie, with Captain Davis, going the next spring on the schooner Gazine, and closing the season on the barge Plymouth Rock. It was in 1868 that he entered the Goodrich employ as fireman on the steamer Manitowoc, new at that time. During the year 1869 he worked in the shipyard at Manitowoc for the same company, passing the next season before the mast on the barge Plymouth Rock. In 1871 he again worked in the shipyard, but the next year he took out an engineer's license and was appointed as second in the steamer Manitowoc. After laying her up, he went to work in the shipyard until the steamer Menominee commenced running in 1873, when he joined her as second engineer. He then passed four years in the shipyard, and in the spring of 1878 was appointed second engineer on the steamer Corona, followed by two years of dry dock work for Rand & Burger, also running the tug Margaret for a short time. He was employed the next year in the locomotive shops of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company, located in Milwaukee. In the spring of 1883 was appointed second engineer of the Sheboygan, holding that office four seasons, after which he ran the tug Arctic for the same owners. In 1888 he was made second engineer on the steamer Chicago, and the spring of 1889 found him again on board the Sheboygan, holding the office of chief, which he filled for two seasons, when he was given the Chicago to run, remaining on her seven consecutive seasons, and giving a good account of his engines. In the spring of 1898, he came out as chief of the steamer Sheboygan, plying between Chicago and Green Bay ports.

Socially, he is a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association; Ancient Order of United Workmen, and also of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

On December 12, 1871, Mr. Neider was united in marriage to Miss Annie Elizabeth Green, daughter of William and Henrietta (Cox) Green, natives of Weymouth, England, who came to the United States about 1847, and located at Manitowoc, Wis., where Mrs. Neider was born July 17, 1852. The children born to this union are Laura Edith; George Burt, who is in business in Manitowoc; Ralph M.; Archie F. and Gordon G. The family residence is in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

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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.