G. M. Newton

G.M. Newton is the son of O. W. and Mary (Aldrich) Newton, and was born May 18, 1841, at Royal Oak, Mich., where he has lived the greater portion of his life. O. W. Newton, a blacksmith by trade, was a native of Vermont. He died in 1856, being survived by his wife, who died in 1888.

At the public schools of Royal Oak G. M. Newton received his education, and at the age of eleven years went to New York City, where he served an apprenticeship of seven years in the shop Fletcher & Harrison. He then went to South Carolina, and was engaged in setting up machinery until the war broke out, when he joined Company B, 3rd N.Y. V. I., and served for some time. He then joined the 3rd Michigan Cavalry, and served until 1863, when he was taken prisoner in Mississippi. He was then imprisoned at Andersonville and Henderson until March, 1864; when removed to Salisbury, N. C., he jumped from a train into a running stream of water and thereby obtained his freedom. He returned to New York and was mustered out of service August 19, 1865. He then began the marine life by going on the Dean Richmond, upon which he served as second engineer one trip, and as chief the remainder of the season. The following year he went on the John Martin, and then served two years on the St. Paul and one season on the Concord. At this time he came off the lakes, and was employed for some time in a mill at East Saginaw. He put engines in the H. A. Ballentine and the Annie Moiles, and then on account of ill health he did not work regularly for four years. Upon his return to the water he spent three and a half years on the Hiawatha, two years on the Egyptian, four years on the Colgate Hoyt, and in 1896 went on the Bulgaria.

In November, 1874, he was married to Miss Mildred Reynolds of Royal Oak, Mich. They have three children: Mary A., Jessie T., and Edward B., all of whom are in school and reside at their father's home.

Mr. Newton is a member of the Masonic Lodge, the A. O. U. W., and the I. O. O. F.

Upon the Empire State in 1871 he was shipwrecked at Long Point, Lake Erie, but all lives were saved by means of rafts which were made from lumber which composed the ship's cargo. He then experienced the same event on the tug Sprague in 1884, but in this was attended the same good fortune in a means of escape.

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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.