Capt. James Quinn and Capt. James Wilson of the schooner White Oak

Capt. James Wilson of Bronte is mate on the schooner White Oak, of which staunch vessel he owns half along with Captain James Quinn of Oakville, and as a sailor on fresh water he has had a rare lot of experience. He is a true son of the lakes, for several times he has attempted to abandon sailing and as often as have the soughing of the winds and the breaking of the waves on the shores at Bronte compelled him to return to his first love - the great lakes with their varying moods.

Captain James Wilson was born in the year 1845, and he is a native of the County of Wentworth. When he was only five years of age his parents removed with him to Bronte, a small port in the County of Halton, on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and there Captain Wilson has dwelt ever since. Bronte is four miles west of Oakville, his partner's home. At eleven years of age he went sailing, his initial vessel being the schooner Flying Cloud, in which he sailed as cook for one season. Then he went into the schooner Peerless for one season. Vessels innumerable almost he sailed in, and advanced rapidly. When he was sixteen years old he shipped before the mast in the brig George Laidlaw, a vessel which had traded to the West Indies. For one season he was in her, then he shipped as second officer, or, as it is properly called in Canada, as second mate, in the barque Gibraltar. The following season he was promoted to the position of chief officer, or mate, in the same vessel, succeeding which he became mate of the barque Alexander. Subsequently he went back into the Flying Cloud and sailed her as captain for one season, when he was eighteen years of age. The barque Andrew Stevens was then under his command for one season, succeeding which he went into the schooner Marquis, at that time the biggest schooner on the lakes.

She was capable of carrying 500,000 feet of lumber, or 32.000 bushels of grain. Capt. Wilson sailed her for eleven seasons straight. Having bought a third interest in the schooner Mary Everett, the captain left the Marquis and took charge of the Everett for three seasons. Disposing of his interest in her at the end of that time, he bought the schooner W. T. Greenwood and sailed her for one season. Then he bought the schooner Trade Wind and commanded her for three seasons, selling her in the spring of 1896 with the idea of staying ashore, but he could not content himself, so he eventually bought a half-interest in the schooner White Oak, and is in her as mate. Recently re-built, the White Oak is a swift and staunch little schooner, and both mate and captain are righteously proud of her and her achievements in the sailing line. She has made some record trips across Lake Ontario with coal cargoes, and there are few sailing vessels afloat on fresh water that could touch her. She classes A 2 1/2 at Lloyd's and is valued at $5,000.

Never in all his years of sailing has Capt. Wilson had what could be called a disaster, the only exciting incident being once when the schooner Marquis was dismasted in a furious blow on Lake Superior.

Capt. Wilson is married and has a family of one son and two daughters. In the year 1864 he was wedded to Miss Eliza Osborn of Bronte on the 13th day of October. He was appointed by the Ontario Government to the position of Fish and Game Warden for his section in the year 1888, and still holds the office. Both Capt. and Mrs. Wilson are prominent members of the Methodist Church. Mrs. Wilson is a great worker in that denomination.

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