G. H. Raymond

G.H. Raymond was born August 23, 1853, at Adams Basin, N.Y. He is descended from pure American stock, his ancestors having been in this country since 1632. Over one hundred and fifty persons bearing the family name fought for American Independence. His grandmother, on his mother's side, Betsey Atchinson, was the first female child born west of the city of Rochester.

Mr. Raymond received his education from the State Normal School at Brockport and the University at Rochester, N.Y. He entered into the grain trade at Brockport, and continued until 1893, when he came to Buffalo. In that city he formed a partnership with A.M. Kalbfleisch, a resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., who built the Great Chemical Works at Buffalo. They constructed a floating elevator upon a canalboat, and started the business which has developed into one of considerable importance, now being located at the foot of West Genesee street. In 1895 Mr. Raymond was instrumental in having a bill introduced at Washington to widen the locks of the Erie canal, to enable canalboats of a capacity of 20,000 bushels of wheat to be used. In 1896 he originated the Consolidated Lake & Canal Co., with a view of placing a large fleet of boats on the canals of New York State, to be operated regularly and on railroad principles. In this project he met with great opposition, and was unable to get a charter under the laws of the State.

Mr. Raymond is of the progressive type, as his life thus far shows; and the business in which he is interested will doubtless extend its boundaries in the future as it has in the past, under his management, making it one of the well-known establishments at the port of Buffalo. He was married, in 1880, to Miss Ida E., daughter of Samuel Johnson, the celebrated inventor of harvesting machinery.

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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.