Captain Henry Richardson

Captain Henry Richardson

Captain Henry Richardson is a native of England, born on June 22, 1842, at Nottingham, where he attended school. He is the son of Thomas and Charlotte Richardson, farming people, the latter of whom died when the subject of this sketch was seven years of age. There were other children in the family, the two now living being, Thomas, a resident of New Zealand, and Sarah, now Mrs. Tollas, residing at Bilbrough, England.

Captain Richardson has had a varied experience during his sailing career. When he first came to America in 1857 he shipped out of Baltimore in ocean vessels, continuing thus until the Civil war broke out in 1861. For about ten months during that year he was before the mast in the frigate Roanoke, the flag ship of the squadron under Commodore Goldsborough, and with her during the engagement between the Monitor and the Merrimack. Subsequently he was in government supply vessels for a short period, and from then and including the year 1866 he spent the summers on the lakes and the winters on the ocean. At various times during the winter seasons he has shipped in ocean vessels, having taken several trips to Galveston, Texas and the West Indies, and was on one trip to Hamburg, Germany, on the bark Pearson. His first experience on the Great Lakes was in 1864, during which season he was in the brig Commerce, but he started permanently in the lake service in 1866, before the mast in the bark Sunrise, out of Chicago. The second and third trips he was second mate of her, and then went into mate's berth for the remainder of the season. In 1867 he was mate of the Sunrise until July, when he was given master's berth in the schooner Ellsworth, because of the death of the master, who had been shot by a member of his crew. The first trip of the season of 1868 he was mate of the schooner Gertrude, Captain Councer, which was sunk in the Straits of Mackinac by ice, and was a total loss. He finished the season as mate of the Collingwood with Capt. John Keith, now a vessel broker in the City of Chicago.

In 1869 Captain Richardson was master respectively of the schooners Maggie Dall and Lincoln Dall, in which latter vessel he remained until the season of 1871, at which time he left her at Milwaukee to go as mate of the steamer barge East Saginaw for three trips. He was then promoted to master's berth in the Saginaw, holding the same for several years, during which she was sold and rebuilt, and finally sunk, a total loss, off Sand Beach, Lake Huron. From her he became master of the Stephen C. Hall, which he sailed until 1889. In the spring of that year he made two trips as master of the lake tug Summer, when she was sold to Henry Howard of Port Huron. In September of the same year, he brought out the new steel steamer Viking and sailed her until the close of the season of 1894. During the seasons of 1895-96 Captain Richardson was located at Buffalo, looking after the vessel interests of Frank W. Gilchrist, of Alpena, Mich. Besides being master he owns interests in the steamers Stephen C. Hall, Viking, and the tow barges Light Guard, Ida Keith, and Vinland, the latter the consort of the Viking. He was also a member of the Ship Masters Association, and carries Pennant No. 133. Fraternally he is a Mason and a member of the A. O. U. W.

Captain Richardson was first married in Chicago, to Miss Isabella Dall, by whom he had one child, Harriet, now the wife of W. O. Wallace of Chicago. His second marriage took place in Buffalo in 1890, when he was united to Miss Harriett Schoonover, and has one daughter, Ruth Evelyn, born May 30, 1897. They reside at No. 133 Lexington avenue, Buffalo, N. Y. The Captain has been quite a reader and is well informed. He has met with success in his undertakings, and belongs in the ranks of those men who have relied on their own resources, and owe their present position to no outside influence.

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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.