Captain E. Thompson

Captain E. Thompson, for the past thirteen years master of the tug Erie, and the oldest (in point of service) tug man at the Erie port, was born at that place May 26, 1844.

Captain Thompson began his marine career when a boy of fourteen years of age, under Capt. Malcolm McGill, as cook, deckhand and engineer on the tug S. C. Brooks, which berth he held two years. His next boat was the Hercules, of which he was engineer, and after serving a year in that capacity he was promoted to master, remaining in that berth for five succeeding seasons. He was also part owner of this boat. He next was master and part owner of the Mary A. Green, for two years, and subsequently bought the A. L. Griffin, which he ran for about three and a half years, until he sold her to Cleveland parties. Entering the employ of C. F. Dunbar, then of Erie, but now of Buffalo, as master of the Robert Dunbar, he continued thus for the two following seasons, leaving him to accept a like position with O. J. Jennings on the Maggie Ashton, on which he was also for two years. The seasons of 1881-82-83 he was master of the Dexter, at Ashtabula, which was owned by George Field, and during 1884 he stayed ashore. In 1885 he took command of the Erie, and on this boat he has since remained, his service extending through thirteen consecutive seasons. The Captain has twenty-seven issues of papers, and during his long and faithful career as pilot has never been mixed up in collisions or wrecks of any consequence, which fact is sufficient proof of his proficiency in his chosen line.

He was married at Erie in July, 1866, to Miss Catharine Bernhardt, of that city, and their union has been blessed with four children, three of whom are now living: Fred J., who is engineer of the sand boat Major; Louis H., in the lathing and painting business; and Blanche. Captain Thompson and his family at present reside at No. 1023 Twenty-fourth street, Erie, Pennsylvania.

Return to Home Port

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.