Captain Frank Elliott

Captain Frank Elliott is a descendant of an old family of master mariners who have sailed the lakes for many years, and he also has attained much renown as a successful shipmaster, having commenced his lakefaring life when but a boy thirteen years of age. He was born in Port Burwell, Ont., on January 28, 1862, son of John and Amanda (Matthews) Elliott, who came to the United States in 1865, locating in Bay City, Mich. The father was master and owner of many vessels, among them the brig Burlington, schooner J. B. Skinner and others, mention of which have been made elsewhere.

Frank Elliott, after attending the schools of Bay City until 1875, gained his early experience in sailing on various yachts, some of which he owned, notably the Swan. In the spring of 1880 he shipped as wheelsman on the steamer Waldo Avery with Capt. S. Stratton, later receiving promotion to the office of mate and remaining in her three seasons. In 1883 he was appointed master of the tug Rumage, which he sailed two seasons, and his next boat was the Ella Smith, following which he was on the Sarah Smith, Annie Moiles and Peter Smith. In the spring of 1893 Captain Elliot was appointed master of the steamer Manistique, which he sailed two seasons, succeeding in 1895 to the command of the tug Niagara, and closing that season in the George W. Morley. In the spring of 1896 he entered the employ of Capt. B. Boutell as master of the steamer Boscobel, and sailed her until September, 1897, when he resigned to take charge of the steamer John Spry, owned by the John Spry Lumber Company, which he has since commanded, laying her up at the close of navigation in 1898. Captain Elliott socially is a thirty-second- degree Mason, having passed through all the subordinate degrees. In all of his experience as master of steamboats he has been exceedingly fortunate, never having lost a man or vessel. His home port is Bay City, Michigan.

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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.