Peter Finney

Peter Finney is a marine engineer who enjoys great popularity among the members of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association and at this time is president of the Port Huron Lodge No. 43, elected to serve during the term of 1898. He is a man of fine physique, over six feet tall and quite portly. Mr. Finney is a native of Scotland, having been born in Edinburg on December 24, 1858, son of Peter and Margaret Finney, who were taken home to join the silent band when he was but a young child, leaving him to the care of kinsmen. He acquired a liberal education in the schools of Edinburgh, and in 1870 took passage on a steamer for America, landing at St. John, N. B. He passed a year in travel, visiting different members of his father's family in Boston, Mass., Rutland, Vt., Albany, N.Y., and Buffalo. In the spring of 1871 he found employment on one of the steamers of the Union Steamboat Company. The next year, being a tall, well-grown lad, he shipped as fireman on the steamer Kearsarge, closing the season in the same capacity on the George L. Dunlap. In 1873 he shipped on the steamer Milton D. Ward, remaining three seasons, and followed with a season on the lake tug Quayle. In the spring of 1877 he entered the employ of the Moffat Tug line, and fired on the lake tug Mocking Bird two seasons, transferring to the Frank Moffat in 1879. That fall he took out a marine engineer's license and joined the big tug W. B. Castle, owned by B. B. Inman, as second engineer, soon receiving advancement to the position of chief, which berth he has held eighteen years all told. The Castle is stationed at Duluth harbor and is principally engaged in wrecking and raft towing. She was rebuilt in 1897 at considerable cost, and Engineer Finney is well pleased with her machinery. Besides serving as president of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association at Port Huron, Mr. Finney has held the office of chaplain for about ten years. He is also a Master Mason and a member of the Knights of the Maccabees. Mr. Finney was united by marriage on April 2, 1884, to Miss Minnie Ross, daughter of Henry Ross, of Chatham, Ontario. They reside at No. 724 Pine Street, Port Huron, 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.