Captain Stephen B. Grummond

Captain Stephen B. Grummond, in his lifetime one of Detroit's foremost business men and vessel owners, was born September 18, 1834, near what is now Marine City, on the St. Clair river, Mich., a son of Stephen and Mary (Harrow) Grummond. The mother, who died in 1877, was of Scotch descent, and was a daughter of Alexander Harrow, who came to Michigan while it was under English rule, and for many years was connected with the British navy as commander of sloops of war. The father of our subject was born in the western part of New York State, whence, in 1807, he came to Michigan and settled on the right bank of the St. Clair river, where he kept a general store, and accumulated a competency, dying in 1856.

Capt. Stephen B. Grummond passed his early life in St. Clair county, and, early evincing a liking for the life of a sailor, at the age of fifteen years began his business career by securing a position on a lake vessel, his winters being spent in school. When eighteen years old, with the savings of his own industry, and with some aid from his father, he purchased a vessel which he sailed for several years, retiring from the command of her in 1855. He then moved to Detroit, bought another vessel and ever after was more or less engaged in buying, selling and running vessels of various kinds. By enterprise and straightforward business methods he secured a vast deal of business, and among his many ventures may be mentioned a profitable tug and wrecking business, which is now one of the largest on the lakes. He was also owner of Grummond's line of steamers, his business extending from year to year until he became recognized as one of the principal owners of lake vessels. In fact, he succeeded in accumulating a large fortune, which he invested in Detroit real estate and various business enterprises. He died January 3, 1894, after a lingering illness.

On December 18, 1861, Captain Grummond married Miss Louisa B. Prouty, of Detroit, and by her had a family of eleven children, some of whom are deceased. In politics the Captain was a Democrat until the election of Abraham Lincoln, after which he was an earnest supporter of Republican principles. In municipal affairs he held several of the most prominent offices in the government of his adopted city, including that of mayor. Socially, he was a man of broad and generous impulses, and at all times among the foremost in aiding every good and deserving work.

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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.