Henry Johnson

Henry Johnson is a native of Canada, born in the County of Bruce, November 17, 1869, the seventh child in the family of nine born to Simon and Agnes (Fletcher) Johnson. He was educated in the schools of his native country, and remained upon his father's farm until about twelve years of age, when he secured employment railroading on the lumber train of Wright & Ketcham, and afterward worked in Michigan timber lands, lumbering; this employment covered, all told, a period of five years.

In 1888 he yielded to his desire for a seafaring life, shipping as fireman on the A. A. Turner, running between Bay City and Tonawanda, for one season, and the following one served in the H. H. Pickands in a like capacity. In 1890, and until July, 1891, he was oiling on the E. C. Pope, owned by Show & Eddy, finishing the latter season on the North Wind. He received his first issue of license in 1892, and was sent as second engineer on the Northern Light for that and the succeeding season. The second season after the North West was brought out, he was appointed her first assistant engineer, and remained in her that season until she was laid up, finishing same as second of the Pueblo. His next berth was that of first assistant engineer on the Chemung, which he has filled for the seasons of 1896-97-98 to the entire satisfaction of his superiors. Mr. Johnson is a member of Local Harbor No. 1, M. E. B. A. He was granted a chief's license in winter of 1898, and had his sixth issue.

Mr. Johnson was married to Miss Nellie Carney, of Buffalo, in January, 1896, and they reside at No. 23 Hoffman place, Buffalo, N. Y. He has been one of the most successful of the younger engineers of the Great Lakes.

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.