Captain Stephen R. Jones

Captain Stephen R. Jones, who has been in the employ of the Western Transit Company from the time he began sailing, is a son of Stephen and Jemima Jones, the former of whom was also a lake captain, and lost his life in 1880 by the unfortunate capsizing of a sail-boat outside of Buffalo harbor. The particulars of the accident were never known.

The subject of this sketch was born March 9, 1863, at Buffalo, where he attended school. At the age of sixteen he began sailing as watchman on the steamer Oneida, of the Western Transit Company, in which berth he remained two seasons. In the fall of 1881 he was lookout on the steamer Fountain City, and in 1882 was lookout on the Boston, the next season and that of 1884 serving as wheelman of the Boston. In September 1884, he went on the Buffalo, finishing the season as her wheelsman. During 1885 he was second mate of the Idaho, except the last trip of the season, which he made in the Milwaukee; he was also second mate of the Milwaukee during 1886, and in 1887 filled that berth in the Montana until September, when he was transferred to mate's berth on the Chicago, in which he remained until the close of the season of 1889. For the seasons of 1890-91-92 he was mate of the Albany, which was sunk in the collision with the Philadelphia off Point aux Barques, in 1893. In 1893 Captain Jones was given master's berth on the steamer Montana, which he filled to the satisfaction of his employers for the seasons of 1893-94-95-96 and '97. For the season of 1898 he was made master of the Milwaukee. During his career the Captain has had no collision or accident.

Fraternally Captain Jones is a Mason, a member of DeMolay Lodge. He was married in 1892 to Miss Jennie Dallas, by whom he has one child, Valentine. The family residence is at No. 708 Prospect avenue, Buffalo. The Captain is a self-made man, having to depend entirely upon his own merits for advancement. He had been with the Western Transit Company some nineteen years, and it is the only employ he has ever been in.

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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.