Captain S. A. Lyons

Captain S.A. Lyons was born in the township of West Flamboro, County of Wentworth, Ontario, June 21, 1855, and removed to the United States with his parents when eleven years of age. The family settled in Clay township, St. Clair Co., Mich., where our subject completed his education, commenced in Ontario.

During his summer vacations Mr. Lyons followed the bent of his inclination, and at the age of thirteen commenced the life of a sailor, by shipping as wheelsman on the tug Ontario, a Philadelphia boat, on which he remained four years. He then shipped as wheelsman on the river tug Stranger, finishing the season on the tug Kate Moffat, and the next season shipped in the same capacity on the tug Gladiator. His next berth was at the wheel on the passenger steamer Winona, plying between Cleveland, Mackinaw and Alpena, which position he held three years. During the latter part of 1876 and the season of 1877 he stopped ashore. In 1879 he shipped as wheelsman on the passenger steamer Dove, continuing thus until September, from which time to the end of the season he went in the Chicago and Buffalo trade. The following year he started as second mate on the barge Northerner, acting as such for one trip, and finishing the season as first mate, in which berth he was retained until 1882. He then shipped as mate of the barge Nelson Bloom, holding same over the following season.

In the winter of 1883 he took out his first papers as master, and in the spring of 1884 was appointed second mate of the steamer James Davidson, on which boat he remained one season, the following two seasons sailing the barge Nelson Bloom as master. He had the good fortune during this time to rescue the wife and child of the master of the schooner Seaman, who had been lost overboard off Grosse Point. Entering the employ of Messrs. Hawgood & Avery, in 1887, he sailed the Frank D. Ewing two years, and was then transferred to the Hawgood, which he sailed until September, 1891, closing the season in the John J. Barlum, in which he had purchased an interest. In the winter of that year he purchased an interest in the steamer Mark Hopkins, which he sailed four years. During the season of 1896 he was appointed master of the steamer Pioneer, laying her up at the close of navigation.

In January, 1886, Captain Lyons wedded Miss Georgie G. Stewart, of Algonac, Mich., and one daughter has been born to them, Florence S.

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.