Parker & Millen

The firm of Parker & Millen, was well-known marine insurance men, was organized in 1880, the members of the firm being Aaron A. Parker, Capt. James W. Millen and Byron W. Barker. The firm does business for the following companies, all of who insure hulls and cargoes: Western Assurance Co., of Toronto; Indemnity Mutual Marine Assn. Co., of London; Insurance Company of North America, of Philadelphia; St. Paul Fire and Marine Ins. Co., of St. Paul; British Foreign Marine Insurance Co., of Liverpool; Detroit Fire and Marine, of Detroit; Greenwich, of New York; Lloyds of London, and World Marine, of London.

The line of risks carried each season by Parker & Mullen is probably the largest carried by any single office on the lakes, their premiums now amounting to upwards of $100,000 annually. Starting in the vessel in which the partners themselves were interested, the business has been gradually extended until it has reached its splendid proportions. Nearly all the insurance carried is of a stable character, being renewed each year by the owners.

About ten years ago the firm also engaged in the wrecking business, and are now managers of the Swain Wrecking Company, at the Straits, wrecker Favorite, also the Isaac Watt and Westcott Wrecking companies, in Detroit river vicinity. This later control the wrecking tugs Saginaw, Wales, Balize and Onaping, together with the necessary outfit of pumps, jacks and other wrecking machinery.

The members of this firm are heavily interested in vessel property, including freight and passenger steamers, and between them they manage a dozen different lines. They also control the dock property, and on each side of Griswold street, where handsome brick buildings have been erected, that on the west side of the street now being used by the United States appraiser of that port.

They also have one of the largest fire insurance agencies in Detroit, representing the following companies: Scottish Union & National of Edinburgh; Northern of England; Niagara Fire of New York; Cooper of Ohio; Caledonian of Edinburgh; Fireman's Friend of California; Fire Association of Philadelphia; Lion of London, and Queen of America.

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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.