James N. Ames

James N. Ames, was born October 25, 1857, at Algonac, Mich., where he has resided all his life. He is the son of Washington and Priscilah (Cobbledick) Ames, who still reside at Algonac, the father having retired from active marine life twenty-four years ago.

James Ames began marine life by going on the Trader, as deckhand, one season. Soon after he served, respectively, as wheelsman on the I.U. Masters, Cadillac, and Sweepstakes, and then before the mast on the Boscobel, and Keepsake. After a period of two and a half years spent on the Salina as wheelsman, he served on the Missouri as mate for one season. He then went on the J.W. Westcott, T.S. Christie, and the John N. Glidden as wheelsman, and then joined the Ohio as second mate. Upon the S.E. Sheldon he then spent one season as second mate, and one as mate, where he remained two years. During the following season he acted as mate on the St. Lawrence, Norman, Macosta, Corsica, and in 1896 came to the Pioneer, transferring as mate to the Polynesia and Italia in 1897, and filling the same office on the Siberia in 1898.

Mr. Ames was married December 21, 1892, to Miss Edith Braddon, of Cleveland. Mr. Ames is a member of a family of eleven children, all of whom but three sisters are still living. George W. Ames, his brother, has been a sailor for many years, and is acting as mate on the V.H. Ketcham.

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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.