Peter H. Yax

Peter H. Yax, mate on the steamer Byron Whitaker, was born July 8, 1864, in Port Trumbull, Mich., where he lived for several years, receiving his education in its public schools. His father, Isadore Yax, is a retired shipmaster and owner, having spent about thirty years of his life in active service on the lakes. He now resides in Tawas, Michigan.

At the age of nine years Peter H. Yax began his marine life, sailing during the season on his father's schooners and attending school in winter. As a boy he went on the schooner Eagle, and afterward on several boats, among which were the scow Leader and the tugs W. F. McCrae and L. L. Lyons. He was then employed on the Kitty M. Forbes as wheelsman, and the following year in the same capacity on the Stranger for a part of the season, spending the remainder on the Oscar Townsend. The next year he was wheelsman on the Justin R. Whiting, and afterward on the Balize.

The following season Mr. Yax spent on the barge E. C. Roberts as seaman, and then served in the same capacity on the D. P. Dobbins, the schooner Groton, John T. Johnson and John Shaw. He was next on the passenger steamer Flora as wheelsman for a part of a season, and later was second mate on the George King, afterward serving in the same capacity on the T. S. Christy, Charles A. Eddy, E. C. Pope, C. J. Kershaw, Pontiac, Selwyn Eddy and the Robert Wallace. He was then mate on the Kitty M. Forbes, wheelsman on the Roumania, and second mate on the W. H. Gilbert. In the middle of the season on 1896 he became mate on the Queen City, and the season of 1897 was put in as mate on the steamers Robert Fulton and City of Bangor, and in 1898 accepted the position of mate on the Byron Whitaker.

On April 1, 1886, Mr. Yax married Miss Matilda Bedore, of Quebec, Canada, and they have seven children, four of whom are in school: Isabel, Harvey, Paul, Marcellina, Lillie, Joseph and Scott.

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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.