Joseph Frawley

Joseph Frawley was born in Buffalo, N. Y., April 27, 1856. His first employment was as rivet-heater in the Shepard Iron Works, in his native city. Preferring the freer life of a sailor, however, he shipped on the schooner Frank Perew in July, 1871, with Capt. Charles Gale, of Sonora, Ontario. Alternating between steam and sailing craft on the lakes until 1878, he sailed in that year for the west coast of Africa on the bark Fantee, returning to Buffalo nineteen months afterward, and serving in the fire department of the city during the years of 1881-82-83. From 1884 to 1890 Mr. Frawley was successively wheelsman, second mate, and mate of the boats of the Western Steamship Company and first mate on the Owego. In 1894 he was made captain of the New York, but returned as first mate of the Owego in 1896, and in same year went as master of the H. J. Jewett.

Shipwreck for him occurred but twice in his career - once when the schooner Chamberlain was blown ashore two miles east of Cleveland piers, December 1, 1874, and again while he was mate of the Buffalo at the time she went ashore at Milwaukee in 1889. On this occasion he went ashore in the breeches-buoy to carry the report to the company's agent.

In 1890 Mr. Frawley was married to Miss Mary Carroll, of Buffalo, and their home is blessed with two bright children: Alice and Joseph. The family residence is at No. 382 Perry Street, Buffalo, New York.

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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.