Captain Cos. A. Giroux

Captain Cos. A. Giroux was born in Woodstock, Ontario, December 4, 1856, a son of Raphael and Ann (O'Neil) Giroux, and a grandson of Garnesnette and Eliza (Paquette) Giroux. The grandparents were natives of the Province of Loraine, France, and on coming to Canada settled at Riviere du Loup, on the St. Lawrence River, where the Captain's father was born; his mother was a native of New Brunswick. The parents removed to Woodstock, Ontario, after their marriage, and later to Port Huron, Mich. After attending school a number of years Cos. A. Giroux was apprenticed to a company engaged in the fishing business, and was first employed in knitting and repairing nets, later going out with the boats to the fishing grounds, and after six years he became a thoroughly practical fisherman. In the spring of 1875 he shipped as lineman on the tug Wesley Hawkins, engaged in towing logs on the Au Sable River, holding that berth two seasons. In 1877 he shipped on the tug Ontario as lineman and acting mate, joining the fishing fleet in the fall and remaining in that trade the following season on the tug Lida, until April, 1879, when he went on the steamer City of Alpena, transferring from her to the General Burnside until September. In the spring of 1880 he was employed on the fishing tug Sea Wing, making and mending nets until September, when he shipped on the tug Grayling as fireman. It was his custom up to this time to go into the Michigan lumber woods to drive team during the winter months.

In 1881 Captain Giroux went to Sugar Island and engaged in knitting nets, following this handicraft the succeeding year at Alpena. In 1883 he found employment in a restaurant at Alpena, and continued thus for four years. His next berth was at the wheel on the tug Alanson Sumner; in the spring of 1888 he came out on the tug Garden City and remained on her until June, when he went to Ashtabula and shipped with Capt. John Dunn in the steamer Vienna, later transferring to the Corsica, with Capt. William Cummings. That fall and the next year he again engaged in the fishing business, with Captain Motley (now keeper of the Cleveland life-saving station), on the tug Grayling. In 1890 he entered the employ of John Averill knitting nets and sailing on the tug Helene, and two years later he transferred his services to Mr. Edson, with whom he remained several years, sailing the tugs W. L. Davis, Enterprise, Criss Grover and John Gregory, the steam scows Adventure and Duro, and the tug Sea Wing, and knitting nets as occasion required. During the season of 1897 he fished with the tug Sea Fox, out of Ashtabula harbor. The Captain has a shop in Cleveland, where he occupies his time in the winter making nets for sale to the trade.

Captain Giroux was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth J. O'Neil, of Woodstock, Ontario, the ceremony taking place at Alpena in October, 1883. Two children, Joseph Emmet and George Edward, were born to this union. The wife and mother passed to the land of rest in the year 1888, followed by the two sons, George in 1892 and Joseph in 1895. Captain Giroux resides at No. 247 Viaduct Street, Cleveland, Ohio.

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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.