Captain Frank Hebner

Captain Frank Hebner is the genial and popular master of the City of Concord, plying between Port Huron and all lake ports in the salt, coal and grain trade. He was born in Jeddo, Mich., a son of Josiah and Hannah (Armitage) Hebner, who were born in Pennsylvania and of Quaker ancestry, and were reared in that State, but at an early day removed to Michigan, where the father opened up and developed a good farm, on which he lived till his death, the mother is still living and now makes her home in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Upon the home farm Captain Hebner remained until fifteen years of age, when he began his lakefaring career. He was one of the early pioneers in lake navigation, having sailed for over forty years on the Great Lakes. In 1858 he went before the mast on the Schooner Cornwall, from Oswego, N. Y., and was on her a part of two seasons. In 1860 he was made watchman on the steamer Forester, a passenger boat from Detroit, and during the four seasons he remained on her he was promoted to wheelsman and later to lookout. He was then second mate on the John P. Ward, was on the Reindeer, a passenger boat, for one season, and then returned to the Forester, all of which boats belonged to J. P. Ward, in whose employ he remained for some years, during which time he made his home in Detroit. From 1860 until 1882 he was in the passenger service, running between Detroit, Mackinaw and Sault Ste. Marie. For a time he was on the schooner Dunford, out from Port Huron, engaged in the lumber trade, and in 1878 became master, first of the steamer Saginaw, from Detroit in the passenger service, remaining on her during the seasons of 1879 and 1880. She belonged to the River and Lake Shore line, which has since been merged into the Star line. Since 1892 he has lived in Chicago, and is now engaged in the general freighting business to all lake ports. In marine circles he stands deservedly high, and has the confidence and esteem of all who know him.

Captain Hebner was married, in Saginaw, Mich., in 1870, to Miss Jennie McCracken, who is of Scotch descent, and they have become parents of five children: Maud, Frank A., Blanche, Rea and Genevieve.

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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.