Captain George B. Mallory

Captain George B. Mallory was born in Springport, Mich., in 1839, and during his infancy was taken by his parents to Sheffield, Ohio, where he acquired his education. His career as a sailor began in 1856, when he joined the crew of the scow Cousin Mary, on Lake Erie. In 1858 he had charge of the scow Fair Play, and gradually worked his way upward, becoming chief mate of the schooner Willington, owned by Alva Bradley, in whose service he remained four years.

In 1862, Captain Mallory built the scow Mona, engaging daily in the carpenter work himself, and when the bark was completed sailed on the lakes some time. Later he sold her, and then sailed the scow Lime Rock, after which he was connected with the schooners Sea Bird, Buckingham and Eliza Gerlach, sailing the last named for several seasons. In 1873 he was appointed master of the bark William Jones, owned by the firm of Reddington & Adams, of Cleveland, and remained in that position until the fall of 1879, with the exception of about two years when he had charge of the schooner Red Wing, at that time one of the largest vessels of its class on the lakes.

In 1880 he began his service on steamers, joining the V. H. Ketcham, at that time one of the finest steamers on the lakes, the property of Adams & Delamater, of Cleveland, with which firm he was connected for seven years. The steamer was then sold to Pickands, Mather & Co., and Captain Mallory was retained in command until 1889, at which time he was transferred to the new steel steamers built to order for the Minnesota Steamship Company, and commanded several of them on their trial trips, while throughout one season he sailed the Masaba, owned by this company. In 1892 he went in the Mariposa, of the same company, at that time the largest steamer afloat on the lakes, and sailed that vessel continuously until 1894, when he went in the new steamer Victory, of the Inter-Lake Company, of greater size than the Mariposa. In 1896 he was transferred to the steamer Maricopa, of the Minnesota Steamship Company, one of the 430-foot vessels, built in the most modern and improved methods of ship building and splendidly equipped. Captain Mallory was senior captain or commander of the entire Minnesota fleet of vessels managed by the firm of Pickands, Mather & Co., of Cleveland, overseeing all the new boats and bringing them out. During his long and eventful career Captain Mallory has had almost perfect immunity from casualties of any kind, and is therefore regarded as an invaluable employee by underwriting firms as well as vessel owners. His care is remarkable, and his judgment is sound and wise.

In 1862 Captain Mallory was married to Miss Anna Faragher, a native of the Isle of Man, but residing at the time in Sheffield, Ohio. They have two children: Dr. Frank Burr and Margaret E., the son being now a professor in the medical department of Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass., and Miss Margaret, a teacher in the Central High School of Cleveland. The family are members of Dr. Sprecher's church and enjoy the hospitality of many of the best homes in Cleveland, their circle of friends being very extensive.

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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.