Captain Matthew Mulholland

Captain Matthew Mulholland, a well-known shipmaster on the Great Lakes, a son of James and Nancy Agnes (Mulvinny) Mulholland, was born November 4, 1847, in Liverpool, England. James Mulholland was a native of Belfast, Ireland, and lived for some years in Liverpool, England, prior to coming to America in 1849; the ocean passage consumed six weeks. He settled in Willoughby, Ohio. Mr. Mulholland spent the greater part of his early life as a salt-water sailor, later in life being employed in Cleveland by the C & P railroad as assistant baggagemaster. He died in February, 1894. Matthew is the oldest of three survivors of a family of twelve children, the others being Margaret, who married L. P. Bates, out of Willoughby, Ohio, who died in August, 1896; and Mary, married to Charles Laure, also of Willoughby, Ohio.

At an early age Captain Mulholland began his marine life, his first vessel being the Gen. Franz Sigel, Capt. Charles Morton, from which he went on the Milan, Ann Maria, and James F. Joy as seaman. He served as second mate upon the Zach Chandler, Oak Leaf and Pathfinder, and as mate with Captain McKeeghan. For half a season he had previously sailed the scow Daniel E. Bailey, owned by his father and himself, and this sold he took command of the schooner Senator for one year, later joining the H. G. Cleveland, on which he remained three years as master. In the spring of 1880 he entered the employ of Capt. Alva Bradley as master of the schooner Negaunee, which he commanded three years, afterward holding the same berth on the Thomas Quayle and Ahira Cobb, and the steamers Sarah F. Sheldon, E. B. Hale, R. P. Ranney, Henry Chisholm and Maurice B. Grover. In 1893 he assumed command of the steamer George Stone, sailing her five successful seasons, and giving satisfaction at all times to the owners by good seamanship and prompt business methods. At the close of the season of 1898 he rounded out eighteen years in the employ of Alva Bradley and the Bradley estate. Captain Mulholland has been very successful in the command of all the craft which have been entrusted to his care, thus winning for himself a good reputation in marine circles. During the winter months he superintends the repair work on several wooden vessels of the Bradley fleet. In June 1897, Captain Mulholland had his wife and daughter Sarah on a trip up the lakes with him. While passing Cleveland on the way down to Buffalo, he made a brief stop off that city, on the 20th, that he might send his passengers ashore on a tug boat. On climbing down a rope ladder from the deck of the Stone to the tug his daughter slipped and fell into the lake, and the Captain, who was looking over the rail to watch her descent, seeing her peril plunged overboard to her rescue. After a short search he brought the young girl to the surface and placed her in the hands of those on the tug. The parting of the father and daughter as the two vessels drew away from each other was one of affection and thankfulness, which will always be remembered by them.

On August 13, 1873, the Captain was married to Miss Elizabeth Ferguson, of Ashtabula, Ohio, and them have been born three children: Harry G., Sarah, and Matthew, who died January 20, 1891. The family home is at No. 437 Wade Park avenue, Cleveland. Socially, Captain Mulholland is a Master Mason and a member of the Royal Arcanum.

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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.