Archive for the ‘Steamer Captains’ Category

Civil War Pension of Samuel Clemens Lyon

Friday, October 15th, 2021

Accidentally found an interesting bit of Georgetown history this evening.  The Georgetown Lyon men were listed as steamboat engineers on many of the Poe family steamers.  According to an ancestry.com hint, Samuel C Lyon’s wife, Louisa Long (b1842-d1914), was awarded a survivors pension for his Civil War service.  The pension was awarded by the Senate and House of Representatives of the USA for his service as assistant engineer on the ram TD Horner which is listed in the Dictionary of Transports and Combatant Vessels, Union Army, 1861-1868 compiled by Charles Dana Gibson and E Kay Gibson reproduced in 1995.  The pension, approved by Congress on 8 Mar 1904, paid Louisa a pension at the rate of $12 per month.

To the best of my knowledge, none of the Georgetown captains received pensions for their service as captains, pilots,  and owners of civilian transports.  They received zero compensation for the loss of their boats – str Clara Poe and Str Horizon.  So, I was surprised to see this official notice of a pension.

In the Gibsons dictionary, the sternwheeler TD Horner was purchased by Charles Ellet on 18 May 1862 at Pittsburg(h) for inclusion in the Ellet Ram Fleet.  That ram fleet became part of the Mississippi Marine Brigade which served in the Red River Expedition in the spring of 1864.  The TD Horner was last located at Louisville on 30 Jun 1865.  No other details on the actions of the TD Horner were listed.

Before today I had assumed that Samuel C Lyon was an engineer during the Civil War on one of the Georgetown steamers commanded by Jacob Poe or Thomas W Poe or George W Ebert.  These Georgetown men were Union men.  Their beliefs were deeply felt.

 

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Lifetime Experiences

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

Had they lived so extraordinarily long, today they would be::

Captain Age today
George Washington Ebert 206
Richard Calhoon 199
Thomas S Calhoon 186
John S McMillin 203
Jacob Poe 207
Adam Poe 204
Jackman T Stockdale 192

This list names a few of the Georgetown steamboat captains.  Many of them steamed to destinations as far away as Ft Benton.in the Montana Territory.  Think of their lifetime events which most people of their day rarely experienced.

The younger generation, Millennials and GenY conscripts of the Tri-State area, probably never heard of any of the Georgetown steamboat captains.  These men, our ancestors, had wild and dangerous experiences as they opened the west for settlement.  They worked along the edges of the frontier as it moved westward.

Throughout my life, I have had a series of memorable lifetime events that most people rarely experience.  I have few regrets.  That said the COVID-19  pandemic sure has everything “balled-up”.  The global pandemic is showing no signs of abatement, while the future prognosis for the plague is daunting.  Life as we once knew it is held firmly within the grip of this lethal virus with much of business and  industry being no exception, especially our local Carlisle restaurants, shops, and schools.

Who knows what the future holds for any of us?   My presentation to the Beaver Historical Society next week has been cancelled.  Hang on for the ride.

 

 

 

 

 

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Georgetown SB Genealogy

Saturday, June 6th, 2020

 

Even with Ancestry.com and Family Tree Maker 2019 research tools, I have never spent time dedicated to my family.  The following seven documents, some hand-written,  provide information about the Georgetown families involved with the river transportation business with a minor foray into the Nash family.  To date, my FTM-2019 tree has more than 3,800 names.  I hope to affirm and add more details to my story.

 

Family Genealogist Date
Lyon George D Lyon 1940
Shearer Dr Ray and Jean Thurow 1996
Zeb Kinsey Dr Ray and Jean Thurow 1996
Barnabas Madison Poe Unknown Unknown modern
Agnes Nancy Thompson DianaWiggins ca 2001
Calhoon and Poe Alexander C McIntosh 1972
George Jacob Poe Jess R Finley ca 1980
Trimble Uknnown Unknown old

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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River Report 25 Feb 1862

Monday, June 1st, 2020

Pittsburgh Daily Post · 25 Feb 1862, Tue · Page 3

On 25 Feb 1862, six steamboats arrived at the Port of Pittsburgh and five departed.  The str Citizen commanded by Capt Richard Calhoon arrived from Mt Vernon, IN.  Capt Jackman T Stockdale aboard the str Horizon departed for Cairo, IL.

In a special bullet in the report, the str Clara Poe was also leaving for Cairo, IL  with intermediate stops at Cincinnati, and Louisville.  Jonathan Parr was te first clerk on the trip.

The fall of Nashville was taking place as these Georgetown packets were transporting supplies and passengers.  It is unknown whether any were under government contract.

 

The str Clara Poe would end in flames on the Cumberland River at the end of the Civil War.  The str Horizon would be sunk after colliding with the str Moderator while running the Vicksburg batteries at night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Georgetown Captains 1845-1850

Saturday, May 9th, 2020

The Pittsburgh Daily Post printed a column daily called the River Intelligence for the Port of Pittsburgh.  From 1845 to 1850 the daily reports included the river condition and listed the steamers arrivals and departures.

The following news clips focus on the Georgetown captain, Richard Calhoon, and his boats.  In the report dated 12 Feb 1845, the steamer Cleveland arrived at the Port of Pittsburgh from Wellsville, OH.  The river channel had four feet of water.  The str Cleveland was built in 1840 in Freedom, PA and dismantled in 1846.  [1]

Figure 1 Pittsburgh Daily Post · 12 Feb 1845, Wed · Page 3


Also listed the str Columbiana  arrived from Louisville. The str Columbiana built in Wellsville, OH in 1843 was commanded by Capt Jesse Smith who resided who resided opposite Georgetown in Smiths Ferry.  [2]

 

Figure 2 The Pittsburgh Gazette · 31 Mar 1845, Mon · Page 3.

 

The str Cleveland was a regularly scheduled packet serving Pittsburgh and Wellsville with daily runs.

 

 

 

 

In 1848, Captain Calhoon was the master of the str Cinderella operating between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.  Note that Calhoon is misspelled in the ad.

Figure 3 Pittsburgh Daily Post · 16 Nov 1848, Thu · Page 3

 

 

On 2 Nov 1848, the channel depth in Pittsburgh was five feet.  The packets Hudson and Euphrates arrived at te wharf from Wheeling and Cincinnati respectively.  Capt Richard Calhoon owned the str Euphrates and the Hudson was a Poe family boat.  It is unclear which Poe brother was the captain on this trip.

Figure 4 Pittsburgh Daily Post · 2 Nov 1848, Thu · Page 3.

 

 

Figure 5 Pittsburgh Daily Post 7 May 1849, Mon · Page 3.

On 7 May 1849 the river was rising.  The Port of Pittsburgh was full of boats arriving and departing.  Georgetown steamboat captains were taking advantage of the rise on the Ohio River.

Arrivals               Master                 Destination

Tuscarora            Poe                        Cincinnati

Cinderella            Calhoon               Sunnfish

Caledonia            Calhoon               Wheeling

               Departures       Master                 Destination

Euphrates           Calhoon               Nashville

Hudson                McMillen             Bridgeport

Tuscarora            Poe                        Cincinnati

 

Three Calhoon captains were active on that day.  No doubt Richard and Joseph MC commanding boats.  The third brother is unknown.  John had drown in Marietta in 1846.

 

Figure 6 The Pittsburgh · 10 May 1849, Thu · Page 3

On 10 May 1849, Captain Calhoon aboard the str Cinderella arrived from Wheeling.  Also, in the report, the str Hudson arrived from and departed to Bridgeport (opposite Wheeling in OH).  The str Hudson  was commanded by Capt John Smith McMillen.  His surname was misspelled in both line entries.

The river was rising from 10 to 16 feet .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References.



[1]  Way, Frederick Jr, Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994, p101.

[2]  Way, Frederick Jr, Way’s Packet Directory, 1848-1994, p106

 

 

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A Fine Tribute

Wednesday, May 6th, 2020

Capt George W Ebert was the principal investor in the str Yorktown in 1865 before the end of the Civil War.  Before that Capt Jacob Poe, Ebert’s brother-in-law had built and operated the str Yorktown.

In the news column River Matters dated 27 Jan 1865 from the Pittsburgh Daily Commerce, there was a fine tribute to the “officer and gentleman” George W Ebert.

 

 


The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial· 27 Jan 1865, Fri · P4.

 

 

 

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Pilot Jacob Poe

Saturday, April 11th, 2020

Jacob Poe with Str Belmont Card (Anna L and John F Nash Collection)

Few steamboatmen traveled farther or as wide-ranging or on as many rivers as Capt Jacob Poe.  In 1837, Capt Jacob steamed to Olean, NY on the Allegheny River; in 1848 Chillicothe, OH on the Scioto River; in 1849 Ft Des Moines on the Des Moines River; in 1851 Warsaw MO on the Osage River; in 1854 Ft Riley on the Kansas River.  During the Civil War, Capt Jacob Poe was transporting troops and supplies on the Red River, White River, Yazoo River, and of course the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. After the Civil War he was on the furious upper Missouri River making several trips to Ft Benton in the Montana Territory.  He spent his life steaming on the sharp edge of a constantly moving American frontier.  Few steamboatmen are gifted to read the waters of one river, fewer exceed the scope of Jacob Poe’s travels.

From the details available, Capt Jacob Poe was often described as the pilot.  He seemed to favor work in the pilot house more than the packet  management position of the master or captain.   He preferred to read the waters rather than count the money.  He not only drove the boats and shared their ownership with his brothers, he often watched over the construction of new family boats.  No doubt his ideas were the foundation of the Poe favored mid-sized sternwheel design.

In 1837, Jacob Poe was hired for his first command – the captain and first pilot of the str Beaver No 2.  That same year he was the pilot of the str New Castle which was one of two boats ever that went up the Allegheny River to Olean, NY.

Jacob Poe’s last US Inspection Certificate was dated 1 Dec 1890.  It was his fifteenth masters license and thirty-second pilots license for the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers.  In total, fifty-three years working on the Ohio River as a steamboat pilot.  (The Steamboat Act of 1852 established in law for the first time, the license certification process for pilots, engineers, and vessels.)

The following table summarizes a few newsclips by date indicating that Jacob Poe was often employed as a pilot.  His son, George WE Poe, quit business school in Pittsburgh to serve the Union during the Civil War as a cub pilot.  After the Civil War, together the father and son team worked as pilots on some Poe family owned boats and other boats of business partners centered around Pittsburgh.  Without certain proof, Jacob Poe was assisting the development of his son’s career on the river.

 

Steamboat officer: Pilot Jacob Poe

Date Officer Steamer Name Destination Note
13 Nov 1855 Master Clifton Nashville

1

31 Oct 1864 Master Yorktown Cincinnati

2

25 Jan 1869 Pilot Sallie Louisville

3

01 May 1869 Pilot with son Argosy Cincinnati

3

20 Jan 1871 Pilot with son Glencoe New Orleans

3

23 Feb 1871 Pilot with son Silver Lake No4 Cincinnati

3

02 Mar 1871 Pilot with son Brill Cincinnati

3

09 Apr 1873 Pilot EH Dufee Ft Benton

3

18 May 1874 Pilot AJ Baker St Louis

2

15 Apr 1877 Pilot Carrie Brooks Zanesville

4

26 Nov 1878 Master John D Sully New Orleans

4

 
 

 

 

Notes:

1. The Pittsburgh Daily Post, p3

2. The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, p4.

3. The Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette, p3.

4. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, p3.

 

 

 

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Nepotism without Corruption

Sunday, April 5th, 2020

The Poe family, brothers and sisters, shared the profits and risks of the river transportation business.  Not only did they share ownership, they worked with and for each other.  In the news column for boats departing the Port of Pittsburgh on 18 May 1874, the tug AJ Baker owned by Thomas Poe left for St Louis carrying 100 tons of goods manufactured in Pittsburgh.  More significantly, the pilots were Thomas Poe’s brother Jacob Poe and Jacob’s son, George WE Poe.

 

Tug AJ Baker (The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial dated 18 May 1874, p3.

 

 

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A Note to Thomas Poe

Friday, March 13th, 2020

 

Dear Uncle Thomas

 

Not much of a paper trail. No photo.

This will be a long quiet weekend and I bought snacks.

 

Your researching nephew

 

 

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Captain John Smith McMillin

Thursday, November 7th, 2019

Long overdue biography of Capt John Smith McMillin added.

 

 

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