The Islands: Biographies: Wolfe Island Bio 3

Wolfe Island Biographies 3

CRAWFORD
MARINERS OF WOLFE ISLAND

By Chris Morrell

Ezra CRAWFORD, my Great-Great-Grandfather, a mariner from Wolfe Island, was born about 1828 and, from the best information I have found, it appears he was born in Ontario, Canada. His parents were Thomas CRAWFORD and Elizabeth ROURKE about whom nothing can be found. For a variety of reasons, its thought that Ezra (aka Esred, Esery, Izzry, and Israel) was orphaned or abandoned and that Luke CORMIER, a mariner in Kingston, either adopted him or became his guardian and mentor.

In 1843, Ezra was baptized into the Catholic faith at St. Mary�s Church in Kingston with Luke and Mrs. CORMIER as his sponsors.

In 1849, Ezra married Ann O�DONNELL, the daughter of Michael O�DONNELL and Margaret HOWE of Fermanagh, Ireland, at St. Mary�s Roman Catholic Church in Kingston.

Soon after, the young newlyweds moved to Wolfe Island and lived out their lives there. Ezra is listed in the Old Survey of Wolfe and is also shown on the property maps of Marysville on Division Street; second lot from Main Street. The couple is listed on the 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1881 census.

Ezra and Ann had nine children, all born on Wolfe Island: Thomas, John, James, Margaret Jane (Jennie), Emma, Joseph, George, another Joseph, and Francis Michael.

Ezra, thanks to the mentoring of Luke CORMIER, is thought to have sailed the Lakes as early as the age of 18; possibly earlier. He received his Captain�s papers and spent his lifetime sailing the Great Lakes as did many other Islanders of that time.

In 1879, 1880 and 1881, Ezra commanded the BAVARIA, a wood-framed, three-masted schooner, built in 1878 on Garden Island. Later he captained the SIBERIA, also a three-masted schooner. (1,2)

In the 1870s, the BAVARIA and SIBERIA were two of a fleet of seven schooners of the CALVIN & BRECK shipyard of Garden Island. The schooners were known as timber vessels carrying tons of oak and pine to and from Garden Island for the shipping industry. (3)

Daily British Whig, 1881

The schooners Oriental, Capt. A.H. Malone; Bavaria, Capt. Jas. Dix; and Siberia, Capt. Ezra Crawford, which were in tow of the steamer Chieftain and were let off Nicholson's Island on Sunday, reached the Hamilton piers about dusk on Monday night. Yesterday morning the Chieftain started from the beach with the Oriental for the H. & N.W. wharf, but could not reach it on account of the strength of the ice. The Oriental was left out in the ice, and the Chieftain returned to the emigrant wharf. (4)

Ezra died in 1888 at the age of 60. He is buried in the Sacred Heart RC Cemetery on Wolfe with his wife Ann. Ann lived to the ripe old age of 92.

During the 1880s, Ezra�s son Thomas also sailed the Lakes. A 1882 account shows Thomas as Captain of the NORWAY, another of the seven ships of the Calvin & Breck Co.

Daily British Whig, 1882

Departures from Garden Island: Schrs. Bavaria, Capt. Jas. Dix; Point au Sable, Lake Superior, to load pine; Prussia, Capt. Geo. O'Brien, Marquette, do; Oriental, Capt. A. Malone, Erie, ice; Denmark, Capt. Louis Julian, Marquette, to load pine; Siberia, Capt. James Shortt, Marquette, do; Norway, Capt. THOMAS CRAWFORD, Toledo, ice; Anglo Saxon, Capt. James Kennedy, Port Huron, to load oak; str. Chieftan Capt. George Miller; to tow the Oriental, Denmark and Siberia. (5)

In 1884, Thomas purchased and repaired the scow TWO BROTHERS and ventured into business.

Daily British Whig, 1884

The scow Two Brothers is getting a new ceiling, sister kelsons, bilges and undergoing general repairs at Davis'. She is owned by Capt. Thomas CRAWFORD, who intends to use her for the St. Lawrence trade this summer. (6)

No one knows how well the business proceeded but, in 1888, Thomas is found in Muskegon, Michigan having obtained his U.S. citizenship. Thomas� wife Dora SLUMAN, however, refused to leave Canada and the family remained on Wolfe Island while Thomas continued his mariner�s work traveling back and forth to Wolfe on the Lakes.

In the 1890s, Thomas captained a number of ships including the NORWAY and the GRANTHAM, both schooners. Life was not always easy aboard the ships.

Daily British Whig, 1892

The schooner Grantham met with disaster about three o'clock, Sunday morning. She was laying at anchor about half way between Timber Island and Sout Bay when a squall struck up, and the schooner dragged anchor. Upon seeing the situation and its probable result, Capt. CRAWFORD ordered the schooner scuttled as soon as she struck the island. Four or five holes were bored in the bottom and a boat immediately sent off to telegraph the Donnelly Bros. of this city, owners of the craft. The str. Pierrepont and barge City of Kingston went up in the afternoon with a pump and the Donnelly Bros. on board. About 150 tons of coal were removed and the pump applied. A single pump was not sufficient, however, and the water could not be lessened below twenty inches of the bottom. The Pierrepont then took the barge in tow and returned to Kingston. The str. Chieftain and a lighter with two pumps were sent up and are now hard at work. The vessel is worth probably $5,000 and is not insured. She was bound to Toronto with coal. Capt. Allen, of the str. Pierrepont, say that if a strong south wind sets in the Grantham cannot help but in turn out a total wreck. She is beached on the south side of Timber Island. Today's probabilities state a strong wind from the south. Timber Island is about thirty miles from Kingston. (7)

By 1900, Thomas and his brother James CRAWFORD both worked for the BARRY Brothers in Chicago. In 1902, Thomas died of typhoid fever. He is buried in Sacred Heart RC Church Cemetery on Wolfe Island. Following Thomas� death, Dora was remarried to James T. DAVIS, widower of Virginia LaLONDE, also of Wolfe Island.

For years, the connection of Thomas CRAWFORD to either Muskegon or Chicago was a mystery. However, recently, the link was found. (Thanks Pat)

The BARRY Brothers (James, John, Miles, Thomas, Michael and Peter) were the sons of John BARRY who owned a steamboat agency very early on (1857) at Port Hope, Ontario. John, the elder, and his wife Johanna FURLONG, went first to Muskegon and then to Chicago. Both John and Johanna are buried in Chicago, Illinois. (8)

It appears that, in the late 1800s, there was somewhat of family exodus from Wolfe Island to Mukegon, Michigan and then to Chicago. It is thought that John BARRY, the elder, moved his steamboat agency to Muskegon and later his sons, the BARRY Brothers, continued in the shipping industry with a tug business. Later, the BARRY Brothers moved their business, BARRY BROS. TOWING ASSN., to Chicago where they ran a large and profitable tug business for many years.

Thomas BARRY married Ezra CRAWFORD�s daughter, Margaret Jane (Jennie), sister to Thomas and James.

John McAVOY, also a mariner from Wolfe Island, was in Muskegon at the same time as Thomas CRAWFORD. John McAVOY went to work for the BARRY Brothers as well and with his wife, Elizabeth ROGERS, aunt of James� Crawford�s wife Isabella Payne, settled his family in Chicago. (See biography by Pat McAvoy-Costin).

Daily British Whig, 1900

Capt. Thomas CRAWFORD, Wolfe Island, left today for Chicago to take charge of a lake barge for the Barry Bros. Capt. James CRAWFORD, also of Wolfe Island, has started for Cleveland to take command of a vessel for the Davidson Bros. (10)

Although James worked for a time with the Barry Bros., he is best remembered for his service to Wolfe Island having commanded the WOLFE ISLANDER I. James CRAWFORD and his wife Isabella PAYNE, daughter of Robert PAINE/PAYNE and Jane ROGERS remained for a time on Wolfe Island.

From Cosgrove�s Wolfe Island Past & Present

"In 1903, by a vote of the landowners it was decided to secure control of the Ferry and to build their own boat. Thus in 1904 the Thomas Fawcett, later renamed the Steamer Wolfe Islander, was placed on the route. The first crew was Captain James CRAWFORD, Mate Michael O'SHEA, Purser Lloyd CARD, Fireman David STEVENSON, and Engineer Robert TETRO." (11)

Daily British Whig, 1912

CAPT. CRAWFORD RETIRES

Capt. J. Crawford, of the steamer Wolfe Islander has resigned his position and will leave at the end of the month for Prescott, where he has accepted a position as captain of one of the ferry boats running out of that port. Captain Crawford has been in command of the Wolfe Islander for the past five years, and during that time he has done good service and is now leaving to accept a position with more salary, as the island council did not see fit to give him what he asked for. His many friends wish him every success in his new position. His wife will move with him to Prescott and take up residence. (9)

It is also believed that at least one more son of Ezra and Ann, George CRAWFORD was a mariner but no confirmed documentation has yet been found. There is also some faint evidence that another son John CRAWFORD was also a mariner.

Ernest Gilbert Crawford

Ernest Gilbert CRAWFORD (1889-1978), son of Thomas and Grandson of Ezra, played hockey for the 1911 Frontenac County Hockey Championship team (see team photo on photo page for Wolfe) and also was a mariner. He sailed the Great Lakes aboard the steamers Peter White and Herbert Black, and others. After marrying in Duluth, Minnesota, Ernie moved his wife Sadie SAUERS to Escanaba, Michigan where his first child, a son, was born, Ernie Jr. (nicknamed Pat). Soon after, Ernie and his wife moved back to Wolfe Island where their daughter Aileen was born. The two children attended school on Wolfe until about 1932 when Ernie moved the family to Rochester, New York. Ernie worked in Rochester for the Eastman Kodak Company for about 40 years.

Ernest "Ernie" Crawford Jr.

A �HIGH-FIVE� to the following �cousins� who provided information on their families.

Pat McAvoy Costin: Pat�s Great-Grandfather was John McAvoy who was married to Elizabeth Rogers. Elizabeth Rogers was the sister of Jane Rogers, the wife of Robert Payne/Paine, who�s daughter Isabella Paine married my Great-Grand Uncle James Crawford and whose brother Anthony Rogers married Jane O�Donnell, the sister of Ann O�Donnell, Ezra�s wife and my Great-Great Grandmother!!!

Valentine and

Judy Catalano: Judy�s husband Guy�s father Gaetano was married to Loretta Davis the daughter of James Davis and Virginia LaLonde. James Davis was the second husband of my Great Grandmother Dora Sluman, whose first husband was my Great Grandfather Thomas Crawford.

FUN HUH ! Thanks for reading.

Chris Morrell

A very special THANKS to Rick Nielsen for providing the Daily British Whig articles.
______________________________________________________________________
(1) Ship Registrations, Kingston Maritime Museum collections at www.marmus.ca .
(2) Daily British Whig, Kingston Marine, E. Crawford, Captain of the Bavaria, April 16, 1879, p. 3.
(3) From Calvin, D.D. A Saga of the St. Lawrence, Ryerson Press, Toronto, 1945, p. 55-6.
(4) Daily British Whig, Marine Notes, April 21, 1881, p. 3.
(5) Daily British Whig, Latest Marine News, April 18, 1882, p. 3.
(6) Daily British Whig, April 18, 1884, p. 3.
(7) Daily British Whig, Marine Intelligence, October 31, 1892, p.1.
(8) Ontario Register 1780s-1870s, Directory of the Province of Ontario, 1857, p. 34.
(9) Daily British Whig, April 19, 1900, p. 6.
(10) Daily British Whig, Oct. 10, 1912 p.2.
(11) Cosgrove, W.M. Wolfe Island Past and Present, Cosgrove, 1973, p. 57.

The Islands: Biographies: Wolfe Island Bio 3

Wolfe Island Biographies 3

CRAWFORD MARINERS OF WOLFE ISLAND

Chris Morrell

CRAWFORD
MARINERS OF WOLFE ISLAND