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History of the Great Lakes
Illustrated, In Two Volumes, Vol. II
Chicago, J. H. Beers & Co., 1899
[215-216]
CAPTAIN FOWLER J. PRESTON (deceased), late of St. Joseph,
Mich. The death of CAPT. FOWLER PRESTON, at Chicago,
February 4, 1896, closes the career of a lake captain whose
name is a household word in every port on the Great Lakes,
as he was favorably known to every man who sailed in any
capacity on the great inland seas for the past thirty years.
FOWLER PRESTON was born April 30, 1844, in St. Joseph,
Mich. His father, for whom he was named, died six months
before FOWLER, JR., was born, consequently his trials began
at an early age, and while other boys of his age were grow-
ing up in the lap of luxury, this youth cast about him to
make a path for himself. As the tastes of our subject lay in
the direction of the water, he shipped at the age of
thirteen years, first on the Jupiter, a small trading vessel
out of St. Joseph. He was cabin boy on the schooner Free-
mason, the vessel being engaged in the fishing trade along
the St. Joseph shore. After sailing two seasons on the
Freemason, he bought an interest in the schooner Black Hawk,
and sailed on her for a time, and in 1859 he went to Cleve-
land and bought the schooner Cousin Mary. and as captain
sailed her between St. Joseph and Chicago, until the year
1862, when the roll of the drum and flashing of the sword
and bayonet proved too much for the patriotic blood of young
FOWLER PRESTON, and he enlisted as an able seaman in the
naval service of his country. He was consigned to the United
States steamship Stars and Stripes, which was stationed off
Cape Hatteras, watching and giving battle to blockade run-
ners. While engaged in this service with shipmates, of whom
CAPT. JAMES PAXTON and JOHN GOODAL, of St. Joseph, were two,
the Stars and Stripes succeeded in capturing a schooner
loaded with arms, which had undertaken to run the blockade
and deliver her cargo to the Rebels; and he was among the
number of his shipmates who were put aboard the vessel to
take her to New York City as a prize. Before reaching that
port, however, a great storm arose on the Atlantic, and the
vessel was cast upon the uninhabited island and became a
total wreck. SEAMAN PRESTON endured great hardships and
privations on that island before being rescued, and many
times climbed the spars of their broken vessel in order to
see if help was at hand, which finally came, and all were
taken to New York City.
At New York, SEAMAN PRESTON was, among others quartered
upon the mailship Columbia, plying between New York City
and Havana, in order to defend the ship should she be
attacked by Rebel privateers
in Southern waters. On this ship CAPT. EDW. NAPIER, well
known at St. Joseph, was one of his shipmates. He was
employed on this ship until the expiration of his term of
service in 1864. He returned to St. Joseph and became
interested in the schooner Fish Hawk, which traded between
St. Joseph, Chicago and Milwaukee, engaged in the wood-
carrying traffic. In 1872 he purchased the propeller Sky-
lark, which he cut down and fitted out as a barge, and went
into the lumber trade from Manistee to Michigan City, and
was engaged on that vessel for about five years. He then
sold a half-interest in the Skylark to ROBERT RICABY, and
the following year a quarter-interest to CAPT. H. W.
WILLIAMS, and they fitted her out with an upper cabin, and
put her in the passenger traffic between that port and Chi-
cago. After this first season, however, he sold his remain-
ing interest to CAPTAIN WILLIAMS. His next marine venture
was to purchase the hull of a barge at Saginaw, which he had
towed to St. Joseph, leaving Saginaw just a few days after
the great Alpena storm. He fitted out this hull with the
machinery, and named the boat the A. H. Morrison, in honor
of one of St. Joseph's most prominent men, and ran her in
the lumber business between Grand Haven and Chicago, for two
seasons, and then sold her to Welland Bros. He next built
the tug Jennie King at New Richmond, and ran her one season
in the St. Joseph port as a ferry and towing steamer, and
then sold her to local parties.
In 1886 he built the well-known lumber carrier, Maud
Preston, at W. A. Preston's yards, and named her in honor of
his only niece, the daughter of his only brother. He owned
that steamer about three years, and carried lumber between
Ludington, Manistee and St. Joseph. It was during his owner-
ship of the Maud Preston, and in an endeavor to increase her
speed by substituting a larger wheel, that the chains of the
lifts parted, pinning him to the earth between two of the
buckets, and severing his right thumb so that amputation
was necessary. He sold her to CAPTAIN BRADLEY, of Muskegon,
and then bought the steamer Seymour in 1892, carrying lumber
about the different lake ports, and much of it for the
Graves Lumber Company, of Benton Harbor, selling her after
an ownership of about two years, and before completing an
overhauling of her at South Haven, to the Sheboygan, Wis.,
Chair Company. The steamer Imperial was his next purchase,
which he sold after one season to Manitowoc parties, and
then started his pride at Ludington, the steamer Visitor,
which he completed at Heath's shipyards, intending her for
the lake front excursion business at Chicago. He also owned
an interest in the tug Sanford at the time of his death. But
the Visitor he considered the best boat he had ever owned,
and it proved to be the last one he was ever interested in.
On August 20, 1883, at Milwaukee, CAPTAIN PRESTON was
married to MISS MAY TALMAGE, of New Richmond, who survives
him.
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