| Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
| Creator: | Wilson, Thomas |
| Title: | Thomas Wilson Papers |
| Dates: | 1866-1889 |
| Extent: | 0.10 linear feet (1 container) |
| Abstract: | Thomas Wilson emigrated to the United States from Scotland in 1854. He began his career in shipping as a ship boy at the age of sixteen, and by the age of twenty was a captain. He left New York City in 1867 for the Great Lakes, where he invested in the shipping industry and eventually owned and operated the Wilson Marine Transit Company, based in Cleveland, Ohio. The company specialized in bulk cargo shipping on the Great Lakes. By the time of Wilson's death in 1900, the company's fleet included 17 steamers, two sailing ships, and a barge. The collection consists of correspondence, publications, and legal documents relating to Wilson's career in the shipping industry. Included are articles of co-partnership of the Cleveland Block Company, articles of agreement between Thomas Wilson and his wife Mary (from whom he borrowed money to build his first ship), and a pamphlet published by the Wilson Marine Transit Company. |
| MS Number | MS 4612 |
| Location: | closed stacks |
| Language: | The records are in English |
Thomas Wilson (1848-1900) arriving in 1854 in New York City from Fifeshire, Scotland, began his career as a "ship boy" at the age of sixteen and, by the age of twenty, had become a captain. Leaving New York City for the Great Lakes in 1867, Wilson invested in the shipping industry and eventually owned and operated the Wilson Marine Transit Company, based in Cleveland, Ohio, and incorporated in March 1890. The company, specializing in bulk cargo shipping, was a pioneer in the use of safety equipment on the Great Lakes. The Wilson fleet's forerunner was the Steamer D.M. Wilson, named after Wilson's son, which had a wooden hull and could carry 750 gross tons of cargo. By the time of Wilson's death, the fleet included seventeen steamers, two sailing ships, and one barge. The company's vessels were characterized by black hulls, a white superstructure, and a large "W" painted on the stacks.
The Thomas Wilson Papers, 1866-1989, 1965, consist of correspondence, publications, and legal documents relating to Wilson's career in the shipping industry.
This collection may be of interest to scholars studying the shipping industry in Cleveland and on the Great Lakes. Wilson's papers include articles of co-partnership of the Cleveland Block Company, articles of agreement between Thomas Wilson and his wife Mary (from whom he borrowed $40,000 to build his first ship), and one pamphlet published by the Wilson Marine Transit Company.
None.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4612 Thomas Wilson Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Donald Groves, 1984
Processed by Rebecca M. Johnson in 1992