GREEN, Alonzo H.

GREEN, WHITNEY, TITUS, SILSBY

Posted By: Marcia Whitney Green (email)
Date: 8/30/2002 at 21:54:55

Alonzo H Green

ALONZO H GREEN, son of Daniel Hopkins GREEN and Mary Ann LOCKWOOD, was born 23 Apr. 1834 in Lake County, Ohio. His father and uncles Godfrey and Jeremiah F. all owned and captained vessels on Lake Erie. Mary Ann Lockwood's uncles built ships at Fairport. And Alonzo's uncle James McAdams was a lighthouse keeper there.

Alonzo was born in a house on the shores of Lake Erie at Mentor Headlands. He married Sarah Janet TITUS(her parents were John Hall TITUS and Angeline MILLER), on 11 June 1856, there in Lake County. Alonzo had been a cabin boy on his father's ships, and eventually he was the managing owner or captain of three ships of his own, the Mountain Maid, C. Rich and a schooner Crenoline.

John Hall TITUS, Alonzo's father-in-law ran a sawmill in Mentor. But he sold it and his timberland in Wisconsin in order to buy land in Iowa, where it was his dream to have his home surrounded by fields farmed by each of his children. By 1862, he had a good start on this dream. Alonzo, however, didn't like farming, so after a few years in Buchanan Co., Iowa, in the early 1870's he made plans to move to Clear Lake, Iowa--back to water. Here he and his brother Edwin E. Green started the first boat line. They also built sailboats and iceboats.

Alonzo and Nettie had a daughter Jennie born in Mentor, before they moved to Iowa and had three more daughters Mary Angeline, Georgeanna, and
Ruth. Ruth was the first of the girls to be born in Clear Lake.

Jennie married E.D. Babcock and lived in St. Paul, MN. Lina married Charles Silsby (of Silsby's Restaurant and Hotel in Clear Lake). Georgie worked for Silsby's and became Mrs. George Barkdoll. Ruth married Eugene H. Whitney and raised 10 children in Clear Lake.

As a 70-year old widower, Alonzo built a houseboat which he sailed down the Mississippi, from McGregor, Iowa, to Belmont, Mo. This voyage was from the 12th of Oct. 1904 to Nov. 28th. A year later, he built another boat (the Tramp) and sailed with his brother Ed from McGregor all the way to New Orleans. They left on the 28th of Oct. and arrived on Jan. 12., 1906. The end of February, they sold the Tramp and traveled home to Iowa by train.

Alonzo H Green died in Clear Lake on 6 July 1925, active and sailing the lake to the end.

Picture of Alonzo H Green
 

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