The Ships - A.W. Wright

The schooner A.W. Wright (US 105891) was built by John E. Dixon in East Saginaw in 1880.  Officially enrolled on 27 April 1880 in Port Huron the A.W. Wright was 169" long, 33.25" wide and had a depth of 10.66.  Built of wood she had a gross tonnage of 530.60 and a net tonnage of 507.73.  It seems possible that the A.W. Wright, built as a tow barge for lumber was named for the A.W. Wright Lumber Company of Saginaw.  The owner at the time of enrollment was C. Sager et. al. and the vessel was originally towed by the steamship Glascow. (1)

On 2nd Oct 1915 Lena F. Schramm as administratrix de bonis non (2) of the estate of Thomas F. Madden sold to James H. Madden the guardian of Francis M and Charles L Madden for $1.00 one sixth share in the schooner, A.W. Wright.  The estate owned a 1/4 share with the other 3/4s being owned by William Sharp. Although we only have the one bill of sale, it is assumed that the other 1/12 if the vessel that was owned by the estate was sold to Thomas Madden, who was no longer a minor.  The bill of sale noted that the sale was made with agreement of the probate court.

According to the bill of sale the ship's master was S.T. Williams and the description of the schooner claimed one deck, two masts and plain head and a square stern with dimensions as listed above.  Of interest for those of us without a marine background was the tonnage, the same as that listed above with the added information that, the capacity of the under deck was 507.73 tons and enclosures on the upper deck held another 22.87 giving a total capacity of 530 tons.  So net tonnage as listed in all the books means below deck capacity.

In 1918 the vessel was still owned by Wm Sharp. It is unknown if the Madden brothers, now all of age also still owned 1/4. (3)

The Vessel was abandoned in 1925.
You can find a picture on the  Historical Collections of the Great Lakes website.
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(1) The  Catalog for the Milwaukee County Library gives the following information.  

Official no.105891.
	Barge built in 1880 by E. or John Dixon at East Saginaw, Mich. for C. Sager, et. al., of East Saginaw as a tow barge for the lumber trade.
	First towed by the steamship Glascow, later the J.P. Donaldson. Abandoned in 1925. Last owned by H.N. Jex of Toledo.  (  items in folder : ill., photos. ; 22 x 28 cm.)

(2) DE BONIS NON. This phrase is used in cases where the goods of a deceased person have not all been administered. When an executor or administrator has been appointed, and the estate is not fully settled, and the executor or administrator is dead, has absconded, or from any cause has been removed, a second administrator is appointed to to perform the duty remaining to be done, who is called an administrator de bonis non, an administrator of the goods not administered and he becomes by the appointment the only representative of the deceased. (A Law Dictionary, Adapted to the Constitution and Laws of the United States. By John Bouvier. Published 1856.)  Elizabeth Madden was the original Executrix of her husbands estate.  She died in 1911 

 (3) American Bureau of Shipping, Record of American and Foreign Shipping. New York: 1919 p33