Family - Elizabeth Silbereisen

22 Feb 1859 Bay City, MI - 19 Jan 1911

Elizabeth Silbereisen was the daughter of Martin Silbereisen and Catherine Resch immigrants from Bavaria.  Her father died when she was a year old and her mother married John Martin Schramm.

Little is known about Elizabeth's early years.  Her father and her step-father were brew masters so it is likely that she spent time in the brewery.

She was married on 18 Oct 1882 to Thomas Francis Madden.  The information on the wedding date comes from the bible that belonged to Merril Rowe (a descendant of Elizabeth's sister Mary).  There is a gap of nearly ten years between the marriage and the birth of the first known child of Thomas and Elizabeth.

Thomas's death certificate lists four children, three still living.  This was filled in by Elizabeth who would know with certainty,  so it is probable that there was an infant or stillbirth  in those early years.

When Thomas died in 1903, Elizabeth was left with three children, the youngest just four years old, and a shipping company to run.  She left the day to day operations of the business to her brother in law Michael Lynn.

Among the items found about life in those days was this notice in the Bay City Times announcing the family trip on the lakes on the Lizzie Madden in 1906.

Eliza's sister, Mary, her husband Michael Linn (Lynn) and their two daughters were living with Eliza in 1910.  By that time Elizabeth had already been diagnosed with uterine cancer, she succumbed on 19 Jan 2011 and was buried in St. Patricks's Cemetery in Bay City.

Picture taken by Jane Madden Marqueling

The Ships - The Lizzie Madden

The Chenango, was originally built with two decks in 1887 by J. Oades & Frontier Iron Works for Cameron and Whitney. 175' long, 34' wide and with a depth of 13' and built of wood, the Chenango had a gross tonnage of 938.

On 11 April 1890 bound from Detroit to Buffalo with a cargo of wheat a fire was discovered next to her boiler as she approached Long Point on Lake Erie.  Passing steamers Eber Ward and Majestic towed her to the entrance to Erie (PA).  There she sat for two months before she was finally towed to

Buffalo. Insured for $55,000, it was estimated that the cost of salvage and rebuild would come to $46,000.

James Davidson a shipbuilder from Bay City purchased her and eliminating the second deck readied her for the lumber trade.  She was outfitted with a steeple compound engine.  Thomas F. Madden and partners purchased her in 1891 and she was reregistered as the Lizzie Madden (US 126431 - J Davidson Hull #44).

23 Nov 1907 Bay City Tribune

From 1891 to 1907 the Lizzie Madden worked throughout the Great Lakes with a variety of Captains and her comings and goings were reported in various newspapers including the Tonawanda News and the Door County Advocate.

• 13 May 1893 (DCA)...  the steambarge Lizzie Madden was on it's way to Menominee to load lumber.
• 1894 - Captain William Tomlin (8 Mar 1894 Marine Record p3)
• 16 Jun 1894 .(DCA).. the Lizzie Madden was again on its way north. 
• 14 Jul  1894 (DCA) .. the Captain was having trouble with the crew over wages.  
• 26 Jan 1895 ..(DCA). The Lizzie Madden wintered over in Buffalo.
• 1895 winter mooring JB Ketham (10 Jan 1895 p8 Marine Record)
• 1897- 22 Apr - John Cowan had secured the Lizzie Madden and Noquebay for hauling lumber from Menominee to Buffalo at $1.25 per 1000 feet, one of the lowest rates ever reported. ( 22 April 1897 Marine Record)
• (DCA) Towards the end of the season she ran on Strawberry Island in the Niagara River.
• 1898 Wintered in Buffalo
• 1899-1900 Captain MJ Madden  Port Huron, MI   chief engineer, George H Charlton. 
• 25 Mar 1899 ..(DCA).  the Lizzie Madden was in for repairs.  
• 22 Jul 1899 ....(DCA)  she ran ashore on Sand Island.
• 24 Nov 1900 (DCA)... she was badly scorched by fire. 
• 28 Dec 1901 .(DCA).. she wintered at Milwaukee.
• 1901-1902 Captain D. Elliott and Casey Cuthbert took over as chief engineer. 
• 1903 JM Lynn is listed as manager (1903 Blue Book of American Shipping:   Statistics of Shipping and Ship Building in America. Lists of Ship Owners, Ship, Engine and Boiler Builders, Naval Architects, Vessel Masters, and members of various organizations made up from the Navy and Merchant Marine. Particulars of American and Canadian Steam and Sail vessels with names and addresses of owners. Cleveland OH: Marine Review Publishing Co. 1903  p176)
• 1905 - William J. Lynn ( MJ Lynn (manager) also on board Helped in Salvage of the Siberia. Buffalo Evening News 27 Nov 1905)
• 20 May 1905 ... she found the body of the captain of the steamer H.B. Hawgood.
• 1905 Nov 16. - Complaint was made against steamer LIZZIE MADDEN for being navigated from Duluth to Tonawanda with a fireman acting as second engineer.  Matter investigated November 27 and license of Wm. J. Lynn, master, suspended for 15 days.  Case also referred to the U. S. District  attorney and collector of customs for the imposition of penalties incurred.  REPORT OF THE STEAMBOAT INSPECTION SERVICE CASUALTIES, VIOLATIONS OF LAW, AND INVESTIGATIONS YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,  1905 NINTH SUPERVISING DISTRICT LOCAL DISTRICT OF CLEVELAND, OHIO pg 387
• 1907 Captain Ralph Pringle.

 
On 22 Nov 1907 the Madden left Bay City for Little Current, Ontario where a cargo of lumber was waiting.  Just as she cleared the river a fire was discovered.  Spreading rapidly the crew soon gave up fighting it and took to the life boats.  The crew was picked up by the Langell Boys and taken to East Tawas.  The burning Lizzie Madden came to a rest on Little Charity Island in Saginaw Bay.  On December 12 the werck was purchased and her engine and boiler were retrieved by Bay City Wreckage and Salvage Company.

Read more:

• Sounds of Disaster: Tawas Point and Vessels Gone By 
• Beeson's Marine Directory of the Northwestern Lakes Vessels lost in 1907  

Family: Thomas F. Madden

(22 Feb 1854 Albany, NY - 24 Feb 1903 Bay City, MI)

Shipping was important in the lives of my Madden ancestors.  It has also led to interesting ancestry questions. This is the first of many postings about Thomas F Madden, his siblings and descendants, and some undetermined connections involved in shipping and lumbering on the Great Lakes.

Growing up near the docks of Albany, NY the sons of James Madden worked in various jobs, eventually owning vessels that were involved in the lumber shipping business in the Great Lakes. My father knew little about his family beyond the names of his grandparents and that they had lived in Bay City. I was fortunate to find help from a few of  his cousins who knew a bit more.  They have been instrumental in gathering information on the vessels owned by Thomas F. Madden, my great-grandfather.   No one, however, had information on the brothers of Thomas, beyond where they were living at the time of his death in 1903.  I spent years searching for more.  Finally, as more and more records and newspapers have become available online, I discovered that not only did Thomas maintain contact with his brothers throughout his life,  but that he was often working in partnership with his brothers and his brother-in-law.

James, the youngest brother, lived in Ashland (WI), Duluth (MN) and finally in Chicago.  He was the land based partner in the lumber shipping business.  John, a pilot,  lived in Tonawanda, near Buffalo NY, for many years.  There he married Dora Strong.  Dora's sister, Isabella, married Michael Madden of Saginaw, Michigan.  He was also a pilot on the Lakes.  This is one of those "interesting ancestry questions."  Is Michael related?  But that's a posting of it's own best left for another day.

Thomas, the oldest son of James Madden and Anna Fitzsimmons,  was born in Albany (NY) in 1854.  He left Albany sometime in the 1870s and lived in Bay City (MI) from 1880 on.  The 1880 census states that he was born in Canada. The information was most likely given by his landlord, leaving the possibility that Thomas had lived in Canada for a period of time.

Thomas married Elizabeth Silbereisen in Bay City on the 12 Oct 1882.(1)
In 1886 his occupation was listed as lumber inspector and he was living at 223 Monroe Street.(2)

Thomas was involved in the lumber trade, shipping lumber throughout the Great Lakes.  Over the years he owned a number of vessels and these will each have its own posting.  In 1901 he owned or was the manager of a three vessels, the steamer the Lizzie Madden, and the two schooner-barges the Mautenee and the Noquebay.  He also belonged to a number organizations and associations that were involved in the trade, including the Elks Bay City Lodge #88 and the Lake Carriers Association (3) 

Thomas died at the age of 49 leaving three young sons.  Elizabeth died eight years later on 19 January 1911 at the age of 52.

They had three know children, Thomas James born in 1892, Francis Martin born in 1896 and Charles Lewis born in 1899.  According to Thomas' death certificate he had 4 children and three were living.

It seems probable that there was another child born in the ten years before Thomas James was born, but to date no information has been found.  The certificate also states he was first married at age 29, the age when he married Elizabeth so it is unlikely there was an earlier marriage.

Their three sons inherited their father's share of the shipping business.  Their Aunt Lena Schramm served as Adx. of the estate, and their Uncle Michael Lynn ran the company.  The estate was not settled for many years as Charles was only 11 when his mother died.  Starting with the purchase of the AW Wright for $1.00 from their parents estate, the brothers were in partnership for many years shipping fruit and later cars.  But again that is another story. 

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1. Copied by Kitty (Lynn) Schwall, from the Family Bible of Thomas and Elizabeth Madden which was in the possession of Aunt Lena Schramm, in letter to Carl Madden and family 8/6/1951. 
2.  Madden Thomas F, lumber inspector 8 Watson block, res 223 S Monroe: Bay City Directory 1886-7. R.L. Polk & Co
3. Marine Review 16 Jan 1896 p. 7 -  Thomas Madden attended the meeting of the Lake Carrier's Association.