CREDITS AND QUERIES
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New Query Added
08/29/08

08/28/08
Of particular interest to us is the Steamer Vigo which is noted in the advertisment which appeared in the Vanceburg (KY) Courier December 7, 1881. We already have information and photos the the Handy and Handy No. 2, but would welcome information on the W. T.(P.) Thompson.

The T. B. Hoobler who is noted as the Master of the Vigo was Thomas Benton Hoobler of Lewis Co., KY. He was murdered in 1897 when a man in disguise knocked on the door of his Vanceburg home. When Hoobler answered the call, the man through a bottle of acid in Hoobler's face, causing his death shortly thereafter. Hoobler's great-granddaughter, Marianne Jeanne Hoobler, is the wife of football great, Roger Staubach.

In 1876 when Capt. Hoobler went to Louisville for the summer to put in a portion of the dyke at the falls for which he had recieved a contract, Capt. Bagby (James Thomson Bagby - brother-in-law of John McAllister, builder of the Fannie Dugan) took over command of the Vigo.

Best regards,
Dan Dunham
dmd4yrls@sbcglobal.net
See advertisment that came with this query

10/26/07
Working on a prospective film project, we are inquiring about information on the steamboat Governor Allen, captained and co-owned by John G. Benson (New Orleans) c 1870s –late 1870s. He was the captain named in the case Decuir v Benson, later overturned by US Supreme Court as Hall v Decuir. Any information would be helpful. If any photographs of the boat are available, this would be of interest, as well.

Thanking you in advance for your consideration to my request, I am,

Sincerely,
Julie Eshelman-Lee
Director
CREOLE WEST PRODUCTIONS
director@creolewest.com

11/19/07

Was looking for details on Riverboat Fontenelle, your site should have given me the needed data.

There is a gap between F Page 1 and F Page 2. (Fl to Fo)
It leaves off at Flying EAGLE and starts at FOREST CITY. The FONTENELLE is missing.
(I have since entered the FONTENELLE - Dave.)

The Riveboat Fontenelle was the boat that was at Carroll Landing on September 23, 1877 when the Nez Perce attacked Cow Island, on the upper Missouri. Captain Baldwin, 5th US Infantry was aboard and sensed something was wrong and had the Captain _________ turn around and go back. The Fontenelle then transported the Army of the Yellowstone across the Missouri and they headed off to capture the Nez Perce at Snake Creek "The Bears Paw".

I am looking for the name of that boat's captain.

There were two other steamers there at the time. Steamer Peninah, captained by Captain William Kountz, had just off loaded freight at Cow Island and was heading downriver. The steamer Benton, captained by Captain Grant Marsh (of Far West fame), just left Cow Island Landing and was hailed my General Oliver Howard to carry him and 100 of Major Mason's 21st Infantry to Cow Island to relieve the besieged.

I got my information from Nez Perce Summer - 1877 by Jerome A. Green. I forget the page but is written about during the Sept 19 through 28th, 1877 time period.

I NEED THE NAME OF THE CAPTAIN OF THE STEAMER FONTENELLE.

Thank you for your attention and help.
Lee R. Williams
Author, Nez Perce Series, Book III, Waves of Blue
Hesperia, CA

See Capt. John H. Shaw - Dave

12/04/07

My Grandfather Robert Franklin Myers was the Captain on the Gordon C. Green in 1922 and on the General Woods in 1920 he ran from Pittsburgh to New Orleans as he met and married my Grandmother in Huntington W Va and took her on board for their honeymoon in New Orleans- for a time she was the cook on the boats so they wouldn't be apart-but when the kids started coming she stayed home with them-pls direct me as to where I can get the historyon these wonderful vessels.

Thanks for your help,
Nancy M. Smith
Miami

12/31/07

Hello,
I am George Summers Dudding. My great grandfather was Captain James Benton Dudding of the steamer Telephone. My grandfather George Summers Dudding was clerk on the steamer Telephone. In one of your entries I notices that James B. Dudding was incorrectly listed as James L. Dudding (middle initial wrong) (corrected, Dave)
James B. Dudding owned the Kanawha Valley Packet Line. Prior to owning the Telephone he also owned the steamer West Virginia. I have the original picture of the steamer West Virginia in my possession. My cousin has the original picture of the steamer Telephone in his possession. My great grandfather traded the steamer West Virginia for the Telephone. I am trying to figure out if it is the same West Virginia you list. The date on yours is 1829 and I didn't think his was that old. If I can help on anything let me know. The site is an excellent source. Thanks for the work you have done on it. I am going to look up some information on the West Virginia. (1871 WEST VIRG. entered - Dave)

Thanks,
George S. Dudding

01/14/08

Greetings from Norfolk County on the north shores of Lake Erie, Canada! Your web site is now on my favorites list! I discovered it while researching a newly aquired treasure. I have long had an interest in anything antique and so I attend a lot of auctions. Recently I purchased a box lot which included a collection of Victorian ladies fans.One of these was covered from one end to the other on the back with signatures. Some where accompanied by locations such as Memphis, New Orleans and Council Bluffs. There are several dates as well from July 31st to August 8th, 1896. Several of the inscriptions refer to "Sunshine" and another, "On good old Sunshine'. Thanks to a little digging on the web, including your site, I now realize that what I have is no less than a souvenir of a lady's cruise on the steamer "Sunshine" in the summer of 1896! The following names may be of interest to you as they provide crewmen and their jobs. Capt. A.C. Hazlett, Str Sunshine July 31/96 / ON THE GOOD OLD ( Old is underlined) STR. SUNSHINE! Chas. M. HOWARD / L..A. Kreis "Str Sunshine" / John P. THOMPSON -Mate/ Ed PARKER ,Steersman Str. "SUNSHINE" / Jas. E. SEERY, Steersman Str. SUNSHINE. Other names appear to be fellow passengers and some are unreadable. I hope this information is helpful in your research. Please contact me if you want any further info or have questions. I do have one request, since the only reference to a steamer by the name Sunshine is that of a sidewheeler sunk at the end of the Civil War, and there is no mention of this boat in the list of The Cincinnati Portsmouth, Big Sandy and Pomeroy's fleet, could you let me know if you uncover any more info on her. I would very much like to find a photo of her if one exists! Thanks for your time. Gary PURMAL.

01/19/08
Dave,
My name is Jackie Cosper Holloway. I’m doing family research on an ancestor of mine, Samuel A Cosper. He was a steamboat capt on the Coosa river in the early 1900’s. His son, also called Samuel A Cosper, and his father, Silas S Cosper, were also involved with steamboats. I have a few pages from books mentioning Sam Cosper, but I don’t know what books they are from. The person who gave them to me got them from someone else, who got them from someone else…. Would like to find the source of these pages.

So, can you help me? Do you know of any books that might have mentioned my ancestor, Sam Cosper? Would you give me the names of those books so that I might be able to get them from the library?

Samuel Cosper was ship master of the Clifford B Seay in the 1890's, also in some capacity on the Magolia and the Willie C Wagnon.
I've made copies of some of Bert Neville's books about steamboats. Would love to have my own, but it seems that they are out of print. Most of the ones I've seen were published in the early 1960's.
Would appreciate any help you can offer.

My email address is jdholloway@bellsouth.net.
Thanks!
Jackie