Pilots in 19th Century - Ohio River

All your answers can be found in:

Hunter, Louis C., Steamboats on the Western Rivers: An Economic and Technical History; New York: Dover Publications, 1993.

This is the most recent edition, the original edition was 1949 by Harvard University Press.

License files

Check the Inland Rivers Collection at the Hamilton County/Cincinnati Public Library and the river collection at the Mercantile Library at the U of Missouri St. Louis. They have extensive records of licenses granted on the Mississippi River system.

Paul

When I get a chance later this week or next I will have a look for your William Clark. I have a good run of the the Annual lists of Pilots and Engineers Captains and mates from the 1860 to early 1870's.
When licensing first started in 1852 many Captains who were also standing a watch as pilots had to get a pilots license. After 1872 many river men had a combined Captains and pilots license. A few known as double enders held a pilots or captains license and and Engineers license. These licenses had to be renewed annually until 1894 The they became good for 5 years at a time. Licenses were not always issued in the Same licensing port in pre-1894. For example if your license was issued in St Louis and you were stuck in New Orleans you could get it renewed there. I found one instances were a pilot was running on the Mississippi but got his license at Nashville because a relative I think an uncle was in charge at Nashville.

Carl Jones
river genealogist

One thing that should be said here is that the title "Captain" is an honorific. There is no such thing as a "Captain's license". Anyone with a license as Master or Pilot (or these days, as Operator) has earned the title "Captain". This may or may not mean this person was ever Master of a boat.

Pilots in 19th Century - Ohio River

Thanks all who replied to my inquiry. I am new to the forum. I also recently discovered this William Clark. He may have also had a brother or uncle, Samuel Clark, who was also a river pilot and was living in Wheeling, VA (now WV) in 1839. I grew up near the Mississippi River in western Illinois and am well aware of the lore of that river...so was fascinated to discover relatives who were evidently river pilots...though on the Ohio River.

Best regards

Paul

Ohio River pilot

Paul
There are a lot of William Clark's on the rive in the annual lists of Masters, mates Pilots and Engineers. I will try to hit a few of the most likely for your William. The big problem is the published lists were printed in D. C. and were done from hand written lists. Details were the recipients name, class of license and the number of issues. Listed by the inspection office granting the license. some officers didn't get their licenses in the same office or the laid off a year or more for illness or other reasons. Also the printer/typesetter did not always read the name spelling the same. and Clark may have appeared as Clarke at times.
Sine Willim is in the Wheeling Census I will start there: W. F. Clarke 1sr class pilot 4th issue 1869; William Clarke 1st class pilot 9th issue 1869; William Clarke (special) 10th issue 1870; William F. Clarke 1st class #128 6th issue 1871; William Clarke 1st class #162 11th issue; William F Clarke Pilot #453 7th issue 1874; William Clarke 1st class pilot 8th issue 1868; That ends the William Clarke's at Wheeling.

Here are a few others William Clark renewed is class engineers at Cincinnati in 1862. William M Clark Masters & pilots 1st issue #976 1876 at Pittsburgh. William H Clark 27 issue pilots at Pittsburgh 25 Oct 1897. William H. Clark Masters & pilots #513 3rd Issue at Pittsburgh 1874. William Clark Master & pilot #707 1st issue at Pittsburgh 1874.

For some reason I didn't pick up Jacobs B. Clark in the list but in 1900 he is in the Beaver co. Penn Census as a pilot. Beaver co. was the home of a lot of famous river men.

Carl

Ohio River Pilot

Carl:

Thanks so much for the information. You mentioned Jacob B. Clark who lived in Beaver County, PA in 1900.

Sorting out all of the William Clarks is going to be a challenge, but one of the sons of my William Clark was Jacob B. Clark, born ca 1846 and I just found out he was a pilot and lived in Beaver County - where he died in 1926. I'm guessing the person you mentioned was him (prior to this, the last reference I had to him was in the 1870 census in Pease Twp., Belmont County, OH).

I also recently discovered William Clark had a brother, Samuel, who was also apparently a river pilot. Samuel is listed as deceased in his mother's 1851 will. Also listed in the will was Samuel's daughter Amanda Clark. I don't know when Samuel died but I believe he is the Samuel listed in the Wheeling directory in 1839. I've been doing some digging and discovered that there were lots of Samuel Clarks, including one who was captain of the Gen. Brown and was killed when the boiler exploded in November 1838 near Helena, Arkansas (if my Samuel is the one in the 1839 directory then he evidently wasn't the one who died in the explosion).

Anyway, thanks again for the information. This provides me with some more leads.

Best regards

Paul