Mary Buxton

2 months ago | vermilionphotojournal.com | Mary Buxton

Dennis Dougherty of Sault Ste Marie, Michigan spent many years fondly looking out at the “Champion,” (F.W. Wakefield’s dream ship Tobermory II that he had designed and built according to his own plans in 1924) that lay partially submerged on a sand bank near his house on the St. Mary’s River. Looking at the old “Champ” brought back many good memories for Dennis of his grandfather, Gerald D. Neville, who had once captained the boat for the Pitsburgh Coal Company.

Jan 23, 2025 | vermilionphotojournal.com | Mary Buxton

We had made it as far as Lansing, Michigan by air in our quest to see Grandfather’s old boat and now needed to travel by car to Sault Ste. Marie where the old Tobermory II now named Clyde D. Neville was docked. The trip would take us to the very tip of Upper Michigan right on the border of Canada. The next morning, we picked up our rental car for the so called 6-hour drive north. It was at this moment we made a gigantic mistake. We did not take a car with GPS.

Jan 16, 2025 | vermilionphotojournal.com | Mary Buxton

My grandfather, F.W. Wakefield, may have built his dream ship of an iron ship to last 100 years but he did not do as well. He passed away in 1934 at age 71. The Tobermory II was sold to the Pittsburgh Coal Company and became a hard-working tug delivering coal to Lime Island and providing various other services to ports in the Lake Huron area.

Jan 15, 2025 | ssentinel.com | Mary Buxton

Part 1 • Part 2My grandfather, F.W. Wakefield, may have built an iron ship to last 100 years, but he did not do as well. He passed away in 1934 at age 71. The “Tobermory II” was sold to the Pittsburgh Coal Company and became a hard-working tug delivering coal to Lime Island and providing various other services to ports in the Lake Huron area. Her name was now “Champion.” If our family had known of her new name and duties, they would have been greatly pleased.

Jan 9, 2025 | vermilionphotojournal.com | Mary Buxton

I never knew my grandfather, F.W. Wakefield (Frederick William) but family tales of him coming to America from Birmingham, England with his parents in 1875 at the age of 12 were well known to my generation and connected us to our humble and hard-working English roots in a way that I have never forgotten. Many Americans have roots as immigrants and that may be the reason why we love this country so much.