Charlevoix County MI Archives Photo Tombstone.....Wilbur, Oscar E. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Marilyn King msmarly@yahoo.com March 25, 2015, 9:33 pm Cemetery: Brookside Cemetery Name: Oscar E. Wilbur Date Of Photograph: March 24, 2015 Photo can be seen at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/charlevoix/photos/tombstones/brookside/wilbur293990nph.jpg Image file size: 106.4 Kb Oscar E. Wilbur Oct. 30, 1852 May 2, 1939 Oscar E. Wilbur was born at Watertown, Jefferson County, New York, USA. Oscar E. Wilbur married Roselle G. Wrisley on December 31, 1883. Oscar E. Wilbur died May 2, 1939, at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. OBITUARY Courtesy Charlevoix Library Obituaries Charlevoix Courier FUNERAL HERE SATURDAY FOR CAPT. O. E. WILBUR Prominent Pioneer Charlevoix Resident Died Tuesday in Chicago Capt. 0. E. Wilbur, prominent pioneer Charlevoix resident, died at 11 o'clock Tuesday evening at Chicago, where he had been spending the winter. While details are lacking, plans have been announced for funeral services to be held Saturday afternoon at the See Funeral Home. CHARLEVOIX LOST PIONEER CITIZEN CAPT. OSCAR E. WILBUR DIED MAY 2 AT CHICAGO Funeral for Prominent Lake Captain, Pioneer and Civic Leader Held Here Saturday Captain Oscar Eugene Wilbur was born at Watertown, New York on October 30, 1852. At the age of four years he came with his parents and a baby sister to the Manitou Islands. After two years on the Islands they went to Northport, Michigan, where he made his home until 1891. He began sailing on fishing boats when eleven years old, becoming a very skillful sailor even in his 'teens. On December 31, 1883 he was married to Roselle G. Wrisley, to whom were born a Son Albert A., and a daughter, now Mrs. Wilbur A. Cline. He passed away quietly May 2, 1939, and surviving him are the son and daughter and two grandchildren, Helen Rose and George Cline. Rev. John K. Coolidge, rector of the Muskegon Episcopal church, officiated at funeral services held at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon at the See Funeral Home. Burial was at Brookside cemetery. In the early nineties Captain Wilbur acquired the dock property at Charlevoix, conducting his business there until five years ago, when the property was sold to the city. Since then he has lived most of the time at the home of his daughter and son in Chicago. He had a deep affection for Charlevoix and its interests. For many years he served on the city council and was mayor for several terms. He was a life member of Charlevoix Lodge No. 282 F. and A. M. The following recollections as expressed by himself on May 27, 1935 give some of the facts of his long and interesting career. "I came for the first time into Pine River, now Charlevoix, in 1863 in a small sailboat. The river was then very shallow, about two feet deep, and a strong current setting out. We passed into Round lake and then on through the Old River into what was then called Pine lake. We landed on the beach in front of the store of the father of the man I was with, a Mr. Beers. He had a few groceries in a Mormon log house which stood just north of where the depot now is located. We took supper at the Dixon home in a log house near the location of the Inn. We slept in the boat during the night and the next day we passed back through the upper river and took dinner with Captain Aldrich's family in a log house standing just under the hill where the Merriam property now is. Other than a few Indian tents at the mouth of the river, the Aldrich and Mason log houses, the latter located on the site of the old water works, were the only ones visible from the boat. Perhaps there were others, but I could not see them because of the timber everywhere. From this time until the summer of 1871, I came in frequently in sailboats. That year I became mate of a small passenger steamer called the "Ella Burrows." We stopped once a week during the season of navigation until the fall of 1873. In the spring of '74 I was mate of the passenger steamer "Van Raalte," stopping at Charlevoix daily until the summer of '76. The first boat of which I was master was the "Claribel," which made daily stops at Charlevoix during the season of 1878. In that year I had the honor of bringing the first families, perhaps eighteen or twenty people, who were the founders of the Belvedere resort. In 1879 I became master of the steamer "City of Grand Rapids," stopping daily at Charlevoix. I continued in this capacity until 1891 when I retired from active sailing. From 1868 to 1883 all steamers of any size landing at Charlevoix stopped at a dock owned by Fox and Rose, which was built out into Lake Michigan just north of the entrance to the river. In the fall of 1891 my family and I moved from Northport, Michigan to Charlevoix, of which city I have been a resident ever since." Among those from out of town attending the service were Mr. and Mrs. Charles I. Wrisley, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Wrisley, Mr. and Mrs. Irwin Wrisley, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Anderson, and Miss Roselle Wrisley, all from Northport, Michigan, and Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Wrisley from Coleman, Michigan, all relatives of the deceased. Also among those present were many friends from Traverse City, Petoskey, Northport, and Boyne City. In addition to the active pallbearers, Messrs. Bonthron, Bridge, Campbell, Cooper, Howard, and Myers, the following old friends were honorary pallbearers: Captain Geo. Johnson, Captain William Franklin and Eli Weston of Traverse City; B. J. Gellick of Marquette, Captain George Weaver, Captain Sam Rose and Captain James Sanford. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/charlevoix/photos/tombstones/brookside/wilbur293990nph.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 6.0 Kb