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America, and was commanded by Gilman Appleby. The same combination of George W. Jones and Gilman Appleby brought out the sidewheelers Constitution in 1837, and the Wisconsin in 1838. All three were towed to Buffalo to receive their engines and boilers. The Wisconsin was launched on November 11, 1837, and was "built of the best materials, put together in the strongest and most substantial manner, and finished off in a style which does credit to all concerned in the erection."5 Gilman Appleby was born in Bethlehem, New Hampshire on August 29, 1806, and became famous more as a vessel captain than as a ship builder.6 He commanded, among other vessels, the Sultana and Lady Elgin. Appleby died of consumption at Buffalo, New York, on February 18, 1867, and was buried in the Conneaut City Cemetery.7 George Washington Jones will be discussed in the Cleveland section of this chapter. From roughly 1845 to 1865 there were two shipyards in operation at Conneaut. One was the yard of James Otis DeWolf. DeWolf was born at Lennox, Massachusetts in 1800. His early life is somewhat vague as he apparently was orphaned at an early age. Family legend has him working on the steamer Walk-in-the-Water in 1818. He probably learned the shipbuilding trade at Oswego, New York, were he married Jemima Minerva Tyler, daughter of a prominent Oswego family.8 He came to Conneaut in 1833. What he did for perhaps fifteen years is a mystery, although there is a possibility that he maintained a small ship repair yard during this time. In 1847, the schooner Dan Marble and brig H. G. Stambaugh were built in the DeWolf yard. The master carpenter's enrollment was signed in both cases by John W. Tyler, who was DeWolf's brother-in-law.9 The last vessel built by DeWolf was the schooner-scow Indianola, in 1863. DeWolf retired after this to a farm in West Springfield, Pennsylvania, where he died on July 10, 1868, from overexertion suffered from handling a horse rake the previous day.10 There may have been cross dealings between DeWolf and the other prominent shipbuilder in Conneaut, Marshal Capron, as Ashtabula County land transfers show Capron selling land along Conneaut Creek to DeWolf in 1852 and again in 1857. DeWolf also bought property from C. W. Appleby (brother of Gilman) in 1848.11 Marshal Capron was born October 11, 1816, 1n Vermont. "His rugged traits caused him to rise from cabin boy of the sailing vessels on the chain of Great Lakes to mate-commander-ship builder and owner, - at one time he owned a fleet of six vessels."12 He was assisted in vessel building by his brother, Orange, who was born on May 19, 1819. From 1846 to 21