I typically research newspapers using the website Newspapers.com to find details about the lives of my ancestors that may not be available in other typical genealogical sources.
When searching for information about my second great grandmother Mary Anna (Annie) Faught, I found information not only about her but also some unexpected results. Annie Faught was born in 1870 and passed away in 1929. During her lifetime she was not the only one to go by the name of Annie Faught.
I found several articles about a boat named "Annie Faught". As far as I know, there is no connection between my second great grandmother Annie Faught and the schooner by the same name.
The schooner Annie Faught was built in the unincorporated community of Lakeport in Burtchville Township, St. Clair County, Michigan in 1872. The 10 ton schooner was owned by John Hoskins. Schooners were built primarily for cargo, passengers, and fishing.
The "Annie Faught", with a cargo capacity of only 10 tons, seems to be on the small end of the schooners typically built during this time.
In general, ships grew larger as shipbuilding technology improved through the 19th century. The dimensions of Lakes vessels were always limited, however, by the shallow connecting channels and harbors. When the infamous shoals were dredged at the St. Clair Flats in the late 1860s, a whole fleet of large schooners was built for the grain and iron ore trades, including 200 big three-masters and a few four-masters. The new schooners, 200 feet in length and drawing 16 feet, were constructed between 1870 and 1874, until a financial panic ended the temporary boom. Only for a little while longer would the large capacities of the new schooners enable them to compete with the growing fleets of steam-powered freighters. [zref]U7BPDN95[/zref]
Below are some of the articles that I found on the schooner named Annie Faught. It appears that luck was not always in her favor.
On 13 May 1874, the Port Huron Times reported that someone had stolen the schooner ANNIE FAUGHT and that John Hoskins, the owner, was offering a reward for her recovery.[zref]Z74UDEQ5[/zref]
A Schooner, a sailing ship rigged with fore-and-aft sails on its two or more masts. To the foremast there may also be rigged one or more square topsails or, more commonly, one or more jib sails or Bermuda sails (triangular sails extending forward to the bowsprit or jibboom).[zref]PZF5E22D[/zref]
Research can take us in some odd directions. Although, I was not able to connect the little schooner name Annie Faught to my ancestor, the research that I did may come in handy someday. Lakeport, where the schooner was built, was only about 40 miles from Sanilac County, Michigan where Annie was born. Who knows....
