Gideon L. Mapes

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Gideon L. Mapes
Gideon Mapes.jpg
Pilot Gideon L. Mapes
Born(1832-01-01)January 1, 1832
Staten Island, US
DiedMay 15, 1895(1895-05-15) (aged 63)
New York City, New York, US
NationalityUnited States American
Occupationharbor pilot
Spouse(s)Agnes Parrott
Children1

Gideon L. Mapes (1832 – May 15, 1895) was a 19th-century New York Sandy Hook Pilot. He was one of the oldest Sandy Hook pilots with his pilots' license dating back to 1852. He lost his life after boarding a White Star Line freight steamship coming into the New York Harbor. He was the pilot and part owner of the pilot boats Eben D. Jordan and Widgeon.

Early life[]

Gideon Mapes was born in 1832.[1] His father was Gideon Mapes and his mother's maiden name was Smith. The Mapes's family's had early ties with Long Island. Thomas Mapes was one of the first thirteen settlers of Southold, Long Island in 1640.[2] Gideon Mapes married Agnes Parrott on January 2, 1852. They had one child.[3] His wife died three years before him on December 26, 1892, and was buried at the Northport Rural Cemetery in Northport, New York.[4]

Career[]

Pilot boat Eben D. Jordan, No. 2, flying a pilot flag, a flag displaying her name and boat number.
Pilot boat Widgeon, No. 10, painting by William Gay Yorke.

Mapes was one of the oldest Sandy Hook pilots with his pilots' license dating back to 1852. He was the pilot and part owner of the pilot boats Eben D. Jordan, No. 9,[5] and Widgeon, No. 10.[6]

The 1850 Federal Census shows Mapes, age 22, living in New York City as pilot in the "water transportation" business; with Mary Mapes, age 21; and daughter Charlotte Mapes, age 2.[7] The Brooklyn, New York, City Directory for 1857, show Mapes as a pilot, living at 21 Ridge, New York City before moving to Brooklyn.[8]

On January 21, 1857, the Anthony B. Neilson was out cruising with pilots Gideon Mapes, John Clarke, Peter Bayley, Thomas Aitken, George W. Christopher, Ralph Noble, and William Anderson. After boarding a schooner at Owl's Head, both vessels were carried ashore by the ice. They were rescued by the steamtug Hercules. The Neilson lost part of her keel and broke her rudder.[9]

The American Civil War, Draft Registrations Records for 1863, listed Mapes as 34 years old, a pilot, living in Brooklyn and married.[10] During the Civil War he served on the gunboat Fulton and received funds for capturing enemy boats.[11]

From 1871-1878, Mapes was an part owner of the pilot boat Widgeon, No. 10.[6] In November 1879, Gideon Mapes, Ralph Nobles, and other pilots from the Widgeon, bought the steam tugboat Hercules in an attempt to introduced a new steam pilot-boat into the service. They converted the Hercules into a pilot-boat. They placed the number "10" on her smokestack. They condemned the Widgeon as unseaworthy.[12]

In 1889, Mapes was in charge of the pilot boat Jesse Carll, No. 10, when it was off Fire Island and got stuck on a sandbar at Zach's Inlet during a thunderstorm. Mapes and the ten men on board were taken ashore in life-saving boats. The Jesse Carll was later raised and repaired.[13]

Death[]

On May 19, 1895, Gideon Mapes, at age 63, died of heart failure soon after boarding the White Star Line freighter S.S. Cufic, after passing Sandy Hook and moving into the main ship channel of the New York Harbor. He died St. Vicents' Hospital in New York City. He lived in Brooklyn and was a widower with no surviving children.[5][13]: p1 

He was buried at the Northport Rural Cemetery in Northport, New York.[1][14] His sister, Caroline E. Dowwing, from Brooklyn, was the petitioner of his estate in Kings County, Brooklyn, New York. Mapes had one other brother and sister.[15]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Gideon L Mapes". Find a Grave. Ancestry.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  2. ^ "Local News Of Long Ago". The Smithtown News. New York, New York. 22 Apr 1954. p. 5. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  3. ^ "United States Census, 1910; and New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949". FamilySearch. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  4. ^ "Agnes Mapes". Find a Grave. www.findagrave.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Pilot Mapes Stricken". The Evening World. New York, New York. May 18, 1895. p. 1. Retrieved 15 Apr 2021.
  6. ^ a b "STEAMSHIP CITY OF VERA CRUZ AND PILOT SCHOONER WIDGEON". marinersmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  7. ^ "1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line]". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  8. ^ "U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  9. ^ "Anthony B. Neilson, No. 21". The New York Herald. New York, New York. 21 Jan 1857. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  10. ^ "U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 [database on-line]". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  11. ^ "Pilot Mapes Is Dead. Stricken With Paralysis on the Bridge of a White Star Freight Steamer". Niagara Falls NY Gazette. New York, New York. 20 May 1895. p. 1. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  12. ^ "Steam Pilot Boats. Have the Commissioners Power to Forbid Their Use? P". The New York Herald. New York, New York. 13 Nov 1879. p. 5. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
  13. ^ a b Allen, Edward L. (1922). Pilot Lore; From Sail to Steam, and Historical Sketches of the Various Interests Identified With the Development of the World's Greatest Port. The United New York and New Jersey Sandy Hook Pilots Benevolent Associations. p. 27.
  14. ^ "Pilot Mapes Dead". The Sun. New York, New York. 21 May 1895. p. 1. Retrieved 15 Apr 2021.
  15. ^ "New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999; Surrogate's Court (Kings County)". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
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