Hidden History: Civil War veteran, steamship foreman navigates to landlocked Lyndon

CMWinkler

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Hidden History: Civil War veteran, steamship foreman navigates to landlocked Lyndon
January 18, 2017 Contributor Comments (1)
011817-Naiad-NH-45636-300x163.jpg

The USS Naiad as it was photographed during the Civil War.

By Wendi Bevitt

In the Lyndon cemetery stands a simple monument to Alfred Capper. This modest stone belies the unique individual lying under the sod. Frederick Alfred Capper was born in Staffordshire, England, in 1837. He and his brother Herbert immigrated to the United States in 1856, settling first in Iowa and then in Franklin County, Kansas. Herbert would become the father of 20th Kansas governor, Arthur Capper.

More: http://www.osagecountyonline.com/archives/24424
 

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Interesting.

I'm betting "foreman" is a misunderstanding for "fireman"-- it even calls him a 1st class fireman in the article, whereas I know of no "foreman" rank or rating. (Firemen were a step below engineers in the engine room, but above coal heavers. 1st class firemen would have been looking to become assistant engineers in most cases.)

(The Clara Dolsen mentioned was most often used as a "receiving ship," a floating barracks for unassigned crewmen; a large percentage of the Western Rivers crewmen were aboard her or one of a few others like her at one time or another.)
 
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