JB Ford, EC Collins, and Edwin F. Holmes

[William Lafferty]

Information on John B. Ford. first president of the Huron Portland Cement Co., is voluminous online and elsewhere, Short version for the others: "Colonel" E. F. Holmes, as far as I can tell, was born im Oscoda, Michigan, and, during the Civil War, became a sergeant major. He became postmaster in Port Crescent and invested in local lumber operations, becoming wealthy in that process. He parterned with H. A. Hawgood in investing in Great Lakes vessels, of which the *Edwin F. Holmes* was part. I have no idea whether or not he was Mormon, but in his later years he became enamored of both Salt Lake City and a young widow there, inheritor of a silver fortune, and bought a mansion for her originally owned by one of Brigham Young's wives. He remained active in Salt Lake City until his death in 1927. I know this because I was always intrigued why a vessel built by the Chicago SBCo in 1907 was named *Salt Lake City:* It was built for his Holmes SSCo of Cleveland (and, as the *Chester A. Congdon,* became a total loss in 1918 after stranding on Canoe Rocks, Lake Superior). E. C. Collins (the name the vessel assumed upon being sold to the Pittsburgh SSCo) was formerly the agent of the U. S. Steel Company in Cleveland, whose responsibilities included the operations of that firm's fleet. In 1916, when the *Holmes* was acquired by U. S. Steel and renamed, he would become, with A. F. Harvey, a vice president of the Pittsburgh SSCo serving under Harry Coulby.

[sh71382]

I am looking for information about the namesakes of the names that the JB Ford carried during her lifetime. Does anyone have any info on the three people?