Person Record

Metadata

Name

Hindman, George

Othernames

Captain Hindman

Born

1887

Birthplace

Hepworth, Ontario area

Places of residence

Hepworth, Ontario
Owen Sound, Grey County
Sarnia, Ontario

Titles & honors

In 1971, Captain George Hindman was named to the Great Lakes Marine Hall of Fame in Michigan.

There was a ship named after him in 1952.

Father

William Hindman

Mother

Martha Hindman (nee Davis)

Nationality

Canadian

Notes

George Hindman was a Master Mariner.

He was founder of the Diamond Steamship Co. (est. 1940) and later the Hindman Transportation Co. He was the founder of a fleet of freighters, tugs and barges.

Sirens Across the Sound: An Illustrated History of The Owen Sound Fire Department, 2006, written by John Christie, mentions Captain Hindman. There are a couple images pertaining to the Sterling Machine plant on pages 52-54 of the book. There is a typo on p. 52, saying that the Sterling company acquired the "old Mallible Iron Works". This should have read "old Malleable Iron Works." The book has "Sterling apparently acquired the old Mallible Iron Works plant around the end of the Second World War. The Hindman family, better known locally for their intense and long-lasting involvement with Great Lakes Shipping (Hindman Transportation owned and operated Lake Freighters, Barges and Tugs) managed the Sterling Plant, with Captain George Hindman serving as President…." "In late 1946, an expansion was begun to the plant complex, to accommodate the building of fire equipment. This line grew from a simple selection of hose reels and racks, to include small trailer-pumps, and finally, during 1947, to full-size fire engines." The trucks were constructed on commercial engine-ahead conventional cabs and chassis produced by International, Ford and General Motors. Page 53 says "Sizable numbers of small-size pumpers were delivered on Jeep chassis, mostly to the Canadian Armed Forces, but some also to civil fire departments." Mr. Christie did not find a production record for Sterling Machine's fire apparatus, but he found at least six full-size trucks were produced in Owen Sound. In 1952, the Sterling plant was sold to the Hobart Manufacturing company, so it was only active about five years.

In a 1951 Owen Sound directory, the Sterling business was located at 2875 3rd Avenue East, Phone 1841. The business was listed under "Welders" in the directory. The location was in a factory area of Owen Sound, not too far away from the Empire Stove & Furnace works, and where there was a C.P.R. rail line.

George Hindman died in February of 1969, at Fort Myers, Florida. He was interred at the Mausoleum at Greenwood Cemetery, Owen Sound. His wife Blanche died on Sept. 10, 1974.

In March, 1997, Howard Hindman and Helen Evans donated 600 acres of land on Manitoulin Island for a provincial park to be called "Blue Jay Creek Provincial Park". Their father had bought 100 acres on the Island in 1924, which became part of his company, Hindman Timber.

Archival Items:
1997.032.001 Letters Patent document, Hindman & Bishop Timber Co. Ltd.
1997.032.002 Letters Patent document, name change to Hindman Timber Co. Ltd., 1959

In the 1901 Census of Owen Sound, there is a different George Hindman (b. 1862) and his wife Melita (b. 1867) listed. A relative perhaps?

In the 1921 census of Owen Sound, George and Blanche and their children are listed at 1322 3rd Ave. East.

Edith Blanche Proctor (usually known as Blanche, b. November 23, 1894) was a daughter of Daniel W. Proctor and Patience Proctor (nee Curtis), and was born at Walkerton. Blanche married Captain George Hindman on March 17, 1915, and they resided at Owen Sound and Sarnia.

Howard Hindman's full name was Daniel Howard Wallace Hindman. He was born either in 1916 or 1917, and passed away in 2007.

Some of Captain George Hindman's items are in the collection of the former Marine-Rail Museum at Owen Sound as well.

His marine career had initially started with the Reid Fleet at Sarnia, before he moved back to Owen Sound and worked on the steamer CANADA. He was a wheelsman on several vessels, and was working on the S. S. KEEWATIN in 1910. He next served as First Mate on the S. S. MANITOU. Then he passed his Master's License. Around 1915, he was Master of a salvage ship called SARNIA CITY. He also spent some time during the First World War sailing near Halifax.

His father's obituary in 1926 mentions that Capt. George Hindman was "of the Tug KEENAN."

Circa 1927, Captain Hindman had the salvage ship MANISTIQUE.

A 1952 clipping in a Sarawak Township Tweedsmuir book (WIF70-1-108) has the following: "PURCHASE CANAL VESSEL. Owen Sound April 7. Howard Hindman, of Owen Sound, announced today that the Hindman Transportation Co. had purchased the 250-foot RISACUA, a canal-sized vessel, formerly owned by a Pan-American shipping company. The vessel, purchased in Italy, is en route to Owen Sound now under the command of Capt. Manuel Watson. The boat will be renamed the GEORGE HINDMAN and will be put into service as soon as it gets here."

Occupation

Marine Captain / Mariner
Timber Producer
The Hindman Fleet
President of the Sterling Machine & Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (Owen Sound)

Publications

Christie, John, SIRENS ACROSS THE SOUND: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF THE OWEN SOUND FIRE DEPARTMENT, 2006, pp. 52-54 (images and info re the Sterling Machine & Manufacturing Company)
Croft, Melba Morris, GROWTH OF A COUNTY TOWN: OWEN SOUND ON THE GEORGIAN BAY, has some info re Capt. Hindman.
HERITAGE HAPPENINGS (newsletter of O.S. Hist. Society), May, 1997
"Mr. Wm. Hindman Died Here Monday", a 1926 microfiche clipping from the Owen Sound Daily Sun-Times newspaper.