On this day September 14, 1854, Milwaukee launched the J. & A. STRONACH, a three-masted schooner built by George Barber “near Sweet’s old warehouse” for John and Andrew Stronach of Manistee.   She was designed for the lumber trade and measured 109.9 feet in length, 23.9 feet in beam and 7 feet in depth.

            The Stronach brothers owned a lumber mill in Manistee, Michigan.  It is said that most of the houses built in Milwaukee during the Civil War days were built from their lumber carried by their schooner.

            In June of 1869, the STRONACH was struck by lightning off Port Washington, Wisconsin.  Capt. Hall had been standing near the mainmast at the time and was “rendered insensible.”   He was knocked out cold for over an hour.  When he came too, he was sporting a dark line from his shoulder to his elbow noting the “passage of electric current.” 

            The STRONACH changed owners a few times and a couple were interesting.  In 1878, she was sold at Manitowoc by the US Marshall after being libeled for a $757.33 bill for repairs.  She was bought for $2,000 by Chicago parties.  In 1880, her owner Mr. Englemann of Manistee, traded her for the schooner ANNIE O. HANSON.

            In 1881, the STRONACH and the C. L. JOHNSTON were bought by L. E. Merrill of Chicago.   Merrill renamed the STRONACH the A.B.C.F.M  for the American Board of Christian Foreign Missions.  He renamed the JOHNSTON to Z.Y.M.C.A. for Young Men’s Christian Association, but he wanted the letters on his ships to balance so he added Z. for zealous.  

A.B.C.F.M. “L. E. Merrill, of Chicago, owner and will NOT give permission to any copy to be hung up in any saloon or similar place”   

Merrill was proud of his ships and had photos taken of them.   There was always a string of alphabet letters and a series of scriptures listed – and some form of the following warning:     “POSITIVELY: THIS PICTURE MUST NEVER BE EXHIBITED IN A SALOON, BROTHEL OR OTHER PLACE OF AMUSEMENT.”

            In 1885, Merrill sold the A.B.C.F.M. to John Saveland of Milwaukee.  It is said the men who unloaded the lumber referred to her as All Bad Chickens Come From Milwaukee.

     A.B.C.F.M. with schooner CONQUEST and tug SHEBOYGAN

            I am sure people thought A.B.C.F.M. stood for many things but she carried that name to her end.  By 1902 she had been dismantled and abandoned in Milwaukee.

Suzette Lopez

PHOTO CREDIT:  Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society