ohio & erie canal – Tuscarawas County Stories

The Mystery of the Lost Captain of Port Washington

AI generated image depicting the mysterious death of James Hammersley in June 1869, 2025. (Source: ImageFX)

In June 1869, Port Washington canal boat captain James Hammersley died mysteriously in Cleveland—was it a tragic accident, or something more sinister? James Hammersley (1842-1869) was born in January 1842 in Port Washington, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, to farmer Andrew Hammersley (1813-1893) and his wife Catherine Stocker (1816-1884). James was recorded on the 1850 census asContinue reading “The Mystery of the Lost Captain of Port Washington”