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For the first 15 years after they were married in Hibbing, Minnesota on December 21, 1913, William A. Wilkinson and his wife Hildred Young Wilkinson worked as a team on the same Great Lakes steamer as cooks. Later, he worked as a steward on Coast Guard cutters until 1940 when he secured the job of 2nd assistant keeper of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse in Port Huron, Michigan.
In 1943, William A. Wilkinson was promoted to 1st assistant keeper, and in 1946 he became head keeper of the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. However, by that time, most of the lighthouse work was automated and assistant keepers were no longer needed.
William A. Wilkinson was born on December 27, 1885 in Ontario, Canada, and he and his wife had two sons and two daughters. After being ill for two months, he died on May 30, 1950 at the Marine Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Following his death, the position of lighthouse keeper was discontinued at Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. His funeral was held at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church where he was a member, and he was buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
This story appeared in the
May/Jun 2019 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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