Profiles of the 14 Rock Isle keepers

The following is biographical information on the 14 lighthouse keepers at Rock Island compiled by Mark A. Wentling.

Chesterfield Pearson, served May 15, 1848, to July 11, 1849.

A native of Vermont, Mr. Pearson was a member of the 3rd Regiment of the Vermont Detached Militia during the War of 1812, serving as a fifer. He was listed as being 4 feet, 8 inches tall and a blacksmith by trade.

In 1813 he went to Brownville, where he was enrolled as a musician in Capt. William Cole's Company of New York Militia. He was elected supervisor of the town of Orleans in 1833. He died March 1, 1855, in Orleans at 62 and is buried at Orleans Corners Cemetery.

John B. Collins, July 11, 1849, to April 12, 1853.

He was the son of William and Polly Collins, pioneers from Connecticut who settled in the Brownville and Orleans areas. Born in Stonington, Conn., he helped build a limestone grist mill at what became known as Collins Mills (today, Stone Mills).

He died May 1, 1866, and is buried at Stone Mills Cemetery.

William "Pirate Bill" Johnston, April 12, 1853, to April 8, 1861.

He was born at Trois-Rivières, Quebec, in 1782. After the War of 1812, he lived in Sackets Harbor and Watertown, where he kept a tavern.

"He is most famous for his exploits during the Canadian Rebellion of 1838," Mr. Wentling notes on his Web site.

"The British steamer Sir Robert Peel was plundered and burned on the night of May 29, 1838, while taking in wood at Wells Island, by a party of 22 self-styled patriots, led by Johnston. After driving the passengers ashore and plundering the boat, Johnston's band cast her off from the shore and set her on fire."

His pardon request was rejected by President Martin Van Buren in 1841, but he was granted one by President William Henry Harrison, who served just a few weeks in office before dying.

Mr. Johnston lost his lighthouse appointment in 1861 when a new president, Abraham Lincoln, was elected. Mr. Johnston died in 1870.He is buried in Clayton Cemetery.

Samuel Stillman Spaulding, April 8, 1861, to March 3, 1865.

This Vermont native was a Theresa resident at the time of his appointment. "The transition was not an easy one," Mr. Wentling notes. "Johnston refused to relinquish possession of the station for more than a month."

No logbooks of his service survive. "Unconfirmed reports" note that he died in 1888, but where he is buried in not clear.

Joseph Collins, March 3, 1865, to Feb. 3, 1870.

He was born in Stone Mills in 1807, son of keeper John B. Collins. In the 1830s Joseph and his wife, Mary, moved to what is now known as Collins Landing. They cleared virgin forest for a log house and built a frame house in 1880s.

He died in 1878 and is buried with his wife at Stone Mills Cemetery.

Willard Littlefield Cook, Feb. 3, 1870, to Feb. 5, 1879.

He was born in 1823 in Ellisburg and graduated from Syracuse Commercial College.

He was a member of the 94th New York Volunteers in the Union Army. He lost his right arm in the second battle of Bull Run, but was still known for his furniture- and boat-building work.

He married three times. He died in 1916 and is buried at Omar Cemetery, Orleans.

Foster M. Drake, Feb. 20, 1879, to Aug. 28, 1886.

This Jefferson County native enlisted as a private in the 94th New York Infantry Regiment, town of Orleans, in 1861. He was a Civil War tent mate of Willard L. Cook, who preceded him as keeper.

"He was the last keeper to care for the combination keeper's dwelling with light tower on top," Mr. Wentling notes. "In 1884, a one-and-a-half story shingle-style Victorian dwelling was erected on the island."

Mr. Drake died in 1908 and is buried in Grove Cemetery, LaFargeville.

Michael Johannes Diepolder, Sept. 13, 1886, to July 16, 1901.

This native of Germany and his family settled in LaFargeville in 1860. He married three times.

"In the fall of 1894, after years of Michael's petitions to the Lighthouse Service, work began to raise the light tower approximately five feet from its position in the center of the island, so it could be seen over the roof of the dwelling," Mr. Wentling wrote.

Mr. Diepolder died of a heart attack on the island after swimming in the St. Lawrence River. He was buried in Grove Cemetery, LaFargeville.

Emma E. Row Diepolder, July 16, 1901, to Oct. 1, 1901.

She was Mr. Diepolder's widow. She worked as a taxidermist and in 1921 moved from Fineview to Florida, where she died in 1923.

Eugene Willard Butler, Oct. 1, 1901, to June 6, 1912.

He was born in 1865 in Oswego County. He was a member of the U.S. Lifesaving Service and served in Buffalo and Cleveland, Ohio.

During his term, the lantern's tower was moved from the center of the island to a pier. He died in 1922 in Watertown at 57. He is buried at Glenwood Cemetery, Watertown.

John "Jack" Clark Belden, June 7, 1912, to Oct. 1, 1940.

He was born at Sodus Point, Oswego County, in 1873. He worked at "car shops" for Northern Central Railroad and was also a crewman aboard a sailing merchantman. Previously, he served as keeper at Tibbetts Point and Sunken Rock lighthouses.

He was the longest-serving keeper at Rock Island. Electricity began to power the lamp around 1939, replacing kerosene.

Mr. Belden died in 1942 in Alabama and is buried at Sodus Point.

Frank K. Ward, Oct. 1, 1940, to June, 1952.

His father, grandfather and father-in-law were also lighthouse keepers. His two brothers also joined the profession. He was born at Horse Island Lighthhouse Station on Lake Ontario near Sackets Harbor.

Mr. Wentling said the U.S. Coast Guard took over the U.S. Lighthouse Service in 1939. All keepers were given the option of enlisting in the Coast Guard or becoming civilian employees of the Guard. Mr. Ward was a keeper at the Crossover Lighthouse in Hammond before his Rock Island assignment.

In 1952, Mr. Ward was assigned to the Coast Guard base in Milwaukee, Wis. Late that year, he became sick and was allowed to return home to Fishers Landing. He built a cobblestone cottage, which is now the Fishers Landing Post Office.

He died May 2, 1988, at Alexandria Bay at 79 and is buried in South Richland Cemetery, Fernwood, Oswego County.

John William Van Ingen, July 1952 to June 30, 1955.

He was born in Michigan, the son of immigrants from the Netherlands.

After his Rock Island assignment, Mr. Van Ingen retired and moved back to Michigan. He died in 1976 at Grand Rapids.

Dennis "Pat" Carroll, June 30, 1955, to Dec. 10, 1956.

He was a resident of Ogdensburg when he was appointed to Rock Island. Mr. Wentling writes that self-appointed Rock Island Lighthouse caretaker Manny Jerome, Fineview, said that "by the time of Pat's appointment, the keeper's quarters were considered beyond repair, having no working facilities. Pat lived in the carpenter's shop instead."

Mr. Carroll's last log entry at the lighthouse was made Dec. 31, 1955, and the station was deactivated shortly thereafter.

Mr. Wentling is seeking information on Mr. Carroll's life after his service.