Summary
William Heath was the engineer and navigator of the Vega when it burned off Beaver Island in June 1914. The held sources identify him as one of the three men believed lost and report that a cap identified as his was found on the island shore.
Evidence and limits
The full given name comes from the later scrapbook reprint; the contemporary June 27 Herald calls him only Heath. No held source currently supplies his birth, residence, parents’ names, body recovery, or burial record.
Open questions
- Which Heath family and mother are meant by the report’s Beaver Island connection?
- Was William Heath’s body recovered after the June 27 report?
- Can a Charlevoix, Antrim, or Beaver Island civil/cemetery record identify him?
See also
Sources
- Charlevoix Courier, June 17, 1914, “Boat burns off Beaver Island,” reprinted in the 2003 scrapbook section.Names William Heath as the engineer aboard Vega and one of the three men believed lost; the report says his mother was connected with a pioneer Beaver Island family.
- Charlevoix County Herald, June 27, 1914, “Vega’s Loss Confirmed.”Uses the surname Heath, says he navigated the boat, and reports a cap identified as his on the beach; no later held recovery report has been found for him.