The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1926-08-04
FUNERAL SERVICES To-
MORROW AFTERNOON
AT ST. PAUL'S EPIS-
COPAL CHURCH

familiarly known as "Capt. Bill
lie" Shaw, the oldest member of
the Masonic fraternity in Key
West, for sixty years a pilot on
the Key West bar, an influential
member of st. Paul's Episcopal
church, died at 6:05 o'clock this
morning at his residence, 4Q6
Whitehead street.
The funeral will be tomorrow
afternoon at o'clock, and will
be from the residence, 406 White
head street, to st. Paul's Episco-
pal church. Rev. Brookins, rec
tor Of st. PauPs church, viii be
the officiating minister, and In
teFment viii be made under the
honors Of the Masonic lodges Of
the city.
Capt. Shaw leaves his wife,
Mrs Emma Shaw; four daugh-
ters, Mrs. John F. Weeks, Savan-
nah, Ca; Mrs. Nellie King, Mi
ami; Mrs. J. 7. Davidson, Miami;
Mrs. E. Henriquez, Key West;
three sons, Stephen S. Shaw, Bos-
ton; George E. Shaw, Miami;
Harry Shaw, Key West. He is
also survived by twelve grand
children and 2 great-grandchildren.
Mrs. Shaw and six Of the chill
dren were at the bedside Of Capt.
Shaw when he breathed his last.
One son, Stephen S. Shaw, had
rushed to Key West from Boston
in the hope of seeing his father
alive, but arrived just five
minutes after he passed away.
: Capt. Shaw would have been 81
years old next December. He
was born ia Manatee, Florida, but
fc&ms a Key West With his fifth
er's family at the age Of three
years. His father, whose name
was also William H. Shaw, was
one of the founders of st. PauI's
Episcopal church in this city. Capt.
Shaw had been a Mason 81 years,
and was a member Of Dade Lodge
here. At the age of IL he became
q licensed sea pilot and in that
capacity saw sixty years Of ser
vice in the waters surrounding
Kee West.
Coming to Key West eighty
years ago, Capt. Shaw found this
island in the main dense forest
of tropical trees, and he witness
ed its gradual development into
the charming city that it is today.
He was young man when the
Martello towers were built, and
piloted vessels carrying material
for the towers into this port. He
also aided in laying the founda-
tion for the towers in the year
1859, when Abraham Lincoln was
president of the United and JEFF
ferson Davis was president of the
Confederate states of America.
Capt. Shaw also helped to build
Key Vests first famous little rail-
road, that operated with locomo-
tive and cars between Fort Tay-
Tor and the towers during their
construction period. Fort Taylor
having been practically finished
Ia the year Of 1910.
About So years ago, during an
epidemic of yellow fever, Captain
Shaw was in command Of trim
little pilot boat, " Foam Of the
Sea- operating between Key
West and the fumigation station
at Dry Tortugas. At this time
he aided in floating the carmelita
..in the Dry Tortugas harbor and
towed her TO Key West. The
wrecked framework of the Carme-
lita Is a familiar object in the
Key West harbor near Mangrove
key today.
with his clean life, regular
habits and pleasing disposition,
Capt. Shaw always had vivid re.
collection of events in connection
with the history of Key West.
Though advanced in years. he
maintained remarkable vitality un-
til about three weeks ago, when
he was taken i'll, and the natural
infirmities Of the aged caused his
condition TO grow gradually worse
until he passed peacefully away