Captain John Joseph Lattimer Freitus

John Joseph Lattimer Freitus was born on May 27, 1873, in Buffalo, New York. He was the third-oldest child. John followed in his father's footsteps by becoming the captain of several tugboats. He was a colorful figure in the maritime world. It wasn't easy work, as Capt. John experienced broken ribs when helping a tug break ice in Buffalo. He suffered a bruised spine and even survived being thrown into the lake by a tugboat explosion. In 1911, Capt. John and his team raised Commodore Perry's flagship, the Niagara, from the bottom of Misery Bay near Erie, Pennsylvania. This flagship sank during the War of 1812. He continued his salvage business as the President of the American Towing Company, which included raising both sections of the steamer Francis Widlar, which went aground on Pancake Shoals in Lake Superior, tearing away 72 feet of its bottom and finally breaking into two. John was the captain and owner of the tugboat Alva B, which saved the lives of several crew members. The Alva B was wrecked near Avon Lake, Ohio, where the bell of the tug is displayed today at a local park. John insisted that the family's surname was spelled Freitus and could be heard arguing this with his older brother, Capt. George, who insisted it was spelled Freitas. John divorced his first wife, Eva Orr Freitas, in 1917, after which she sued him for non-payment of alimony. An arrest warrant was issued, and a local judge would mediate between the two parties. In 1931, he became the director and vice president of Midland Steamship. John died on May 12, 1947, in Lakewood, Ohio, at the age of 73, and is buried in Sandusky, Ohio.

Isabelle (Freitas) Roller

Isabelle 'Belle' Freitas was born in September 1869 in Buffalo, New York. Her father, John, was 24, and her mother, Mary, was 15. She was the oldest child. Isabelle married John George Henry Roller on November 28, 1889, in her hometown. George was a grocer by trade. They had 10 children (6 boys and 4 girls). Family memories were shared of the children coming home from school and getting to choose anything they wanted for their lunch. Grace picked tomato soup, and George Jr. would pick a can of beans. On Sunday afternoons, the family would take a buggy ride through the country, where they would pass by a gypsy campsite. George would always stop to barter, pretending he would sell them his horses. When economic times were tough, Isabelle (known affectionately as ‘Ma Belle’) would accept the few pennies that were left on the counter by her customers in exchange for the supplies they needed. Isabelle's family (including her mother, Mary Ann) lived at 193 Hamburg Street (original house on the Seawall strip). She died on February 18, 1937, in Buffalo, New York, at the age of 67, and is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery.