David Mack

GEDCOM Note

OBITUARY: Builder of Sailing Craft in Essex, 94 years old, Essex, July 9, 1901.
David Mack, one of Essex's highly respected citizens, the last, but one, of the old Essex shipbuilders, died this morning after a two weeks' illness of heart trouble, aged 94 years and 7 months.
Mr. Mack was born near the entrance of Hamburgh Cove, Lyme, November 14, 1806, and came to Essex when a child. The house where he first saw light is still standing and is now occupied by the late Percy Anderson's family. The house was built by his father, John Mack, in the year 1722. Mr. Mack had been a member of the Essex Methodist Church for seventy-five years. His life was devoted to the building of sailing craft. About 150 vessels were built by him and launched near his residence, known as "Mack's Landing." The channel in which these vessels were launched was of great depth, but now almost nothing remains to show that it existed.
Mr. Mack at the age of 90 built a fine naphtha launch for his son in his boat shop, doing nearly all the work himself, and up to within a few weeks he was able to be out and attend to his garden and do other work about his place. He remembered well the British soldiers' coming to Essex in 1814, when he was a boy 8 years old, and burning the vessels on the stocks opposite the house where he lived for so many years. His wife died about eight years ago after they had lived together sixty-seven years. He leave one daughter and two sons, Miss Ellen Mack, Lewis Mack and Jerome Mack of Essex. Miss Ellen and Lewis Mack lived at the old Mack homestead with their father. The funeral will be attended Thursday at 2 o'clock at his late home at Mack's Landing. Rev Alvn P. Knell, pastor of the Essex Methodist Church, will officiate. Interment in the family plot in Riverview Cemetery.
Published in the Hartford Courant, July 10, 1901, page 7