Charles Flletford Sise
Captain of the 'Annie Sise' upon her launching at Portsmouth, NH in 1856. He was the ship's owner when it sailed from Liverpool to NY in 1857. Charles moved to Mobile, Alabama after his marriage to Clara Bunker in 1860. The 'Annie Sise' was taken over by the Confederacy in May, 1861 and Charles joined the Confederate forces, fighting with the New Orleans regiment in the Battle of Shiloh. He was sent to Liverpool in May, 1863 in connection with blockade running and opened up a shipping business. Based on papers found after his death, he may have been involved in outfitting the 'Shenandoah' for the Confederacy in Sept 1864.
He remained in Liverpool after the war, until Feb 1867 when he returned home to resume captaincy of the 'Annie Sise'. He resided in Boston as an insurance representative for English and Canadian firms from 1868 to 1880, when he was named by Bell Telephone Company to settle in Montreal, organize Bell Telephone of Canada and stay on as its vice president. He became president in 1890. He traveled to Europe in 1892 and spent time in Boston and Montreal, fending off attacks by competing telephone companies. He continued to preside over the rapid growth of Bell Canada until about 1915, when his health began to deteriorate. He suffered several falls and was fatally stricken by pneumonia in 1918.
The 'Annie Sise' was shipwrecked on a reef at the South Farallones in February, 1871; all hands made it safely to another ship and on to San Francisco
(ref. "Charles Fleetford Sise, 1834-1918", by R C Fetherstonhaugh).