Nathan W. Edson

Son of Keeper Nathan Edson. Keeper Nathan Edson was keeper of West Sister Island Lighthouse until his death at the station in February 1869, at which time Edson’s son-in-law, Martin Goulden, left his own wife and Mrs. Edson on the island and set out in the station’s boat for Toledo to obtain a coffin. Mid-journey, a sudden blizzard started to rage, forcing Goulden to seek refuge at the lighthouse on Turtle Island. The following day, Nathan Wint Edson, keeper of Turtle Island Lighthouse and son of the deceased keeper, decided to accompany Goulden to Toledo, but after traveling just a mile from the island, their boat was crushed by lake ice, plunging them into the frigid water. They attempted to make their way back to the island, but their bodies were later found frozen fast in the ice.