Erik Heyl

{{Short description|American maritime historian and illustrator}} {{Infobox person | name = Erik Heyl | image =  | alt =  | caption = | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{Birth date|1887|08|04}} | birth_place = Milwaukee, Wisconsin | death_date = {{Death date and age|1973|07|15|1887|08|04}} | death_place = Buffalo, New York | other_names = | occupation = | years_active = | known_for = work as a marine historian and illustrator | notable_works = ''Early American Steamers'' (six volumes) }}

'''Erik Heyl''' (1887–1973) was an American maritime historian and illustrator. He is best known as the author of ''Early American Steamers'', a six-volume work that incorporates illustrations, technical details and service histories of almost 800 steamboats and steamships built mainly in the United States between 1807 and 1870.

Heyl was prominent in a number of American marine historical societies, particularly those related to the history of the Great Lakes. He also gave several exhibitions of his work as a marine illustrator during his lifetime. He was named Great Lakes Historian of the Year in 1972.

== Life and career == Erik Heyl—birth name Johann Erik Philip Heyl<ref name=wisconsin_births>[https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2544&h=223029&ssrc=pt&tid=59593523&pid=36164684734 "Johann Erik Philip Heyl"]. ''Wisconsin, Births and Christenings Index, 1801-1928'' [database on-line]. ''Ancestry.com''. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.</ref>—was born on August 4, 1887, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Jacob and Louise (née Schandein) Heyl.<ref name=wisconsin_births/><ref name=bgsu>{{cite web |url= https://lib.bgsu.edu/finding_aids/items/show/720 |title= GLMS 4 - Erik Heyl Papers |author= |date= 2018-09-04 |website= Finding Aids |publisher= BGSU University Libraries |access-date= }}</ref> Erik was the only child of the union, as his mother died a few months after his birth, but shortly thereafter, Jacob married his late wife's younger sister Clare, and Erik thereby subsequently acquired a number of step-siblings. Erik's maternal grandfather was Emil Schandein, vice-president of the Pabst Brewing Company and a principal shareholder in the firm. In 1906, an out-of-court settlement following a contest of the will of Emil's widow resulted in Erik and an aunt and uncle each receiving a share of the Schandein estate, Erik's being $500,000 ({{inflation|US|500,000|1906|r=-3|fmt=eq}}), which was to be held in trust.<ref name=aiken>Aiken and Fehring 2017. pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=S0AvDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22schandein+will%22&pg=PA54 53–54].</ref><ref name=eveningtimesrepublican_9may1906>{{cite news |author= |title= Heyls Retain $5,000,000 |url= https://www.newspapers.com/clip/34712348/heylschandein_will_settlement/ |work= The Evening Times-Republican |location= Marshalltown, IO |date= 1906-05-09 |page= 5 |access-date= }}</ref>

Heyl was educated at Milwaukee Academy and later the University of Berlin.<ref name=bgsu/> Shortly before the outbreak of World War I he moved to Buffalo, New York, where he embarked on an accountancy career.<ref name=bgsu/> According to census records, he later worked as a real estate agent,<ref name=eheylfedcensus1920>{{cite web |url= https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=nQg337&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&dbid=6061&gsfn=erik&gsln=heyl&gsfn_x=1&gsln_x=1&_83004003-n_xcl=f&msypn__ftp=buffalo,%20erie,%20new%20york,%20usa&msypn=10556&qh=J7f5FYLeqipNtoLtNbpdjw%3D%3D&new=1&rank=1&uidh=ylj&redir=false&gss=angs-d&pcat=35&fh=0&h=86968916&recoff=&ml_rpos=1 |title= Erik E P Heyl in the 1920 United States Federal Census |author= |date= 2010 |website= Ancestry.com |publisher= Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. |location= Provo, UT, USA |access-date= }}</ref> stock and bond salesman<ref name=eheylstatecensus1925>{{cite web |url= https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=nQg338&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&dbid=2704&gsfn=erik&gsln=heyl&gsfn_x=1&gsln_x=1&_83004003-n_xcl=f&msypn__ftp=buffalo,%20erie,%20new%20york,%20usa&msypn=10556&qh=V8MakxbeZs0hxssaWa/aaw%3D%3D&new=1&rank=1&uidh=ylj&redir=false&gss=angs-d&pcat=35&fh=0&h=22230171&recoff=&ml_rpos=1 |title= Erik Heyl in the New York, State Census, 1925 |author= |date= 2012 |website= Ancestry.com |publisher= Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. |location= Provo, UT, USA |access-date= }}</ref> and secretary with the ambulance service,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=nQg341&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&dbid=6224&gsfn=erik&gsln=heyl&gsfn_x=1&gsln_x=1&_83004003-n_xcl=f&msypn__ftp=buffalo,%20erie,%20new%20york,%20usa&msypn=10556&qh=V8MakxbeZs0hxssaWa/aaw%3D%3D&new=1&rank=1&uidh=ylj&redir=false&gss=angs-d&pcat=35&fh=0&h=28348243&recoff=&ml_rpos=1 |title= Erik Heyl in the 1930 United States Federal Census |author= |date=2002 |website=Ancestry.com |publisher=Ancestry.com Operations Inc |location=Provo, UT, USA |access-date= }}</ref> before starting his own business as a stamp dealer.<ref name=heyl1940census/>

Through his philately, Heyl became intrigued by the fact that some old stamps bore the names of steamboats, which at one time had been involved in the distribution of mail.<ref name=bgsu/> He began collecting images of these steamboats, which in turn developed into an interest in researching the vessels themselves.<ref name=bgsu/> He eventually became a recognized authority on 19th-century American steam vessels, with a particular expertise in Great Lakes steamers which had seen naval service during the American Civil War.<ref name=bgsu/> He also became a marine illustrator, creating scale drawings and models of old steamboats and steamships derived from the many images he had collected from a variety of sources.<ref name=bgsu/> Several exhibitions of his artwork were held during his lifetime.<ref name=bgsu/>

Heyl has been described as a "driving force" behind the Buffalo Marine Historical Society, serving for a time as its president, and he was also president of the Erie County Historical Society.<ref name=watertowntimes_30jul1973>{{cite news |author= |title= Erik Heyl, Historian, Dies at 86 |url= http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%20Disk3/Watertown%20Times/Watertown%20NY%20Daily%20Times%201973%20July%20Grayscale.pdf/Watertown%20NY%20Daily%20Times%201973%20July%20Grayscale%20-%200683.pdf |work= Watertown Daily Times |location= Watertown, NY |date= 1973-07-30 |access-date= }}</ref> He was a frequent contributor to ''Inland Seas'', the journal of the Great Lakes Historical Society, and to ''Steamboat Bill of Facts'' and ''The Detroit Marine Historian'', respectively the journals of the Steamship Historical Society of America and the Marine Historical Society of Detroit.<ref name=watertowntimes_30jul1973/> He was named 1972 Great Lakes Historian of the Year by the latter organization.<ref name=bgsu/> He was also the recipient of the 1964 Samuel Wilkinson Award from the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society.<ref name=bgsu/>

=== ''Early American Steamers'' ===

Heyl's best-known work is the mammoth ''Early American Steamers'', published by Heyl himself in six volumes sequentially between 1953 and 1969.<ref name=bgsu/> The work as a whole is 2094 pages long, with the separate volumes ranging from 284 pages in length (volume II) to 467 pages (volume I). The final volume includes entries both for previously uncovered ships as well as revised entries for some vessels covered in earlier volumes, in addition to a comprehensive index to the vessels covered in all six volumes.<ref name=heyl1969_piv>Heyl 1969. p. iv.</ref> [[ File:Worcester (1863 steamship).jpg | thumb | A typical watercolor from ''Early American Steamers'', in this case of the coastal steamer ''Worcester'', built in 1863 ]] A total of about 800 steamboats and steamships built in the United States between 1807 and 1872 are covered in the work, with the emphasis heavily on Great Lakes and East Coast vessels.<ref name=bgsu/> A small number of steamers built in Canada or the United Kingdom, and which saw significant service in American waters, are also included. Data for each vessel, where available, includes: year of construction; ship name changes; shipbuilder; engine builder; engine type and size; propulsion type; hull type (usually either wood or iron); hull dimensions; registered tonnage; list of sister ships if any; and in most cases, a comprehensive list of registered owners.<ref name=heyl1953_piii>Heyl 1953. p. iii.</ref> The data section is followed by a service history of the vessel covering the most significant events in its career.<ref name=heyl1953_piii/> Service histories are usually a single page in length, but for vessels with more colorful careers, they can run to several pages.<ref name=heyl1953-69>Heyl 1953–1969.</ref>

The majority of entries include an ink-and-watercolor illustration of the ship by Heyl;<ref name=bgsu/><ref name=watertowntimes_30jul1973/> all illustrations are to a consistent 1:610 scale. Some entries have no illustration, while a few—where, for example, the ship's appearance substantially changed after a rebuild—have two or more. In the first two volumes, the reproductions are quite small—{{convert|2.5|in|cm}} high, with a variable width depending on the ship size, and the color (and text) is reddish-brown.<ref>Heyl 1953, 1956.</ref> From the third volume on, the images are considerably larger at {{convert|3.5|in|cm}} in height, allowing for greater detail, while the width is a consistent {{convert|7|in|cm}}; reproduction is in grayscale.<ref>Heyl 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969.</ref>

''Early American Steamers'' has become a standard reference work and is included in bibliographies of many academic books in the field.{{efn|Some examples—.<ref>Blume 2012. p. 566.</ref><ref>Gardiner and Greenhill 1993. p. 180.</ref><ref>Bauer 1988. p. 344.</ref>}} Professor of History René de la Pedraja of Canisius College, New York, has described it as "the essential source" for 19th-century American steam vessels built before 1880.<ref name=pedraja1994_p699>Pedraja 1994. p. 699.</ref>

=== Personal details ===

Heyl married Alice Emily Spragge (born 1893) in Buffalo, New York, on October 8, 1912.<ref>[https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61632/48576_556132-00304/7154391 "Eric P Heyl"]. (1912: Groom). ''New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967'' [database on-line]. ''Ancestry.com''. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 2017. <br/>[https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61632/48576_556131-00675/6917048 "Alice E Spragge"]. (1912: Bride). ''New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967'' [database on-line]. ''Ancestry.com''. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.</ref> The couple had one daughter, Barbara Alice (1918–2003).<ref>[https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=60901&h=46107635&ssrc=pt&tid=59593523&pid=36193459444 "Barbara Alice Heyl"]. ''U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007'' [database on-line]. ''Ancestry.com''. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.</ref> Heyl's second marriage was to Elizabeth Solvieg Ralph,<ref name=bgsu/> the ceremony taking place at Erie, Pennsylvania, on March 4, 1929. The couple had two children, Peter (1931–1951)<ref>[https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2442/m-t0627-02836-00392/10879268 "Peter Heyl"]. ''1940 United States Federal Census'' [database on-line]. ''Ancestry.com''. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.<br/>[https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=5180&h=3283626&ssrc=pt&tid=59593523&pid=36193427672 "Peter Arnold Heyl"]. ''California, Death Index, 1940-1997'' [database on-line]. ''Ancestry.com''. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.</ref> and a daughter, Kristen.<ref name=heyl1940census>[https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc=nQg333&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&indiv=1&dbid=2442&gsfn=erik&gsln=heyl&gsfn_x=1&gsln_x=1&_83004003-n_xcl=f&msypn__ftp=buffalo,%20erie,%20new%20york,%20usa&msypn=10556&qh=J7f5FYLeqipNtoLtNbpdjw%3D%3D&new=1&rank=1&uidh=ylj&redir=false&gss=angs-d&pcat=35&fh=0&h=10879263&recoff=&ml_rpos=1 "Erik Heyl"]. ''1940 United States Federal Census'' [database on-line]. ''Ancestry.com''. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.</ref>

Erik Heyl died on July 15, 1973, at the Millard Fillmore Hospital, Buffalo, following several weeks of illness; he was 85 years of age.<ref name=bgsu/> He was survived by his wife and daughters. The following year, his papers were donated by his widow to Bowling Green State University, where as of 2021 they were still held.<ref name=bgsu/>

Heyl's remains are held in the Columbarium at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Buffalo, NY.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175709021/johann_erik_philip-heyl#source |title= Johann Erik Philip Heyl |author= Jerry Dell |date= Jan 26, 2017 |website= Find A Grave |access-date= Nov 19, 2021 }}</ref> His widow Elizabeth, who later remarried, is also interred there.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175708865/elizabeth-solveig-heyl-dorsey |title= Elizabeth Solveig "Betty" Ralph Heyl-Dorsey |author= Jerry Dell |date= Jan 26, 2017 |website= Find A Grave |access-date= Nov 19, 2021 }}</ref>

== Notable works ==

* {{cite book |title=Early American Steamers |date= 1953 |volume= I |publisher=Erik Heyl |location=Buffalo, New York}} 467 pages. {{OCLC|1626009}} * {{cite book |title=Early American Steamers |date= 1956 |volume= II |publisher=Erik Heyl |location=Buffalo, New York}} 284 pages. OCLC 1626009 * {{cite book |title=Early American Steamers |date= 1964 |volume= III |publisher=Erik Heyl |location=Buffalo, New York}} 354 pages. OCLC 1626009 * {{cite book |title=Early American Steamers |date= 1965 |volume= IV |publisher=Erik Heyl |location=Buffalo, New York}} 346 pages. OCLC 1626009 * {{cite book |title=Early American Steamers |date= 1967 |volume= V |publisher=Erik Heyl |location=Buffalo, New York}} 304 pages. OCLC 1626009 * {{cite book |title=Early American Steamers |date= 1969 |volume= VI |publisher=Erik Heyl |location=Buffalo, New York}} 339 pages. OCLC 1626009

== Footnotes == {{Notelist}}

== References == {{Reflist|2}}

=== Bibliography === * {{cite book |last1=Aiken |first1=Jefferson J. |last2=Fehring |first2=Thomas H. |date=2017 |title=Historic Whitefish Bay: A Celebration of Architecture and Character |location= |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |pages= 53–54 |isbn=9781439663042 }} * {{cite book |last=Bauer |first=K. Jack |date=1988 |title=A Maritime History of the United States: The Role of America's Seas and Waterways |location=Columbia, SC |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |page=344 |isbn=0872495191 |author-link=}} * {{cite book |last=Blume |first=Kenneth J. |date=2012 |title=Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Maritime Industry |location=Lanham, ML |publisher=Scarecrow Press Inc |page=566 |isbn=9780810856349 }} * {{cite book |last=De la Pedraja |first=René |date=1994 |title=A Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Merchant Marine and Shipping Industry: Since the Introduction of Steam |location=Westport, CT |publisher=Greenwood Press |page=699 |isbn=0313272255 }} * {{cite book |editor1-last=Gardiner |editor1-first=Robert |editor2-last=Greenhill |editor2-first=Dr. Basil |date=1993 |title=The Advent of Steam: The Merchant Steamship Before 1900 |location=London, England |publisher=Conway Maritime Press Ltd |page=180 |isbn=0851776183 }} * {{cite book |last=Heyl |first=Erik |title=Early American Steamers |date= 1953–1969 |volume= I–VI |publisher=Erik Heyl |location=Buffalo, New York}} {{OCLC|1626009}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heyl, Erik}} Category:1887 births Category:1973 deaths Category:American maritime historians Category:American marine artists Category:Writers from Milwaukee Category:Stamp dealers Category:20th-century American illustrators