Joseph A. Napier, one of thirteen children, was born in Ashtabula, Ashtabula County, Ohio, to Great Lakes Captain Benjamin A. Napier, who served in the War of 1812, and Erepta Landon Napier, whose father Edward Landon fought in the Revolutionary War. Joseph followed the sea-faring ways of his father, two uncles, and two brothers, and in 1852, at age 26, became the Harbor Master at Chicago, Illinois.

For his noble and gallant efforts to rescue the crew of the Schooner "Merchant," while it was in distress off the Port of Chicago on April 27, 1854, the citizens of Chicago presented Joseph Napier with an inscribed gold watch.

He and his crew, which at times included his brother Capt. Andrew "Jack" Napier, performed many daring rescues on Lake Michigan, including the rescue of the crew of the Brig "Tuscarora" in 1855.

Joseph married Anna Augusta Scoville in 1849 and the couple had 4 children: Ada O. Napier (Platt) (1852-1935); Clarence D. Napier (1855-1938); Sarah A. Napier (1858-1866); and an unknown child, before Anna's untimely death in 1859. As far as is known, Capt. Napier did not marry again.

CAPT. Napier and his two surviving children first moved to Benton, Michigan, and then on to Saint Joseph, Berrien County, Michigan, in 1857, and he purchased 320 acres of farmland. He is listed in the JAN - DEC 1864 tax records as owning farmland, one horse, and one carriage.

In 1874, he moved permanently to St. Joseph Village and was appointed Keeper of the Saint Joseph Lifesaving Station, responsible for rescues on Lake Michigan. Keepers at that time were required to live at the Lifesaving Stations, to recruit and train volunteer crews, and to row boats out to assist ships in trouble.

According to the U. S. Coast Guard, Capt. Napier's “most notable rescue occurred Oct. 10, 1877, when the schooner “D.G. Williams” broke apart approaching the port in a storm." The schooner's crew of six clung to the rigging as Napier and three of his crewmen rowed into the violent lake. Their boat capsized on the first effort. The crew righted and boarded the boat and reached the “Williams,” rescuing two sailors. Heavy waves swamped the rescue boat on their next attempt, but the volunteers bailed the water, battled rough seas, and saved two more men. On their third attempt, the crew was thrown from the boat. Napier suffered a serious leg injury. One of the rescuers threw a line to Napier, who helped right the boat and rowed it alongside the “Williams.” The last two sailors were rescued. The U.S. Life-Saving Service, forerunner of the U.S. Coast Guard, awarded Captain Joseph Napier its first Life-Saving Gold Medal. It was only the 3rd such medal awarded by the U.S. Congress, and was solid gold with a leather case.

CAPT. Napier suffered a spinal injury in that heroic rescue in 1877, but continued to live alone at his old homestead on Napier Avenue (named in his honor) until his death on June 11, 1924. Of the nine medals he received for his bravery in saving 60 lives from the perilous sea, he had only the inscribed watch and the gold Life-saving Medal still in his possession at the time of his death.

In 2014, Bollinger Shipyards announced that the U.S. Coast Guard was naming 10 ships after Coast Guard Heroes. The "Joseph Napier" was commissioned on January 29, 2016, and assigned to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where the fast cutter will perform search and rescue, drug interdiction, and coastal security.

[Note: Additional information about CAPT. Napier's life (such as year of marriage, number of children, location of his home) was kindly provided by Find a Grave member Outespace through the addition of 2 newspaper articles about Joseph's death. Many thanks!]