Date of Service: 1864-1867
1838: John H. Hagelin is born on September 12th to parents Charles M. & Mary Hagelin.
1862-1868: Charles M. Hagelin, John’s father, is named Principal Keeper at Cove Point Lighthouse, MD.
1864-1867: John H. Hagelin, son of Keeper Charles Hagelin, is appointed First Assistant at Cove Point Lighthouse, MD. His salary is $150/year.
1866-1867: Mary Hagelin, John’s mother, is appointed First Assistant at Cove Point Lighthouse, MD.
1878: John H. Hagelin dies on January 31st, at age 39.
Keeper John H. Hagelin Anecdote
John H. Hagelin serves as second mate aboard the brig Chatanooga. The brig left Baltimore January 30, 1878, in tow of a tug and encountered severe winter weather conditions off Smith Point. The captain tried to get to the mouth of the Patuxent River to seek shelter, but the hawser parted, and the helm of the brig was unmanageable. The storm forced the brig aground at Little Cove Point, about a mile south of Cove Point Lighthouse. The next morning, as Captain John E. Fry, second mate John H. Hagelin, and seaman James Stephens were trying to get ashore, their boat was swamped, and the men drowned on January 31st.
Sources: Chesapeake Chapter Keeper’s Database; familysearch.org; uslhs.org; The Baltimore Sun, February 2, 1878
