Thomas Lannon's Story

Tom Ellis, the owner of the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon, had heard stories of his grandfather coming from Newfoundland as a young man, marrying, and settling in Gloucester. There he fished on the big schooners until he took sick in 1943, at the age of 65. Thomas Lannon was Tom Ellis' mother's father, and although he had passed away before Tom Ellis was born, Tom was named for him. Even though he had never known his grandfather, Tom felt a strong connection to this man. It wasn't until 1988, when Tom, his wife Kay, their two sons Brian and Heath, and Tom's parents Lib and Fred Ellis took a summer vacation to Newfoundland, that Tom began to understand the connection.

While visiting relatives in Newfoundland, Tom heard stories about his grandfather. One of his grandfather's brothers was still alive and running a sawmill. He told Tom of a story he had heard of his brother's heroism while fishing in Gloucester in 1908. He went into the house and after rummaging around inside for awhile, returned with a handwritten account of the brave rescue that Tom Lannon had been part of. He gave that handwritten account to Tom and told him that his grandfather had been awarded a medal by the Massachusetts Humane Society.

When Tom got back to Gloucester, he mentioned the story to his first cousin, Ed Lannon. Ed replied that he had never heard the story behind it, but that he in fact, had the medal. It had been handed down to him by his father, Eddie Lannon, Tom Lannon's only son. When the schooner idea started to become reality, there was no doubt in Tom's mind what to name the schooner. And so, the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon was named to keep a small part of Gloucester's history alive. Cousin Ed Lannon told Tom that so long as Tom could keep it in a safe place, their grandfather's medal should be in Tom's possession. Ask Tom about it...he'll be proud to tell you all about it.