In 1871, Charles Gridley was posted to the USS Michigan, the only American warship on the Great Lakes and home harbored at Erie, Pennsylvania. Being there over a period of time gave him the chance to socialize with the fairer sex. The Michigan would be confined to dock by the Lake Erie ice.
He soon met Ellie Vincent, the daughter of Judge John V. Vincent. The two were married on May 10, 1872. Thenceforth, Gridley would always consider Erie his home. It was here that his family, which by 1880 included two daughters and a son, would continue to live.
By 1875, Lt. Cmdr. Gridley found himself with orders to report to his alma mater, the USNA, to teach seamanship, naval tactics and naval construction. Throughout his career, Gridley was to experience an ever-growing reputation for his abilities and knowledge in sail shiphandling and navigation. Now, he was training the officers of the future aboard the USS Monongahela and USS Constellation.
He is buried in a cemetery in Erie, Pennsylvania, which would explain how he came to be there.
--Cooter
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