Manuscripts
Jairus Beal correspondence
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Jairus Beal diary
Manuscripts
The journal covers the voyage on the barque Apthorp from New York to Havana, then to Antwerp and then to Boston. Beal talks about the voyage and his crew members, but also reminisces about his youth and childhood days, talks about religion and his religious beliefs. He makes a few comments about his experience in Havana. Parts of the journal are written to Beal's wife; he often talks about their marriage, the prospect of having children and relationships and love in general. The second half of his journal is a daily log of the voyage starting March 31 and ending August 26 after their arrival in Sydney. Beal gives the ship's position, wind conditions, etc.
mssHM 72868
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Correspondence
Manuscripts
The collection consists of letters related to Fred's life at sea and Sarah's life at home and on the ships when she joined Fred. Many of the letters are from Fred to Sarah (whose nickname was Sade) and from Sarah to her family, but there are also letters written to Sarah from various friends. Letters to Sarah are often addressed to "Sade," and she signed many of her letters as "Sade" as well. The bulk of Fred's letters to Sarah are from various ships and ports, as are Sarah's letters to her family. Fred seemed to miss his wife a great deal when he was at sea, and many of his letters are about his desire to be home with her or to have her on board more often. He discusses his health in many of the letters and he seems to have battled rheumatism quite often. Other topics include the day-to-day life of living on a ship, details about the type and amount of cargo being loaded and carried, the "sea risk" clause in his life insurance policy, his friendship with a Captain Blethen, and his concern that Sarah is seeking employment in a shop he does not find acceptable. Fred mentions some specific ships, including the S.S. Dale. A letter to Mrs. Sager relates his current work and his plans for the next ship he'll board.
mssHM 72024-72079
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Henry P. Fleischman journal
Manuscripts
Fleischman's journal starts on December 13, 1812 while he is onboard the brig Hunter, which the British ship Phoebe captured on December 23rd. In his journal, Fleischman details how he and his crew mates board the Phoebe and sail for Plymouth where they are put on the prison ship Hector. Fleischman complains about the lack of food and water and the treatment he and his men receive in prison by the British. He also makes comments upon the new prisoners coming in everyday from various American ships that had been captured, as well as the sickness and death onboard. While in prison, he goes ashore to Plymouth to make an official complaint about the prison conditions to an American agent. He and his men eventually get transferred to several different prison ships and there are daily rumors that they are going to be exchanged or paroled. When this part of his journal ends, it is April 1813 and he had been moved to a prison ship at the Chatham Dockyard in Kent. The journal jumps to May 31, and Fleischman is on the frigate Chesapeake; he then details the battle between his ship and the frigate Shannon, including the wounding and eventual death of his captain James Lawrence and the capture of the Chesapeake by the Shannon. He also includes a list of officers killed and wounded during the battle.
mssHM 66770
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Lyman Belding autobiography
Manuscripts
The autobiography begins with Belding's childhood in West Farms, Massachusetts (near Amherst College). He recalls his early days of school, camping at a nearby lake, and his first crush on a girl. Of his life in Wyoming Valley, Pennyslvania, Belding talks about his bout with typhoid fever in 1846 which led his doctor to advise him to go on a sea voyage. He talks about his first voyage on the ship Zion and his first long voyage on the whaling ship Uncas (going to the Arctic for whales). Of his voyages, Belden talks about the conditions of life on the ship, their food and drink, stops along the way, sea animals they saw, and the whales they killed. Belding also talks about hunting in the Sierra Nevadas, a meeting with Mark Hopkins, and a bird collecting trip he took to Baja, California.
mssHM 75097
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Fred S. Meady Papers
Manuscripts
The collection consists of letters related to Fred's life at sea and Sarah's life at home and on the ships when she joined Fred. Many of the letters are from Fred to Sarah (whose nickname was Sade) and from Sarah to her family, but there are also letters written to Sarah from various friends. Letters to Sarah are often addressed to "Sade," and she signed many of her letters as "Sade" as well. The bulk of Fred's letters to Sarah are from various ships and ports, as are Sarah's letters to her family. Fred seemed to miss his wife a great deal when he was at sea, and many of his letters are about his desire to be home with her or to have her on board more often. He discusses his health in many of the letters and he seems to have battled rheumatism quite often. Other topics include the day-to-day life of living on a ship, details about the type and amount of cargo being loaded and carried, the "sea risk" clause in his life insurance policy, his friendship with a Captain Blethen, and his concern that Sarah is seeking employment in a shop he does not find acceptable. Fred mentions some specific ships, including the S.S. Dale. A letter to Mrs. Sager relates his current work and his plans for the next ship he'll board. Sarah's letters to her family also tell of daily life on the ships (how the ships are cleaned, how they are secured during rough weather), of the stewards she befriended on board, and of the acquaintances she made while traveling with her husband (such as other couples who were also traveling by sea). She relates details about the specific places they visited and about the social calls she paid. Several of Sarah's letters to her brothers reveal her concerns that they grow into responsible, mature men. Sarah also discusses her health a great deal and she battled whooping cough at some point. The letters to Sarah from her various friends and acquaintances are mainly about family visits, social calls, various entertainments, and news and gossip from home. One letter, from Benjamin Thompson, is an invitation to lunch and includes a calling card. Finally, there are several loose envelopes and various calling cards not attached to any specific letters.
mssHM 72024-72079
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D. P. McHarg correspondence
Manuscripts
The majority of the letters are written by D. P. McHarg to his mother. McHarg's first letter was written while he was on his voyage to California aboard the ship Grecian. In his letters from California, he discusses the conditions in the gold camps, the gold miners with whom he does business, the financial crisis of 1855 and the failing of the Adams Express Company, as well as his opinions about slavery and the Civil War. There are five letters written by McHarg to his wife Fannie while he was in New York City in 1873; in these letters he discusses the stock market crash of 1873. There is one letter by New York Senator Elihu Root to McHarg's wife Fannie.
mssHM 66623-66656