Manuscripts

Jairus Beal diary

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Description: 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.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Production date: 1840.
Call number: mssHM 72868
Creator: Beal, Jairus

Jairus Beal correspondence

Manuscripts

Jairus Beal wrote these letters to his wife Hannah while he was away on several voyages on cargo ships. Beal includes some details about the places he is visiting and the activities on shore, but most of the details are about the actual voyage, his shipmates, and his time on the ship at port waiting for cargo to be purchased. Beal sailed between Charleston, New York City, Calcutta, Antwerp, Jakarta, Havana, the Isle of Wight, Singapore, and China. He spends much of each letter telling his wife how much he misses her and how much he wants to go home to see her; he often complains about the lonely life of a sailor and the hard life of a ship captain.

mssHM 63367-63403

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Peter Andrew Clapsaddle diary

Manuscripts

In this diary, Clapsaddle writes daily entries while on his voyage from New York to San Francisco. In it. he talks about life on board the ship, seasickness, his asthma, three passengers dying on board, church services he attended and the meals he ate. He also gives the ship's position and course. He briefly mentions the ship's stops in Panama and Guatemala, the arrival in San Francisco and a job he obtained with the Evening telegram. With the diary is a typed biography of Clapsaddle, outline of his voyage, map of his voyage and typescript of the diary.

mssHM 75101

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Journal of a voyage up the Elbe on the frigate Proserpine accompanying Thomas Grenville to Berlin as British Ambassador: manuscript

Manuscripts

This is a journal kept by Edward Fisher during his trip on board the HMS Proserpine. He talks about the voyage, the shipwreck, and the crew and passengers' walk across the ice to safety.

mssHM 30305

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Anonymous diary of an officer

Manuscripts

The contents of this autograph journal contains important and interesting events relating to Cartagena, Havana, and Vera Cruz. In addition, there is a lengthy account of the Spanish expedition against Georgia and Carolina in 1742.

mssHM 237

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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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Frederick G. Niles diaries

Manuscripts

In these four diaries, Niles details his life through a variety of jobs and journeys. Before his adventures west, Niles talks about his religious beliefs, his Sunday school teaching, his daily life and his aspirations for the future. As he heads West to the Kansas Territory, Niles describes the prospectors and emigrants he meets along the way. He discusses the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians he sees, the Mexican cattle drivers, and the landscape he encounters in his travels. In April 1865, Niles writes about the assassination and funeral of Abraham Lincoln. Niles' diaries also include detailed budgets and personal financial information as he struggled to make money. In the diary that deals with his sea voyage home, Niles includes details about daily life on the ship and the places he visited along the way.

mssHM 70278-70281

Jairus Beal diary

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Jairus Beal correspondence

Peter Andrew Clapsaddle diary

Journal of a voyage up the Elbe on the frigate Proserpine accompanying Thomas Grenville to Berlin as British Ambassador: manuscript

Anonymous diary of an officer

Lyman Belding autobiography

Frederick G. Niles diaries