Association during the Past Three Years

I m p o rt a n t A c c essio n s R e c e iv e d b y t h e N a n t u c k et H i st ori c a l A s so c i a t io n

d u ri n g t h e P a st T h re e Y e a r s

IN THE SUMMER Issue of Historic Nantucket an article listing some of the more recently recorded accessions appeared. This has intrigued some of our members who have requested additional listings of other interesting accessions received over the past three years. Realizing how extensive such a compilation would be, and the space necessary, a selection has been made of the items or collections over this period. As a number of the outstanding have been described in previous issues, the new list follows:

A diversified group of items came to us in 1975, including a set of dishes from the Allen Coffin family, presented by Mrs. Isabel (Worth) Duffy; an 1845 Nantucket quilt from Mrs. L. H. Taylor; a macrame doll, which has been exhibited all over the country in craft shows, given by its maker, Reginald Reed; a volume on the paintings of the famous marine artist, J. E. Buttersworth, the gift of Mr. and Mrs. James Brown; three old coins, from Mrs. Clara Block; a medallion portrait of John Jay Cisco, from John Jay Cisco, III; a framed chart of whaleship signals from Mrs. H. Marshall Gardiner; an inlaid wooden plaque of the Old Mill, made by Thomas Ceely, presented by James E. Spear; an oil painting by Gerald Taber of the Nantucket Railroad, as a gift of Henry Willard; a pamphlet on the cruise of the schooner Julius Webb received from the Nantucket Historical Trust; a silver coffee urn which belonged in the Elizabeth Starbuck home, presented by Mrs. H. Crowell Freeman; the printed score of the opera The Pariahs, given by Walter Beinecke, Jr., and the holograph letter to Dr. William Sturgis Bigelow by Theodore Roosevelt, presented by Hermit Roosevelt, Jr.

Robert M. Waggaman, whose gifts in the past have included such valuable paintings as the Thomas Birch oil painting of the "Town of Sherborn—1800" and "Grandmother's Garret," by Elizabeth R. Coffin, has continued his interest by presenting an intriguing collection of old Nantucket items, which include an oil painting of a Nantucket fireplace by James Walter Folger; a number of old books and pamphlets; a collection of Nantucket silver spoons—both tablespoons and teaspoons, mostly by such Nantucket silversmiths as H. A. and E. G. Kelley, James Easton, J. Kelley, Easton & Sanford, and S. Barrett; the Journal of the

IMPORTANT ACCESSIONS

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Whaleship D e s d e m o n a \ a framed map of Nantucket from De Crevecoeur's "Letters From An American Farmer;" watercolor of the ship Henry, of Nantucket, by Walter J. Brock, with a border of signal flags of Nantucket whaleships, 1840-1850; wooden dumbbells made by W. E. Starbuck; the lithograph of Abram Quary by Bufford; a sperm whale's tooth mounted on whalebone platform—a gift of Joseph Claff to William T. Devlan, April 30, 1891; and eight colored photographs of the Waggaman residence in 'Sconset, both interior and exterior, by H. Marshall Gardiner, of Nantucket.

The Northampton Historical Society has thoughtfully given to our Library the biography of Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, by Thomas C. Amory, with a number of annotations and clippings. From Paul Blackmur, of Cohasset and Nantucket, has come a small grouping of articles related to the Bunker family of Gay Street, including a photograph of Mr. Blackmur's great-uncle, Lauriston Bunker, who was for nearly half a century Nantucket's Town Clerk and Register of Deeds. Mrs. Royden C. Leonard has presented a series of glass slides of Nantucket scenes used by Mr. Leonard when he gave lectures about Nantucket.

Mrs. Elizabeth De Sieyes, of Sunset Hill, has given a collection of volumes concerned with early explorations, including two of Harris' "Explorers," six volumes of the famous U. S. N. "Wilkes' Expedition" to the Pacific Ocean, a set of Churchill's "Voyages," and the four volumes of the "Memorial History of Boston." These came in a handsome Empire Book Case, which is now located in our Research Room at the Peter Foulger Museum. These were given in memory of Benjamin Karl Sharp.

Among articles of furniture have come a dining room table with leaves, and a walnut love seat, from Mrs. Ellen Selden; a secretary desk from Thomas Phelps; and a carved Chinese sideboard from James M. Andrews.

A model of the original steam engine used for generating the first electric power of Nantucket, made by Leon A. Royal, who was the chief engineer of the Nantucket Electric Company for a half century, has been presented by his sons, Leon M. Royal and the late Walter J. Royal.

Of unusual circumstance was the presentation of six valuable logbooks and journals by Mrs. Ralph Riddell, through her daughter Mrs. Miller Gay,, of Equality, Alabama, who brought them to Nantucket during the summer of 1975. The books contained accounts of eight w h al i n g v o y a g e s, i nc l u d in g t he s hi ps T h a m e s , L o n d o n a n d L e v i a t h a n , o f London, England, and the ships Clarkson, Constitution and Levant of

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET

Nantucket. Old deeds, letters and documents concerning the Riddell Family at the estate "Gull Island," as well as whaling accounts of Captain Charles Gardner, of Nantucket, an ancestor of Ralph Riddell, completed a valuable collection of documents having to do with the history of this Nantucket family.

Closely related to the whaling period in which Nantucket shipmasters were commanding British whaleships was the original "Sea Letter," presented by Mrs. June Badger, written during the voyage of the whaleship Emily of London, from 1823 to 1825, by Mary Hayden Russell, wife of Captain Laban Russell, both of Nantucket.

Alden R. Swain, of San Mateo, Cal., and his sister, Mrs. Effie Swain Garvin, have given two well preserved journals recording the merchant voyages of four ships — the Cornelia, 1832-1835; the Hope, 1835-1836; the Aurora, Jan. to July, 1849 (Nantucket to San Francisco); and the Oregon, 1850-1851, New York to San Francisco. These have been added to our impressive collection of ships' logbooks and journals.

Two handsome ship models have been presented by Mrs. Aurelia T. Davis, and brought all the way from Florida by automobile by our President, Leroy H. True. These models were made by the late Gordon A. Meader, and are of the New Bedford whaleship Alice Mandell and of H. M. S. Bounty, famous because of the mutiny which eventually took the mutineers and the ship to Pitcairn Island. This Bounty model is probably the most intriguing of all we have on display. To begin with, it was constructed from the original plans of the ship now in the Admiralty Files at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England, and it has been closely examined by Nantucket's ship model expert, Charles F. Sayle, who has stated it to be one of the finest he has ever seen. We are grateful to Mrs. Davis, the former Mrs. Meader, for her interest and generosity. Close by is exhibited a display on Captain Mayhew Folger, the man who solved the 20-year-old mystery of what had happened to the Bounty when he stopped at Pitcairn Island in 1808.

Historian Edouard A. Stackpole has given the Association a collection of whaling documents of Nantucket ships; a collection of microfilms of ships' logbooks and journals; three filing cabinets of material related to Maritime History; and research documents connected with his books Whales and Destiny, The Sea Hunters and Life-Saving Nantucket and The Forgotten Man of the Boston Tea Party. He has also donated several volumes on marine history.

Among the smallest items received is a commemorative coin of interest to whaling historians. It comes from the estate of the late W. Ripley Nelson, through the interest of Mrs. Barbara Nelson. It is a unique copper half-penny, designed as a commemorative coin for the British Whale Fishery in 1794. The coin, and a letter explaining how it came to be cast, were found among Mr. Nelson's papers. The letter was originally written by the late Everett U. Crosby, who, with Mr. Nelson, was a strong supporter of this Association. It reads as follows:

"This British Copper halfpenny was in an unimportant collection of coins in my father's estate. Looking it over one day and cleaning and polishing the coin brought out the fact that one side shows the head of Neptune with his Trident and the word halfpenny. On the other side is a Nantucket Whaling scene of men in a whaleboat rowing towards a spouting whale. Standing in the bow is a harpooner ready to dart his harpoon at the whale. Beneath this scene is the inscription: "Whale Fishery 1794" and above it: "Payable at I. Fowler, London".

"Seeking information from my London correspondent I found that in 1794 England was greatly elated in securing the immigration of a number of Nantucket whale fishermen with their families who established this industry in the town of Milford Haven in North Wales. At that time the government did not coin money of such a small denomination and permitted responsible firms to do so and to put it in circulation, as illustrated by this halfpenny.

"This adoption on a copper coin of a Nantucket Whaling scene was of much interest to many Nantucketers, so upon request a partner of mine who was visiting London secured a sufficient supply and I gave one to each member of the Winter Club at their meeting of April 24, 1956.

"This token, as such coinage is called and there were many examples of it at about that time, makes an attractive pocket piece."

A similar Whaling Halfpenny was presented by Robert M. Waggaman, last year, when his gifts included a crude checker board made by Union prisoners at Libby Prison during the Civil War, and a scrimshawed narwhale's tusk.

From Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Small, of Farmer Street, has come a small but valuable collection of papers and business documents once a part of the family of Walter Folger, Jr., and Simeon Folger, together with several old volumes, including The Nautical Almanac of 1835, once belonging to Walter Folger, Jr.; Geographical Exercises, by Col. Joseph C. Hart, with the inscription of presentation by the author to Walter Folger, Jr.; English translation of Virgil's Bucolics and Cicero's First Oration Against Catiline, both by Mary G. Coleman, of Nantucket, in 1858; and a number of other books. The account book of Captain Joseph Wyer was also included.

The new book, The Mystery of John Jackson, 18th Century Silversmith, was presented by its author, Mrs. John R. Merriman, who has also given two of the silver tablespoons made by this 18th century silversmith who worked in Nantucket over a period of years. Mrs. Merriman's carefully researched work is a valuable contribution to Nantucket history.

Louis S. Davidson, who has been a summer resident of Nantucket for over four decades, is well known for his photographic studies of Nantucket people and scenes. During the past three years he has given the Nantucket Historical Association over 1000 of these photographs — a remarkable collection, containing camera portraits of many personalities who were familiar to the Nantucket scene. As a major part of our holdings in the field of photography the Louis S. Davidson collection has become an important asset.

The Preservation Institute of Nantucket, through its Director, Prof. F. Blair Reeves, has presented another group of Reports by its students. These contain studies of the Nathaniel Macy House, Three Academy Lane, the Jethro Coffin House, the Cranberry Bog, One Stone Alley, and other studies of Nantucket houses and neighborhoods. These are welcome additions to our historical collections.

Similarly, the University of Massachusetts, Nantucket Program in the Humanities, has presented the final papers of the students who were engaged in the program during the past two years. Included are studies of the Nantucket Schools, the Anti-Slavery Movement, the Society of Friends, the Whaling Industry's Decline, Irish Settlers on Nantucket, etc. These papers reflect the scope of the work which these students have accomplished during their "Nantucket experience," and show clearly the interest and enthusiasm for the course conducted here on Nantucket. The Peter Foulger Museum and the Association's library have played a major role in this course.

Lloyd W. Coleman, of Woodbury, Oregon, has thoughtfully sent us the logbook of the ship Manchester, which sailed from New York under the command of Captain Job Coleman, of Nantucket, on December 5, 1849, and arrived in San Francisco on June 17, 1850. Many Nantucketers made this voyage with Captain Coleman. Such marine journals are invaluable.

An old clock which once belonged to the Rev. Fr. Joseph M. Griffin has been given by Col. John F. Denehy. Because of its association with Father Griffin, whose years as the head of the Catholic Church on Nantucket will long be remembered, the clock will have a place among the other exhibits at the Peter Foulger Museum.

Dr. and Mrs. William D. Barcus have made a gift of a striking marine painting by the late Thomas Petersen, of Noank, Conn. It has been titled "On Georges Banks," and shows a fishing schooner of more than half a century ago on a fog-shrouded stretch of the fishing grounds, with a big steamer edging out of the mist.

A framed piece of embroidery bearing the date Nov. 9, 1899, originally owned by the Nevin sisters and found in the "House of Lords" cottage in 'Sconset, has been given by Mrs. Gaius Halsey and Mrs. James Brown, Jr. The piece contains the names of many Nantucket members of the sewing circle of that period.

The gifts which Robert M. Waggaman has presented the Association have been considerably varied over the years. However, in his most recent generous presentations he has continued to show his wide range of interests, and he has given several volumes of 17th century atlases printed in Holland, including the Atlas Major, by Frederick de Witt, Amsterdam, 1642; the Atlas Novis Magnae Britannia, by Janssen, Amsterdam, 1646, and five other handsomely preserved volumes, bound in original covers; two framed maps of North America, dated 1711 and 1755; an atlas for the voyages of Captain James Cook; the 2-volume 2nd edition of Hart's Miriam Coffin; the original London edition (1782) of de Crevecoeur's Letters From An American Farmer', the 3-volume English edition of The Whale or Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, 1851; Skelton's Decorative Printed Maps of the 15th to 18th Centuries, London, 1952; and the logbooks and journals of the following vessels: Whaleship Minerva Smyth, 1848; Whaleship John Jay, 1845; Whaleship Chieftain, Kirkcaldy, Scotland two voyages, 1841-1842; Whaleship Marcus, 1849-1850, partial log; Whaleship Minerva, partial log from 1825 to 1827; Whaleship Portland, two voyages — 1837-1839, 1834-1835; Whaleship Petrel, 18541857. Also a holograph letter from Captain Edward Phipps from Delagoa

Bay to Rogers, Clark & Co., London, with an account of whaling in this part of the African coast.

While this listing has to do with some of the outstanding recent accessions it must of necessity preclude a complete list because of space limitations. However, the many individual articles are equally appreciated, as they all add to a total which makes for the preservation of Nantucket History, and we append them alphabetically, as follows:

Dr. Mark D. Altschule Mr. & Mrs. George Anastos Mr. James M. Andrews Mrs. W. S. Archibald, Jr. Dr. William D. Barcus Mr. William J. Barney Mr. Arthur J. Barrett Mr. Robert Barrett Mr. Walter Barrett Mr. Brewster Beach Mrs. John Beale Mr. Walter Beinecke, Jr. Mr. Eugene Benoit Mrs. Clara Block Mr. Paul Blackman Mr. L. C. Bolton Dr. Alfred Bornemann Miss Martha Bowen Mr. J. Boynton Mr. Schuyler Bradt Mrs. Marshall Brenizer Mrs. June Broger Mr. & Mrs. James Brown, Jr. Col. Lawrence Bunker Mr. Lauriston Bunker (Estate of) Mr. Ernest C. Burdick Mr. Christopher Burnett Mrs. J. Neale Carman Dr. William H. Cassebaum Mr. & Mrs. Hugh R. Chace Mr. John Jay Cisco III Dr. M. D. Cobcroft Mrs. Joseph Cochran Mr. Robert ~T. Coffin Mr. William Coffin Mr. Lloyd W. Coleman Mr. Bernard Colonna Mr. Robert D. Congdon Mr. Alexander M. Craig Mr. Frederick Crockett Sumner A. Dave Associates Mr. Louis S. Davidson Mrs. Amelia T. Davis Mr. Richard deBarros Mrs. Carter De Bold Col. John F. Denehy Mrs. Elizabeth de Sieyes Mr. Marshall du Bock Mrs. Isabel Worth Duffy Mrs. R. C. Dugan Duke's County Historical Society Mr. & Mrs. Jesse Eldridge Mr. & Mrs. Powell Ensign Mr. Walter Weston Folger Mrs. Levin W. Foster Mrs. H. Crowell Freeman Mr. & Mrs. Geoffrey E. Fulton Mrs. Susie Gallagher Mrs. H. Marshall Gardiner Mrs. John J. Gardner Mrs. Effie Swain Garvin Miss Esther Gibbs Mrs. David Gray Mrs. Miller Gray Mrs. Conrad Green Mrs. Harding U. Greene Mrs. Lewis Greenleaf Miss Eunice B. Haden

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HISTORIC NANTUCKET

Mr. George E. Hall Mrs. Alfred Hall Mrs. Ellen Halsey Mrs. Bradford Hammond Dr. William Hance Prof. Thomas Hefferman Prof. Wilson F. Heflin Dr. David A. Henderson Miss Amy J. Herschmann Mrs. C. W. Hillberg Dr. & Mrs. Oscar Hollander Mrs. Roy E. Horst Adm. George F. Hussey, Jr. Mrs. Louise Hussey Mrs. William A. Jackson Miss Catherine H. Jarvis Mr. George W. Jones Mrs. Emerald Kahler Mrs. Carolyn Lambeth Keith Mr. Leo Kelley Miss Minnie E. Kelley Mrs. Charlotte King Mr. Samuel A. King Mr. Timothy King Mrs. H. H. Kynett Mrs. Arlene E. Kungloff Mr. Robert Leads Mrs. C. F Le Massena Mrs. Roy don C. Leonerd Mr. Morgan Levine Mrs. Mary Lewis Mr. Edgar T. Lindstrom Mr. Asa Cobb Paine Lombard, Jr. Mr. Miller P. Longbotham Mrs. Samuel E. Lunden Mr. Paul Madden Mrs. Earl MacAusland Mr. George H. Mackay (Estate of) Mr. Gene Mahar Massachusetts Steamship Authority Miss Helen Masten Mr. & Mrs. Donald McChesney Mr. Maynard McClellen Mrs. Marjorie E.W. McMaster Mrs. John Merriman Miss Pamela Mitchell Mr. Robert L. Mitchell Mrs. Henry Montoye Mr. Robert Mooney Mrs. Ethel Morris Mr. James O. Murray Mr. & Mrs. W. Ripley Nelson Mrs. Allen Newhouse Mrs. Allen E. Norcross Northampton Historical Society Mr. Thomas E. Norton Pacific National Bank Mrs. Frank Pattison Mr. Velton Peabody Mr. Ed Piculell Mrs. Albert Pitkin Miss Helen Powell Preservation Institute of Nantucket Mr. Phillip I. Raneca Mrs. Robert Ray Mr. Phillip Read Mr. Reginald Reed Mrs. R. Gordon Reed Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin S. Richmond Mr. Nestor Richard Mr. Kermit Roosevelt, Jr. Mr. Peter Rosen Mr. Leon M. Royal Mrs. Harold Ryder Mrs. Ellen Selden Miss Margaret A. Simmonds Mr. & Mrs. Sydney Small Mr. Thomas N. Spear Mr. Edouard A. Stackpole Mr. William Hadwen Starbuck Mr. Lionel Starr Mr. Arthur Stetson Mr. Alden Swain Mrs. P. Prime Swain Mr. Joseph J. Sylvia Mrs. C. Harold Taylor