"My Sea-Faring Family" By Nancy Grant Adams In this issue of Historic Nantucket we continue the story of Mrs. Nan cy Adams' "Sea-Faring Family", a remarkable story of a remarkable family, by a remarkable lady. MY SEA-FARING FAMILY: A true account of the whalemen: Charles Grant Nancy J. Grant Charles W. Grant George A. Grant
1814-1906 1823-1905 1850-1882 1857-1942
by Nancy Grant Adams 1887-1968 daughter of George A. Grant Dedicated to all the Descendants of Charles and Nancy Grant who were Sea-fares
CHAPTER III CABIN BOY ON THE SHIP JOHN JAY BEFORE THE MAST ON THE SHIP MARIA "0, to sail to sea in a ship To leave this steady, unendurable land, To leave the tiresome sameness of the Streets, the sidewalks and the houses; To leave you, 0 solid motionless land, To sail, and sail, and sail." From "Leaves of Grass", by Walt Whitman THE 365 - TON SHIP MARIA was built at Haddam, Conn., in 1822. Her maiden voyage was made in 1822 with Captain George W. Gardner as Master. Returning in 1825, he took her out again from 1825 -1828. Her next voyage was in 1828 - 1832 with Captain Benjamin Ray and it was then that Charles Grant made his second voyage. From 1832 -1836, Captain Alexander Ray was Master, followed by two voyages ending in 1842 with Captain Elisha Fisher, his second voyage being the biggest the ship ever made, bringing in 2413 bbls. of sperm and 21 bbls. of whale oil.
