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"My Sea-Faring Family" by
Nancy Grant Adams We continue in this issue of Historic Nantucket Mrs. Nancy Grant Adams' story of her "Sea-faring Family", which takes us through Charles Grant's last voyage on the MOUNT VERNON and the first of the whaling voyages on which his wife, Nancy, accompanied him.
Chapter 6 First Mate on the MOUNT VERNON "Ask any question in this town, Of anyone, by night or morn, The answer will be always found, 'Round Cape Horn'. I ask the ladies where I call, 'Your husbands, are they here or gone?' And get this answer from them all, 'Round Cape Horn'. I ask a sister whom I saw, Quite finely dressed in silks and lawn, 'Where's your brother?' She answered, 'La, 'Round Cape Horn'. I asked a maiden by my side, Who sighed and looked at me forlorn, 'Where is your heart?' She quick replied, 'Round Cape Horn'.
In the Nantucket "Inquirer" of 1839 appeared this item: Ship Mt. Ver non, Capt. Imbert, to sail October 25. Letter bag at the store of J. Lawrence and Co. Charles was twenty-five years old when he sailed as First Mate and it was to be his fifth voyage whaling. A Nantucket friend, Henry Coleman, was also on board as Second Mate. The ship sailed from Edgartown, Mass., the 31st of October, 1839, for the Pacific Ocean. The first report of her was when the HARBINGER of Boston reported seeing her at Fayal in November with 90 bbls. of oil. She was again reported in February 1840 with 300 bbls. In August 1840 the Ship MASSACHUSETTS came into port with 300 bbls. of oil from the ship MOUNT VERNON. We are fortunate in having a journal kept by an officer on this voyage and much information has been gleaned from this humorous and
