Proceedings of the Nantucket Historical Association: Forty-ninth Annual Meeting

PROCEEDINGS OF THE

NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

FORTY-NINTH ANNUAL MEETING JULY 27, 1943

PROCEEDINGS OF THE

NANTUCKET HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

FORTY-NINTH ANNUAL MEETING JULY 27, 1943

The Inquirer and Mirror Press Nantucket, Mass.

THE OLDEST HOUSE IN 1863.

The view shows the house when it was last used as a permanent residence. George and Mary Turner were its owners eighty years ago.

OFFICERS PRESIDENT

Edouard A. Stackpole VICE PRESIDENTS

Bassett Jones Charles P. Kimball Col. Louis J. Praeger

Everett U. Crosby Harry B. Turner Mrs. Walton H. Adams SECRETARY

Mrs. Oscar B. Eger TREASURER

Robert D. Congdon CURATOR PRO TEM

Edouard A. Stackpole AUDITORS

Miss Cora Stevens

Col. Louis J. Praeger COUNCILLORS

Term Expires 1944 Term Expires 1944 Term Expires 1945 Term Expires 1945 Term Expires 1946 Term Expires 1946 Term Expires 1947 Term Expires 1947

Clinton T. Macy Dr. George A. Folger Mrs. Carl B. Urann Dr. William E. Gardner Miss Grace Brown Gardner David Wood Mrs. William H. Barney William C. Brock LIFE COUNCILLORS

Miss Annie Alden Folger

Edward F. Sanderson

Membership The Nantucket Historical Association is an organization devoted to the preservation of the Island's famed past. Because of Nantucket s importance in the American whaling industry, its history has become a vital chapter in the larger maritime history of the United States.

For this reason alone, this Association is not an insular society.

During these times of stress we sincerely need the help of our members and urge you to continue your membership. More and more, with each phase of the war the importance of the American tradition is manifest. There is no place in America quite like Nantucket, the birthplace of American deep-sea whaling. The town stands unrivalled as an historical spot unchanged by time—an excellent example of how those mariners and merchants lived.

Your support of our Association enables us to preserve the Whaling tradition. Your membership further allows us to carry on the work of maintaining our exhibits—the Whaling Museum, Oldest House, Fair Street Rooms and Quaker Meeting House and' Old Mill.

These are not only interesting and valuable in themselves but are community assets of the highest order.

Our membership classes are: Life Membership, $15.00; Sustain­ ing Membership, $5.00; Annual Membership, $1.00; Junior Member­ ship, 50 cents annually.

If you are not already a member of the Association you are hereby cordially invited to become one.

Please make checks payable to Robert D. Congdon, Treasurer, Nantucket, Mass.

Fifty Years of the Nantucket Historical Association-—Dates to Remember.

May 9, 1894—The Association was organized in "the west parlor of of the westernmost of the three brick houses" on Main street," the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Starbuck.

The first officers were: Vice Presidents, Rev. Myron S. Dudley and Henry S. Wyer. Recording Secretary, Miss Mary E. Starbuck. Corresponding Secretary, Miss Susan A. Starbuck.

Treasurer, Alexander H. Sevearns. Councillors, Mrs. Maria T. Swain, Mrs. Elizabeth C. Bennett, Mrs. Judith T. Fish, Miss Susan E. Brock, Rev. Edward C. Gardner, Wendell Macy and Arthur H. Gardner.

July 9, 1894—Incorporated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The same year the Association bought the Friends' Meeting House on Fair Street for $1,000. Here were assembled ex­ hibits and here were held the meetings of the Association and the Council.

August 4, 1897—At a public auction, with a record attendance, held on Main street, the Old Mill was sold to the Association for $885. As the Association did not have that amount, Miss Caroline L. French, by a gift of $135, made up the full amount.

July 21, 1954—The ccrner stone of a new "fire-proof building" was laid adjacent to the Friends' Meeting House.

October 31, 1923—The Oldest House was bought for $3500. Winthrop Coffin, of Boston, a descendant of Tristram Coffin, generously financed the restoration, which was done under the direction of Alfred E. Shurrocks and William Sumner Appleton.

July 24, 1930—The Whaling Museum was formally opened in the "Old Candle House" cn Broad street. This historical building had been purchased from Edward Sanderson, and with ad­ jacent land cost $35000. With the purchase, Mr. Sanderson made generous gifts to the Association of his fine and unex­ celled collection of whaling implements, books, papers, etc., and also waived payment of taxes and interest.

The Association is indebted to William F. Macy, president (1924—1935) for his active work over a period of years in raising the money to make the purchase possible.

In fifty years, the Association has collected five buildings valued at over $50,000.00, and thousands of exhibits impossible to value but certainly worth upwards of another $50,000.00.

•47J&-

ANNUAL MEETING The Annual Meeting of the Nantucket Historical Association was held at the Friends' Meeting House, Fair Street, on Tuesday afternoon, July 27, with President Edouard A. Stackpole presiding.

Although the attendance was not so large as in other years, the members and friends present declared the meeting one of the most interesting in the unbroken series of forty-nine annual get-togethers.

Following the short welcoming message by the President, the reports of the various officers were read. The minutes of the last annual meeting were dispensed with, having been printed in the last "Proceedings." The report of the Secretary was not given owing to her absence, but it will be found in this issue of the "Proceedings."

The report of Treasurer Robert D. Congd'on, which is also in this issue, showed that receipts from admissions to the exhibits, from dues, sales, gifts, etc., total $3,713.49—and that the expenses for the year have been $3,489.56, including salaries, maintenance, printing and supplies.

During the year, the Association invested $5000 in U. S. "G" bonds.

The assets of the Association total $51,636.00. This includes the buildings known as the Friends' Meeting House, Oldest House, Fair Street Museum, Old Mill and' Whaling Museum; the collections and furnishings in these buildings and the land; trust account and bonds and stocks. **

**

**

**

**

Charles Neal Barney, of New York, as a committee to draft a new Constitution for the Association, presented a copy of the pro­ posed new Constitution and By-Laws. Upon motion by Dr. William E. Gardner, the following resolution was voted by the meeting: 1.

That the report of the Committee appointed by the President to study and report on a revision of the Constitution be ac­ cepted and referred to the Council.

2. That the Association herewith expresses to Mr. Charles Neal Barney its thanks for his interest in the welfare of the Association and for his legal work in drafting a new Con­ stitution and By-Laws as an amendment and revision of the present Constitution.

3. That the Council be directed to study, revise, print and mail a copy of the proposed Constitution and By-Laws to each member of the Association—at least one month before the meeting when action will be taken and at least no later than a month before the next annual meeting.

•<S[ 8 }>

In his report as President and Curator Pro Tem, Mr. Stackpole spoke of the increasingly important work of the Custodian Committee.

His report in full will be found in this issue.

The report of the Nominating Committee was presented by its Chairman, Dr. William O. Stevens, as follows: President—Edouard A. Stackpole.

Vice Presidents—Mrs. Walton H. Adams, Everett U. Crosby, Bassett Jones, Charles P. Kimball, Col. Louis J. Praeger, Harry B. Turner.

Secretary—Mrs. Oscar B. Eger.

Treasurer—Robert D. Congdon.

Curator Pro Tem—Edouard A. Stackpole.

Auditors—Miss Cora Stevens, Col. Louis J. Praeger.

Councillors (to serve 4 years)—Mrs. William H. Barney, William C. Brock. **

**

**

**

**

Chairmen of the four exhibits addressing the meeting were: Miss Grace Brown Gardner, Chairman of the Oldest House; Col. Louis J. Praeger, Chairman of the Old Mill; Everett U. Crosby, Chairman of the Fair Street Rooms; Dr. William E. Gardner, Chairman of the Whaling Museum.

William H. Tripp, Curator of the Old Dartmouth Whaling Museum, was again on hand, and extended' the greetings of his Society.

Mr. and Mrs. Pemberton Nye, also of New Bedford, were present.

In his paper, "Discoverers of Nantucket," Everett U. Crosby gave an excellent account of those early navigators and explorers who may have sighted the island. Capt. George Waymouth, six years after Gosnold, certainly made the best identification of his ship in these waters. Mr. Crosby's paper will be found in this issue of the "Pro­ ceedings."

William E. Gardner's address, "The New Archives of the Nan­ tucket Historical Association," was one of the most comprehensive reports of work and interest yet presented at an annual meeting.

He not only displayed his own awareness to the subject but he carried his audience with him up to the loft of the Whaling Museum, and made them feel the spirit of an interesting enterprise, which is of increasing importance to the Association.

Before the meeting adjourned, Mrs. Robert Appleton arose to declare her intention of having the portrait of her grandfather, Cap­ tain Isaiah Folger, come into the possession of the Association. Captain Folger, in his schooner Exact, took the first settlers to what is now the city of Seattle. A Washington State historical society is anxious 4 9•

\

to obtain the portrait, but Mrs. Appleton stated: "The painting be­ longs in Nantucket always upon my death I want it to come to this Historical Association, to be always preserved by it." She was given an ovation upon the conclusion of her remarks.

The coming year—1944—marks the 50th anniversary of the form­ ation of the Nantucket Historical Association. Plans are being made to make our annual meeting a fitting one in commemorating the farsighted efforts not only of the founders but of the loyal officers and staunch friends who have served and worked during the half century.

In 1945, the town will have the opportunity to observe the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the Town of Nantucket—formerly Sherburne. It is hoped that the Association will be allowed to assist the community in observing such an important mile-stone in the development of the island, county and town.

10 |S<-

Secretary's Report Mr. President and Members and Friends of the Association: Again we are assembled, for the 49th Annual Meeting of our Association, once more to compare the record's of the past year with hopes for the future, and to plan for that continued labor which has made our society a success. The officers and members of the Associa­ tion extend cordial greetings to old friends and new who have gathered here today.

Once again we are glad to report to you who come back each year and to you who are just beginning to know us and our special work. Our treasurer has busied' himself with our financial records and our custodian committee chairmen have directed the progress of the year's work, on which they will report to you later. Your Secre­ tary has been busy with correspondence and reports as well as the list of members.

Our membership stands thus at the close of the fiscal year, June 30, 1943: Life Members—112; Sustaining Members—31; Annual Members 509; Junior Members—32. Total—684. New Members since June 30, 1943, due to personal drive by Mr. Crosby—48. Prlesent total—732.

In connection with the above let me once more urge that your Secretary and Treasurer be informed promptly of any change in the address of members so that our mailing lists may be correct as well as complete. It is very disappointing to have many notices as well as copies of our Annual Proceedings returned each year because the addresses were not correct.

We still need new members and it would contribute much toward the support of our work if some of our Annual members might be able and willing to Join our newer class of membership known as Sustaining Members.

During the past year the Council has held its regular meetings for the consideration of matters relative to our work and the routine business has been attended to as usual, but that requires no special

4

H

mention here. Eleven council meetings were held for necessary business —On August 3, 1942; Sept. 8, 1942; October 13, 1942; October 28, 1942; Nov. 15, 1942; Jan. 15, 1943; Mar 21, 1943; April 18, 1943; May 16, 1943; June 20, 1943 and July 18, 1943. With your permission I will dispense with the summary of details concerning the business of the year.

Again during the year we have been called upon to part with several of our members. Once more our Council has been stricken and we no longer shall have the assistance and advice of Mrs. Flor­ ence Osgood Lang, who has been for many years one of our Life Coun­ cillors. Many other members have been called from us and their presence will be sadly missed by all.

In closing we ask you whose names are not yet on our member­ ship lists to come to us, to know us better, to become members of our Association, and by so doing claim for yourselves a place in our ever widening and increasingly important work.

Respectfully submitted, MRS. OSCAR B. EGER, Secretary.

4 12

Report of President and Curator Pro Tem To the Officers, Members and Friends of the Association: I speak to you in an admixture of purpose—on the one hand as an executive head, on the other as on interpreter. The first has been comparatively simple, inasmuch as the Custodian Committee and' the Council have decided upon major problems; the latter is a more difficult task. It is one thing to understand the policy of a group of people endeavoring to work together for the future well-being of our Association; it is quite another to take individual opinions and ques­ tions, to make a stereotype blend of their several points of view and plans for action. However, problems have been overcome because of the sincerity of purpose of all concerned.

In this issue of the "Proceedings" will be found a copy of the proposed new Constitution and By-Laws, as drawn up by Charles Neal Barney and adopted, with certain revisions, by the Council. It is hoped that all members will peruse the document and attend the special meeting for the purpose of acting upon it.

The past year has been a fruitful one in the progress of the Association. An outstanding feature has been the official acts of the Custodian Committee. This little group has accomplished much, and the Association is indeed indebted to it for the splendid record it has created. This committee is composed of Everett U. Crosby, Chairman of Fair Street; William E. Gardner, Chairman of the Whaling Mu­ seum; Miss Grace Brown Gardner, Chairman of the Oldest House; and Col. Louis J. Praeger, Chairman of the Old Mill, and your Curator pro tem.

Miss Gardner has accepted the chairmanship of the Oldest House Committee during the absence of Clinton T. Macy, who is now in the armed forces. Miss Gardner is the daughter of the late Arthur H. Gardner, an outstanding islander of his time and a former president of this Association. She is especially well qualified to take charge of the Oldest House, because of her thorough knowledge of Nantucket history. Much of the quiet that surrounds the place is purposeful.

A visitor not only finds therein the structure and furnishings of the olden day, but he actually steps into the past when he mounts the rise of the hill from West Chester street.

Col. Louis J. Praeger can tell you many interesting things about the Old Mill. One of these occurrences had an unhappy beginning but an excellent ending. Last fall, due to an accident, Mr. Bloomfield, the miller, reported two broken vanes. There was the question of 13

getting the wood for replacement, but he guaranteed the job would be finished before our opening this year, voluntarily assuming a large share of the expense. When the wood arrived, Mr. Bloomfield, who is an instructor at the Coffin School, fashioned it, enlisting the aid of several boys. These boys assisted in painting the vanes and install­ ing them, under the invaluable direction of Joseph Senecal. During the various processes of restoration, the students evinced a keen interest in the operation of the Mill, and some of them have returned a number of times to study the mechanics of the Mill.

At our popular Whaling Museum, Dr. William E. Gardner has made several changes, the most extensive of which—the creation of the new "Archives"—he will describe to you in detail. The more valu­ able of the logbooks are now stored in the Pacific Bank. These con­ stitute irreplaceable pages in the history of the American maritime epoch of whaling. The scrimshaw case, in the lower west room, has been moved to a more favorable position. A number of badly needed repairs have been completed by a carpenter.

Here at Fair Street, Everett U. Crosby, as Chairman, has ex­ ercised a keen judgment for re-arrangement that at once reveals his complete understanding of vital problems. Last fall, Mr. Crosby called a meeting of the Custodian Committee and outlined' the changes con­ templated. All members of the committee concurred in the planning, but it is doubtful if any visualized how effective would be the result.

A few days before our seasonal opening, Mr. Crosby again called a meeting, and the Council had a "pre-view" of newly arranged ex­ hibits. With the valuable assistance of Dr. Gardner, he has accom­ plished excellent results—all without altering the "scheme of things" radically. With the work of two former curators—the late Miss Su­ san Brock and Mrs. Walton Adams—to guide him, Mr. Crosby has made several changes, including the Indian alcove, transfer of the library, renovation of the basement, and re-arrangement of the large number of portraits. New exhibit space was secured by re-arrangement of certain exhibits. The introduction of electric lights and the creation of a library and work-room (in the meeting house balcony) have been of considerable aid.

The Association is indebted to Mr. Crosby for financing the project. At the last meeting of the Council (July 18), after receiving the appreciative comments of the members, Mr. Crosby stated to Mrs. Adams—who for many years carried on such work alone—"Having done these things at Fair Street, with the help of Will Gardner, of my secretary and a workman, I am more than ever impressed, Mrs. Adams, by the fact that you were able to do so much practically singlehanded during your years of service. I feel that I am in a better position than anyone, perhaps, to appreciate this fact."

4 14

It is a fine thing for this Association to possess, in its Council, men and women keenly interested in the continued' progress of our work.

Our custodians have again embarked upon a busy season. At the Oldest House, Mrs. Francis Folger is in charge; Mrs. Alma Backus and Mrs. Bessie Winslow preside over Fair Street, as in other years; Albert Bloomfield is at the Old Mill; while at the Whaling Museum, Wallace Long is again on deck to carry on the work he so auspicious­ ly took up last season, and Miss Van Pelt is at the desk. Our new librarian at the Whaling Museum is Mrs. Royal Appleton, and her graciousness and interest have already won her a large circle of new friends for this important part of our Whaling Museum.

When the library and' work-room was created in the balcony of the Friends' Meeting House, the collection of Quaker books and Nan­ tucket items was moved there. This library, during the fall and spring, was occupied by1 a number of volunteer workers, who sorted out old Nantucket newspapers and filed them according to years. Chair­ man Crosby now has his typist copying the cards denoting the various exhibits, which Mrs. Adams compiled over a period of years and which are a fundamental part of the Rooms.

This summer, as during last season, the old Meeting House has been the gathering place for a group of Friends residing on the island during July and August. Each Sunday over this two-month period an average of twenty-five Friends have conducted traditional meetings. Nothing can be more satisfying than the knowledge of the practical and esthetic values which are evidenced by these 20th century Friends occupying the seats where the island Quakers of a century ago conducted their First Day Meetings.

Last January, the pupils of the Nantucket Schools competed in a prize contest for an alphabetically arranged list containing the .greatest number of names of parts and equipment visible on the model of the Nantucket whaleship Essex. The model was loaned for the occasion by its owner, Everett U. Crosby, and was on exhibition in the show-window of Congdon & Coleman, Centre street. H. Perry Ashley, a noted model maker of New York, was the craft's designer and' builder. Prizes donated by the Association were $5 to the winner of first prize; $3.00' to the winner of the second prize, and $2.00 for the third prize. Of the papers submitted, six were outstanding. The judges finally decided that first prize should be awarded to Charles Welton, whose list contained 406 names; second prize to Gordon Turner, whose list had' 178 names, and third prize to Alvin Topham, whose paper had 136 names. Honorable mention was given lists submitted by Robert Ray, James Hand, and Sunni Scott.

•4 15 }£•

Our accessions have been of varied interest and importance, this past year. Through the kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Nelson O. Dunham, another comprehensive native Indian artifact collection has been donated, including a show case. This collection, together with the fine Shurrocks' collection and other Indian material, has been placed in an alcove called our "Indian Alcove." By securing these two re­ markable collections, Nantucket may boast of possessing the largest native Indian artifact collection of any place in America of equal antiquity.

Perhaps the outstanding accession has been a portrait of Lieu­ tenant Alexander B. Pinkham, as a loan from the Coffin School through the interest of Alvin Paddock. This portrait, painted in 1831 by Wil­ liam Swain, (who did several outstanding islanders), was hanging in the Coffin School for many years. Lieut. Pinkham, of the U. S. Navy, was the first commander of the Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin schoolship Clio, in service for Nantucket youth one hundred and fifteen years ago. But this Nantucket naval officer is entitled to a niche in the American Navy's hall of fame, for he was the first to become so interested in the birthplace of John Paul Jones that he journeyed to it in Scotland while on a visit to the British Isles, and, finding the stone cot in ruin, financed its first restoration.

There have been a number of interesting donations. From the estate of the late Mrs. Ella Young Spencer has come a scrimshaw cribbage board and many baskets from various parts of the world.

Wallace Long has given us a door from the Old Colored Baptist Church, originally the African School, at Pleasant and York streets. ** ** ** ** ** During the year, your President completed an extensive treatise on the "Nantucket Boys in the Civil War," which was printed in the columns of The Inquirer and Mirror, during the first two issues of June of this year (1943). Nantucket was the banner town of the Commonwealth during the war between the States, and while the article covered the four years of the conflict it did attempt to bring a word picture of the part Nantucketers played' in the various cam­ paigns of that great conflict. James H. Wood, Nantucket's last veteran of the Grand Army of the Republic, passed away just before this year's anniversary of Memorial Day. One interested reader of the article stated he had gone to the Civil War Monument on upper Main street and searched for the names of the soldiers inscribed there, "whose deeds and sacrifices I became aware of for the first time since residing on Nantucket." Such comments are a pleasant reward for historical research.

No record of the year's work would be complete without an account of our mid-winter meeting on Sunday afternoon, February 4 16

21st at the Maria Mitchell Association's Library, Vestal street. It was a get-together for some forty Nantucket history enthusiasts, who met to discuss biographical material of some "unknown yet well known" Nantucketers. For two hours, all hands had an excellent "gam." William E. Gardner gave a comprehensive paper on the late Gulielma Folger, known as "Elma Folger." B. Chester Pease read an account of the life of Edmund B. Fox, a teacher and principal of the Coffin School, whose influence on the boys and girls of his day is an interesting chapter in our local history. Others to speak on Mr. Fox were Alfred E. Smith, Mrs. William C. Brock, Archibald Cartwright and Miss Grace Brown Gardner. A discussion of other teach­ ers developed, and Miss Mary Starbuck, Miss Annie Bodfish and Miss Marianna Hussey were among those mentioned. It is hoped that other mid-winter gams will bring out material concerning the biographies of other islanders, including Frederick C. Sanford, Albert G. Brock, Alexander Starbuck and numerous other, outstanding island'ers.

Many of those present took part in the discussion, exchanging anec­ dotes and relating personal experiences in connection with the persons above mentioned. Several former pupils of both Miss Folger and Mr. Fox told of the work of these teachers. It was, indeed, an interest­ ing and informative meeting, thoroughly enjoyed by everyone there.

President Stackpole spoke briefly on the career of Lieut. Alexander B. Pinkham, which brought forth an anecdote in the life of his brother, Lieut. Reuben Pinkham, which was related by Mrs. Isabel (Macy) Lehmaier. **

**

**

**

**

We live in the atmosphere of the past—we who have dedicated ourselves to the work of carrying on the work of this Association— but we do not become static in so doing. The fact is we become more alive to the present and more thoughtful for the future by studying the past. This is the true purpose of history.

How fortunate we are in Nantucket! How happy we are to have the old town in which to ramble, the old houses in which to live, the old ways so close at hand. This Association is in existence to preserve and' protect the olden day. It is of vital importance to this community. By safeguarding the island's past we not only guar­ antee the real future of Nantucket but we are preserving the home front of a portion of American history which can never again be duplicated in this, its original, setting. The foundation for the con­ tinued good health of Nantucket is the visible old town and its in­ visible history.

Respectfully presented, EDOUARD A. STACKPOLE. 17 j§-

Treasurer's Report.

RECEIPTS Cash Balance July 1, 1942 General Account—Dues, Sales and Gifts Museum Accounts: Fair Street—Admissions, Sales and Gifts Whaling Museum—Admissions and Sales Old Mill—Admissions and Sales Oldest House—Admission^ and' Sales Investments: U. S. Treasury Bond Life Memberships Income from Investments

$108.76 761.00 $471.10 1111.18 410.88 313.80

$5000.00 150.00 536.77

Total Receipts

$2306.96

$5686.77 $8863.49

«18]»>

Treasurer's Report.

EXPENSES $200.00

General Account—Salaries Postage, printing, supplies

431.08 $631.08

Museum Accounts: Fair Street—Attendants and Maintenance Whaling Museum—Attendants, Maintenance Old Mill—Attendant and Maintenance Oldest House—Attendant & Maintenance

$830.67 1153.18 559.04 315.59 $2858.48

Investments: Purchase of 2%% U. S. Treasury War Bond $5000.00 Life Membership Aect., N. I. S. Bank 150.00 $5150.00 $223.93

Cash Balance, June 30, 1943

$8863.49 ASSETS Land and all buildings $25000.00 Collections in all museum build'ings 10000.00 Trust Accounts—Nantucket Institution for Sav. 11478.50 Bonds and Stocks 5157.50 $51636.00

Total

Respectfully submitted, ROBERT D. CONGDON, Treasurer.

Audited by: Miss Cora Stevens, Col. Louis J. Praeger.

•4f 19 }*•

Report of the Old Mill Committee.

To the Members, Nantucket Historical Association: The Old Mill has been in operation this Summer under the same management as last year. On the whole this has seemed very satis­ factory. The property is in good condition and needs very little to be done for it. Another year, however, I should suggest a little more publicity, and the replacing of direction signs which we have and which have been used in the past.

Due to the employment of a little additional help, the grounds of the Mill have been kept in much better condition.

The attendance for the season of 1943 has been 1540.

The total number of pounds of corn meal sold was 1450. Much more could have been sold, but corn was hard to get and the wind was poor for grinding on many days.

Total receipts from the Mill were $724.00.

The Miller, Mr. Albert Bloomfield, has done a good' job, and if conditions are right next year, with added publicity, an even better showing should be made.

Louis J. Praeger, Chairman.

Report of The Oldest House Committee.

To the Members, Nantucket Historical Association: The season of 1943 has been an excellent one at the Oldest House. A total of 2484 visitors enjoyed the privilege of inspecting its primitive Nantucket architecture, and the Association received many compliments on the choice and' arrangement of its furnishings. A photographer from the National Geographic Magazine took colored views during the summer which will apear in a spring issue of that magazine. Mr. Clinton T. Macy, the Chairman of the Committee of the Oldest House, who is now in the Armed Forces of our country, will rejoice with us in the successful season of the house in which he has shown a deep and abiding interest.

Grace Brown Gardner, Acting Chairman. <«(20]3<-

LIEUT. ALEXANDER B. PINKHAM. From a portrait by William Swain painted in 1831.

An Unknown Naval Hero of Nantucket.

By EDOUARD A. STACKPOLE. Alexander Bunker Pinkham was born in Nantucket on April 2, 1792, the son of Andrew and Deborah (Bunker) Pinkham. He was sixth in line from the redoubtable Richard from the Isle of Wight, and inherited a love of the sea from both sides of his house. More than that, he grew up in this seaport town at a time when the ex­ ploits of the islanders who served in the young U. S. Navy or on privateers were the subject for many an evening's discourse around the huge fireplaces of the sturdy houses. He might have heard at first hand the stories of the men who fought with John Paul Jones on the gallant Ranger and the rotting Bon Homme Richard. Certainly he came to venerate the memory of Captain Jones, and his admiration eventually led him to the accomplishment of a deed which stamps him as an unknown hero in the annuals of American marine history.

Alexander, like other Nantucket boys, went a-whaling at an early age. In 1807, at the age of 15, he sailed in the Chili, under Captain James Bunker, on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean. In his second voyage in the same ship, he was promoted to boat-steerer, or harpooner, and it is recorded that he struck twenty-four whales in his boat alone every one of which was subsequently killed. In a letter written in the 45th year of his life, while residing in Clermont County, Ohio, he expressed himself to Captain Bunker as follows: "In the course of a life somewhat checkered by adventures, I look back upon the four years I served under your command as the green­ est spot; the only real oasis in the whole expanse. The lessons I learned' from your own example and precept have been of daily ad­ vantage to me through life thus far."

Young Pinkham came from a Quaker family which had several militant figures. Paul Pinkham was active in the Continental cause during the Revolution, and was such an excellent pilot that his chart of the shoals in this vicinity was afterwards published by the State— the first of its kind. Uncle Reuben died in far-off Java in 1798, and Uncle David was one of the American sailors imprisoned at Dartmoor who never returned home after the 1812 war. Both Alexander and his brother Reuben joined the Navy and both arose to the rank of Lieutenant and both had unusual records. But for Reuben's untimely death in 1839, he might have attained a high rank in the service.

<«21fr

In 1836, Lieut. Pinkham married Lyd'ia Davis, of Portsmouth, Va., a young lady then in her 25th year. He wrote in a letter to Nan­ tucket that "on the day my wife was born (March 25, 1811) I was cruising off Valparaiso, in the Pacific Ocean on the ship Chili, and was sixteen years of age." * *

* *

* *

In 1829, Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, of His Majesty's Royal Navy, equipped the schoolship Clio as a floating auxiliary to his Coffin School—which he had established here in 1827. The Clio was com­ missioned on August 8, and Lieutenant Pinkham was appointed' her commander. He sailed her to Quebec, with 21 Nantucket boys on board, ranging in age from 12 to 16—the youngest being Andrew Morton, who lived until the 1890's to tell of the experience. Another voyage was made to the Rio Grande, so that the boys learned of cold and warm latitudes.

Admiral Coffin had stipulated the kind of costumes these embryo Nantucket tars must wear. They had blue jackets and trousers, "of good' cloth," blue knit stockings (of worsted in winter and cotton in summer.) On the right arm was sewn a red anchor. Great-coats were provided at the proper season, and were lined with baize made of No. 6 canvas, and painted. Leather caps with an anchor insignia com­ pleted the nautical costume. Besides the instruction in navigation and the sciences of "hydraulics, pneumatics, astronomy, natural philosophy, etc.," the boys had to learn caulking and joining, carpentry and blacksmithing, slaughtering, pickling and' baking. Gunnery was in­ cluded in the course, and the boys were taught wrestling, swimming, and the use of the broadsword. Lieutenant Pinkham was not only one of the versatile of men, ideally suited as a teacher, but he must have anticipated the modern "commando training!"

Following the last voyage of the Clio, Lieutenant Pinkham re­ joined the Navy. Two years later, he was granted a long furlough, during which he intended to visit Ireland, Wales, England and Scot­ land. The young officer's hobby was English literature, especially poetry, and his ready imagination had been fired at an early age when his father, returning from a voyage to London, brought him a volume of Robert Burns' pithy verse. It was his ambition to visit not only the historic portions of the British Isles but the homes of the great poets and writers—as many as his wanderings would permit. *

*

* *

*

*

On an evening late in August, in the year 1831, the editor of a Scottish newspaper—the Dumfries and Galloway Courier—in south­ western Scotland, received a note from an American traveller, re­ questing an interview. The stranger was Lieut. Pinkham. After he -«{22fr

had produced a printed furlough identifying himself, he informed the Scotchman of his purpose in exploring portions of the British Isles; he further stated that it was his chief desire to visit the land of Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns. It was also his great hope, he went on, to make a pilgrimage to the home of Captain John Paul Jones, who had' been an idol since boyhood and whose exploits had never ceased to thrill him.

The traveller told something of his journey this far. The vessel in which he embarked had touched at Cork, and from that city he had wandered, mostly as a pedestrian, over a great part of Ireland, admiring the vale of Avoca, charmed by the Lakes of Killarney, and intrigued by the history so evident in Dublin. Crossing to Liverpool he had sailed from the Mersey to the Nith, the captain of the trading craft on which he had sailed refusing to accept any passage money upon learning that Lieut. Pinkham was a sailor.

Lieut. Pinkham expressed a fervant desire to obtain an interview with the relict of Robert Burns, and the editor, impressed by his sincerity and mental qualifications, promptly offered to provide such a letter. He spoke of his father, Captain Andrew Pinkham, trading with Britain, having brought home a copy of Burns' poems for him.

The works of the Ayrshire Ploughman were perused first with curiosity and then with avidity, and Lieut. Pinkham confessed that they threw an unknown charm over his entire life.

It is to this Scottish editor that we owe an enduring debt for a valuable pen-picture of the Nantucket naval officer. After describing the traveller's faded blue uniform, and knapsack containing a change of linen, materials for writing, and a few books and mathematical instruments, he went on as follows: "Lieut. Pinkham was a gentleman of probity, talent and taste, whose appearance, mind and manners I shall not speedily forget. He was not only prodigiously stout but beyond all comparison the most weather-beaten man I ever beheld. Indeed, I question whether Capt.

Ross himself was a whit more so when he first arrived from the North Pole. Lieut. Pinkham's age might be thirty-two or a little beyond [he was actually 39]; his height five feet ten or eleven inches; and then such a chest, neck and shoulders! Limbs more muscular I have never seen. A single glance riveted attention and convinced you that the owner was indeed a Hercules whom it would be dangerous to tamper with in a dark night and on a lonely road' Agile as well as powerful he was one compact compound of bone and muscle, nerves of steel and sinews of iron and my impression is that Pinkham, had he chosen to turn his attention to a calling so disreput­ able, would have proven an over-match for all the prize-fighters in England From the description just given of Mr. Pinkham's outer man, it may be supposed by some ...... that he bore some re­ semblance to the commander of the Black Prince in rudeness of manner 4 23

and recklessness of character. But never was inference more un­ founded. Gentler manners and a softer heart I have rarely, if ever, exemplified. During all my intercourse with him I never heard an oath escape his lips or the slightest boast as to the perils he had braved or the honours he had won. Indeed, so far as I could judge, the stranger was a man of much sensibility, and' had not only a fine eye for natural scenery, but was alive to the sublime, the picturesque and the beautiful, whether as witnessed in the works of nature or re­ flected on canvass and through the medium of books He was quite at home on British and American literature, quoted readily and aptly. .... He regretted that his education had been defective, however, and expressed so strong a desire to improve himself by every means that I have no doubt that he will figure as an author. During his sojourn in Dumfries, he led a most active life making pedestrian excursions to the country and carefully inspecting every spot venera­ ble from antiquity or endeared by classic association." * *

* *

* *

With such a description to guide us, we can in a measure, follow Lieutenant Pinkham as he visited Friars' Carse Hermitage, where Burns penned one of his finest poems, thence to Ellisland, where the poet lived as a farmer and composed "Tarn O'Shanter" and "Mary in Heaven," and to Lincluden. On other occasions he visted Newabbey, Bruce's Castle at Lochmaden, and Cearlaveroek on the Solway Frith: "Cearlaverock! by the Solway's side, Great were thy pristine power and pride— When half the warriors of the land Woke when a Maxwell gave command!"

Upon bidding adieu to Dumfries, Lieut. Pinkham bent his steps in the direction of Arbigland, a beautiful estate on the Galloway banks of the Solway, some fourteen miles from Dumfries. Here, from Criffel mount, with the sea in sight, he could see as far as the Island of Arran, the breadth of the Isle of Man, many distant places in Eng­ land, and the coast of Cumberland in front, with its background of mountains casting great shadows before the rising sun. On the ad­ joining estate of D. H. Craik, Esq., called Arbigland, was located— so Lieut. Pinkham understood—the humble birthplace of his hero, Captain John Paul Jones. The father of John Paul had been the gard­ ener on the estate, and from the little seaport of Carsethorn the young man of destiny often watched the ships and talked with the sailors and eventually embarked on his seafaring career.

The Nantucketer made himself known to one of the men living in the vicinity and was directed by him to the cottage where John Paul was born. His mind filled with emotions which were a mingling of his own youthful hero worship and his knowledge of the immortal character of Captain Jones' exploits, Lieut. Pinkham walked the lane <§[ 24 ]at.

0

& TO '$ui m&m wt

•jui iumusm mum wm znvim m TiE*iLiilCiIf AirD'Bmi mm itlSlLri&S)" mmt commodore jrnr mi m m in Tin nzwursMtAiif ma MilMM CMM;MI&5III?MAJ! • THOMAS TfifttjER* JAMES CMSI REULEjI JOT JLATHAM.6ARLHRR •MM 'ALW'JCH JAMAS IIMHOLSQIC > mhl 5TARMCK WILLIAM if /£ SITU ftiL&Eftjv PAUL WORTH ERMMAi! LUPRJiL MATTHEW TIARMCK. * lIEiJRT UARLifAft EARTiLLAl >PULSAR STJ^FBEil I9L6ER iJ2U«r'ALRRlCU CflARfc^S CRAMPTUif

mMili-hiiaiii'

ALMitr COC^WILL

ALSO • * . umx. MMjmm B.«Etou o.s.ii WHO m mmm rememberiMimp the or juhm paul joiies , AT AHMLAt® SCOTLAND m WM

mtmzM

TUS TABLET IS ERECTED B / AMAI EOLCER fHAW&W CHAFTER D.A

to be obtained in the nearest habitation, he went into a grove of trees, selected' the driest spot he could find, and made himself a rude bed where he spent the night. When he recounted this incident to the Scottish editor, some time later, the newspaperman was somewhat as­ tounded, and remarked that the American was indeed like the hai dy Sir Ewan Cameron who, Sir Walter Scott declared, had with his men slept on snow-covered ground on being caught in a storm. Upon the reference to Scott, Lieut. Pinkham rather bitterly told of his unsuccessful attempt to see the literary genius.

But when Pinkham described his visit with Mr. Hogg much of his characteristic good-nature returned. When the Ettrick Shepherd learned how his visitor had spent the night he had expressed regret again and again that the stranger had not come to him at once, in place "o' lying out-bye like the gypsy bodies, and with far fewer trap­ pings than they carry in their creels." A fine Scottish breakfast fol­ lowed, and then a day spent in happy conversation. * *

*

*

*

*

All this the Dumfries editor learned upon Pinkham's return to this town—a surprise return. But the plan of restoring the birthplace of Captain Jones had refused to vanish with the weight of the ac­ cumulated memories of Pinkham's further wanderings. He confessed his idea to the editor and asked for an interview with Mr. Craik, the proprietor of Arbigland. This was soon arranged', and several days later the American was invited to spend a day with the land-owner.

Not only did Mr. Craik eventually grant permission for Lieut.

Pinkham to carry out his burning desire, but he told him a number of interesting things about the youthful John Paul. The latter's father, as has been stated, was the gardener of the estate, and the present proprietor often accompanied the son of this gardener on rambles and' when tired was carried on the future admiral's back.

Even when young, Mr. Craik stated, John Paul had exhibited many proofs of that power of mind which a strong character exercises over his companions. His playmates were taught "to maneuver their cock­ boats secundum artem and mimic the turmoil of naval battle while the future admiral sonorously gave the words of command."

When Mr. Craik at length declared that Lieut. Pinkham was welcome to do what he pleased' with the cottage, the latter was "quite overjoyed," wrote the Dumfries editor, "and returned to town a happy man. The next morning he deposited with me twenty-five sovereigns to be employed in the repairing of the cot in which Paul Jones was born, so as to render it habitable. This, considering the mode in which he travelled, and the economy he found it necessary <8( 26

to practise, was unquestionably a great stretch of generosity—to say nothing cf the hundred and od'd Scottish miles he had traveled out of his way to give, if possible, a palpable form to his enthusiasm."

The winter was then somewhat advanced, and so work was delayed until the following spring, when the house was repaired' in the most tasteful manner. Mr. Craik, his own memory thus awakened, gave generously from his own purse to complete the work.

The site of the cottage is in a glade of woodland on the shores of the Solway, with a green in front, fancifully railed in, and tastefully ornamented with flowering shrubs. Inside and out it is a trim cot­ tage, its walls of stone annually wkitened. It has become a land-mark for ships entering the Solway. Its first tenant following its restor­ ation was the widow of a fisherman who had lost his life under highly distressful circumstances—here she lived rent-free. During her life­ time, it is said, that sailors passing the spot would doff their bonnets in token of gratitude and some would murmur: "God bless the kind Lieutenant Pinkham." * *

*

*

* *

There is one glimpse into the character of this Nantucket man which reveals his love for poetry and poets. This is contained in a poem "To the Ettrick Shepherd," which Pinkham composed after his visit with the famous Scotch poet James Hogg. The uerses may be found in a little volume called Sea Weeds from the Shores of Nantucket, a collection of Nantucket poets which appeared a century ago.

Family history has little to say about the later life of Alexander B. Pinkham. It is known, however, that some members of John Paul Jones' family presented the Nantucketer with a miniature of Captain Jones, and upon his death Lieut. Pinkham willed the same to the Naval Academy at Annapolis.

4 27)*-

The New "Archives" of The Nantucket Historical Association.

By WILLIAM E. GARDNER. (This paper was read at the Annual Meeting.)

[The Archives are located in the loft of the Whaling Museum, and are under the direction of Dr. Gardner, a member of the Council and Chairman of Whaling Museum Committee.] \

The word "archives" repels some of us.

When the word is used we are annoyed. Our imagination is tinged with adversion. Some of us see in our mind's eye long rows of shelves and passageways leading off into dimness. Our mind's nose contracts because of a mouldy, musty odor that makes us yearn for fresh air and clean water.

This impression of "archives" was radically changed for me about ten years ago. We were in Liverpool, England. We were on our way to some of the famous museums and art galleries. Our special inter­ est was the pictures of Madonnas. We gave no thought to the Liverpool Museum until we read a paragraph in a local guide book which stated that the Art Gallery of the Museum had a Madonna considered one of the priceless items of the Museum.

At the Museum, an inquiry brought the reply that the Madonna we sought was in the "archives." Immediately we went into a depres­ sion! What right had a museum to advertise an item as "rare and priceless" and then keep in it "the Archives?"

In due course we learned that the Madonna was one of a very unusual special collection which was only shown at certain times each year and most of the time was preserved in the "archives." But if we wished' to see the single Madonna it could be brought to the desk and we might study it if we came back in half an hour.

This experience might be called my introduction to some museum methods, an interest that grew as our visits and studies in museums proceeded. I came to realize that "Archives" is an essential tool in the assembling and preserving of items for a museum. Within the "Archives" something very interesting and very important is taking place. Here, as accessions come in, special collections are being born •<6{28^-

and nurtured, and in due time appear and are given a prominent place in the museum. Sometimes they are shown for a few weeks each year, sometimes they are only available to students and persons especially interested and intelligent in a certain field—but always they give enjoyment, widen interest and' increase our knowledge of the world we live in.

When I was elected to serve on the Council, my first impression of our Fair Street collection was of the museum wealth we had at­ tained and the many accessions that would' come in the future.

In my boyhood in Nantucket—in the nineties—the word "museum" was associated with a room in the Atheneum and a whale's jaw; also, with Eliza Ann MeCleave's parlor in the house above the Mon­ ument on Main Street.

In a few years all this was changed by the few enthusiastic people who created this Historical Association. In 1894, the Nantucket Historical Association was organized in the "Upper brick" on Main street—the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Starbuck. Soon, this Meeting House on Fair Street was bought and the McCleave collection and the Athen­ eum collection were united and, with new accessions, found a home in the ancient Meeting House.

Ten years later, the Meeting House was too full of exhibits and' a so-called "fire-proof building," with a basement and two floors, was built and opened. The plans allowed for growth and provided a third floor. A decade later, Miss Brock, the Curator, in her annual report, described a crowded condition of the new "fire-proof building," and urged that the time had come to add a third story to the building.

I have often asked: "Has any museum attained so much wealth —and so quickly?"

We must pay great honor to those early enthusiasts who in twenty years collected so many items—and such valuable items, that a threefloor, fire-proof building was out-grown.

During the next twenty years the over-crowd'ing of Fair Street was greatly relieved by the housing of all items that concerned whaling in the new Whaling Museum—now one of the finest in the world. And the possession of the Old Mill and the Oldest House also helped.

But a tide of gifts and loans had risen in the first twenty years and items were bowing fast into the care and keeping of the Associ­ ation. Soon every nook and corner had an article of interest. Re­ arrangement was necessary. Things of lesser interest found' their way into the Meeting House gallery—and then into the loft of the Meeting House.

•<{ 29 Jfr

From the beginning of my membership in the Council, the wealth of our collection and the future gifts and loans that I saw coming our way interested me. I began the study of our crowded conditions with Mr. Crosby, the Chairman of the Fair Street Museum, and my neighbor on Orange Street.

When Mr. Kimball was called to war-work, I was asked to succeed him as Chairman of the Whaling Museum. Here I began to see a possible solution to our over-crowding. The upper loft of the Whaling Museum was empty!

Here was over 5000 square feet of floor space, with room for com­ partments, tables, shelves. Why not establish the "Archives" here!

Why not begin here the assembling of special collections which could be carefully studied' and arranged and, from time to time, especially advertised and exhibited.

A very helpful visit from Mr. Dows Dunham, of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts—another visit from the Director of the Museum of the City of New York, Mr. Hardinge Scholle, confirmed the con­ viction that these "Archives" would be increasingly essential to the best growth of our Nantucket collections.

In due time a reference to the Custodian Committee won assent, in spite of the fact that members didn't like the name. Then came the acceptance of the idea and the name "Archives" by the Council and by last autumn (1942) the clearing of the Meeting House loft began—and' the Gallery, and the basement of the Museum, as well.

Truck-loads of books, papers, pictures and other items began to make the "Archives" in the Whaling Museum a reality.

Today, if you are at the Whaling Museum, behind the door of the Library you will find a door rarely seen. If you dare to disregard the sign "No Admission" and open the door you can climb a few steep steps and you are under the vast roof of the Old Candle House.

Here are assembled on shelves and in compartments all the items transferred from the Fair Street Museum. And here, in process, is an overwhelming, never-ending task of classifying and cataloguing pictures, books, newspapers and relics of various kinds.

Now I will deal briefly with some of the remarkable items that are in some of the nine groups, which so far have appeared naturally.

1.—Portraits.

I call the first group or section Portraits. Here are collected oil portraits, crayon portraits, steel engravings, silhouettes, photographs and daguerreotypes. Under the "Portraits" I am including any kind of likeness that is a record of a personality.

We probably have over 500 pictures of Nantucket people Many of them have names. Miss Annie Alden Folger has done much valuable Ǥ{ 30

work in placing names in many daguerreotypes. Many pictures must be taken from frames and albums. They should be classified by families and arranged alphabetically. Probably in the future not one out of a hundred would ever be called for, but the story of that one the costumes, the "hair-do," etc.—might be worth all the labor spent on the other 99.

Our oil portraits merit our deepest concern and care. We must realize that we have a solemn responsibility towards these canvasses that grow fewer and more precious each year. Many of them over 100 years old have been painted by those unknown portrait painters who went about with only one interest—to paint people.

Robert P. Tristram Coffin has given us a valuable bit of verse that pays a worthy tribute to these "Limners." He named the poem "Vermont Van Dykes." It is a picture of the itinerant limner of the 1800's and is in his book "Primer for Americans." (MacMillan.)

VERMONT VAN DYKES.

They came from far away and yon With tubes that squirt out azures, umbers, When weeds got high, these men were hoers, When sinks stopped up these men were plumbers.

They worked a sixteen-hour day Making grandma's frown immortal Making uncle permanent In whiskers like an open portal.

And if they had' some daubs of paint Left over, they might do the girls Holding dolls as stiff as thorns And with pine shavings for their curls.

They had no hopes of wealth or fame They did a day's work for a dollar, But they left America Stern and comely in a collar.

Here —[Holding up an old portrait]—we have one of those precious portraits. America in a collar ! Not only has the painter given us the collar but in one corner is his ship coming in and in the other corner is his ship going out—the two corners represent the happiest or the saddest moments in the life of a sailor who, perhaps, has a friend in every port. Matthew Jones should not be allowed to scale and crack any more! His father was Capt. Silas Jones (1748-1811) — an early whaleman out of Nantucket about 1789. We have restored the father's portrait, which now hangs in the Whaling Museum, the restoration being done in 1914 by R. C. and N. M. Vose.

We might well begin to use our restoration fund, now under the direction of Miss Mary Turlay Robinson, on this canvas. Subscriptions

are earnestly solicited.

We have another portrait—I call it the "Mystery Lady." It was «5{ 31 jik

found' in the loft of the Meeting House, as far back in the darkness as it could be placed. It was face up and a tub which held the remains of wet cement had been placed on the neck and shoulders. Why in the darkest corner! Why there for many years before the cement came? Her story might well d'eserve the skill and imagination of Austin Strong.

If Portraits and pictures of people is the first thing mentioned to capture your attention in the "Archives," what is the second?

2.—Nantucket Newspapers.

I should say—Nantucket Newspapers, thousands of them! They were stocked in piles! They were on tables, on the floor; they were in boxes and bundles. When you looked at them you were convinced that all the good Nantucket people who "just can't bear" to destroy a Nantucket paper had sent their hoardings of years. And I am glad they did so.

The first paper published in Nantucket was called "The Gazette."

It was issued in 1816. It lasted 36 issues. Since then, in 125 years, no less than a dozen different papers have been issued and all have served a purpose and ceased to be, leaving The Inquirer and Mirror to inherit the legacy of their experience and possess the field. There is no complete file of these newspaper ventures. Perhaps we are now too late. The Atheneum has the only attempt at a complete file, but that Library lacks issues of certain papers: The Island Review, a tri-weekly published in 1874; The Weekly Warder, 1845; The Weekly Telegraph, 1843; The Journal, 1826.. We may be able to supply some of these from our "Archives." If we are deficient where the Athen­ eum is complete—it would be better to help the Atheneum to possess one complete file, rather than have two imperfect files.

My guess is that a careful study of the thousands of papers that some Nantucketers have cherished will contribute many papers toward a complete file. Certainly we should do our best to make the most complete file possible at this date. The tedious work of handling these papers, however, is appalling.

Last Autumn (1942) a committee of volunteers "worked over" about 10,000 of these papers. John Allen Davis, Harry Harps, Everett Crosby, Miss Grace Brown Gardner, Miss Jessie Craven and myself made up the committee. We put in a total of 92 labor hours, unfold­ ing and flattening with care papers that were yellow and brittle with age. These are arranged in decades, waiting for more volunteers to continue the.work by arranging certain decades—especially those that are needed by the Atheneum—in chronological order, by issues, so that we may know exactly what we have.

The next interesting group of items in the "Archives" contains: 4 32»>

3.—Family Bibles.

No one wants the memory of burning a Family Bible or sending it to the dump. We have upwards of 200 family Bibles. Their history, their contribution to geneological facts and their value from the collector's standpoint is yet to be studied.

We have one large Bible we call the "Beaver Bible" because it may have been on the ship Beaver in Boston harbor when the patriots boarded her, and threw overboard the hated English tea. It is the Bible of Hezikiah Coffin, the captain of the Beaver.

We have the Bible of the negro church of Nantucket. This church stood in the south section of the town. In 1834, the American Bible Society gave the Nantucket African Methodist Episcopal Church a Bible. We have that Bible bearing the marks of use and containing the manuscript notes of a revival sermon—probably preached by a negro preacher.

We have Thomas Macy's Bible—the Thomas Macy "born 1st mo, 20th d, 1787." It was given to him by his grandparents. In this Bible, Thomas has made his own record of his three marriages: 1st—to Elizabeth Swain (I now quote) : "My dear wife Eliza deceased 8d 11 mo, 1823—full of hope of a blessed eternity;" to Eunice Coffin, daughter of Zenas, who died (quote) "with the most perfect resigna­ tion of the Divine will and with an unwavering assurance of a blissful immortality;" Christina Gale—widow of Edmund Gale—and again I quote—"my beloved wife Christina Macy deceased 5th d, 10th mo, 1861, age 65—7—23, with the blessed assurance of an acceptance in the mansions of Heavenly Rest." We cannot resist the question: "How fares Thomas Macy's household in the Many Mansions."

4.—School Books and Educational Books.

The next interesting division in our "Archives" contains hundreds • of school books ohid books on education.

We have a report of our High School in 1838—Cyrus Peirce, first principal. He says the list of studies contained the following: Natural Philosophy, Algebra, Geometry, Latin, French, Political Economy, Moral Philosophy, Natural History, Botany, Bookkeeping, and adds: "Reading, spelling, writing, arithmetic, Geography and English Grammer have been taken up once or twice a week."

We have a Spelling Book published in 1829. It is called "The Speller and Definer," and the title states: "Designed to answer the purposes of a Spelling Book and to supercede the necessity of the use of a Dictionary."

An English reader of 1824 hints at a budding romance. The boy who used the reader was Charles W. Morris. From writing on the margin he must have had two things on his mind—the ship Ganges, «£f 33J*-

and Mary somebody. To Mary, he writes: "How interesting you look!

But later, "M. is mad with me—for what?" and a different hand wrote: "I do not know." These faint messages stir the hearts of some of us as we recall our adolescent days in Nantucket schools.

Christopher Hussey in 1788 had his leather-bound copy of Plu­ tarch's "Morals." Jemima Gardner had her "Paradise Lost"—twice covered with home-spun. In 1826, some one studied short-hand, and in 1869, a Nantucket boy had a "Complete Guide to Base Ball."

Besides Bibles and Books on Education, I could take much time describing our Quaker Books, our Dictionaries and our old' Account Books. In the 1760's Sylvanus Hussey loaned considerable money.

We have his record book, and we know the day when Wm. Rotch needed $200 and signed his name as having received it. In fact, we have over 100 signatures—and some came to Sylvanus quite fre­ quently.

A large part of our book section is occupied by extra copies of our Annual Proceedings, covering nearly 50 years, and the very valuable Bulletins prepared by Henry B. Worth. I think we have over 5000 of these Proceedings and Bulletins. In our Proceedings this year we will publish the titles of over 100 papers and articles of great interest to all students of Nantucket. These we will offer at 50 cents each. If the demand for them ceases after two or three years, I recommend that all but 50 copies of each issue be destroyed.

5.—Relics Under the general title of "Relics" we have Indian bones discov­ ered recently at the airport and at Quidnet, ship models, china, and considerable furniture that is of great value and must be carefully preserved for our future Museum.

6.—Baskets.

We have over 100 baskets—some from the South Sea Islands, and some of Nantucket make. Here is the beginning of a valuable special collection. **

**

**

*#

I think this is enough to give you a hint of the value of "Archives."

Here are the six classifications: 1. Portraits; 2. Nantucket News­ papers; 3. Family Bibles; 4. Books—School Books, Quaker Books, Ac­ count Books and back numbers of Bulletins and Proceedings; 5. Relics; 6. Baskets.

As time goes on these general groups will be increased. But from them all will come many special collections that will increase enjoy­ ment and valuable information.

I ask your co-operation and support in maintaining "The New Archives of the Nantucket Historical Association."

Discoverers of Nantucket.

BY EVERETT U. CROSBY. (This paper wois read at the Annual Meeting.)

Recently a woman came to Nantucket from western Pennsylvania and after sojourning on the Island a few days wrote to her sister in Ohio, saying that she had discovered an ideal vacation spot with an unbelievably good' summer climate and a quaint old town unlike any­ thing on the continent.

This was the kind of discovery that so many of our visitors are making each season and perhaps many of us did many years back. But it is hardly what our title suggests to you for elucidation this afternoon. So let us take another tack.

The American Indian was found through much of what is the United' States of America, when first visited by Europeans. The red man had been here a great while. Authorities differ as to where he came from, but it was so long ago, perhaps several thousand years, that he can be accepted' as our original inhabitant.

There were 1500 (more or less) Indians on Nantucket when the white man arrived. It must be that the Indians did not originate on Nantucket and spread to the continent, but just the opposite. A thousand years ago and even less, the islands, capes and points from Nantucket to the Elizabeth Islands and from Nantucket to Monomoy on the Cape were closer together and were very likely in many places connected. It was no great voyage for an Indian canoe to pass from one to the other. And those who first came down from the mainland to Nantucket might perhaps be called the first discoverers of our Island. But this again is not what our title is meant to discuss, and we will make a third' attempt by describing the European voyages to the New England coast, which included Nantucket or its vicinity.

Let us here first recount a few geographical features which in­ fluenced these early European sailors in the courses they took when nearing Nantucket. They were either cruising down the coast from the north or up the coast from the south with the exception of one, Waymouth, who in 1605 came straight on from the deep to Sankaty Head.

The ships were all of relatively light draught and often were able to parallel the shore, keeping it in sight for considerable dis­ tances. The outstanding characteristic of the New England coast­ line is Cape Cod, extending out into the sea a great way. Ships com-

•^35]^

ing down the coast and skirting it were nearly sure to be embayed within the hook where Provincetown is located, and in continuing their course southward would have to go out of Massachusetts Bay sailing all points of the compass to get around on the easterly side of the Cape and continue on down past where Chatham is now located.

Three hundred years ago there were two points on this easterly shore of the Cape which extended out some ways and have since been eroded. Southeast and south of Chatham, off the elbow of the Cape, were innumerable shoals, much as at present, amongst which Nantucket was situated. Some navigators found' channels through these shoals and, if coming from the north, got into Nantucket and Vineyard Sound's, but others steered or were blown to the east of Nantucket and off the shoals and thus on in a southwesterly direction, sometimes entirely avoiding the coasts of Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.

On the other hand coming up the coast from the south and holding to it rather closely they could progress easily as far as Narragansett Bay, but thereaafter would have a choice of sailing to the south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket or finding their way through the shoals at the east end of Nantucket Sound.

The next possible discoverers of Nantucket to be mentioned were the Norsemen, who sailed from Greenland southwesterly to Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Vinland. They made a number of voyages which are likely to have reached our New England coast, between 1003 and 1015, and wintered three different years at what they called Vinland, where they stated grapes grew in profusion.

Wild grapes grow as far north on our coast as Passamaquoddy Bay, near Eastport, Maine. The location of this fair land is much disputed, opinion favoring Maine, while some suggest Martha's Vineyard. If the latter, these Vikings with their shallow draught boats presum­ ably passed by Nantucket and perhaps landed upon it.

These voyages of the Norsemen constituted an isolated period of recorded voyages to our vicinity which do not occur again for something like five hundred years. Nevertheless there were other Europeans who very likely viewed or visited Nantucket during the sixteenth century—namely, the fishermen who at that time were re­ sorting to the Banks off Newfoundland. Many of them were blown off their courses or fishing grounds. Certain of their property was subsequently found in the possession of the Indians, such as small boats, clothing, and other articles of known European make. Who these castaways were will never be known and they were swallowed up in more ways than one by the American savages.

In 1578 it was recorded that fishing vessels were reported on •«{36)K

the Newfoundland Banks as follows: 100 Spanish, 50 English, 150 French and 50 Portuguese. As the fishermen were from time to time venturing further west to additional banks it is quite possible that some of them were blown around Cape Cod' to the islands of which Nantucket is one.

1498—John and Sebastian Cabot, sailing from Bristol, England, on their second' voyage to our continent, with the object of reaching the Indies, skirted our coast by way of Nova Scotia and New Eng­ land to some place well south of Nantucket, which some estimate as near Cape Hatteras, whence they returned to England. There is no record to show they saw or visited Nantucket.

This is the year that Vespuccius cruised along the Atlantic coast in a northerly direction but not as far as New England'.

1524—Verrazzano, an Italian under the patronage of the King of France, sailed from Madeira and made a landfall along the Caro­ lina coast, whence he cruised northward, perhaps as far as Nova Scotia, probably anchored in New York harbor and at Newport, leaving there and sailing to the Main coast, presumably taking the off-shore course outside to the south of Nantucket, as no mention is made of the shoals or of a visit to Massachusetts Bay. This His­ torical voyage was portrayed' by a map in 1529.

Previously the coast far to the north in the St. Lawrence region and far to the south about Florida had been much visited. Now in 1524, Verrazzano filled in the long coast line between the two.

Territory in the vicinity of Nantucket at Narragansett Bay is described in some detail, and yet again we have no statement which directly or by inference can be read to specifically and definitely indicate Nantucket.

1525—Gomez sailed along the coast from Nova Scotia, passing

by Cape Cod and gave the name of Cape of Shoals to what has been claimed by some to be Nantucket Island—thence on in a southerly direction, perhaps to Cuba or Cape May. Quite a number of voyages were made during the balance of the century but the record of them contained no references which identify our Island.

1602—Bartholomew Gosnold sailed from Falmouth, England, to near Portland', Maine, thence south to Cape Cod, then around the cape headland and by the two sand points on the east side of the Cape which are now washed away, and thereafter found himself amongst many islands, of which Nantucket must have been one. He came to anchor under one of them, perhaps Martha's Vineyard, and then sailed' on to Cuttyhunk and after a few weeks set sail and bore for

•«(37^

England'. He gave the latter island the name "Elizabeth's lie," which name is now applied to a chain of islands in that vicinity. Also on their voyage Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard were named.

Brereton, who sailed with Gosnold, describes the voyage and the following is quoted from his description when he was in the vicinity of Nantucket: "From this place (Provincetown) we sailed around about this headland, almost on all points of the compass, the shore very bold, but as no coast is free from dangers so I am persuaded this is as free as any. The land seemed low, full of goodly woods, but in some places plain. At length we were come amongst many faire islands, all lying within a league or two of one another and the outermost not more than six or seven leagues from the maine, but going to anker under one of them, we went ashore, etc., etc." It is reported there is a note in the margin of the original which reads: "The first island called' Marthaes Vineyard." Some believe it to have been Noman's Land.

Another narrative, by Gabriel Archer, who made the voyage, where reporting the same part of the voyage, states: "We trended the coast southerly which was all champaign and full of grasse but the islands somewhat woodie." He gives a longer description of the passage from Cape Cod to Cuttyhunk, with the mention of various islands and shoals and passages. One or another of these islands may have been Nantucket.

Gosnold is generally given credit in the books about Nantucket as being the first English discoverer of the Island. However, one can not but realize that it is very easy to cruise the whole shore of Cape Cod into Vineyard Sound without sighting Nantucket, particularly in shallow draught boats near to the Cape Cod shore.

1605—George Waymouth sailed from Dartmouth, England, and ultimately finding himself in shoal water "sent one to the top who thence described a whitish, sandy cliffe." He tried with a small boat to find an entrance through the shoals without success. This, he reports, was in the Lat. 41 degrees, 20 minutes. So they put back and out to sea, and parted from the land and duly reached the coast of Maine. The latitude is that of Nantucket and the "whitish, sandy cliffe corresponds to Sankaty Head. This is generally regarded as the most definite locating of the Island thus far made in a contem­ porary narrative.

1606—Champlain on his voyage along the Maine and Massachu­ setts coasts got as far as Woods Hole, but left no record indicating a knowledge of Nantucket.

1609—Henry Hudson, sailing south on the New England coast, 38 )fc

reached shoals off the elbow of Cape Cod, put to sea to avoid them and after three weeks reached Delaware, sailed north to the Hudson River and then went to sea for the return to England'.

1610—Samuel Argall, sailing south, sighted a headland and had difficulty in getting clear of the shoals easterly from Nantucket Sound. Then he sailed to Virginia.

1611—Edward Harlow came from England intending to explore about Cape Cod. He captured two Indians at Capawe (Martha's Vineyard?).

1614—Capt. John Smith did not go south of Cape Cod; viz, did not see Nantucket.

1614—Adriaen Block in a small "yacht" sailed for exploration from Manhattan through Long Island Sound'. He caused the naming of Block Island and of Texal (Martha's Vineyard). Block Island is presumed to be the island previously named "Louisa" by Verrazzano and later spelled "Claudia." If he sailed to the north of Cape Cod, he very likely kept outside Nantucket Island and shoals.

1619—Derner voyaged south from Maine, landed at Martha's Vineyard (Capaock).

1620—The Pilgrims made their landfall at Cape Cod rather than Virginia as intended. They started down the east shore of the Cape but soon encountered the fearsome shoals toward the elbow of Cape Cod. So they turned about and reached Plymouth via Provincetown.

Thus they failed of the opportunity to settle at Nantucket.

In conclusion let it be said that if one elects to nominate Waymouth as his preference for "discoverer" of Nantucket, at least some of us will find it an acceptable choice, which is as definite and as positive as we care to be in the matter.

«f39»

For Sale-Interesting Papers on Nantucket History.

The following titles are of articles published in the Proceedings of the past fifty years. In ordering give the title and the year.

(Note there are more than one article in some Proceedings.)

Price of each Proceedings—50 cents.

Address—"The Archives, Nantucket Historical Association, 33 Orange Street, Nantucket Island, Mass."

"Argonauts of New England"—Edward G. Porter "House and Private Signals of Nantucket Whaleships"—Benjamin Sharp.

"Silk Industry in Nantucket" "Site of Peter Polger House" "Historical and Genealogical Notes in Regard to The Early Settlers" Rev. Myron S. Dudley.

"A Former Nantucket Historical Society"—Annie W. Bodfish.

U Paul Starbuck's Sheep Book"—Henry Barnard Worth "An Old Account Book"—Helen B. W. Worth.

"The Vision of Capt. Charles Barnard"—W. D. Ballinger.

"Letter of Seward Beard—a Friend and a Descendant of the Macys"—Mrs. W. D. Ballinger.

Letter of Jonathan Belcher to George Bunker."

"The Bunker Family"—Rev. Myron S. Dudley.

"Marriage of Franklin and Folger Families."

"Apprentice Boys on the Ranger"—Benjamin Sharp.

"Old Letters and Old Friends—Harriet R. Easton. (also 1902) "Nantucket Newspapers"—Alexander Starbuck.

"Schools in Nantucket"—Emily Weeks.

"Early Houses in Nantucket"—Henry B. Worth.

"Humor of Nantucket".

"The Pacific Bank"—Albert G. Brock.

"An American Farmer's Letters from Nantucket."

"The Colonial Church and Nantucket"—Henry B. Worth.

"Mayflower Descendants in Nantucket Families."

"The Courts of Nantucket and the Lawyers."

"Letter from Alexander B. Pinkham to James Bunker, Esq » "Cent Schools"—Helen A. Gardner.

(Also 1919 ) "Letter from Hezekiah Barnard to Grafton Gardner."

«6{40fr

1897 1898

1898 1899 1899 1899 1900 1900 1900 1900.

1900 1901.

1901 1902

1903 1904^ 1904* 1904' 1905*

1906 1906

1907 1908 1908 1909.

"First Normal School in America"—Alexander Starbuck.

"The American Frontier"—Lois Kimball Mathews.

"Our Debt to the Huguenots"—Helen A. Gardner.

"Formation of the Unitarian Society"—Henry B. Worth.

"Nantucket's Representatives in National and State Legislatures"—Benjamin Sharp.

"A Riotous Town Meeting"—Alexander Starbuck.

"Women of Nantucket"—Emily Weeks.

"Among the Probate Records."

"The Log of the Asia"—Benjamin Sharp.

"The First Whaling Merchant"—Henry B. Worth.

"The Big Shop"—Arthur H. Gardner.

"Vanished Treasures"—Harry B. Turner.

"The Manuscript Collection"—Henry B. Worth.

"Main Street"—Annie W. Bodfish.

(Also 1918, 1919) "Nantucket's Early Telegraph"—Harry B. Turner.

"Quaker Hearse"—Roland B. Hussey.

"The Old-Time School"—Emily Weeks.

"Hereditary Architecture"—Harriet Barnes Thayer.

"Elizabeth Crosby (Plaskett) Bennett."

"The Land of Long Ago"—(Story of a Quaker Meeting.)—Mrs. G. Myron Allen.

"Islander"—(verse)—Edwina Stanton Babcock.

"The Story of Golf"—Sidney Chase.

"Historic Extracts"—Annie W. Bodfish.

"Sea-Faring Folk"—Mrs. Edith Ackley.

"Some Old Houses I,Have Met"—W. Prentiss Parker.

"Tuckernuck and the Yoho"—Gertrude Dunham.

"Some Facts About the Boston Tea Party"—W. P. Parker.

"William Gayer and His Descendants"—Henry B. Worth.

"Two Quaker Teachers—(a) John Boadle, (b) Hepsibeth Hussey"—Lucy Huston Sturdevant.

"Reminiscenses of Old Podpis"—Alcon Chadwick.

"Streets Broad and Gay"—Madeleine Fish Severance.

"Maria Mitchell"—Alice Owen Albertson.

"The Sherburne Lyceum"—William F. Macy.

"My Grandfather—Capt. Charles Grant"—Nancy S. Adams.

"Nantucket's Principal Exports"—Anna Gardner Fish.

"A Century-Old Budget"—Florence P (Mirriam) Hill.

"Scrimshaw"—(verse)—Anne Washington Wilson.

"Early American Silversmiths"—Eleanor W. Morgan.

"Memories of a Whaling Voyage"—Helen Marshall.

"The Development of Nantucket"—Merle E. Turner.

«S{41fr

1909.

1910.

1910.

1910.

1911.

1911.

1912.

1914.

1915.

1915.

1916.

1916.

1917.

1917.

1917.

1919.

1919.

1919.

1919.

1921.

1921 1921.

1921.

1921.

1921.

1921.

1922.

1922.

1922.

1922.

1923.

1923.

1923.

1924.

1924.

1925.

1925.

1926.

1926.

1926.

"The Restoration of the Oldest House"—Fred V. Fuller.

1927.

Mrs. Mary Macy (Brown) Gardner.

1927.

Re-Dedication of the "Oldest House."

1928.

"Kindred Spirits of the Historical Rooms"—Merle E. Turner.

1928.

"Owen Spooner"—Capt. Benjamin Whitford Joy.

1928.

"Emigration from Nantucket to Hudson, N. Y."—Charles S. Clark.

1928.

"Phebe Ann (Coffin) Hanaford"—Helen Cartwright McCleary.

1929.

"Nantucket's Streets and Lanes"—Merle E. Turner.

1929.

"Wharves of Nantucket"—Catherine Jones.

1931

"Notable Old Nantucket Buildings"—Elizabeth Sylvia.

1932

"New Light on Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin."

1932.

"Nantucket Lighthouses"—Marguerite Snow.

1933.

"Daniel Webster at Nantucket"—Moses Joy.

1933.

"Migrations of Nantucketers to South and West"—William F. Macy.

1933

"Our Beginnings"—Mary E. Starbuck.

1934

"The Nantucket Indians"—Ethel Gardner.

"North Carolina Nantucketers"—William F. Macy.

1934 1934.

"The Folgers of Old' Capaum"—Clinton T. Macy.

1935

"More Old Nantucket Sayings"—William F. Macy.

1935

"Was Nantucket Ever Forested?"—Bassett Jones.

1935

"John Paul Jones and His Nantucket Sea-Fighters"—Edouard A. Stackpole.

1936

"The Old North Burying Ground"—Charles P. Kimball.

1936

"The Friends of Nantucket"—Helen Winslow.

1936

"Letters Written by Benjamin Tupper and Joseph Chase, Jr."

1937

"Trusty Captain Hussey"—Mary McGrath.

1937

"Mother Madaket"—Florence Bennett Anderson.

1937

"Some Descendants of Kezia Coffin"—Margaret H. Wood.

"Walter Folger, Jr., a Biography

1939

in Preparation"—Rev. Lyman H. Greenman.

John Woolman in Nantucket"—J a me5 Monaghan.

"Myron S. Dudley"—Anna Gardner Fish.

The Voice of a Nantucket Attic"—Robert Bennett.

1939 1940 4949

1940

"Nantucket Bar—A History of the Early Harbor and the Jetties"—Edouard A. Stackpole.

Thoreau in Nantucket"—James Monaghan.

"The Redoubtable Captain Patterson"—E. A. Stackpole.

«S( 42

1940 1942 1942

Other Publications.

"'Timothy White Papers,"—Rev. Myron S. Dudley.

Bulletin—Vol. 1, No. 2, 1898. 50 cts.

"Nantucket Lands and Land Owners"—Henry Barnard Worth.

"The Title and the Nantucket Insurrection."

Bui.—Vol. 2, No. 1, 1901. 50 cts.

"The Settlers, Their Homes and Government."

(Map) Bui.—Vol. 2, No. 2, 1902. 50 cts.

"The Indians of Nantucket."

Bui.—Vol 2, No. 3, 1902. 50 cts.

"Sheep Commons and The Proprietary."

Bui.—Vol. 2, No. 4, 1904. 50 cts.

"Ancient Build'ings of Nantucket."

Bui.—Vol 2, No. 5, 1906, (printed of 1892). $1.00 "Indian Names, Wills, Estates, Index."

Bui.—Vol. 2, No. 6, 1910. 50 cts.

"Wills and Estates, Continued."

Bui.—Vol. 2, No. 7. 50 cts.

"A Century of Free Masonry on Nantucket"—Alexander Starbuck.

Bui.—Vol. 3, No. 1, 1903. 50 cts.

"Relic Auction"—Henry S. Wyer.

10 cts.

"Nantucket Indian Artifacts"—Alfred and Alice Shurrocks 10 cts.

4 43 ]*•

The Proposed New Constitution and By-Laws of the Nantucket Historical Association.

Article I—OBJECTS The objects of this Association shall be the collection and preservation of books, papers, and' other articles which may tend to illustrate and perpetuate the history of Nantucket, Massachusetts, its inhabitants and their customs; the acquisition and maintenance of museums, historic buildings, and other property for the foregoing purpose; and the doing of other things permissible under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts under which this Association is organized.

Article II—MEMBERS. Section 1. The membership of this Association shall consist of the following: (a)

Active Members, who shall be such persons as are already active members and such other persons as shall apply for active membership and shall pay one year's dues. The dues of active members shall be one dollar per year.

(b)

Sustaining Members, who shall be such persons as are already sustaining members and such other persons as shall apply for sustaining membership and shall pay one year's dues.

The dues of sustaining members shall be five dollars per year. (c) Life Members, who shall be such persons as are already life members and such other persons as shall apply for life mem­ bership and shall pay the life membership dues which shall be a single payment of twenty-five dollars. Upon recommendation of the Council, the Association may elect any person an Honorary Life Member, without payment of dues. (d)

Life Councillors, who shall be such persons as are already life councillors and' such other persons as shall be elected life coun­ cillors by the Association and shall pay the life councillor's dues, which shall be a single payment of fifty dollars. Upon recommen­ dation of the Council, the Association may elect any person an Honorary Life Councillor, without payment of dues. A life coun•«[ 44J&-

cillor or Honorary Councillor may sit in any meeting of the Council but may not vote thereat, unless he is an elected member of the Council. ee Each Life Member and Life Councillor shall be entitled to a Certifi­ cate of Membership. The membership of any person may be with­ drawn upon a two-thirds vote of the Council and the return to him of the current dues paid by him.

Section 2. Each member, of any class, except an honorary member, shall be entitled to one vote at any meeting of the Associa­ tion. In other respects, Honorary Life Members shall be entitled to participate in any meeting of the Association, and' Honorary Life Councillors, in any meeting of the Association or its Council.

Section 3. Annual dues shall be payable on the fifteenth day of July in each year. A provision to this effect shall be stated on the Treasurer's notices and bills. Any membership shall terminate if the annual dues are not paid within 12 months frbm the date due.

Article III—MEETINGS.

Section 1. The annual meeting of the Association for the recep­ tion of reports and the election of officers and councillors shall be held at Nantucket, at such place and on such day in the month of July as may be fixed by the Council. If the Council shall fail to fix such date and place, the meeting shall be called' by the President or any officer of the Association upon the written request of seven members of the Association.

Section 2. Special meetings of the Association may be called by the President or, in his absence, by one of the Vice Presidents, and shall be called by the President or any officer of the Association upon the request of seven members of the Association, made in writing and stating the nature of the business proposed to be trans­ acted thereat.

Section 3. Notice of the time and place of any meeting of the Association shall be given at least ten days before such meeting, by mail to each member directed' to his address upon the Association's books, or through some newspaper published in Nantucket. No action shall be taken at any meeting affecting the ownership of real property of the Association or amending the Constitution and By-Laws, unless reference to the nature of the proposed action shall be set forth in the notice.

Section 4. Fifteen members entitled to vote shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Associ­ ation, except that the presence of twenty-five members shall be required < 45 )a-

for any action authorizing the disposition of any real property of the Association, or for any action amending this Constitution and ByLaws.

Section 5. A Nominating Committee of five members, shall be chosen by the members at each annual meeting (or, if not so chosen, may subsequently be appointed by the President), who shall nominate officers and councillors for election at the next annual meeting. The names of persons so nominated shall be posted' publicly at the Associ­ ation's headquarters or published in a Nantucket newspaper, at least one week in advance of the meeting at which their election is pro­ posed; but failure to give such publicity shall not invalidate an election. Nominations by the Committee shall not preclude the nomin­ ation or election of any other person or persons at the annual meeting.

Article IV—OFFICERS. •

Section 1. The officers of this Association shall be a President, six Vice Presidents, a Secretary, and a Treasurer, who are to be elected by ballot at each annual meeting, or at a meeting in lieu thereof, to hold' office for one year or until their successors are chosen.

Section 2. The Council may fill any vacancy occurring in any elective office or in its own membership, the person so chosen to hold office until the next annual meeting or until his successor is chosen.

Section 3. The President or, in his absence, one of the Vice Presidents, shall preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Council. He shall be the executive head of the Association and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

Section 4. The Secretary shall keep a true record of the pro­ ceedings of the Association and of the Council, and a list of all the members of the Association and their addresses, with a record' of the date of their admission and the date of cessation of membership, and whether by resignation, death, or otherwise; and shall perform such other duties as are customary to the office or as are designated by the Council.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall collect all dues and' shall re­ ceive and hold the funds of the Association, depositing them in such banking institutions as may be approved by the Council. He shall disburse the funds of the Association, upon such approval as the Council may direct. He shall keep accurate books of account showing all the financial transactions of the Association, which books shall be open for the inspection of any member of the Association at any •<S{46^

reasonable time. He shall report at the annual meeting, in detail, the receipts and expenditures of the previous year, which report shall be preserved with the records of the Association, and' he shall furnish such interim reports as the Council may from time to time require.

Article V—THE COUNCIL. Section 1. The Council of the Association shall be composed of the elective officers of the Association and eight other Councillors, two of whom shall be elected each year by ballot at the annual meet­ ing for a term of four years or until their successors are duly chosen.

No Councillor having served' a full term of four years shall he eligible to succeed himself.

Section 2. The Council shall have general control and super­ vision of the funds, property, and affairs of the Association, and shall have full power, on behalf of the Association, to accept or reject donations and legacies and proposed loans of personal property for exhibition. It may appoint additional officers as it may deem necessary and proper, and define the powers and duties thereof, and may appoint any person temporarily to perform the duties and powers of any other officer during the absence or disability of such officer. It may appoint a custodian committee or committees or a custodian or custodians to have charge, under the control and direction of the Council, of exhibits and of the real and personal property of the Association, and shall determine the amount of the fee to be paid by visitors to its exhibitions, which fees shall be used to further the objects of the Association.' It may appoint from its own number, a finance commit­ tee of three to whom may be delegated authority in respect to financial matters. It shall endeavor to prepare and maintain a record of all articles in the exhibits of the Association that are owned by the Association or lent to it, with identifying description, the name of the donor or lender, and the date of acquisition of such article.

Section 3. Meetings of the Council shall be called by the Secre­ tary at the request of the President or the Treasurer or any other two Councillors. If the Secretary when so requested neglects for more than twenty-four hours to call such a meeting, the President, Treasurer, or any two such Councillors may call such meeting by giving notice thereof as hereinafter provided. At any meeting, seven members of the Council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section 4. Notice of any meeting of the Council shall be given at least three days before the meeting by delivering or mailing to each Councillor, a notice of the time and place of such meeting. The <47]>-

place shall be the rooms of the Association or such other place as may be designated by the Council. When all the Councillors shall be present at any meeting, or shall waive notice in writing of the holding of such meeting, or shall sign written assents thereto on the records of such meeting, the actions of said meeting shall be as valid as if such meeting had been regularly called. The annual meeting of the Council may be held without notice, if held immediately after the adjournment of the annual meeting of the Association, provided public announcement of such meeting was made thereat.

Article VI—PROPERTY. Neither the buildings occupied by the Association, nor any part of the sites or grounds pertaining thereto, shall be sold, encumbered, or charged in any manner whatever, nor shall any apartment or space in the buildings or adjacent grounds be assigned or appropriated permanently to the exclusive use of any person or to the accommoda­ tion of any special collection or collections, unless the proposition in this connection be made in writing, signed by at least five members, presented at a regularly called' meeting of the Association, after first being referred to the Council for report to a special meeting of the Association, which has been regularly called. At such meeting, the measure proposed may be considered and adopted by two-thirds of the members present at that meeting or at any subsequent adjourned meeting for that purpose, providing that at least twenty-five members be present.

Article VII—AMENDMENTS. This Constitution and By-Laws may be altered or amended by the Association at any meeting, upon a two-thirds vote of the members present, provided notice of the proposed action was contained in the notice of such meeting.

<§{48>