Ship's Papers of Minnesota (Bark) of Edgartown

File — Box: 1

Identifier: 003-02-04

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection contains correspondence between Master Charles S. Downs and agent Samuel Osborn, Jr. relating to the business of whaling and the condemnation and sale of the vessel. Also included are permissions for crew members to go whaling, signed crew agreements, outfitting notes, and a crew list. Bills and receipts are included from the time of outfitting until the sale of the vessel and return of its oil. Documents and consular copies of the transactions relating to survey, maintenance, and the auction sale are included in the collection. The collection also includes a cask stowage diagram.

Dates

1880 - 1883

Creator

Osborn, Samuel, Jr. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open to research.

Conditions Governing Use

PPL believes this collection is in the public domain. Users of this item are responsible for determining copyright restrictions.

Biographical / Historical

The Bark Minnesota was built at Philadelphia in 1849 and made four whaling voyages beginning in 1866 including two from New York, one from New Bedford and one from Edgartown, Massachusetts.

This collection pertains principally to the voyage of 1880-1882 from Edgartown which ended with the condemnation of the vessel at the Seychelles Islands. The master of this voyage was Charles S. Downs (1839-1892, sometimes spelled Downes) who captained at least six whaling voyages. The shipping agent for this voyage was Samuel Osborn Jr. (1823-1895) of Edgartown. Osborn began building a fleet of whaling ships in 1870 and by 1880 was the largest shipping agent of whaling property in the United States. The vessel was sold in the Seychelles due to severe leaks that were impossible to repair.

Extent

.4 Linear Feet (1 manuscript box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is organized at the folder level and grouped by type of record format.

Custodial History

Acquired as part of the Paul C. Nicholson Whaling Collection in 1956.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Paul C. Nicholson, 1956.

Related Materials

003-01-02, Account book of the Minnesota, 1880-1882 , Nicholson Whaling Collection Logbooks, Providence Public Library.

003-05-02, Nicholson Whaling Collection Artifacts, Providence Public Library.

Minnesota logbook, 1868-1872 , New Bedford Whaling Museum.

1957.003.001, Logbook of the Hecla, Minnesota (1880-1882) and Petrel, Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society.

Separated Materials

The sea chest for the Minnesota as well as a lump of ambergris found in it have been removed to the Nicholson Whaling Artifact Collection. Logbooks and account books of the Minnesota are cataloged separately within the Nicholson Whaling Logbook Collection.

Processing Information

Previously part of general Nicholson Whaling Manuscript Collection, Subgroup 2. Processing by Judith Lund in 2008 with additions made to the finding aid by Janaya Kizzie in 2014. The collection was reprocessed as distinct collection by Kate Wells in 2019.