Charles and Nicoll Dering Collection of Whaling Correspondence

File — Box: Multi-Collection Box

Identifier: 003-02-22

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection includes the business correspondence and accounts of Charles T. and Nicoll H. Dering of Sag Harbor and Henry Huntington of Rome, New York relative to the business of whaling. In his correspondence, which makes up the majority of the collection, Charles Dering, a whaling agent, encourages Henry Huntington to invest in his whaling ventures, and sends statements relating to the vessels and Huntington's investments therein, as well as miscellaneous personal and family information. Copies of Huntington's replies to Dering are included, as well as small amounts of other correspondence. Also found in the collection are a bill of sale for 1/8 interest in the Bark Barbara and a subscription receipt to the Whalemen's Shipping List, the trade newspaper of the whaling industry.

Dates

1833 - 1846

Creator

Nicholson, Paul C. (Paul Coe), 1888-1956 (Collector, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open for 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

Charles T. Dering (1789-1859) of Sag Harbor, New York, was a prominent whale ship owner and whaling agent. He was the son of Brig. Gen. Sylvester Dering and Esther Sarah Dering. He was married to Eliza Floyd Dering.

Charles’ brother, Dr. Nicoll Havens Dering (1794-1867), was born in 1794, also on Shelter Island. Nicoll Dering was the Health Commissioner of New York, Registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and a member of the American Medical Association. He married Frances Dering and later Sarah Huggins Dering, and died in 1867 in Utica, New York. Neither of the brothers had any children.

Though it is not confirmed, it is likely that Henry Huntington, the business man in these letters, was Henry Huntington (1766-1846) of Rome, New York. He was a businessman, land speculator and New York state politician. He was a partner in George Huntington and Co. of Rome, New York and the President of Bank of Utica. He was a member of the New York Senate from 1805-1807 and was involved in various political appointments at the state level.

Extent

.25 Linear Feet (.5 manuscript box )

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is grouped based on the author of the correspondence, and then arranged chronologically. Two folders of miscellaneous papers are located at the end of the collection.

Custodial History

Acquired as part of the Paul C. Nicholson Whaling Collection in 1956. This collection was originally folded and stored in plain business envelopes bearing the return address of Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc., Booksellers and Publishers, Rutland, Vermont O5701, suggesting that Nicholson purchased this collection from Tuttle.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Paul C. Nicholson, 1956.

Related Materials

[Journal of the Camillus (Ship), 1838 August 5 - 1839 April 8]. G. W. Blunt White Library at the Mystic Seaport Museum. Southampton Museum Reel no. 2 [microform]. Rogers Memorial Library, Southampton, NY. This microfilm contains a logbook for the ship Camillus of Sag Harbor, 1842-1843.

KWM 622D, [Logbook of Sabina (Ship) of Sag Harbor, N.Y., mastered by David P. Vail, on voyage 24 June 1844 - 24 May 1847]. New Bedford Whaling Museum. Charles T. Dering was the agent/ owner of this ship.

KWM 837, [Logbook of Hamilton (Ship) of Sag Harbor, N.Y., mastered by William A. Jones, on voyage 9 August 1838 - 7 May 1840]. New Bedford Whaling Museum.

KWM 817A, [Logbook of Hamilton (Ship) of New York, N.Y., mastered by Benjamin Franklin Pendleton, on voyage 11 January 1833 - 10 October 1834]. New Bedford Whaling Museum. KWM 1043B, [Logbook of Hamilton (Ship) of Sag Harbor, N.Y., mastered by David Hand, keeper David Hand, on voyage 17 June 1839 - 11 October 1840]. New Bedford Whaling Museum.

KWM 1043C, [Logbook of Hamilton (Ship) of Sag Harbor, N.Y., mastered by David Hand, keeper, David Hand, on voyage 3 December 1840 - 14 July 1843]. New Bedford Whaling Museum.

YCAL MSS415, James Fenimore Cooper Collection. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University. This collection contains correspondence between Cooper and Charles T. Dering, during the period when Cooper was involved in the whaling trade.

East Hampton Library, Long Island Collection. This collection includes logbooks for ships owned by Charles T. Dering, including the bark Nimrod and the ship Franklin.

Processing Information

Previously part of general Nicholson Whaling Manuscript Collection, Subgroup 20. Processing by Judith Lund in 2008 with additions made to the finding aid by Janaya Kizzie in 2014. The decision to reprocess the subgroups as individual collections was made by Jordan Goffin in 2018. The collection was reprocessed by Kate Wells in 2024.