Samuel A. Beebe Papers
Abstract
Thirty-five daily journals of Samuel A. Beebe (1843-1897) of East Lyme, Connecticut. The journals include details of Beebe's life on shore and on fishing and trading voyages, including cargo, daily catch numbers, location of fishing grounds, and various ports of call along the east coast from Key West to Nova Scotia.
Dates
- Creation: 1863 - 1897
Language of Materials
English Latin
Restrictions on Access
Available for use in the Manuscripts Division.
Restrictions on Use
Various copying restrictions apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.
Biography of Samuel A. Beebe (1843-1897)
Samuel A. Beebe (1843-1897) of East Lyme, Connecticut, engaged in the Atlantic coast trade and fished off of the coast of southern New England during the later half of the nineteenth century. He and his brothers Charles W. (c. 1845-?), John A. (c. 1851-?), and George (c. 1855-?) assisted their father, ship owner and captain Samuel A. Beebe (c. 1820-?) during their formative years. Beebe engaged in the coastal trade and Atlantic fisheries, and later became master of the schooner CORDELIA (1872-1873). In 1866, he married Almeda Letterfield (1848-1876) of Block Island, R.I., and they had one daughter, Claire Louisa Beebe (b. 1872).
The 35 journals in Beebe's collection detail his daily activities during fishing trips and trading voyages, as well as his life onshore at home and in ports. Beebe recorded the numbers and types of fish caught, the types of cargo carried in trade, his personal feelings about being absent from home, and various sites that he visited in the coastal cities. He also mentioned the presence of black men in the maritime economy and reported about Confederate naval activities during the Civil War.
Extent
35 volume(s)
Materials Cataloged Separately
The Claire L. Starr Papers (Coll. 330) were accessioned with the Captain Samuel A. Beebe Papers, then separated as a distinct collection. Starr was the daughter of Beebe, and her collection includes Beebe family genealogies.
Genre / Form
Geographic
- Baltimore (Md.)
- Black Rock (Bridgeport, Conn.)
- Block Island (R.I.)
- Boothbay (Me.)
- Boston (Mass.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Browns Bank (Mass.)
- Cape Breton Island (N.S.)
- Cape Negro (N.S.)
- Cape Sable Island (N.S.)
- Charleston (S.C.)
- Cold Spring (N.Y.)
- Coney Island (New York, N.Y.)
- Cuttyhunk Island (Mass.)
- Delaware
- East Haven (Conn.)
- East Lyme (Conn.)
- Edgartown (Mass.)
- Elizabeth (N.J.)
- Emerald Isle (N.C.)
- Falkner Island (Conn.)
- Fishers Island (N.Y.)
- Fort Monroe (Va.)
- Fundy, Bay of
- Georges Bank
- Greenport (N.Y.)
- Groton (Conn.)
- Hart Island (N.Y.)
- Hilton Head Island (S.C.)
- Hoboken (N.J)
- Holmes Hole (Mass.)
- Hudson River (N.Y. and N.J.)
- Huntington (N.Y.)
- Jersey City (N.J.)
- Key West (Fla.)
- Kill Van Kull (N.J. and N.Y.)
- Marblehead (Mass.)
- Mason Island (Conn.)
- Mystic (Conn.)
- Mystic River (Conn.)
- Nantucket (Mass.)
- New Haven (Conn.)
- New London (Conn.)
- New York (N.Y.)
- Newark (N.J.)
- Newburgh (N.Y.)
- Newport (R.I.)
- Noank (Conn.)
- Norwalk (Conn.)
- Orient (N.Y.)
- Owls Head (Me.)
- Philadelphia (Pa.)
- Point Judith Harbor of Refuge (R.I.)
- Pollack Rip (Mass.)
- Port Royal (S.C.)
- Prince Edward Island
- Providence (R.I.)
- Pubnico (N.S.)
- Rikers Island (N.Y.)
- Rocky Point (Suffolk County, N.Y.)
- Sag Harbor (N.Y.)
- Seal Island (Mass.)
- Shelburne (Mass.)
- South Amboy (N.J.)
- St. Helena Island (S.C.)
- Staten Island (New York, N.Y.)
- Stonington (Conn.)
- Tarpaulin Cove (Mass.)
- Vineyard Haven (Mass.)
- Vineyard Sound (Mass.)
- Waterford (Conn.)
- Westerly (R.I.)
- White Stone (Va.)
- Woods Hole (Mass.)
- Yarmouth (Mass.)
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Samuel A. Beebe Papers (Coll. 274)
- Subtitle
- An Inventory of the Collection at the G.W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Manuscripts Repository
G. W. Blunt White Library
Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
112 Greenmanville Avenue
Mystic CT 06355 United States
860.572.5367
collections@mysticseaport.org