Fall River Whaling Crew Lists
Scope and Contents
The Fall River Whaling Crew List contains transcribed information concerning 82 whaling voyages associated with the port of Fall River, Massachusetts, between 1821 and 1913. Voyage records identify the vessel, dates of departure and arrival, whaling grounds, and source of the information. Associated crew records may include the crew member's name, position aboard the vessel, birthplace, residence, citizenship, age, lay, height, complexion, hair color, and additional remarks. The amount of information recorded varies by individual and voyage.
The resource primarily represents information transcribed from crew lists held by the National Archives at Boston. It also includes the names of masters for some voyages for which crew lists were unavailable, together with miscellaneous information concerning individual voyages or crew members. Names and other information retain variations and uncertainties found in the source records.
Dates
- Event: 1821 - 1913
Historical Note
Federal law enacted on February 28, 1803, required the master of a vessel departing on a foreign voyage to submit a crew list to the collector of customs. The list identified the vessel’s crew, and a certified copy was carried aboard the vessel. Upon returning to a United States port, the master was required to account for the individuals named on the list. Supporting documentation could record the discharge, desertion, illness, or death of crew members.
Fall River, Massachusetts, participated in the American whaling industry during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. According to the description accompanying the original database, vessels from the port undertook 87 whaling voyages. Crew lists survive for the majority of these voyages, while information for others is limited to the vessel’s master or miscellaneous voyage details.
Extent
1 database
Language of Materials
English
Existence and Location of Originals
The original crew lists are held by the National Archives at Boston, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, as part of the Records of the United States Customs Service, Record Group 36. The National Archives identifies crew lists for the Customs District of Dighton and Fall River for 1831–1853 and 1864–1896. Researchers should contact the National Archives at Boston for assistance locating particular records.
- Status
- Completed
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Other Resources Repository
Mystic Seaport Museum
112 Greenmanville Ave.
Mystic Connecticut 06355 USA
860.572.5367
[email protected]