Archive Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
28993 |
Object Name |
Journal |
Scope & Content |
Abraham Kilham's journal about various voyages and vessels. The journal has been given several BHS numbers for different sections. This section begins on July 26, 1794 sailing from Salem bound St. Mark's in Hispaniolia. The Brig Nancy belonged to Elias Hasket Derby of Salem. The voyage ended at 3 in the morning after the Nancy grounded and was lost; most of the crew went in the long boat to seek assistance, Kilham and "the boy" stayed with vessel. Kilham then sailed on the Flying Fish which they loaded with what cargo they could salvage. They sailed to Nassau. And from there he went on the Sloop Eliza, Michael Hill, Master to New York, Martha's Vineyard. Then from the Vineyard on board he Brig Hannah, Capt Thomas Rice for Boston and then Salem. Every other page of this section (5 pages) contains poetry. Abraham Kilham was born in Beverly (Mass.) on February 19, 1765. He made a living as a ship's captain, though it is unclear from this particular log whether he owned the ships he sailed. Much of his business involved shipping, trade, and commerce. He travelled extensively around the globe, and kept meticulous notes on various aspects of his journeys. This ship's log includes: Original poetry (much of which pertains to emotions, friendships, and life's hardships) Minutely detailed navigational notes (including tides, water depths, geographical landmarks, etc.) Commentary on the goods and markets in different locales (especially pertaining to wine) Accounts of various shipwrecks and one instance of his ship being boarded by hostile strangers Writings on laws of marine insurances, bills of lading, and freight regulations Notes on various vessels (vessels' names, riggings, masters' names, and their routes at a particular point in time) Kilham's entries are consistently dated and cover a geographic area that includes the West Indies, South Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, and Europe. |
Dates of Creation |
1794 |
Title |
Journal kept by Abraham Kilham |
People |
Kilham, Abraham Derby, Elias Hasket Rice, Thomas Hill, Michael |
Search Terms |
maritime trade Salem West Indies Port au Prince Cuba Nassau Martha's Vineyard Boston Salem Brig Nancy sailing maritime history journal ship log ship's log vessels commerce trade travel shipping |
Subjects |
Maritime history Ships Shipowners Bevery (Mass.) Ship captains |
Lexicon category |
8: Communication Artifact |
Accession number |
28993 |
Year Range from |
1787 |
Year Range to |
1801 |