Guide to the Tucker Shipping Papers, 1826-1890
No restrictions.
Tucker shipping Papers, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine
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The Tucker family owned and operated a shipping firm at a time when Wiscasset, Maine, was a major center of trade. The founder, Richard Hawley Tucker (1791-1867), was descended from a long line of mariners. He started the business in 1827, managing the ships and their operations until his death.
Richard's sons, Joseph Tucker (1821-89) and Richard Holbrook Tucker (1816-95), both served as captains, Joseph from 1843 to 1859 and Richard from 1838 to 1848. After leaving the sea, Richard (Bowdoin 1838) looked after the family's interests in Charleston, S.C., (1848-54), then returned to Wiscasset where he engaged in various businesses, many of which were independent of the shipping business. Joseph took over the management of the business upon his father's death in 1867, running it until the last ship was sold in 1882.
The Tuckers operated only sailing ships, each in service from one to twenty years, although the younger Richard superintended the building of a steamship for South Carolina stockholders. They plied the cotton trade routes from Wiscasset, Charleston and the east coast to Liverpool, and other Atlantic ports; and, in the west, traded from San Francisco, Seattle and the west coast to Melbourne, Hong Kong and other Pacific ports, carrying grain, guano and other goods.
The collection includes letters, documents, receipts, insurance records, and other material relating to operation of the Tucker family's shipping business, in Wiscasset, Maine, 1826-1890.
A card index and typescripts of the private records and business correspondence, prepared by the donor, are available for in-house use.
Letters between R. H. Tucker or, after 1867, Joseph Tucker and their captains, customers or business associates; insurance records; accounts and receipts; deeds; notes, etc.; together with a few family letters; all arranged chronologically. Overlapping volumes, also arranged chronologically, are listed at the end. Although captains' letters from various ports of call are included, these are largely the general records of the business; overlapping receipts, documents, etc., relating to individual voyages are with the ships' papers. The original material dates from 1826 to 1890, with transcripts and photocopies of other documents dating back to 1813.
Arranged chronologically.
No restrictions.
Mar. 1813 - May 1847
June 1847 - June 1848
July 1848 - Dec. 1848
Jan. 1849 - July 1849
Ships' Designs 1849 - 1851
Aug. 1849 - Apr. 1850
May 1850 - Oct. 1850
Nov. 1850 - May 1851
June 1851 - Dec. 1851
Jan. 1852 - Oct. 1852
Nov. 1852 - Dec. 1853
Jan. 1854 - Aug. 1854
Sept. 1854 - Apr. 1855
May 1855 - Dec. 1855
Jan. 1856 - Oct. 1856
Nov. 1856 - June 1857
July 1857 - Dec. 1857
Jan. 1858 - July 1858
Aug. 1858 - Apr. 1859
May 1859 - Dec. 1859
Jan. 1860 - June 1860
July 1860 - June 1861
July 1861 - Aug. 1862
Sept. 1862 - Sept. 1866
Jan. 1867 - Dec. 1871
Jan. 1872 - June 1875
July 1875 - Dec. 1882
Jan. 1883 - Dec. 1890
Cashbook: Feb 19, 1841 - Jan. 1, 1870
Letterbook: Sept. 16, 1846 - Aug. 4, 1851
Letterbook: Nov. 1852 - Nov. 20, 1855
Letterbook: Nov. 17, 1855 - Jan. 18, 1857
Letterbook: Jan. 22, 1857 - Mar. 20, 1858
Letterbook: Mar. 19, 1858 - Dec. 20, 1858
Letterbook: Feb. 11, 1860 - June 4, 1861
Letterbook: May 25, 1861 - Dec. 12, 1862
Letterbook: Dec. 11, 1862 - Nov. 20, 1865
Letterbook: Nov. 10, 1865 - Apr. 6, 1868
Letterbook: June 9, 1869 - May 23, 1872
Letterbook: Aug. 9, 1873 - Oct. 24, 1877
Letterbook: Oct. 29, 1877 - Feb. 20, 1886
Freight list book: Jan. 3, 1848 - Dec. 15, 1849
Vessels ... at Charleston: June 12, 1848 - Mar. 11, 1851
Receipts and accounts; freight lists; shipping, repair and supply records; pilot and docking certificates; custom house documents; and other records concerning the operation of individual Tucker ships, 1839-88. Within an alphabetical ship-by-ship arrangement, the records are sorted chronologically. Ports of call for each of the sixteen ships are included on the container list; some also list information on the ships' construction, settlements, accidents and wrecks. For disbursement information on the "Richard III" see the "Othello" cashbook; for copies of construction contracts for "Othello" and "J.S. Parsons" see the construction folders under "Brother Jonathan." The business records should also be consulted.
Arranged alphabetically.
No restrictions.
"Alliance" June 1848 - Oct. 14, 1853 Ports: Liverpool, Charleston, Boston, Newport, Wales, Wiscasset, New York, Letlaure, Le Havre, Antwerp
"Brother Jonathan" June 16,1853 - Feb. 17, 1855 Construction; Ports: Charleston, Le Havre, New York, Liverpool, Wreck
"Canton" Dec. 1851
"Catharine" 1850-1857 Ports: Hamburg, Gonaives, Liverpool
"Fannie Tucker" Oct. 2, 1884 - April 4, 1888 Ports: San Francisco, Puget Sound, Melbourne, British Columbia, Port Discovery (W.T.), San Diego, Seattle
"Franchise" Oct. 1850 - Dec. 22, 1852 Ports: New York, Savannah, Liverpool, Charleston
"Franchise" [cont.] Feb. 15, 1853 - May 1855 Ports: Charleston, Le Havre, New York, Liverpool, Cork (Queenstown), Pillau, Stockholm, Elsinore, English Channel Capt. W. F. Robinson's Accounts, 1853 - 1854
"Mary Washington" Nov. 12, 1857 - Dec. 2, 1859 Ports: Portsmouth, Charleston, Liverpool, St. John, Boston
"Mary Washington" [cont.] Jan. 24, 1859 - Jan. 1861 Ports: Charleston, Liverpool, St. John, Philadelphia, Nassau
"Moultrie" Jan. 1854 - Sept. 26, 1856 Construction Misc. Invoices and Acounts; Ports: Savannah, Charleston, Liverpool, Cardiff, Bermuda, Boston
"Moultrie" [cont.] June 21, 1856 - July 22, 1857 Ports: Liverpool, Lapreaux, Charleston, Havre, Cardiff Accounts Current and Examination
"Othello" (1) Sept. - Dec. 1839 Ports: Wiscasset
"Othello" (2) Dec. 1855 - May 1869 Construction; Ports: Charleston, Le Havre, Savannah, Liverpool, Alexandria, New York, Honolulu, Philadelphia
Cashbook: Feb. 7, 1861 - Aug. 2, 1866; with "Richard III", Dec. 22, 1856 - Nov. 1860
"Pilot", propeller steam towboat, Apr. 1849 - Jun. 1852
"Richard III" Apr. 1860 - Nov. 8, 1868 Ports: Liverpool, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Burmah, Bassein
Crew Accounts: 1864 - 1865
"Richard III" [cont.] July 6, 1869 - Sept. 7, 1878 Ports: Singapore, Liverpool, Wiscasset, Havre, New Orleans, Philadelphia, New York, Straits Settlements (Singapore) Normand Accident
Crew Accounts: Sept. 1868 - Oct. 1870
"R. H. Tucker" July 1858 - Sept. 1868 Ports: Portsmouth, Charleston, Liverpool, St. John, Boston, Philadelphia Disaster of 1860
"Samoset" Oct. 1847 - Dec. 1868 Construction Materials at Essex House, Portsmouth, NH [electrostatic copies: no copying]; Ports: Charleston, Le Havre, Liverpool, New York
"Samoset" [cont.] Nov. 17, 1848 - Nov. 28, 1855 Ports: Charleston, Liverpool, Boston, Matanzas, Falmouth, Bristol, New York, Le Havre, Newport, Havana, Cork (Queenstown), Baltimore, Cardiff, Savannah
Freight List: Liverpool to Charleston, June 25, 1850
"Samoset" [cont.] Jan. 8, 1856 - Sept. 23, 1863 Ports: Charleston, Rotterdam, Boston, Le Havre, Savannah, Liverpool, Alexandria, New York, Sombrero Island, Falmouth, St. Thomas, Southampton, Cardiff, St. Vincent, Queenstown
"Samoset" [cont.] Sept. 29, 1863 - Dec. 1868 Ports: London, Newport, Aden, Moulmein, Maulmain, Ascension Island, Plymouth, Hartlepool, Sunderland, St. Vincent, Quebec, San Francisco
Crew Accounts: 1865 - 1866
"South Carolina", propeller steamship, 1850 - 1852
"Tybee", propeller steam towboat, Jan. 1851 - Jan. 1852 Ports: Savannah
Directions, 1838
Two private volumes written by members of the Tucker family. The first, the personal diary of Richard Holbrook Tucker, covers his early voyages, 1837 to 1839, with one entry in 1842. The second, written by Richard Hawley Tucker, is an 1838 volume of advice on being a ship's captain, written in the form of a 120 page letter to his son, Richard. The donor referred to them as volumes 5 and 1 respectively.
Arranged alphabetically.
No restrictions.
Diary, R.H. Tucker, Jr., 1838-39, 1842
Directions, 1838
Typescripts of letters, documents, receipts, insurance records, and other material relating to operation of the Tucker family's shipping business, in Wiscasset, Maine, 1826-1890.
Typescripts: Mar. 1813 - Mar. 1847
Typescripts: Apr. 1847 - Mar. 1848
Typescripts: Apr. 1848 - Oct. 1848
Typescripts: Nov. 1848 - Dec. 1849
Typescripts: Jan. 1850 - May 1850
Typescripts: Jun. 1850 - Dec. 1850
Typescripts: Jan. 1851 - Jul. 1851
Typescripts: Aug. 1851 - Dec. 1851
Typescripts: Jan. 1852 - Aug. 1852
Typescripts: Sept. 1852 - Aug. 1853
Typescripts: Sept. 1853 - Feb. 1854
Typescripts: Mar. 1854 - Jun. 1854
Typescripts: Jul. 1854 - Dec. 1854
Typescripts: Jan. 1855 - Jun. 1855
Typescripts: Jul. 1855 - Dec. 1855
Typescripts: Jan. 1856 - Jun. 1856
Typescripts: Jul. 1856 - Dec. 1856
Typescripts: Jan. 1857 - Jul. 1857
Typescripts: Aug. 1857 - Dec. 1857
Typescripts: Jan. 1858 - May 1858
Typescripts: May 1858 - Dec. 1858
Typescripts: Jan. 1859 - May 1859
Typescripts: Jun. 1859 - Sept. 1859
Typescripts: Oct. 1859 - Dec. 1859
TYpescripts: Jan. 1860 - May 1860
Typescripts: Jun. 1860 - Dec. 1860
Typescripts: Jan. 1861 - Jun. 1862
Typescripts: Jul. 1862 - May 1871
Typescripts: Jun. 1871 - Jun. 1875
Typescripts: Jun. 1875 - Mar. 1888
Typescripts: Directions from Richard Hawley Tucker to Capt. R.H. Tucker, Jr., 1838
Typescripts: Journal of Richard H. Tucker, Jr., 1837-1842, c.1
Typescripts: Journal of Richard H. Tucker, Jr., 1837-1842, c.2
Index Cards: Mar. 12, 1813 - May 31, 1851
Index Cards: June 2, 1851 - Nov. 30, 1855
Index Cards: June 1, 1855 - Oct. 20, 1859
Index Cards: Oct. 22, 1859 - Dec. 31, 1876
Index Cards: Jan. 5, 1877 - Mar. 27, 1890; Subject-specific cards, 1849-1888
Letterbook Index Cards: Sept. 16, 1846 - Jan. 23, 1864
Letterbook Index Cards: Jan. 25, 1864 - Apr. 9, 1885