Daniel Hartwell and the Voyage of the Ship Rachel (1802-1805)
Below are links to scans of original documents related to the 3+ year sealing voyage of the Ship Rachel, embarking from the port of Salem, Massachusetts in October, 1802, for islands in the Pacific Ocean, Canton, China, and St. Petersburg, Russia. My 4th great-grandfather, Daniel Hartwell, was a mere 22 years old when he started out and making his first sea voyage. As will become evident as you look through the linked documents and letters, this young green hand made quite an impression!
The map below shows the course of the Rachel's journey, along with ports of call that are referenced to the list of documents.
The map below shows the course of the Rachel's journey, along with ports of call that are referenced to the list of documents.
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A
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Ship Rachel Bill of Sale
Salem, Massachusetts, 31 Jul 1802 |
Shows the original agreement between the ship builders and the owners
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A
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Seaman's Protection
Salem, Massachusetts, 12 Oct 1802 |
Daniel Hartwell confirmation of having a Seaman's Protection Certificate, lists his age as 22 and home town as Conway, Mass.
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A
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Ship's Orders
Salem, Massachusetts, 26 Oct 1802 |
Describes the owners' instructions for the voyage to the Captain of the ship Rachel, Calvin Bunker.
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A
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Ship's Inventory
Salem, Massachusetts, 27 Oct 1802 |
Describes the inventory on board the ship Rachel when she set sail from Salem, Mass.
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B
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Letter from Calvin Bunker
St. Jago, Cuba, 1 Dec 1802 |
A letter from Captain Calvin Bunker to Jonathan Peele in Salem describing the voyage so far.
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C
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Letter from John Winn
An island off the coast of Chile, 27 Jul 1803 |
A letter from John Winn to the ship owners in Salem with a further account of the voyage so far.
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C,E,G
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Daniel's Transgressions
Unknown locations, 1803-1804 |
A formal accounting from John Winn concerning the transgressions of Daniel Hartwell aboard the Rachel.
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E
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Canton Accounting - 10 Dec 1804
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An account of the sale of seal skins at Canton, China, and how the proceeds were distributed to the ship's crew
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F
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The South Atlantic - 7 Apr 1805
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A letter written at sea
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G
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Letter from Flushing - 8 Jun 1805
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A letter from John Winn from Flushing (now Vlissingen), the Netherlands
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G
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Pro Memoria - 15 Jul 1805
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A diary of Daniel's transgressions, as recorded by John Winn, one of the ship's owners.
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G
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William Digry Statement - 25 Jul 1805
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A statement from William Digry
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H
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St. Petersburg Agreement - 13 Sep 1805
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An agreement between Captain Calvin Bunker and John Winn
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A
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A Post-voyage Accounting - April-May 1807
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Shows several hefty sums to be paid to deal with Daniel Hartwell's case
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