Martha's Vineyard Museum

Table of Contents

Summary Information

Biography/Historical Note

Scope and Content of Collection

Administrative Information

Related Materials

Index Terms

Collection Inventory

Descriptive Summary

Repository	Martha's Vineyard Museum, Gale Huntington Research Library 59 School Street P.O. Box 1310 Edgartown, MA 02539 (508)627-4441
Call Number	RU 459
Title	Whalemen's Shipping List and Merchants' Transcript newspapers
Date	1843-1908
Extent	10 oversize boxes + 5 oversize folders (8.719 cubic feet)
Language	Language(s):The materials are in English.
Abstract	The collection consists of 29 bound volumes and 67 loose issues of Whalemen's Shipping List and Merchants' Transcript newspapers. Issues are dated between August 1, 1843 and July 14, 1908. The newspaper was printed weekly from New Bedford, Massachusetts between 1843 and 1914, and contains "A complete list of all American whaling vessels, with their latest reports."

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use and Reproduction Restrictions

Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to museum staff. Reproduction fees may apply.

Acquisition Information

The immediate source of acquisition and date of accession are unknown.

Publication Information

Martha's Vineyard Museum

Gale Huntington Research Library
59 School Street
P.O. Box 1310
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508)627-4441

Processing Information

Finding aid prepared by Joyce Cooper, November-December 2013, with assistance from Insley Julier. Machine-encoded by Nathaniel Janick April 2014.

 Creation of this finding aid was sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Related Materials

Related Materials

Digitized versions of the Whalemen's Shipping List and Merchants' Transcript newspapers are available on the website of the National Maritime Digital Library.

Biography/Historical Note

The Whalemen's Shipping List and Merchants' Transcript was a weekly newspaper first published on March 17, 1843 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, by Henry Lindsey. As the introduction to the first issue states, the newspaper was intended to be; "a weekly report carefully corrected from the latest advises, of every vessel engaged in the whaling business from ports of the United States together with the prices current of our staple commodities and interesting items of commercial intelligence." The early issues were 8 pages and approximately 11 x 7 inches in size. The format was changed in 1857 to a 4 page paper measuring 22 x 14 inches. Upon Henry Lindsey's death in 1853, his brother Benjamin Lindsey took over as publisher. A Nantucketer, Eben P. Raymond started working for the Lindseys in 1851. Raymond managed the paper for Benjamin Lindsey while the latter was U. S. Consul in Brazil. In 1874, Benjamin Lindsey transferred his interests in the paper to Eben Raymond. Raymond was sole editor and proprietor for 16 years. George Phillips became an assistant to Raymond in 1889 and was the newspaper's last publisher. The newspaper was discontinued in 1914.

The Whalemen's Shipping List and Merchants' Transcript was a vital periodical during the peak of the whaling era. At one time circulation reached 2500 copies weekly. Subscribers were found all over the United States and in many foreign countries. The paper was read not only by whalers, but also by merchants at port and families tracking their loved ones. The newspaper traces the rise and decline of the whaling industry: In 1846, there were 680 whaling ships; 1878 saw the highest amount of whale oil exported; 1888 the most whale bone ever exported; and in the final issue of 1914, the number of U.S. whaling vessels was 32.

Scope and Content of Collection

The collection includes 29 bound volumes and 67 loose issues of the Whalemen's Shipping List and Merchants' Transcript printed between August 1, 1843 and July 14, 1908. The bound volumes contain complete annual runs of the newspaper. The paper provided information including; a list of all American whaling vessels, current staple commodities prices, articles of general whaling interest and reports on specific vessels. Whaling ships were listed by homeport and included; vessel name, master, date sailed, destination and last report (i.e. date, location, amount of oil). Most whaling ports were in the northeast: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York. In addition, San Francisco had consistent listings, particularly in later years.

Arrangement

The Collection is arranged in loose chronological order.