Documents of a Whaling Voyage
- Logbook of the voyage: The master of the voyage or the first mate would be responsible for recording the official account of the voyage in the logbook. Typically daily entries would record location, weather and any notable events, such as whales sighted or encounters with other vessels.
- Correspondence: In this case primarily between William Martin and Samuel Osborne, Jr., the owner of the Eunice H. Adams.
- Ships papers / Articles of Agreement: A copy of this document was created for each voyage and was legally required after 1790 for most voyages. They were signed by each crew member and outlined the terms of the voyage.
- Crew list: Also legally required (after 1803), crew lists are notable for including physical descriptions of the crew members.
- Accounting documents: In addition to a separate account book, these documents recorded things like supplies taken on the voyage
- Bills and receipts: During a voyage a vessel would put into ports along the way for supplies, repairs, etc. The records for the 1887 voyage include hundreds of bills and receipts, many on decorative billheads.
- Crew outfitting sheets: Each member of the crew could purchase necessary supplies (often at exorbitant rates) over the course of the multi-year voyage.
This page has paths:
- The Industry of Whaling Jordan Goffin
- William Martin and the 1887 Voyage of the Eunice H. Adams Jordan Goffin