Our "first mate" (nom de plume) found this tidbit in her research.

With this note attached

"found a crew list for the Tropic Bird in the May 9 1876 edition of Whalemen's Shipping List."

I believe this defines some additional roles for crew members that we did not know before. See the original crew list post here.

Owen H. Tilton -- [Vineyard Haven] -- Captain
Benjamin C. Blossom -- Dartmouth -- first mate
James A. Payne -- Mattapoisett -- second mate
George Arnold -- New Bedford -- third mate and boatsteerer
John Wilcox -- do* -- cooper and shipkeeper
John Connor and Samuel Greenham -- do -- boatsteers
Henry E. Montague -- Brooklyn -- steward
Edward E. Dixon -- New Bedford -- cook
Antone Eichman -- do*
Frank Joseph -- do
John Thomas Leo -- do
Theodore Gereeke -- do
Joseph Maiz -- do
Perdo Noonis -- do
Charles Smith -- do
Charles Kanaka -- do
Charles W. McKown -- New York
Antone Enos -- do
John Dight -- do
Samuel N Brush -- Tisbury
William L. Cone Jr. -- Eastham
William R. Wolfe -- Shefield -- seamen
John J. Armstead -- Charlestown -- seamen

Note: do = ditto

Example:
Edward E. Dixon -- New Bedford -- cook
Antone Eichman -- do
In this case "do" is ditto for New Bedford

Great find "SW" ...... Bev ..... !

Fourth week at sea. May 21 to May 28, 1876

Sunday May th/21
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
saw Blackfish and waste boat got one
Lat part pleasant weather Stearing N.E.
nothing in sight
Lat 30-10 N Lon 75-03 W

Monday May th/22
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind from
W Stearing N.E. nothing in sight
Lat part weather the same saw a schooner heading to W.
Ship heading ESE. with wind from W.
Lat 30-30 N Lon 74-42 W

Tuesday May th/23
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind from W.
Stearing E.S.E. took in sail at dark for the night
Lat part weather the same Saw three sail Crew employed
about the Ship
Lat 30-05 N Lon 74-32 W

Wednesday May th/24
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind from
W heading to N.N.W. one sail in sight at sun
down took in sail. Lat part Calm with pleasant
weather
Lat 30.29 N Lon 74.51 W

Thursday May th/25
Begins with Calm and pleasant weather one sail
in sight Lat part Squally with some rain
and Strong wind Saw a bark. ship on diferant
tacks working to Eastward

Friday May th/26
Begins with Squally weather and Strong wind
working to Eastward Cloudy weather with a
little rain Lat part pleasant weather and light
wind from S Stearing to E. Saw 4 Sail
Lat 31-12 N Lon 75-05 W.

Saturday May th/27
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
from S Ship heading E. by S. Two sail in sight
Lat part fine wind at half past 8 Saw a
breach in weather beam made all sail and
worked to windward the remainder of the
day.
Lat 31-00 N Lon 73 45 W

Sunday May th/28
Com- with wind from N. at 2 PM lowared
the boats Starboard boat got fast. line got
foul and cut. at half past 5 Larboard
boat got fast and parted line then Starboard
boat got one. got to the Ship at 10 PM
Lat part Cut it in and started the works
Lat 31-08 N Lon 73-17 W

A reading and reference list.

Ashley, Clifford W., The Yankee Whaler. Mineola, New York. Dover Publications, Inc., 1991, ISBN: 0-486-26854-3

Bockstoce, John R., Whales, Ice, & Men. The History of Whaling in the Western Arctic. Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1986, ISBN: 0-295-96318-2

Church, Albert Cook, Whale Ships and Whaling (First Edition). New York, W.W. Norton & Co. 1938

Dolin, Eric Jay, Leviathan The History Of Whaling in America. New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2007, ISBN: 978-0-393-33157-8

Hegarty, Reginald B., Returns Of Whaling Vessels Sailing From American Ports. A Continuation of Alexander Starbuck’s “History Of Whaling in America". New Bedford MA., The Old Dartmouth Historical Society and Whaling Museum. 1959.

Philbrick, Nathaniel, In The Heart Of The Sea. The Tragedy Of The Whaleship Essex. New York, 2000, ISBN: 978-0-14-100-182-1

Leavitt, John F., The Charles W. Morgan (Second Edition). Mystic CT., Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc., 1998, ISBN: 0-913372-10-2

Lundy, Derek, The Way of A Ship. A Square-Rigger Voyage in the Last Days Of Sail. New York, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2002, ISBN: 0-06-621012-7

Smyth, W. H. Admiral., The Sailor’s Word-Book. (Reprint). Ontario, Canada, Algrove Publishing Limited, 2004, ISBN: 1-897030-05-3

Songini, Marc, The Lost Fleet. A Yankee Whaler’s Struggle Against The Confederate Navy and Arctic Disaster. New York, St. Martin’s Press, 2007, ISBN: 0-312-28648-1

Sherman, Stewart C., The Voice of the Whaleman, With an Account of the Nicholson Whaling Collecton., Providence RI., Providence Public Library, 1965.

Starbuck, Alexander., History Of The American Whale Fishery. 1876; reprint, Secaucus, NJ., 1989, ISBN: 1-55521-537-8

If you are just learning about whaling I would suggest reading these authors from the list above. Leavitt, Ashley, Dolin and Philbrick.

I found Leavitt, Dolin and Ashley's books to be very readable and all three provided great insight into the life of nineteenth century whaling ships, whalers and the whaling industry.

Philbrick's book chronicles the doomed 1819 voyage of the whaling ship Essex and it's crew. It is considered to be the inspiration for the story of Moby Dick the 1851 novel written by Herman Melville.

Dolin and Philbrick's books should be available in paperback at any of the larger chain bookstores.

Don't forget to look in your used bookstores for copies of most of the books in the list above.

If your lucky maybe you'll find your own copy of Starbuck's. Starbuck's is a must have book if your researching whaling.

If your real lucky Hegarty would be a great find.

Third week at sea. May 14 to May 20 1876

Sunday May th/14
Begins with light airs and hazy weather with
a little rain engaged riging Cutting gear
Lat part Strong wind from N.E. Stearing S.W.
Saw one sail Ship under for sail and Main
topsail
Lat 31-13 N Lon 73-55 W

Monday May th/15
Begins with strong wind from N.E. Stearing S.W.
at 6 P.M. lufed to the wind on port Tack
heading SE by E. Lat part Strong wind saw nothing
Lat 30-25 N Lon 74-11 W

Tuesday May th/16
Begins with Strong wind from E. Stearing W. at
7 P.M. lufed to on port tack and Shortened sail
for the night at sun rise made sail heading N.
pleasant weather sent Cutting pendants aloft [part of cutting gear?]
saw nothing
Lat 30-36 N Lon 74-20 W.



Wednesday May th/17
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind from
N.E. heading to the Northward at 7 P.M. saw
whales but did not go in pursuit of them it being
nearly dark. wore ship* and stood to the S. and
at sun rise saw them again at 8 A.M. lowared and
the Starboard boat Struck but drew. waste boat
got capsised Jiling [Jibing * *] Larboard boat had one mised
Lat 30-10 N Lon 75-31 W

Thursday May th/18
Begins with Strong wind Chasing whales Come on
board at 4 PM at 7 shortened sail for the night
Lat part pleasant weather and light wind engaged
breaking out nothing in sight.
Lat 30-44 N Lon 75 ?? W

Friday May th/19
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
from S.E. Lat part light air and Calms Saw
a Schooner to south. pleasant weather
so ends this day
Lat 30-44 N Lon 75-26 W

Saturday, May th/20
Begins with Calm weather at 5 PM got a light
wind from S. at 5 Sent the Waste boat
to a Schooner with letters. She proved to be
the Isaac Oliver. from xxx. Cages for New York)
Lat part pleasant weather and light wind Stearing
S.S.E.
Lat 30-48 N Lon 74-56 W

* Wearing ship - tacking away from the wind in a square rigged vessel.
* * Jibing - to change from one tack to the other away from the wind, with the stern of the vessel turning through the wind.

A great find in the log. December 14, 1877

Logbook entry:

Friday Dec th/14 1877
Com- with light wind from S.E. with foggy weather
at 5 P.M. gamed [visited] the Charles W. Morgan 32 months
out 800 sperm. Capt Tincom [Tinkham] at 7. kept on the
Northern tack. Lat part light wind from S at 8 Am
Cleared up the Morgan in sight ship heading E
Lat 35-10 S Lon 21-42 W




This logbook entry is such a great find because the Bark Charles W. Morgan is the "Last Wooden Whaleship in the World" and can still be seen at the Mystic Seaport - The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic CT.






From the Mystic Seaport Research library we find these Voyage #10 records for the years 4/23/1875 - 5/17/1878 with Captain John M. Tinkham.

Voyage # 10 was unique in that Captain Tinkham's wife Clara Tinkham was aboard. She left the Morgan at St. Helena in November 1876. Mrs. Tinkham "suffered severe bouts of seasickness". Mrs. Tinkham took a steamer to England and then on to home. (see Leavitt below)

Charles W. Morgan video from the Mystic Seaport. YouTube short version.
Charles W. Morgan video from the Mystic Seaport. YouTube long version.

Some additional Mystic Seaport research resources:
Charles W. Morgan Whaling and Maritime History
Crew List for voyage #10.

Leavitt, John F., The Charles W. Morgan (Second Edition). Mystic CT., Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc., 1998, ISBN: 0-913372-10-2

Second week at sea. May 7 to May 13 1876.

Sunday May th/7
Com- with light winds Ship heading S E.
with light rain Saw one sail and a Fin
Back. Lat-part light wind with a little
rain. Saw two sail Ship heading SE.
Lat 36-31 N Lon 71-28 W

Monday May th/8
Com'd with wind from S.S.W._ Ship heading
S.E. two sail in sight. at two PM Saw
Blackfish Mid part Strong wind heading
S.S.E. Lat part the same engaged piling
whaling gear
Lat 35-03 N Lon 69-32 W

Tuesday May th/9
Begins with pleasant weather and wind
from SW. Saw Fin Backs at 6 PM Tacked
to the Westward Lat part Strong wind Sat[saw]a
Brig abandond and on fire Main mast gone
supposed the crew had been taken off
Lat 34-30 N Lon 69 22 W

Wednesday May th/10
Begins with Strong wind from S Ship
heading to W Mid part blowing Strong
Lat part the same Ship under reefed Main top
sail and foresail heading to Eastward
Lat 34-16 N Lon 69-38 E

Thursday May th/11
Begins with Strong wind from S heading to E.
at 6 PM tacked to Westward weather much
the same Lat part wind light Stearing S.W. by W.
saw four sail engaged Setting up Main riging
Lat 33-32 N Lon 69-20 W

Friday May th/12
Begins with wind from N.W. and Cloudy weather
Stearing W.S.W. Saw two Sail. Lat part pleasant
weather and light wind from N. Stearing the
same saw two Sail
Lat 32 44 N Lon 71-21 W.

Saturday May th/13
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
from E. Saw nothing engaged braking out
Lat part much the same weather with light
veriable winds saw nothing working to the West
Lat 31-45 N Lon 72-54 W

A crew member returns. William L. Cone Jr.

Shortly after I started this blog I received an email asking if we had the crew list for the Tropic Bird 1876-1878. The emailer was hunting for information about her great grandfather William L. Cone.

A quick check of the crew list..... and there he was William L. Cone Jr. a crew member of the Tropic Bird 1876 voyage. See the crew list here.

What an exciting thing to find and to realize ..... that the great granddaughter of a crew member was now "meeting" the great great granddaughter of the Captain. "Meeting" one hundred and thirty three years later from the decks of a whaling ship to the world of the internet. From a voyage on a vast ocean to the world wide web.

Who in 1876 could have imagined that 133 years later two granddaughters would be peeking in on their shared experience aboard the Tropic Bird?

Could Jules Verne 1828-1905 or H.G. Wells 1866-1946 have imagined such a "meeting"?

Meet William L. Cone Jr.

Sandy the great granddaughter of William Lyman Cone Jr. tells us this about her great grandfather

Here's some info on my grandfather that I was able to find in a Cone genealogy book, published 1903, His [Wm. L. Cone] youngest daughter Catherine was my grandmother.

2946. William L Cone, b Oct 29 1854 married Anna L Gillette. Res Millington Conn.

William Lyman Cone, son of William L. Cone (2409) b. Millington, CT Oct 29 1854 married Bertha Burdick June 16 1883. She was born Dec 28 1866. He married 2. Anna Lee Gillette, daughter of Miner H. Gillette and Elizabeth Tiffany Lee, April 26 1889. She was born in East Haddam Dec 31, 1861. At the age of twenty-one he sailed on the bark "Tropic Bird" from New Bedford, on a sperm whaling voyage, and was gone twenty-seven months. Afterwards pursued and completed a course of musical study at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and is at present a music teacher and piano-tuner, and holds the position of Postmaster at Millington.

Children:
3484. Florence, b. Dec 15, 1884
3485. Clarence, b. June 16, 1886
3486. Virginia Gillette, b. Apr 9, 1891
3487. Emily, b Apr 23, 1895
3488. Catherine, b. Jan 19, 1900

An ancestor to be proud of... a whaler, a music teacher, a Postmaster and a parent.

Sea-Fever

By John Masefield (1878-1967)

I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

Meet Owen Hillman Tilton.

A special thanks to living members of the Tilton family of Vineyard Haven MA and their ancestors for preserving these and other family photos and documents and for providing access to them for this project.
Email: Capt.O.H.Tilton's gr-gr-granddaughter. Donna.

May th/3 1876. One Hundred Thirty Three (133) years ago today.

Below are photocopies of original documents as written in May 1876. Below the original document is the transcribed version. To see the enlarged version of these original documents click on the document.

Crew List NB Shipping List 5/4/76

Capt Owen H. Tilton
Mate Benj C. Blossom Dartmouth
Jas. (Jos.) Payne Mattapoisett
xxxx Geo. Arnold N.B.
Cooper
& Shipkeeper John Wilcox "
Boat John Connor "
Steerers Jam Greenman "
Steward Henry E. Montague Brooklyn - Deserted 10/8/76 Fayal
Cook Edwd. E. Dixon N.B. - Discharged 6/4/77 Barbados
Antone Eichman -- did not sail --
Frank Joseph -
John Thomas Leo -
Theo. Gerecke
Jos. Mariz -
Pedro Noovis -
Chas. Smith - Deserted 10/9/76 Fayal
Chas. Kanaka -
Chas. W. McKowin - Deserted 10/9/76 Fayal
Anton Ecos - Deserted 10/16/76 Fayal
John Dight -
Ian N. Brush Tisbury
Wm. L. Cone Jr. Eastham
Wm. R. Wolf Sheffield
John J. Armstead Charlestown
______
Log Book Wm Whitman Deserted 3/22/77 St. Helena

Below is a photocopy of the original logbook entries of the Tropic Bird as written in May 1876. Below the original document is the transcribed version. To see the enlarged version of the original documents click on the document.

Remarks On Board Bark Tropic Bird
Capt Owen H. Tilton
Sailed from New Bedford May th/2 1876
Antone Eichmen Not on board To be Certified first port by Consul.


Wednesday May th/3
Commences with light wind from SSE. Ship
heading S.W. at eight P.M. gay head light link
bearing N.E. 12 Miles distant
Lat[ter]-part wind came to E. Stearing S. by W.

Thursday May th/4
Begins with Cloudy weather and wind rising
at four P.M. blowing a gail from N.N.E. at
six lufed to under Close reefed Main topsail
fore topmast staysail and Main Spencer. Mid[dle] part
rain and hail blazing fearful Lat-part
morderated and kept off Stearing S. and Made
Sail Lat[itude] 38.33 N Lon[gitude] 71.-12 W.

Friday May th/5
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind from N
Stearing S. engaged riging Boats at 3 AM tacked
to the East heading E.S.E. at 9 tacked to
west wind light from S. Two sail in sight Struck
Two porpoises but Lost them ends with pleasant
weather and light wind
Lat 37.30 N Lon 71-56 W

Saturday May th/6
Begins with light wind from S Ship heading
S.W. Saw three sail one Schooner with foremast
and Main topmast gorn [gone] Lat- part light wind
heading W S.W. Crew fitting Boats
Lat 37-00 N Lon 72-26 W

Please note that characters enclosed in [square brackets] were add to clarify the log entry. Example: Lat[itude]. Characters (words) in bold are still in question as to their meaning. Example:gorn