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 ..... !

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

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.

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

Bark Tropic Bird 1876-1878. Captain Owen H. Tilton

Following the 26 month whaling voyage of the Bark Tropic Bird
Captain Owen H. Tilton
Leaving New Bedford Mass. May 2, 1876
Returning July 30, 1878

Stay tune for the first day of the voyage.