Last modified: 2020-01-11 by rob raeside
Keywords: whalers | charles w morgan |
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The restored "Charles W. Morgan" was enshrined on 21 July 1926. For the
ongoing season, a different flag was hoisted every day at the mainmast of the
ship, as described by press reports published in "The New Bedford Standard".
Ivan Sache, 31 January 2019
![[Captain John A. Cook]](../images/u/us~cmcoo.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"Weeks ago, when he left for Florida to look after business interests there,
Captain John A. Cook made his plans to be back today so that he might be on hand
for "Cook Day" at Round Hills. Captain Cook is one of the donors [...]. His
house flag, a red rectangle with a white "C", is to fly from the ship every
September 1 beginning with today.
Captain Cook was born in Provincetown, and
sailed on whaling ships for 47 years."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/16/
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[I. H. Bartlett]](../images/u/us~cmihb.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"White field, red borders, and a big blue "B" are the details of the old I.
H. Bartlett house flag [...] In 1845, I. H. Bartlett was agent for the barks
"Canton", "Packet", and "Cora"."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/16/
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[Thomas Wilcox]](../images/u/us~cmwil.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"Decorative and distinctive from a distance as well, was the house flag of
Thomas Wilcox, agent of the ship "Liverpool" 2nd [...] The white "W" stands out
against a ground of blue, the right half of the flag is striped red, white, and
red."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/17/
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[Charles S. Ashley]](../images/u/us~cmash.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"The scheme of the pennant is a white ground, red triangle and black "A"."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/17/
Charles S.
Ashley (1858-1941) had business ambitions and was involved in many business
ventures including Covell & Ashley, dealing in produce and general goods and
Ashley & Pierce Clothing & Furnishing Goods.
Seemingly always looking for
greater challenges, Charles carried his ambitions into the political arena,
starting at the age of 26 in 1884 as a member of the Common Council. He would
serve on the New Bedford Water Board, Board of Public Works, and the School
Board, and served as Alderman, which in essence was a city council position, for
two years. This prepared Charles for Mayorship which he would serve as more than
a whopping 25 times and for thirty-two years between 1890 and 1936. In 1903 and
1910, he received nearly 50% of the registered vote, an astounding number. In
between acting as mayor, he would serve as CEO and postmaster.
https://www.newbedfordguide.com/new-bedford-streets-a-piece-of-americana-ashley-boulevard/2012/06/14
New Bedford City Guide, 14 June 2012
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[William Watkins]](../images/u/us~cmwat.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"One of the New Bedford ship agents of 1845 was William Watkins. His vessel,
the bark "Hope" was distinguished by [...] a swallowtailed pennant half white
half blue, with a red disc on the white half."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/17/
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[West and Paine]](../images/u/us~cmwap.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"The ingeniosity of old New Bedford house flag designers is exemplified in
the flag of West and Paine [...]. These agents distinguished their vessels by a
white flag, bordered top and bottom in red, with a blue triangle left and a red
triangle right on the white ground. In 1846, the ship "Moctezuma" and the bark
"Franklin" were on their list."
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[Isaac B. Richmond]](../images/u/us~cmibr.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"Isaac B. Richmond, shipping agent of old New Bedford [...] Mr. Richmond's
flag was white, cut swallow-tailed, with a red border top and bottom and blue
"R" in the middle. In 1845, it was flown by the ships "Addison" and
"Jeannette"."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/18/
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[Gibbs and Jenney]](../images/u/us~cmgaj.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"Fairhaven contributed a number of the ships, whalers and merchantmen, which
sailed on the Acushnet river 80 and more years ago. One of its shipping agents
was Gibbs and Jenney [...]. The old signal-books show a white rectangle with an
inverted red triangle at the right side."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/18/
Ansel Gibbs was
born in 1773 in Wareham, Massachusetts, and prior to 1800 moved to Fairhaven,
where he was actively involved in the whaling industry as a shipmaster, agent,
and merchant. He also served as a Bristol County justice of the peace between
1817-1831 and was closely associated with a local bank. In 1800, Gibbs married
Lucy Le Baron, daughter of William Le Baron (1751-1816) of Fairhaven. They had
five children, including William Le Baron Gibbs (1801-1882) and Eliza Le Baron
Gibbs (1804-1880). Ansel Gibbs died in 1835.
William Le Baron Gibbs was the
senior member of the merchant firm of Gibbs & Jenney, originally of New York
City, and later active at Fairhaven.
https://www.whalingmuseum.org/explore/library/finding-aids/mss28
New
Bedford Whaling Museum
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[Atkins Adams]](../images/u/us~cmata.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"Atkins Adams, Fairhaven, is a shipping agent [...]. There was a different
flag for each Adams vessel. Bark "Lagrange" carried the dark blue banner with a
white "L". Ship "Eliza Adams" was designated by a similar flag initialed "EA",
and ship "Martha" 2nd had a blue flag with a white "M". The "Java" flew a plain
dark blue flag [...].
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/18/
William
Greenleaf Blackler was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1803. He began his
career in 1823 as a captain in the merchant service on trading voyages from
Boston to the West Indies and Cuba. By the 1830s, Blackler owned shares in
several Fairhaven whalers. He eventually moved to Fairhaven in the 1840s and
then to New Bedford in 1852. Blackler was involved in business ventures with his
brother-in-law, Atkins Adams (1782-1849), a shipmaster and whaling agent, and
eventually took over Adams' business after his death in 1849. He served as a
whaling agent for numerous whalers, including the ships "Swallow" and "Japan",
until 1865. New Bedford city directories indicate that Blackler then acted as a
"ship agent and contractor" until his death in 1880.
https://www.whalingmuseum.org/explore/library/finding-aids/mss68
New
Bedford Whaling Museum
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[Ezekiel Sawin]](../images/u/us~cmezs.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"The house flag of Ezekiel Sawin, Fairhaven, was varied for each ship in his
list. The flag [...], white ground with blue stripes and lettering was Sawin's
insignia for the ship "Maine". The same design, with different initials, was
used for the "Albion", the "Arab", "Clifford Wayne", "Sarah Frances" and "South
Boston". The bark "Isabella" carried the same design, in reverse coloring, white
stripes and initial "I" on a blue ground."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/19/
Ezekiel Sawin
(1792-1870) was the owner/agent of whaleships and was elected the first
president of the Fairhaven Bank and of the Fairhaven Institution for Savings. He
was also president of the Fairhaven Branch Railroad. In 1840 he built the
Greek-revival mansion at the southwest corner of William and Washington streets,
but later had to sell it after losing his fortune in the financial "panic" of
1857.
http://fairhaven-ma.gov/pages/FairhavenMA_Visitor/Riverside%20Cemetery%20brochure.pdf
Riverside Cemetery, Fairhaven, MA - Map & Guide
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[Philips and Ashley]](../images/u/us~cmpas.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"[...] The design is the same as that of Charles Ashley [...] except that a
white letter "P" adorns the red triangle, instead of the "A" used on Mr.
Ashley's flag. The flag was used in 1845 by the firm of William Philips and
Ashley, shipping agents. The Ashley of the partnership was Abraham Ashley 2d,
ancestral relative of New Bedford's former mayor. The Philips and Ashley ships
in 1845 were the "Olympia", the "China", and the "Harrison". The two last
carried the Ashley "A" instead of the Philips "P".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/19/
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[William O. Brownell]](../images/u/us~cmwob.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"Three broad vertical stripes red, white and red catch the eye [...] Then one
distinguishes a blue "B" in the white stripe. This was the house flag of William
O. Brownell, New Bedford shipping agent. His ships were the "Ontario" and the
"South America" and the bark "Martha" 2d."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/19/
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[Frederick Parker]](../images/u/us~cmfpa.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"Two interlocking rings of blue on a white ground with a red border above and
below was the insignia of Frederick Parker, New Bedford ship agent, who flew it
in 1845 on the ship "John"."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/19/
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
![[Richmond and Wood]](../images/u/us~cmrwo.gif)
image by Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
"Bark "Alto", of Richmond and Wood, New Bedford shipping agents in 1845. A
red spot in a white circle occupies the center of the dark blue ground."
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l030634/20/
Ivan Sache, 9 December 2019
Continued in Part 4