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Ebenezer and William Hathorne Papers, 1810-1886, undated

 Collection
Identifier: MH 119

Scope and Content Note

The Ebenezer and William Hathorne papers contain the papers of Ebenezer Hathorne (1789-1858), and his son, William Hollingsworth Hathorne (1843-1886). This collection has been divided into two series.

Series I. Ebenezer Hathorne Papers contains materials belonging to Ebenezer Hathorne, including correspondence and prisoner of war documents from his time in the Navy. Also included is a letter written in Spanish by Hathorne to the Mexican government, offering his courier services; an English translation is included in the folder. There is also a Freemason certificate, granting Hathorne the level of "third degree."

Series II. William Hathorne Papers contains material belonging to William Hathorne. This series has been divided into two subseries. Subseries A. Naval Papers contains materials from Hathorne's time in the Navy. Included in this subseries are orders, correspondence about the Civil War, with transcriptions, and three volumes of watch bills kept by Hathorne. Subseries B. Consul Papers contains materials from Hathorne's time as Consul to Zanzibar. Included in this subseries is a certificate of Hathorne's appointment and correspondence, including a letter of welcome from the Sultan of Zanibar in Arabic with an English translation, as well as a letter of condolence addressed to his wife on account of his death.

Dates

  • Creation: 1810-1886, undated

Creator

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use.

Biographical Sketches

Ebenezer Hathorne was born in 1789 to John and Susannah (Herbert) Hathorne, in Salem, Massachusetts. He was a United States Naval midshipman, until he resigned in 1810. In April 1813 he became a prisoner of war at Halifax; his occupation was listed as being a surgeon. He was permitted to return to Boston May 31, 1813. For a time he was a clerk at the Boston Customs House. Ebenezer became a third degree freemason in 1822.

He married Catherine Peace, April 6, 1843. Ebenezer died on December 5, 1858.

William Hollingsworth Hathorne was born May 17, 1843 in Salem, Massachusetts to Ebenezer (1789-1858) and Catherine Hathorne. He was a master mariner, having joined the United States Navy in 1863; he resigned as acting master's mate on December 30, 1864. He became the United States consul to Zanzibar in 1876. William died in 1886, leaving a wife and child.

Extent

0.25 linear feet (1 box; 1 flat file)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Ebenezer and William Hathorne papers contain the papers of Ebenezer Hathorne (1789-1858), and his son, William Hollingsworth Hathorne (1843-1886).

Series List

SERIES I. Ebenezer Hathorne Papers

SERIES II. William Hathorne Papers

  • A. Naval Papers
  • B. Consul Papers

Physical Location

Phillips Library Stacks

Provenance

Everett Whipple donated a General Order No. 10 issued by Rear Admiral D. G. Farragut from the U. S. flag ship Hartford off Mobile Bay, dated July 12, 1864, Ebenezer Hathorne's Freemason certificate of membership dated March 12, 1822, and letters from William H. Hathorne to his sister describing the battle of Mobile Bay (dated 1864) in 1939 (accession #10,500). The rest of the material was found in the collection.

Bibliography and Related Collections

Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Operations, Inc., 2011.

Herrick, Jedediah. Herrick Genealogy: A Genealogical Register of the Name and Family of Herrick from the Settlements of Henerie Hericke, in Salem, Massachusetts, 1629 to 1846, With a Concise Notice of their English Ancestry. Privately Printed, 1885.

Letter book of William H. Hathorne, 1877-1880. MSS 1578.1

Letter book of William H. Hathorne, 1878-1880. MSS 1578.2

Processing Information

Collection processed by Hilary Streifer, June 2015.

Title
EBENEZER AND WILLIAM HATHORNE PAPERS, 1818-1886
Author
Processed by: Hilary Streifer; machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Phillips Library Repository

Contact:
Peabody Essex Museum
306 Newburyport Turnpike
Rowley MA 01969 USA