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Samuel Varney Papers, 1807-1879,

 Collection
Identifier: MH 224

Scope and Content Note

The Samuel Varney papers document some of the activities of this Salem, Massachusetts, ship owner and captain. Folder 1, Legal Papers, contains a deed for a house on Pickman Street from Daniel Lord to Nathaniel Archer (1807), a power of attorney from P. I. Farnham & Co. to Varney to sell the brig Vine (1829), and a deed for land in Dover, New Hampshire, from Jeremiah Roberts to Varney (1849). Ships mentioned in the letters to his wife, Mary, include Enterprise (Brig), Velocity (Brig), and General Stark. A letter from Mary announces the birth of John Henry Bertram in June 1831. Folder 8, Accounts and Receipts, includes an account for goods on the brig Malaga (1844). Three of the receipts are for Doctor Thompson (1866-1868). The material has been arranged chronologically.

Dates

  • Creation: 1807-1879

Creator

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use.

Biographical Sketch

Samuel Varney was born in November 1797 in Salem, Massachusetts. He was a ship captain and owner. Among the ships he mastered are the Angola (Bark), Edwin (Bark), and Vine (Bark).

In 1826 he married Mary Archer and they had three children, Samuel (born 1829), Sarah Bickford (1837-1920) and George H. (1843-1918). By 1850, they had moved to Dover, New Hampshire and he died there on May 6, 1875.

Extent

0.25 linear feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Samuel Varney papers document some of the activities of this Salem, Massachusetts, ship owner and captain.

Physical Location

Phillips Library Stacks

Provenance

Two letters from Varney to his wife dated 1828 and 1833 were donated by James and Marjorie Dickson on November 29, 1991 (acc #91055). The provenance of the rest of the material is unknown.

Bibliography and Related Collections

Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Angola (Bark) logbook. 1845-1846, Log 559

Angola (Bark) logbook, 1847-1848, includes a letter from Samuel Varney to his wife Mary and daughter Sarah, Log 1273

Processing Information

Collection processed by Tamara Gaydos, August 2016.

Subject

Title
SAMUEL VARNEY PAPERS, 1807-1879
Author
Processed by: Tamara Gaydos; 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