George Newell Papers, 1795-1872, 1921-1987, undated
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Not requestable
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains papers of George Newell, a sea captain from Framingham, Massachusetts. The collection includes memoirs of his voyages that were written late in life, letter books, family correspondence, an account book, maps, two copies of the Book of Common Prayer, genealogical information, notebooks, and photographs. The nautical papers provide an in depth portrayal of life at sea and trade in foreign ports in the early and mid-nineteenth century.
The memoirs written late in life pertain to voyages Newell made between 1809 and 1822 on the ships Katherine, Walmer Castle, Cordelia, Sultan, and Mentor, and the brig Ann Elizabeth. Also present is a typescript copy of the logbook of the Sultan (1818-1819) written by Newell when he was Chief Mate of the ship. The letter books (1822-1832 and 1839-1843) detail Newell's business transactions in ports spanning Europe, South America, Asia, and the South Pacific.
Also included in the collection is extensive correspondence from Newell to his wife Olive, correspondence with others, a family photograph, and notes pertaining to genealogy. There are two copies of the Book of Common Prayer, both inscribed "Brig Malta." on the binding, also an account book, a notebook, maps of Framingham and Suriname, and genealogical information on the related Adams, Bullard, Morgan, Phips, and Plimpton families.
Dates
- Creation: 1795-1872, 1921-1987, undated
Creator
- Newell, George, 1792-1871 (Person)
Restrictions on Access
This collection is open for research use.
Biographical Sketch
George Newell was born on August 18, 1792, in Framingham, Massachusetts, the son of Thomas and Polly (Phipps) Newell. He went to sea at age 16 and sailed on many vessels including: the ships Katherine, Sultan, Cordelia, and Mentor; the brigs Nile, Pleiades, and Rimac; the schooner Judith Farmer; and the bark Sea Breeze. He owned and mastered the schooner Pearl and brig Malta, both of which sailed primarily between Boston and Para, Brazil. George Newell married Sophia Reed in 1827, and following her death he married Olive Plimpton in 1841. With Sophia he had two children: Frederick, and George Henry; and with Olive he had eight children: Clarence, Herbert, Emma, Blanche, Alice Lee, Genevra Leslie, Algernon Percy, and Lester Corning. George Newell died in Framingham on April 12, 1871.
Extent
3 Linear feet (3 boxes; 1 flat file)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection contains papers of George Newell, a sea captain from Framingham, Massachusetts.
Physical Location
Phillips Library Stacks
Provenance
Most of this material was a gift from the estate of William Leibee Wheeler on November 2, 1995 (accession #1995.062). A letter from George Newell (1840) and transcripts of a logbook (1818-1819) and letter book (1822-1832) were gifts of Roger C. Erickson on September 30, 2013 (accession #2013.028).
Processing Information
Collection processed by Lee Jacoby, August 2016.
Subject
- Newell, George, 1792-1871 (Person)
- Adams family (Family)
- Bullard family (Family)
- Morgan family (Family)
- Phips family (Family)
- Plimpton family (Family)
- Wheeler family (Family)
- Newell, Olive Plimpton, 1820- (Person)
- Ann Elizabeth (Brig) (Organization)
- Cordelia (Ship) (Organization)
- Katherine (Ship) (Organization)
- Malta (Brig) (Organization)
- Mentor (Ship) (Organization)
- Pearl (Schooner) (Organization)
- Sultan (Ship) (Organization)
- Walmer Castle (Ship) (Organization)
- Title
- GEORGE NEWELL PAPERS, 1795-1872, 1921-1987
- Author
- Processed by: Lee Jacoby; machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Phillips Library Repository