Barkentine Olive Thurlow Purser's Log

1891-1909, 1925-1929
Manuscript Collection #1220
Creator(s)
Gooding, William Hadlock, 1856-1936
Physical description
0.059 Cubic Feet, 1 archival box, consisting of a logbook
Preferred Citation
Barkentine Olive Thurlow Purser's Log (#1220), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Repository
ECU Manuscript Collection
Access
No restrictions

This collection contains a logbook (1891-1929) kept by William Hadlock Gooding (b. June 1, 1856, d. September 7, 1936), the purser for the barkentine Olive Thurlow. During this time, Olive Thurlow, which operated out of Philadelphia, travelled to New York, Boston, Savannah, Washington, Port Royal, Barbadoes, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo. Other entries in the logbook refer to the settling of accounts in Boston by Gooding for his time with the bark Grace Deering (1901-1902); and accounts (1906-1909, 1925-1929) related to his life in Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine.


Biographical/historical information

William Hadlock Gooding (1 June 1856 - 7 September 1936) was born and died in Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine. In 1884, he married Marion Mortimer Gooding (b. October 1860 in England, d. 1958). The couple took a cruise together on the SS Antonia from Southampton, England to Quebec, Canada from 25 August to 3 September 1927. During part of his life, he lived on the sea as a purser on the barkentine Olive Thurlow (1891-1897) and also with the bark Grace Deering (1901-1902). He is listed as a captain on his tombstone.

Olive Thurlow was built and launched in Calais, Maine in 1876, and was registered as 577 tons burden. The vessel was originally owned by James E. Brett, whose name appears regularly in the logbook. It was initially built and rigged as a bark, but later converted to a barkentine rig by the second owners, the Pendleton Bros. Co. On a trip from Charleston, S.C., to New York City on 5 December 1902, carrying a load of Southern pine lumber, the ship became stranded in Cape Lookout Bight, N.C. two miles northeast of the Cape Lookout Life-Saving Station. The ship eventually broke up and six of the seven crew members were saved.

Grace Deering was constructed in 1877 in Knightville, Maine, and was originally a bark of 733 tons. The ship was later converted to a barge of 627 tons. On 1 November 1906, the vessel foundered off the coast of Miami, Fla.

Sources:

American Lloyd's Register of American and Foreign Shipping, 1878. New York, N.Y.: The Society of American Lloyds's, 1878. Available online: Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea.

Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1956 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Original data: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, RG 85. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.

Michaud, Jean. "William Hadlock Gooding (1856 - 1936) - Find A Grave Memorial." N.p., 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.

Singer, Steven D. Shipwrecks of Florida: A Comprehensive Listing. Sarasota, F.L.: Pineapple, 1998.

Smith, Robert K. The Shipwreck of the Olive Thurlow. Ed. Mark Wilde-Ramsing. Morehead City, N.C.: Carteret County Historical Society, 1997.


Scope and arrangement

This collection contains a logbook (1891-1929) of financial accounts kept by William H. Gooding. They cover his time on the barkentine Olive Thurlow (1891-1897) and the bark Grace Deering (1901-1902), as well as personal financial accounts (1906-1929) related to his life in Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine.

During his time on Olive Thurlow, which operated out of Philadelphia, the ship travelled to New York, Boston, Savannah, Washington, D.C., Port Royal, Barbados, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo. Other entries in the logbook refer to the settling of accounts in Boston by Gooding for his time with the bark Grace Deering. The ship's account entries include costs for crew provisions, towing, docking, ship repairs, tonnage dues, stamps, telegrams, and wages for the ship's captain and crew. Entries are listed in multiple currency forms, including Spanish gold, Argentine gold, and English pounds, shillings, and pence.

Financial records for the period of 1906 through 1909 deal with money owed to Gooding by Samuel A. Prince (1907) and George H. Prince (1906-1909) for boarding and care and other expenses such as dues for the Cumberland Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons of Yarmouth. Accounts with Samuel Prince also include costs at his death, such as the undertaker and estate tax. It is possible that Samuel and George Prince were relatives of William Gooding because his mother's maiden name was Prince.

The personal financial records (1925-1929) not related to the Princes are presumed to be Gooding's own accounts. They detail information on his bank accounts, stocks and bonds, and pension payments. Pages 161 to 163 note his pension payments from Cumberland County Power and Light of Maine for 1927 through 1929.


Administrative information
Custodial History

September 18, 2013, 0.059 cubic feet; This collection contains a logbook (October 1891-June 1902) kept by William H. Gooding, the purser for the Barkentine Olive Thurlow. During this time, Olive Thurlow, which operated out of Philadelphia, travelled to New York, Boston, Savannah, Washington, Port Royal, Barbadoes, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo. Other entries in the logbook refer to the settling of accounts in Boston by Gooding for his time with the Bark Grace Deering (1902-1903); accounts (1907-1909) re money owed to Gooding by Samuel A. Prince, Jr., and George H. Prince related to boarding and care and to dues for the Cumberland Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons of Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine; and to financial accounts for the years 1925 through 1929. William Hadlock Gooding (1 June 1856-7 September 1936) died in Yarmouth, Cumberland County, Maine (source: Find A Grave), and the financial information is presumed to be his accounts. Purchased from Ron Koch.

Source of acquisition

Purchased from Ron Koch

Processing information

Processed by Allison N. Miller, January 2014.

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.


Key terms
Personal Names
Gooding, William Hadlock, 1856-1936
Prince, George H.
Prince, Samuel A.
Corporate Names
Grace Deering (Ship)
Olive Thurlow (Ship)
Topical
Barks (Sailing ships)--Maine
Logbooks--United States
Merchant mariners--Maine--Yarmouth
Shipping--United States