37 Related McGilvery Family Ship's Captain's letters Searsport Maine 1890 China

Description

This is a series of family letters from the late 1800's from the Bath Searsport area of Maine. It is members of the broader McGilvery family. For those of you that understand that history, most of the nautical captains were related by blood or marriage and most all in the town had invested in a share of the ship. This is a picture in that of several captains and many ships are mention by name including the Belle of Bath and the captain of the immense Henrietta. Very rare chance for a lot of letters from one family and their are 37 communications and have listed below.One is on ship letterhead.
1)
Desiree  Buck To Uncle John on death of Uncle Henry and Alvah..also Merry Xmas 12/21/90 from Marion, ME?
2)
Sarah Grinnell to Captain McGilvery 8/5/90 on Mr. Grinnell attending grand jury in Bangor and hopes Clara will come visit in Melville
3)
Telegram to JW McGilvery from sister Aliva on death of their father
4)
Martha Ross to John McGilvery to insure her interest on the RR Thomas 1/7/91
5)
Dh Blake 12/12/90 to John W McGilvery on brother’s death and RR Thomas dividend. Hitchcock mentioned and a shipwreck.
6)
Sip letterhead Lucy Nickels to John W McGilvery 2/3/91 from G W Nickels in Hong Kong. 2 pages back and front on business in port.
7)
Edp Nickels to JW McGilvery San Franciso 9/8/90 low prices and moving barley. CC Chapman in port.
8)
EDP Nickels to JW McGilvery in Searsport from San Francisco 9/25/90 visiting captain Blake and family and on way to Portland OR
9)
EDP Nichols tp JW McGilvery 9/2/90 SF CA JF Chapman letterhead discharging. Change command on the Louisiana. CC Chapman arrived in port.
10)
Edp Nickels to JW McGilvery 2/21/91 NYC to Searsport ship is loading and looking at metal from the Revere company. Suit of metal expected to be 0- less than the American
11)
Singapore 2/18/90 edp Nickels to JW McGilvery. Iceberg in port loading for Boston and CC Chapman is expected. Rapheal and B K Geo S. Homer are loading for New York. Mrs. Nickels is on board.
12)
3/5/90 Astoria C. Curtis to John W Mc Gilvery 154 days of travel Got notice of death of J. c. Nickels. 2 pages front and back.
13)
3/4/91 av Nickels to Uncle JW McGilvery weather cold and business dull. State of Maine is also unchartered.
14)
8/22/91 Sarah Grinnell to J W McGilvery East Exeter on visiting
15)
Desiree Buck to JW McGilvery with remittance and note of poor shipping conditions and bill before Congress 1/11/91
16)
7/2/90 FW McGilvery to father. Sent whisky via Lucy Miller.  Cobby damage in Calcutta and Cpt Alvah in a mess. Please help Carlton Moffet. 7/8 Clara expected in and Lucy Miller out. Willard Wind stranded in Santos.
17)
6/18/90 edp Nickels to JW McGilvery from Hong Kong to Searsport on lumber rates to Shanghai.
18)
AM Rose to FW McGilvery 10/5/90 (tear) fired mate and talk of cargo and the rr Thomas.
19)
9/3/90 letter from Pendleton Carver Nichols on cargo of Abbie S Hart to JW McGilvery (tear)
20)
EDP Nickels letter Hong Kong on the apparent takeover of the State of Maine on brother’s death.
21)
9/7/90 letter Hallowell letter from Henry McGilvery to brother John. Weak handwriting.  Great letter on John’s political run.
22)
8/24/90 letter Port Townsend edp Nickels to JW McGilvery Sick and expenses high and wants to be relieved as captain by H. G. Curtis.
23)
Letter 5/15/89 from William Buck to Capt. J McGilvery for payment ship Wm McGilvery
24)
Singapore 4/20/90 EDP Nickels to FW McGilvery loaded in Singapore on way to Hong Kong wife is with him and let 2
nd
mate go. Discusses disbursements Notes that McGilvery is brother in law.
25)
1890 E Nickels to McGilvery Captain Nickels is in Singapore and they are loading his ship and he is bound to San Diego. Apparently, they are only half way through the loading and it is a 70 day loading. His wife is with him and he is writing to his father about minding his financial affairs. Fascinating 4 page letter and talking about interests in ships (Belle of Bath and State of Maine) and naming ships coming in and out of the harbor and refers to property he owns in CA
26)
A letter from Captain Nickels to his brother-in-law Captain McGilvery. He is in the time consuming process of loading his ship and then on to Hong Kong.  Large discussion about Maine banks and their lack of paying interest. One page, front and back. Singapore 4/7/90
27)
By Maine Captain and Master builder James McGilvery. I can not find a record of a brother John but could be a term of a friend. 3/11/91 on Bermuda House Stationary
28)
A quick note from nephew to Uncle John Willard McGilvery about his health and shipping. New York
29)
Son Francis McGilvery is writing father of major damage of the Norwell. (Not sure if the bark Henry or schooner Frances that sunk later that year.) Ship is badly damaged passing through NYC. Also discusses the bark Normandy is off for Zanzibar loaded at 20 cents a case.  3/9/91
30)
Letter's interest is on the complexity of transferring money from place to place for the traveling captain's to pay bills. Obviously, a lot of this is done on trust. Hence the interrelationships of the Maine maritime community. The other surprise is the investments these captains were making in CA in the 1800's 7/5/90 HM Stanton to jw McGilvery
31)
News filled letter from Hong Kong from Captain Nickels who may be on the Bell of Bath or the State of Maine. (both are referred to in this letter. He also mentions the RR Thomas, Daniel Tonny, CCCS ,Paramita,Elise. 12/27/90 NYC FW McGilvery to father
32)
EDP Nickels is writing about the death of his brother, Captain Jonathan Clifford Nickels and estate matters. Cargo pickup in Hong Kong is not great and looking ahead to the Philippines and such. Interestingly his ship was outfitted with a Revere metal suit that he is in not great regards of but notes it is protection against ice. 2/5/90 to FW McGilvery
33)
Sad letter on tracking down his brother's body and preparing it for funeral. (Captain McGilvery and master ship builder). Note the letter and the fear the body was lost on shipping from NYC to Bath Maine due to the insanity of the elections. I do not know where Capt. McGilvery is at this point but it does not sound as if he is home in Maine DW Kingsbury to JW McGilvery
34)
Very interesting letter to John Willard McGilvery on the death of his brother in Brooklyn NY. This was written on 12/2/90, 3 days after his death.. This letter tells of the mystery of the death and the attempt of obtaining the body by the writer Kingsbury and noting that John's brother, James may have gotten at the railroad depot.12/2/90
35)
Letter from Frank Willard to his father John Willard McGilvery on the state of affairs business is slow in shipping and he mentions the new schooner Georgia Silkey and Captain Pendleton Carver Nichols looking for cargo. Frank wrote his father affectionately and often and was to die in 1895 in his 30's.
36)
Maine Captain. ED Blanchard  to McGilvery Captain Blanchard of East Cornith puts it best in this letter. "I am haying. but bad weather, rain nearly every day. but when it is fine. mowing machines, hay rick, dump cart, horse sled, horse rake, pitch forks are all on the go, I wish some of my friends among the loafing captains would come up and help me."
37)
Captain of the Belle of Bath letting owners in Searsport Maine that he is free from Australia port and issues with the war (Russia, Japan?) Also, that it is hard finding cargo. This letter is addressed to the infamous Capt. John McGilvery by Curtis 2/6/91
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