Description:

Whaling

Nantucket Whaling Protection Certificate to Prevent Impressment, Leading up to the War of 1812, Headed to the Pacific, the Crew Was Mostly Free blacks & Indians


Two sided partially printed document, with an extensive handwritten accounting of the names of the crew aboard the ship. 16.5" x 13.25". Expected folds with slight paper loss along fold seam, and one area of slight separation along fold crease, all now neatly restored by an expert paper conservator. Paper toned but quite pliable and not brittle. Embossed seal present. Signed in three locations by "Dan(iel) Coffin Colleen", of the Nantucket Whaler "Coffin" family.


What makes Nantucket truly different is its past. For a relatively brief period during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, this lonely crescent of sand at the edge of the Atlantic was the whaling capital of the world and one of the wealthiest communities in America. However by 1760 the Nantucketers had virtually exterminated the local whale population. By the time of this Historical certificate dated 1811, they had enlarged their whaling sloops and outfitted them with brick tryworks capable of processing the oil on the open ocean. Now, since it was no longer necessary to return to port as often to deliver bulky blubber, their fleet had a far greater range. By the advent of the American Revolution, Nantucketers had reached the verge of the Arctic Circle, the west coast of Africa, the east coast of South America and the Falkland Islands to the south.


This period of time bridged between the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 also saw major political upheaval. By 1800 the British, bitter over the loss of the colonies just decades earlier, were interrupting our trade ships, confiscating our boats, pirating the contents and imprisoning the sailors aboard. The Nantucket whaling boats were no exception and in response to impressment of American seaman by British ships, Congress passed an "Act for the Relief and Protection of American Seamen" in 1796. The Act required customs collectors to maintain a record of all United States citizens serving on United States vessels. Each seaman, once registered with the customs collector, was given a Seaman's Protection Certificate. This document is an example of such a certificate. These certificates vouched for the citizenship of the individual and included identifying information such as age, height, complexion, place of birth, and in some cases eye and hair color. The intention of these certificates was to discourage impressment.


This large certificate is for the Whaling Ship "Perserveranda of Nantucket" … now bound from "Nantucket on a Whaling voyage'". The document is signed three times by one of the founding Nantucket family surnames, "Dan(iel) Coffin Colleen, Collector of Nantucket", and dated the July 17, 1811, and includes a list of 16 sailors of whom one appears "Discharged". Of interest are the "Complexion" of the crew. Nantucket had a large representation of blacks and "Indians" . Blacks and a substantial number of whites nurtured a working relationship that recognized both racial differences and shared human characteristics. While the vast majority of American blacks languished under the pains and deprivations of slavery, many in Nantucket could pursue a livelihood and plan their futures as free people. The Nantucket Whaling industry had a historical tradition of black seamanship. However Black seamen were subject to being kidnaped and murdered on the high seas. Although the Atlantic slave trade had become unlawful in 1808, an illegal trade continued, which placed all black seamen in jeopardy. This Protection Certificate showed predominantly Black and Indian seaman described as "Negro", "Mullatto", "Dark", "Black', "Light", "Indian" etc.


As one studies the document,and becomes deeply entrenched into its history, the reader can not help but contemplate the possibility that any one of these men could have ultimately been on board the Whaling boat with Absolum Boston, noted for being the first black Whaling Captain with an all black crew launched in 1820; or instead, have the unfortunate fate of being on board The Essex from the same time period, which was the infamous whaling vessel attacked and sank by a mighty sperm whale, later becoming the inspiration for Herman Melville's epic "Moby Dick".


A wonderful large, important document with a fundamental accounting of history from the period leading up to the War of 1812. 


Provenance:
The Barbara Johnson Collection of Books & Manuscripts on Whales, Whaling and Related Subjects.


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