Table of Contents

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Separations List

Administrative Information

Collection Inventory

Subject Headings

Inventory of the George H. Taber Papers

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Biographical Note

The Taber family descends from the original Plymouth colony settlers and are natives of Fairhaven, Mass. They were originally mariners and whalers, and kept many of their family ship and land records.

George Hathaway Taber (1859-1940), son of George Hathaway Taber (1808-1901) and Eliza P. Taber (1824-1914), was married to Elizabeth “Bessie” Fessenden. Their children include George, Mildred, Elizabeth, Philip, and Laura. He was the first in the family to step away from maritime work and obtained a job with the Gulf Oil Corporation in Pennsylvania, where he made a fortune off of oil. With this immense fortune, he created a trust fund for his family. He also leased some of his property in the town of Fairhaven for use as a school, but frequently had disagreements with the town over their use of the land.

His son George Hathaway Taber Jr. (1890-1954), married to Elizabeth H. Taber (1860-1953), inherited that Fairhaven land as well as all of its legal issues, and heavily researched the original ownership deeds and agreements as well as laws surrounding its use. He also followed his father into the oil business, taking up a position at Sinclair Oil.

His son, George Hathaway Taber (1929-2008), subsequently inherited the family land in Fairhaven and continued its management alongside his father. After graduating from Harvard, George got job with Gulf Oil, the same company his grandfather worked in. He later went on to join the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and became known for his philanthropic endeavors.

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Scope and Content Note

This collection contains the papers of multiple generations of the Taber family spanning from 1680 to 1959, the bulk of which belong to George Hathaway Taber (1859-1940). Included are ship’s papers, land surveys and deeds, and genealogy records of the Taber family, as well as the personal correspondence of the family members.

The first portion of the collection is dedicated to the papers concerning the land ownership and kinship ties of some of George Hathaway Taber’s (1859-1940) ancestors. The papers of Philip Taber (1605-1672) include the division of his land in Fairhaven among his descendants in 1693. The same is true of the John Cooke (1614-1694) papers. The Joseph Marshall (1722-1802) papers include marriage records from 1740 and a letter to his daughter. The Jacob Taber (1723-1806) papers include a 1766 booklet detailing petitions from the local populace and government responses, with handwriting practice of Jacob Taber and Thomas Huddleston in the margins dated 1787. The Stephen Hathaway (1743-1825) papers include his and his wife’s wills, as well as a historical sketch titled “The Stephen Hathaway House – Acushnet, Built in 1725” by Henry Worth. The papers of John Taber (1772-1847) include his marriage certificate and will. The papers of Charles F. Taber (1783-1853) include the deed of Pew #27 at the Washington Street Christian Meetinghouse in Fairhaven. The papers of Joseph Bates Jr. (1792-1872) include his personal correspondence, a seamen’s protection certificate, a war department claim, and a land deed. The papers of George Hathaway Taber (1808-1901) include a crew list for the brig Le Baron, a seamen’s protection certificate, a note that he is mentioned in the book of Fairhaven Academy, a bill, a pamphlet about the Atlantic Refining Company, and a newspaper clipping honoring his 90th birthday. The papers of Sarah R. Huttleston (1806-1905) include a Warranty Deed from 1888. The papers of George L. Fessenden (1824-1914) include his personal accounting book from 1862-1872. The papers of Eliza P. Taber (1824-1914), wife of George Hathaway Taber (1808-1901), include her will from 1914. The papers of George K. Huttleston (1847-1868) include his personal journal, depicting his daily life while at school in West Newton from 1864-1865 as well as entries on the death of President Lincoln.

The second portion of the collection contains the papers of George Hathaway Taber (1859-1940). Spanning from 1872-1939, it includes his incoming personal correspondence with the town of Fairhaven and his family about leases, land deeds, wills, and domestic life as well as his outgoing correspondence about his trust and land deeds. Also included are his deeds, leases, map surveys, and notes about damage to his Fairhaven property. All of his deeds of trust, as well as the beneficiaries list, are included, as well as some miscellaneous documents, such as a stock certificate, a bill of sale, a hiring contract, and a petition to patents.

The third portion of the collection contains the papers of his son George Hathaway Taber Jr. (1890-1954), and the papers of his grandson George Hathaway Taber (1929-2008). The George Hathaway Taber Jr. (1890-1940) papers span from 1906-1951 and include his personal correspondence, which discuss land rights, purchased art and antiques, and enrolling his son in school. It also includes a deed, a lease, some receipts, and a newspaper clipping about the schoolhouse built on Taber property. The papers of George Hathaway Taber (1929-2008) span from 1946-1959 and include personal correspondence about life at school, his father’s will and his job and coworkers at Gulf Oil. It also includes his Harvard diploma, a hiring contract from Gulf Oil, and a land service expense sheet from his Fairhaven property.

The final portion of the collection contains ship papers associated with or collected by the Taber family, papers of the town of Fairhaven concerning Taber land, and other associated collected materials of the family. The ship papers span from 1825-1864 and include a note of passenger transfer from the ship Albion to the ship Favorite; a logbook from an unidentified ship; an inward foreign manifest, a list of items and prices, and an advance note to the crew from the bark Favorite; a bill of sale for the ship Balaena; a list of dates, items and prices, U.S. Consul for New Zealand port and seamen clearance and fees documents, shipment and discharge of seamen papers, receipts of payments to crew members, seaman’s protection certificates of crew members and a crew list for the bark Sun; a bill of landing for the ship Napoleon; a bill of landing for the bark Minerva; a letter to the passengers of Ashburton from 1843; and a letter from an unknown sender aboard a ship in 1864. The town of Fairhaven papers span form 1855-1934 and include town meeting notes, maps, warrants, laws, and correspondence between town officials about leasing land, building a school, and acquiring land to expand Adams Street. Other associated collected materials span from 1680-1941 and include genealogical notes and marriage records, land deeds and surveys of Fairhaven over multiple generations, correspondence to unknown members of Taber family, the oil booklet “Combinations: Their Uses and Abuses” by SCT Dodd, the historical sketch “Whaleships, Shipbuilding, and Their Owners in Fairhaven” by James L. Gillingham, accounting papers of the Taber, Hathaway, Nye, Spooner, and Swift families, a poem by Susan Marr Spalding, a New York Herald article on the assassination of President Lincoln, an excerpt of a sermon by John Wood, and an excerpt of a knot tying template.

Arrangement of Collection

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Information for Researchers

Access to Collections

Unrestricted. Consult librarian for an appointment.

Preferred Citation

New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library Mss 166, [sub-group, series, sub-series, folder/volume as appropriate], [item]

Copyright Notice

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 United States Code 552a) governs the use of materials that document private individuals, groups, and corporations.

Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction if the document does not infringe the privacy rights of an individual, group, or corporation. These specified conditions of authorized use include:

If the researcher later uses a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," the researcher is personally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement and agrees to indemnify the New Bedford Whaling Museum from any legal action as a result of the error. Permission to obtain a photographic, xerographic, digital, or other copy of a document does not indicate permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, sell, distribute, or prepare derivative works from the document without permission from the copyright holder and from any private individual, group, or corporation shown or otherwise recorded.

Permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, prepare derivative works from, sell, or otherwise distribute the item must be obtained separately in writing from the holder of the original copyright (or if the creator is dead, from his/her heirs) as well as from any individual(s), groups, or corporations whose name, image, recorded words, or private information (e.g. employment information) may be reproduced in the source material. The holder of the original copyright is not necessarily the New Bedford Whaling Museum. The New Bedford Whaling Museum is not legally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement when materials are wrongfully used after being provided to researchers for "fair use."

This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order is judged in violation of copyright or federal or state privacy law. This institution also places restrictions on the use of cameras, photocopiers, and scanners in the research room.

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Separations List

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Administrative Information

Provenance

Materials in this collection were donated to the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library by George H. Taber on June 20th, 2000. Accession B2000-9

Processing Information

Processed by: Rina Izzi, 16 April 2019

Encoded by: Rina Izzi, 16 April 2019

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Collection Inventory

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Subject Headings

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