Table of Contents

Historical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Separations List

Administrative Information

Collection Inventory

Subject Headings

Inventory of the Edward S. Davoll Papers

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Historical Note

Edward S. Davoll (1822-1863) began his career as a whaleman at the age of 18 on a voyage of Elizabeth (Brig) out of Westport, Massachusetts in 1841. He served on multiple voyages over seven years and at the age of 25 he made his first whaling voyage as captain; that was aboard the whaling ship Cornelia (Bark). He was the captain of the Iris (Ship) when she was shipwrecked on the coast of Australia in 1855. In 1860 he accepted command of the ship Brutus (Ship) that vessel had been under suspicion of illegally operating as a slave ship, and ultimately his involvement with the Brutus (Ship) led to his arrest. His level of involvement in the affairs of the Brutus (Ship) was never fully determined as he passed away in 1863, at the age of 40, before that matter was legally resolved. He served on a total of nine whaling voyages in his lifetime. He and his wife, Elizabeth S. Davoll, raised one child, their daughter Carrie C. Davoll.

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Scope and Content Note

This collection contains the papers of Edward S. Davoll, the collection spans the years 1848 to 1884. The majority of the collection consists of the personal correspondence of Edward S. Davoll during his time at sea on numerous whaling voyages. Most of the letters are to his wife, Elizabeth S. Davoll, some of the letters are to other people involved in whaling.

The majority of the collection consists of ship’s papers; these consist of Edward S. Davoll’s correspondence that he wrote during his whaling voyages. This correspondence is organized according to which whaling ship he was working on when he wrote the letters. The whaling ships were the Cornelia (Bark), 1849-1853; Iris (Ship), 1854-1855; Messenger (Ship), July 1853; and Palmyra (Schooner), 1861.

The letters often touch on topics such as; his health, inquiries about the health and well-being of his wife Elizabeth, and his daughter Carrie, instructions for Elizabeth regarding Carrie as well as instructions for handling finances at home. He also wrote about life on board the ships and issues such as; crew relations on board, weather conditions, frequency of whales seen and taken, inventories of oil on board, where he has been with the ship and where he intends to go next, business related communications with ship’s agents, and estimates of when he might return home. One letter that stands out was dated March 25, 1855, he wrote the letter from Western Australia. In this letter he talked at some length about the indigenous inhabitants, he had spent some significant time living near them; he described the people, how they lived, what they ate, and how they hunted for their food. Another of the more atypical letters was a letter to Elizabeth dated August 6, 1855; in this letter he was updating her on some of the work he was undertaking as a result of the wreck of the Iris (Ship).

The remainder of the collection consists of assorted family papers. There are letters written to Edward that did not focus on his whaling voyages. Elizabeth Davoll is present in the collection; there is a “Reference Book” given to her by Edward before he departed on a whaling voyage in 1856, the booklet contains instructions for specific financial matters and instructions for raising their daughter. There are two letters written to Elizabeth from Edward that he penned before they were married, and a financial record pertaining to Elizabeth. Carrie Davoll is present in the collection with a written composition, and a personal letter. The last series in the collection of assorted collected materials contains one letter to “Sister Mary” from James Robertson, and an unsigned poem about the deaths of Edward and Elizabeth Davoll, the poem is torn into three pieces.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library has additional records for Edward S. Davoll. There is a journal kept aboard the R.L. Barstow (Bark) and that journal includes a portion that was kept aboard the Palmyra (Schooner). There is another partial journal that was kept aboard the Palmyra (Schooner). In the Photo Archive there are six photos, some individual and some group, of Edward, and/or Elizabeth, and/or Carrie. Additionally there are four books; a Holy Bible, (1863), presented to Carrie C. Davoll by her mother, a New National Spelling Book, by B.D. Emerson, (Boston 1859),signed by Carrie C. Davoll, a Fourth Book of Lessons for Reading, by Samuel Worcester, (Boston 1845), signed by Elizabeth S. Brownell, and the Franklin Fifth Reader, by G.S. Hillard, (New York 1877).

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 172, [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 prchased by the New Bedford Whaling Museum in 2005. Accession #2005.63

Processing Information

Processed by: Andrew J. Castrenze, 2018

Encoded by: Andrew J. Castrenze, 27 November 2018

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Collection Inventory

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Subject Headings

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Vessel Names

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