Table of Contents

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Administrative Information

Collection Inventory

Subject Headings

Inventory of the William R. Rotch Papers

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Biographical Note

Between the years 1760 to 1900, members of the Rotch family of Nantucket and New Bedford, Mass., played a vital role in the development of their communities as centers of the whaling industry. The family's close association with New Bedford began in 1787 with the emigration of William Rotch Jr. from Nantucket, where he had been trained in the counting house of William Rotch Sr. & Sons. Young Rotch established his own business which, in turn, launched the careers of three of his sons, William Rodman, Joseph, and Thomas, as merchants involved in different aspects of the whaling industry. Business ventures directed or financially supported by the Rotches between 1787-1896 included William Rotch Jr. & Sons, William R. Rotch & Company, Rotch Wharf Company, Rotch Candle House, and New Bedford Cordage Company.

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Scope and Content Note

Materials in this collection relate primarily to William R. Roth and his business ventures during the years 1813 to 1839, but there are earlier papers from 1805 to 1816 that pertain to his father, William Rotch Jr., and his brother, Thomas Rotch. The bulk of the collection’s correspondence consists of William R. Rotch’s business letters from candle and oil merchants for the years 1818 to 1829, but the collection also contains business letters of William Rotch Jr. for the years 1805 to 1816 and one Thomas Rotch letter dated 1815.

The bulk of the collection consists of ship’s papers for vessels in which William R. Rotch held a managing interest with the majority of these items relating to the ship William Rotch in the form of bills and receipts for the years 1818 to 1827. These receipts document the ship’s 1819-1822 voyage in addition to her 1827-1830 voyage. Included among these items is a bill from Abner Howland for building a half-hull model of the ship in 1818 in addition to numerous outfitting receipts for her maiden voyage in 1819. The ship’s papers also include a fair amount of material related to ship Frances of New Bedford, dated 1830 to 1839 with the majority of this material consisting of correspondence. Items related to the ship Frances document the initial passage to the southern Pacific Ocean and the coast of Peru, the purchase of cordage and rigging, outbreaks of scurvy among the crew, an account of materials sold during the voyage, reports of a leak in the hull, a contract between Alley and Richard C. Plummer for the purchase and advantageous sale of fifty barrels of rum and splitting the profits, an account of the price of cotton trousers and frock shirts for the crew, an inventory of effects belonging to the deceased crewman Edwin Ward of New Bedford, an account of prices realized for the sale of Ward's effects to Peter Gartner and Johannes Garhard, an account of three years of wages paid to the crew of the Frances, and an account of ports called upon and supplies purchased during the voyage.

Other documentation represented in the ship’s papers include a bill of sale and crew papers for the ship Midas during the years 1818 to 1819, an insurance policy and crew papers for the brig Orion during the years 1817 to 1818, accounts and receipts for the ship Three Brothers during the years 1822 to 1837, and crew papers and receipts for the ship William and Eliza during the years 1831 to 1835.

William R. Rotch’s business accounts for the years 1813 to 1819 contain records of his dealings in sperm oil stocks with several business associates, including James Arnold, Seth Russell & Sons, Joseph & Thomas Rotch, Moses Goodrich, Fish & Grinnell, and Josiah Bradlee. The collection also contains several William Rotch Jr. & Son business accounts compiled during the years 1807-1812. In addition to business accounts, papers also include bills and receipts for the years 1817 to 1818 that relate to William R. Rotch.

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 177, [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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Administrative Information

Provenance

Materials in this collection were donated to the New Bedford Whaling Museumm on 22 April 2003 by Donald E. Snelling as part of Accession 2003.26.

Processing Information

Processed by: Mark Procknik, 2020

Encoded by: Kristi Mukk, 18 October 2020

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Collection Inventory

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Subject Headings

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Vessel Names

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