Table of Contents

Historical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Related Materials

Administrative Information

Description

Subject Headings

Inventory of the George C. Perkins Collection

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Historical Note

The law office of Crapo, Clifford & Clifford was located in the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts. George C. Perkins was a partner in the law firm Crapo, Clifford, Prescott, Bullard and McLeod. Beginning in 1830, this office evolved under various names and partners who practiced admiralty law and were consequently involved in several notable cases concerning whaling ships from New Bedford.

William Wallace Crapo was born in 1830 and died in 1926. Mr. Crapo was the son of Henry Howland Crapo. He was the head of the law firm Crapo, Clifford & Clifford and later, Crapo Clifford Prescott and Bullard. He was engaged in the prosecution on behalf of the New Bedford whalemen in the “Alabama Claims” whereby the British Government paid $15,000,000 to the U.S. Government for losses suffered due to the collusion of the British with the Confederate privateers. Mr. Crapo was president of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society from 1903 to 1908.

Henry Howland Crapo was the eldest son of William Wallace Crapo. He was born in 1862 and in 1887 become a member of Crapo, Clifford & Clifford. Mr. Crapo was president of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society from 1938 to 1940.

Charles Warren Clifford, eldest son of Gov. John Henry Clifford was born in 1844. In 1869 he became a member of Marston & Crapo until its dissolution in 1878. He then became a partner in the firm of Crapo, Clifford & Clifford where he remained for 45 years. He was counsel for the owners of the Cape Horn Pigeon (Bark) and took part in the arbitration between the U.S. and Russia at the Hague. He died in 1923.

Walter Clifford was the second son of Gov. John Henry Clifford. He was born in 1849. He become the managing clerk for the law office of Marston & Crapo and from 1878 until his death 34 years later, was a partner in the firm of Crapo, Clifford & Clifford, later Crapo, Clifford & Prescott, then Crapo, Clifford Prescott & Bullard. He died in 1912.

Oliver Prescott (second) was the grandson of Judge Oliver Prescott. Oliver Prescott was a member of Crapo, Clifford, Prescott & Bullard. He died in 1938.

John H. Clifford, grandson of Governor John Henry Clifford and son of Walter Clifford. He was a member of the firm Crapo, Clifford, Prescott & Bullard.

George Marston was born in 1821. H became an associate of W. W. Crapo in 1869 and established the firm of Marston & Crapo. That firm continued for nine years and upon the dissolution of the partnership it then became Marston & Cobb. He died in 1883.

George C. Perkins (1921-2005) was a partner in the law firm of Crapo, Clifford, Prescott, Bullard & McLeod. Mr. Perkins was one of the founders of the New Bedford historic architecture preservation organization WHALE (the Waterfront Historic Area League).

The law firm of Crapo, Clifford, Prescott and Bullard is a descendant of the firm of Coffin (Timothy G.) and Clifford (John H.), 1830-1834. In succession came the partnerships of Colby and Clifford, Clifford and Brigham, Brigham and Stone, Stone and Crapo, Marston and Crapo, and Crapo, Clifford and Clifford, the latter formed in 1878. Mr. Crapo’s partners and associates were Joshua C. Stone, George Marston, Wendell H. Cobb, Charles W. Clifford, Walter Clifford, Frederick S.C. Bartlett, Henry H. Crapo (second), Oliver Prescott (second), John H. Clifford (second) John M. Bullard, Oliver Prescott (third) and Bryant Prescott.

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Content Note

The George M. Perkins Collection contains a collection of papers, documents and bound volumes collected from the law office of Crapo, Clifford & Clifford and its antecedents in New Bedford. Although personal papers are present, the majority of this collection reflects the broader scope of this New Bedford based law practice.

Arrangement of Collection

Return to the Table of Contents

Information for Researchers

Access to Collections

Unrestricted. Consult librarian for an appointment.

Preferred Citation

New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library Mss 118, [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.

Return to the Table of Contents

Related Materials

Related Manuscript Collections

Return to the Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Provenance

Materisl in this collection were donated to the New Bedford Whaling Museum in 2011 at the bequest of Bequest of George C. Perkins and Margaret F. Perkins, Accession #2011.24. These papers were compiled by New Bedford attorney George C. Perkins (1921-2005). Perkins, one of the founders of the New Bedford historic architecture preservation organization WHALE (the Waterfront Historic Area League), was a partner in the law firm of Crapo, Clifford, Prescott, Bullard and McLeod and he built much of this collection upon the reams of legal documents generated by the cases handled by the firm from as early as 1879 when the firm was called Crapo, Clifford & Clifford.

Processing Information

Processed by: Jalien Hollister, 2011

Encoded by: Mark Procknik, 23 April 2014

Return to the Table of Contents

Description

Return to the Table of Contents

Subject Headings

Return to the Table of Contents

Vessel Names

Return to the Table of Contents