Table of Contents

Historical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Related Materials

Administrative Information

Description

Subject Headings

Inventory of the Hathaway Family Papers

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Historical Note

Abner Hathaway (1826-1859) and Albert Hathaway (1827-1859) were born the sons of Capt. Russell Hathaway (1790-1870) and his wife Rhoda Terry Hathaway (1790-1871). Captain Hathaway and Rhoda had a total of twelve children, most of whom died young. Their sons, Bradford (1829-?) and Job (1832-?) may have joined their older brothers in California as they are mentioned in the letters. The 1850 census lists Russell Hathaway as a farmer residing in Steep Brook, Fall River, Massachusetts.

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Scope and Content Note

Abner (1826-1859) and Albert (1827-1859) Hathaway's letters home from California describe their separate passages from Fall River to San Francisco at the beginning of the Gold Rush. During the following years they wrote about their lives as they try their luck at mining for gold and eventually find steady employment making shingles and managing a brick yard. They traveled and lived in the company of other men from the Fall River area and often report the news about their friends and relatives in their letters. Although always hoping to return home once they had made enough money, they both died bankrupt within months of each other in 1859.

There are numerous people mentioned in these letters and it is assumed that they are people familiar to their parents and are likely people from Fall River, MA. Subsequent letters From John Dyer and Samuel Reed (Read) inform Captain and Mrs. Hathaway of the deaths of their sons and their financial circumstances. David Terry Hathaway (1818-1843), an older son, writes of his experiences whaling aboard the bark Elizabeth and the ship Adeline. He was lost at sea in 1843. Additional letters and documents are related to the Sanborn family and other Hathaway relations. James Sanborn (1794-?) was related to Clara Sanborn Hathaway.

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 122, [sub-group, series, sub-series, folder/volume as appropriate], [item]

Copyright Notice

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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:

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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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Related Materials

Related Manuscript Collections

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Administrative Information

Provenance

Materials in this collection were donated to the New Bedford Whaling Museum in 2009 by Tracy and Neal Anderson as part of Accession #2009.41.

Processing Information

Processed by: Jalien Holliser, 2014

Encoded by: Mark Procknik, 16 April 2014

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Description

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Subject Headings

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Vessel Names

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