Table of Contents

Historical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Related Materials

Separations List

Administrative Information

Description

Subject Headings

Inventory of the Taber Family Papers

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Historical Note

Members of the Taber family of Dartmouth and Fairhaven, Massachusetts, were chiefly involved in local government and mercantile activities between the years 1712 and 1901. Most notable among these individuals were Bartholomew Taber (1717-1813), his brother, John Taber (1726-1761), Bartholomew's son, John Taber (1773-1847), and grandson, George Hathaway Taber (1808-1901). Bartholomew Taber lived in Dartmouth, Mass. and served as a town clerk and surveyor. He also had various interests in the shipping and mercantile trade. His brother was a ship master who captained the Neptune (Sloop) when it was captured by a French privateer, Wellbeloved, off Martinique and held for ransom in 1760-1761. Bartholomew's son, John Taber, lived in Fairhaven, Mass., and served as assessor and surveyor for the town. George Hathaway Taber, also a resident of Fairhaven, served in various capacities in town government for about twenty years. Prior to his involvement in town government, George had been a ship captain involved in the mercantile trade.

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Scope and Content Note

Papers for these four most prominent members of the Taber family constitute the bulk of the documents in this collection. Bartholomew Taber's papers consist of correspondence, 1750-1788; town clerk records, circa 1744-1751; surveyor's records, 1753-1783; legal documents, 1724-1804, including estate records of a relative, William Peckham, 1724-1772; ship's papers, 1761-1762; and bills and receipts, 1761-1784. Among his correspondence, ship's papers, bills, and receipts are materials concerning the capture and imprisonment of his brother, John, during the French and Indian War. These materials are complemented by the correspondence, 1758-1761, ship's papers, 1761, a treaty and ransom agreement, bills, and receipts of John Taber himself. Papers of Bartholomew's son, John Taber, consist of legal documents, 1832-1834; town official's records, 1822-1832, for the town of Fairhaven where he served as assessor, surveyor and board of overseers; and bills and receipts, 1798- 1833. George Hathaway Taber's papers consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence, 1822-1901; legal documents, 1840-1899; bills and receipts, 1833-1894; certificates, 1850-1899; and a penmanship notebook, political handbill, and memoranda that spans the years 1839 to approximately 1880.

Included among his incoming correspondence is a letter from Franklin Bowditch Dexter, historian and author, regarding local history as well as a letter from Charles Bryant regarding the fur trade and other activities at Sitka, Alaska in 1869.

Also represented in this collection are other Taber family members, including relatives by marriage. Papers of Jonathan Taber (1702-1773) consist of account books, 1724-1772. These account books reflect his activities as: a tanner, the owner and manager of a cider mill, a manufacturer of lime, a farmer who raised and sold extensive quantities of corn and rye, and a merchant who dealt in tea, rum, fish, whale bone, lumber, and other merchandise. Jonathan’s account books also document his time as a promoter of spinning, weaving, and clothmaking at Rochester, Mass., in the 1740s. Bartholomew Taber's (1779-1860) papers include correspondence, 1831; town official's records, 1829-1830, for Fairhaven, where he served as town clerk, treasurer and tax collector; and bills and receipts, 1793. Papers for other Taber family members date from 1734-1901 and principally consist of correspondence, deeds, ship's papers, and legal documents.

Materials in this collection have been organized into Sub-groups representing individual members of the Taber family and other relatives by marriage. These sub-groups have been listed in chronological order by each person's birthdate. Papers have been organized into series by type of document and are arranged in chronological order. A final sub-group of this collection contains correspondence, deeds, ship's papers, bills, receipts, and a military record, 1748-circa 1900, believed to have belonged to Taber family members. A published work which may serve as a guide to the persons represented in this collection is The Taber Genealogy . . ., compiled by George L. Randall (1924).

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 36, [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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Related Materials

Related Manuscript Collections

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Separations List

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Administrative Information

Provenance

The bulk of the materials in this collection were donated to the Old Dartmouth Historical Society by George H. Taber on 25 September 1981. Several documents were also given to the Society by Alice Weeks in March 1932

Processing Information

Processed by: Judith Downey, ca. 1982

Encoded by: Alfredo L. Parrilla, 20 March 2013

Funds for processing this collection were provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Description

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Subject Headings

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Vessel Names

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