Table of Contents

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Information for Researchers

Administrative Information

Description

Subject Headings

Inventory of the William Gifford Business Records

In the New Bedford Whaling Museum Research Library

Biographical Note

William Gifford was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in 1798. He acted as agent for numerous whaling vessels that sailed from New Bedford, Mass., including the Charles Drew (Ship), Minerva (Ship), and William Gifford (Bark). He later took his son, Charles H. Gifford (1833-1908), as a partner and called the firm William Gifford & Son. Charles H. Gifford continued the business for several years after his father's death in 1866.

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Scope and Content Note

Materials in this collection chiefly reflect the business activities of William Gifford at New Bedford, Mass., between 1842-1866. Ships' papers, 1842-1879, primarily consist of crew and agent/owner accounts for such whaling vessels as the Charles Drew (Ship), Nimrod (Ship/Bark), and Rainbow (Ship/Bark), and include accounts kept by William Gifford's son, Henry Gifford, after the elder Gifford's death. Records for three of the vessels, the General Pike (Ship), Nimrod (Bark), and William Gifford (Bark), include settlements with crew members and owners for the Alabama Claims. Also included in the collection are deeds of William Gifford for property and buildings in New Bedford, 1832-1855, ca. 1866.

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 58, [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

The deeds in this collection were given to the Old Dartmouth Historical Society by Frank H. Gifford, 27 December 1933. Existing records reveal neither the source nor the accession date for the remainder of the collection.

Processing Information

Processed by: Barbara E. Austen, ca. 1982

Encoded by: Mark Procknik, 21 December 2011

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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