Artifacts of Mariner Life

I have already written several blog posts on the life of Captain David Alba Scribner, and in this one I decided to include just a few things that remain in the family from his seafaring life.  Because his grandchildren were able to clear his home after the death of his last daughter [see my last post, A Brooklyn Brownstone], many things have stayed in the family, mostly now in the possession of David’s great grandchildren or even great great grandchildren.  There are several artifacts related to Captain Scribner’s life at sea that are interesting, so I thought I would share a few.

Some of the Scribner items were things that were quite necessary to have aboard ship.  Captain Scribner kept his ship’s sextant, telescope and barometer that were critical tools for any mariner captain.

The small medicine box accompanied Captain Scribner on all his voyages.  I would have expected that there might have also been a medical book among his possessions.  The label inside the top cover of the medicine box notes it as a “Homeopathic Pharmacy” assembled by a business in San Francisco. I would expect the pharmacy was also where the vials could be refilled as needed.  Just for fun, I looked up the first item that was listed, Aconitum, and discovered that it is highly poisonous; however it was also once used to reduce fever and to slow the heart rate for sedation.

 

There were at least three sea chests that were kept in the Scribner family.  Often the captain’s cabin would have the luxury of some built-in cabinets and drawers enabling many items to be safely stored during rough seas while the chests and trunks were often stored below in the hold during the voyage.  I expect that the small chest shown with the brass inlay held clothing and personal items and the other trunk shown probably contained household items for the voyage, as it is quite large. 

I remember the larger trunk many years ago when it was all scuffed up and had pink or green vinyl contact paper adhered to it.  One of the rope handles was missing.  My mother lovingly refinished the trunk and had another rope ring made to replace the missing one.  She also refinished the small trunk and had some of the missing brass inlay replaced on it.  We now know that refinishing the trunks considerably reduced their antique value; however it did result in furniture pieces that could be used and enjoyed for many more years.

There were several paintings of ships in the Scribner home at 230 Garfield Place in Brooklyn that were sailed by Captain Scribner during his mariner career including the paintings below of the St Francis, St David, and Henry B Hyde.  Each of the three grandchildren kept one of these paintings in their family.

 

 

And there were a few ships’ logs, including a personal log written by Virginia Scribner, and a photo album that remained with Captain Scribner and his family.  Unfortunately, many of the photos in the album were not labeled and only a few could be identified from other known family photos.  The logbooks were kept by the families of the Scribner grandchildren, though I know that several are now in the G W Blunt White Library manuscript collection at The Museum of America and the Sea located in Mystic, Connecticut.

This interesting wooden model of a ship was among Captain Scribner’s prized possessions.  Unfortunately, it is not labeled or signed.  Wood carving and making ship models was a favorite pastime and hobby for seamen during slack times while at sea. 

Its possible Capt Scribner’s ship model could have been made by a friend or fellow crewman.  However, I believe that it could also have been made for him by someone at Sailors Snug Harbor.  Around 1900, when David Scribner retired from the sea, he became a Trustee of Sailors Snug Harbor, where he also served an Acting Governor of the Harbor in the Governor’s absence. 

Sailors Snug Harbor is located on Staten Island, New York.  The facility opened in 1833 as the first maritime home and hospital for retired seamen in America with generous funds provided in the will of Robert Richard Randall.  The seamen were provided a home, food and healthcare in the company of other retired seafarers.  In 1900, when Capt Scribner was involved, there were over 1,000 former seamen living at the home.  The large property included farms, a dairy, a bakery, workshops, a chapel, sanatorium, hospital, cemetery, dormitories and recreational areas and gardens.

Around the mid-1900’s the endowment funds began to run out and programs like Social Security and Medicare reduced the demand for care.  The site was purchased by the City of New York and is now known as the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden.

The death certificate for David A Scribner actually notes that his place of death was at Sailors Snug Harbor on the afternoon of February 7, 1911.  He died from a cerebral hemorrhage or stroke.

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Key Individuals:

       David Alba Scribner  (1840 – 1911)

       Virginia Augusta Hale Scribner  (1848 – 1940)

Notes:

I have found it mentioned in two different books that macramé was one of Capt Scribner's pastime hobbies while at sea.  It would be nice to see some of the macramé items that were created by him, but I am not aware of any that might still exist. 

"... captains especially had many lonely hours.  To while them away many often developed hobbies ... Captain David A. Scribner's specialty was macramé lace." 

Source:  Songs of American Sailormen, by Joanna C Colcord; Norton & Co.; New York; 1938 – and also cited in The Maritime History of Maine Three Centuries of Shipbuilding & Seafaring; by William Hutchinson Rowe; W W Norton & Company, Inc; New York; 1948; page 226.

Also in the sea journal of his wife, Virginia [see the blog post dated July 16, 2021, Virginia’s Sea Journal], she sometimes mentioned that David would make toys for the children or small items for their living space.  In one entry she wrote “Dave made a pretty bracket to put in the corner and another one for our soap dish.”

- Jane Scribner McCrary