In my last blog post, I discussed how amazing it is when you have old family genealogies available to you to use in building your family tree. The genealogies can be original documents or published material. Another prized source of family information can be old letters, photos and other miscellaneous documents that have been kept in the family.
One interesting and unusual item that has been retained in our family is a Bill of Sale for an ownership interest in the clipper ship, John Clark of Baltimore dated September 23, 1857. I first mentioned this document in my blog, The Tale of Captain Hale, posted May 29, 2021. The Bill of Sale of a Vessel is a very large document measuring 17” X 21 ½” in size. It was a printed form that was prepared in Baltimore using the legal terms of a bill of sale and providing blanks to fill in the specifics of the sale of a vessel. It begins…
“Know all Men by these Presents that I, Philip M Hale of the City of Baltimore, State of Maryland owner of one-eighth of the Ship or vessel called the “John Clark” of Baltimore as per Register – as well as further owner of an Interest in one eighth of said Ship by agreement made with Mssrs Cooper & Butler the reputed owners of one fourth as per Register for and in consideration of the sum of Fourteen Thousand dollars current money of the United States to me in hand paid at the time of perfection of these presents by Mary Dickinson of the City of Baltimore, aforesaid the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, have granted, bargained, sold, assigned, transferred and set over, and by these presents do the said one eighth of said Ship “John Clark” owned by me as per Register as well also any further Interest which I at present or hereafter may have in and to the said Ship together with a like proportion of her Masts, Yards, Sails, Riggin, Anchors, Cables, Boats, Tackle, Apparel and Appertenances, as she now is and more particularly described in a Certificate of Registry granted her at the Port of Baltimore…”
Look at that signature! There are not any letters or other information that have been passed down telling us why Philip M Hale transferred or sold his interest in the ship John Clark to Mary Dickinson who was his mother-in-law. Most probably, Philip needed money or possibly he was using his interest in the ship to repay a loan from her.
In 1856, Philip M Hale became the Captain and a partial owner of the new ship John Clark of Baltimore on her maiden voyage. The ship sailed to Liverpool on that first voyage. Unfortunately after leaving Liverpool, on the return voyage to Baltimore, the ship sailed into a hurricane and lost the main topsail and the foretop mast. The damage to the ship undoubtedly created an economic expense for the owners, either reducing or eliminating their profit on the voyage.
Only a year later in 1857, Philip transferred or
sold his ownership share in the John
Clark to his mother-in-law. And I
believe that 1858 was Capt Hale's final year with the John Clark. By then it appears that there were problems
with Philip’s career and marriage as well as drinking and financial problems; also the advent of the Civil War was on the horizon.
Another collection of original documents that have been retained in our family is a group of letters that David Bill Dickinson (my 3rd great grandfather) had saved. He wrote regarding his memories of his father and family with the goal of trying to obtain a Revolutionary War widow’s pension for his mother referencing his father’s service and the fact that his father, Nathaniel Dickinson, was captured and imprisoned by the British. The pension request was eventually declined. David worked on the claim between 1835-1842 which was after his mother had already died. Unfortunately, I don't actually know what year she died. The petition asked for compensation for the years that David financially took care of his mother and sisters’ expenses without benefit of a Revolutionary pension for his father. David's efforts ended when he submitted a Petition to Congress in 1842, but it was also declined.
The letters that David B Dickinson retained were handwritten copies that he had made of letters that he sent and received from a lawyer that was assisting him, his letters to and from Jonathan Brooks, Jr (his uncle), and other letters from individuals that had known his father and could verify his Revolutionary service. I expect that David kept the file for his reference. Below from that grouping is a summary of Nathaniel's service that was written by Jonathan Brooks, Jr.
I look for ALL of the documentation that I can find because I don’t want to end up only with names and birth, marriage and death dates on my family tree. I want to learn as much as possible about my ancestors that will enable me to envision the stories of their lives to include the good and the bad, and the happy and the sad.
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Key Individuals:
Philip Moore Hale (1807 – 1870)
David Bill Dickinson (1798 – 1846)
– Jane Scribner McCrary
