Continuing with a focus on geographic
regions, today we share history about the
Nantucket–California Connection
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Photo:
Round one dollar gold coin with profile of classical figure on one side and words "California Gold", 1870.
1986.76.21.
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California was familiar to Nantucket whalers from the opening of the Pacific after the American Revolution. Rich whaling grounds were spotted by China trader James Cary on his way back from Canton in the first years of the nineteenth century.
In a masterful piece of folk artistry, the painting of
Spermo
shows in detail the fiery business of “trying,” that is, boiling whale blubber into oil, taking place in 1821 off the coast of California, during the peak of the Nantucket whale fishery.
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The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought people from as far away as Europe and Asia, flocking to Golden State to “get rich quick." Nantucketers, with the island economy already declining, shipped out for San Francisco in large numbers, forming mining companies along the way. Of the many ships that were sent, the
Mary and Emma
was the smallest, a mere 44 tons displacement, with a crew of seven.
It made the trip i
n 150 days, pretty good time for a long trip around Cape Horn, depositing the newly minted partners in the Mary and Emma Mining Company before going into service in the Hawai’i trade. Captain David G. Patterson (1812–89) owned this octant, and it may have been aboard, helping Captain Patterson navigate his way to fabled riches.
Another Nantucketer, Captain George H. Brock (1826
–19
08), also made his way out that year and brought back these tiny nuggets of gold to show for it. His daughter, Susan E. Brock, the first curator of the Nantucket Historical Association, gave them to us.
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NHA Historic Properties—Did You Know?
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Hadwen House's tie to
California’s First Congressional Representative
By Michael R. Harrison
George W. Wright of Nantucket was the first representative to Congress from California after that state’s admission to the Union in 1850.
Wright (1816–1885), a native of Concord, Massachusetts, moved to Nantucket in the 1840s and was, for a time, one of the proprietors of the Gosnold House on Washington Street, a hotel that was among the businesses destroyed in the Great Fire of 1846. In 1844, he married Mary G. Swain, a granddaughter of island whale-oil merchant Joseph Starbuck, and niece and adopted daughter of oil merchant William Hadwen. Hadwen built the couple a grand Greek Revival House on Main Street next to his own house, and they, in turn, named their children, William (1845–1849) and Eunice (1847–1900), for Hadwen and his wife.
George Wright left the island for California in 1849, where, among other mercantile interests, he became one of the founders of the infamous Palmer, Cook and Company, a lucrative and unscrupulous banking house in San Francisco. In 1850 he was elected to Congress as an independent. He and his wife later lived in Washington, D.C., and Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Photo
: Silver doorplate from 94 Main Street, the house of George W. and Mary G. Wright. Gift of Allen Coffin,
1897.327.1
.
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Barbara and Norman Rae’s Surfboard
Richard Ray, veteran Nantucket surfer, explains the origins of surfing on Nantucket, suggesting it began when visitors from California brought their boards to the island.
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History Topic:
Nantucketers and the Gold Rush
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By Michael R. Harrison
More than 650 Nantucketers traveled to California between October 1848 and December 1849 to seek their fortunes in the Gold Rush, and uncounted others followed in the years after. This tiny book lists those first Nantucket Argonauts, most of whom traveled direct from Nantucket, buying shares in one of the joint-stock companies that were set up to purchase or charter ships and procure equipment for the adventure. The ship Henry Astor, recently returned from a four-year whaling voyage, carried the members of the Astor Mining Company (listed on page 8 of this book as the Astor’s seamen) as well as the members of the Sherburne Mining Company (listed on page 9 as the Astor’s passengers), plus a few unaffiliated passengers. The Henry Astor was the second ship to depart Nantucket for California and took 188 days to get there sailing via Cape Horn
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Photo
: A List of Persons from Nantucket Now in California, or on Their Way Thither, 1850. Jethro C. Brock, Nantucket. Ink on paper, 41/8 x 23/4 in.
RB NAN 974.497 B78 copy 1.
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Historic Nantucket
Click image to open this issue!
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Explore the Jason Tilroe
Collection of Gold Rush Letters, 1849
This collection contains fourteen letters written by women to their husbands, brothers, and sons in October 1849. The women are writing from Nantucket and New Bedford to men at sea, on their way to California.
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Extraordinary Women Spotlight
Mary Ellen Pleasant
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Mary Ellen Pleasant, an African American woman, came to Nantucket in 1827 as a young bonded servant to “Grandma Hussey.” She worked out her bondage then became a family member and lifelong friend to Hussey’s granddaughter Phebe Hussey Gardner.
The Husseys were deeply involved in the abolition movement, and Pleasant met many famous abolitionists. She worked on the Underground Railroad, transportin
g escapees t
o Ohio and as far as Canada. She brought her interest in the abolition movement to California during the California Gold Rush Era. In California, she ran exclusive men’s dining establishments and identified herself as a capitalist by profession. In 1866, Pleasant successfully attacked racial discrimination in San Francisco public transportation after she and two other women were ejected from a city streetcar. She was known as the
“mother of civil rights in California.”
Learn more about Mary Ellen Pleasant in the Spring 1995 issue of
Historic Nantucket, Westward the Women.
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Enhance at-home learning by downloading free and easy to use ACKtivity kits added weekly and lesson plans for all ages.
NEW
49ers Treasure Hunt Board Game added today!
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Test your ACK knowledge
Take our online quiz after exploring these items from our collection.
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NHA University is a weekly resource featuring videos, history topics, artifacts, transcription projects, and more. Intended to enrich at-home learning for all—coming to your inbox every Tuesday.
Attend NHA University online anytime
to catch up on past lessons,
here
.
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During this difficult time, the NHA is pleased to share curated digital content weekly for the enrichment and enjoyment of our members and friends. Staff looks forward to welcoming you back to the Whaling Museum to enjoy an expansive array of exhibitions and programs once it is safe to open our doors.
Due to the CARES Act, donors now receive a higher deduction on their charitable gifts. To learn more,
click here
. If you would like to support the NHA during this time, consider joining as a member or making a donation today.
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The NHA is closed to the public; this includes the Whaling Museum, Research Library, and Historic Properties.
All NHA public programs and events are cancelled for the foreseeable future.
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