1875-1884 – An archive of correspondence to and about the ship, Benjamin Sewall, and its owners Captain John D. and Abigail Pennel as it travelled around the world including Japan, the Guano Islands, France, Oregon, and California
Envelope or Cover. This archive contains nine personal letters (seven with their mailing envelopes) and four insurance documents/letters (all with their mailing envelopes). The letters and documents are all in nice shape; two of the mailing envelopes have been roughly opened.
The ship Benjamin Sewall was owned by Abigail (Abbie) and John D. Pennell, who captained the vessel as it sailed throughout the world. The ship, a 4-master, 202’ feet long, and 1,434 tons, was built in Maine in 1874.
The eight personal letters are from friends and family and discuss family issues and community events from Brunswick, Portland, and East Harpswell, Maine. Some of the letters discuss the whereabouts and plans of other Maine seafarers and friends. The letters to Japan and France were addressed in care of American Consuls in Yokohama and Brest for pickup by the Pennels upon their arrival.
After Captain Pennel died in the summer of 1878, Abbie continued the business until August of 1881, as indicated by the insurance correspondence, although she no longer went to sea.
The letters and documents include:
19 Jul 1875 – 8-page letter from Brunswick via San Francisco to Yokohama in care of the American Consul. Franked with a 3-cent green Washington stamp (Scott #147) and bearing a New York departure postmark; other stamps have fallen off or been removed. Yokohama received a hand stamp on the reverse. Discusses the death of an aunt in extensive detail to include the purchase of $45 worth of flowers for the funeral.
22 Jul 1875 – 5-page letter. No mailing envelope. No origin or destination indicated. Discusses the 4th of July celebration at Bath, Maine, including a balloon ascension, fresh raspberries, making butter, the death of two associates from fever in Callao (probably while engaging in the guano trade), the family of one of those who died, and a relative’s change in journey destinations from Rio de Janeiro to Bahia.
23 Jul 1875 – Two letters enclosed in the same mailing envelope; a two-page letter from Harpswell and 4-page letter from Great Island. Sent via San Francisco to Yokohama in care of the American Consul. The envelope is franked with six 3-cent green Washington stamps (Scott #147) that were damaged when opened and bears an East Harpswell postmark. Discusses a fishing trip, the adventures of a new pet cat, family, gardening, neighbors, etc.
22 Oct 1875 – 4-page letter from Stockton, California to Astoria, Oregon. Franked with a two-cent Washington stamp (Scott #147) and bearing a Stockton postmark. Discusses seeing the Benjamin Sewall’s<./i> arrival in Astoria after a 22-day journey from Japan announced in the newspaper, family health, making tam o’ shanters, and a new baby in the family.
27 Oct 1875 – 4-page letter from Brunswick to Portland, Oregon. Franked with a two-cent Washington stamp (Scott #147) and bearing an East Harpswell postmark. Discusses family and community news, including a pending marriage, heart disease, a trip to Philadelphia, house cleaning, the death of a neighbor, etc.
18 Jan 1877 – 4-page letter from Brunswick to San Francisco. Franked with a two-cent Washington stamp (Scott #147) and bearing a Brunswick postmark. Discusses their future trip to the Guano Islands, a past visit to Peru’s Independencia Bay in their bark, the Deborah Pennell, and family concerns.
Feb 3, 1878 – 4-page letter from East Harpswell via Paris to Brest, France in care of the American Consul. Franked with two two-cent Washington stamps (Scott #147) and bearing an East Harpswell postmark, three Paris transit hand stamps, and a Brest receiving postmark. Discusses family matters, a possible gathering in San Francisco, and expresses sympathy for the couples having to live in the vicinity of army post and describes the writers unpleasant experience of living by army barracks near Barcelona with their “continual sound of the bugle or horn and drum – toot – toot – to – toot from morning till night” and the “smells issuing from them.”
22 Aug 1878 – 4-page letter of sympathy to Abbie in Brunswick, Maine, expressing regrets over the death of Captain Pernell. Franked with a 2-cent Washington stamp (Scott #147) and postmarked at Portland.
Oct 1880 to August 1881 – Four letters and documents sent to Abbie relating to her insurance coverage of the Benjamin Sewall all with their mailing envelopes. The insurance companies include the Delaware Mutual Safety Insurance Company, the Boston Marine Insurance Company, and the New England Mutual Insurance Company.
. Very good. Item #010593The Guano Islands were vast deposits of highly valued Bat excrement fertilizer mined by African slaves that made a fortune for Peruvian owners, government officials, and foreign investors and ship captains engaged in international trade.
The letters to Japan with Yokohama backstamps (Bishop Type I-2) are of considerable importance as they are among the earliest indications of the first treaty agreement between Japan and the United States that became effective in January of 1875.
(For more information, see Lubbock’s The Down Easters: American Deep-water Sailing Ships 1869-1929 and “Foreign Postal Systems in Japan in the 1800s” online at Baxley Stamps.)
An unusual collection of mail sent to a seafaring couple who traveled the world in their own deep-water sailing ship filled with interesting content regarding the life they were missing back home in Maine. At the time of listing, nothing similar is for sale in the trade; nothing similar has appeared at auction per the Rare Book Hub, and OCLC shows nothing similar in institutional collections.
.Price: $250.00