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Originally published in Historic Nantucket, Vol. 53, No. 4 (Fall 2004)
Diary
of a Trip to Nantucket, 1846
By Georgen Gilliam Charnes
TOURISM IS NOT A RECENT PHENOMENON FOR Nantucket. The island has long been host to those who come to see the sights and enjoy the delights of summer in Nantucket. One such person, Charles C. Dyer, visited his island relatives in 1846 and was particularly expressive about his on-island experiences. His daily journals, kept during his trips in July 1846 and July 1869, reveal an unusual depth of expression and analysis of Nantucket life and character. A large section of Nantucket was destroyed in a fire the night of July 13, 1846, and after touring the devastation, Dyer provided interesting commentary on the aftermath. He also appears to have been a genealogist and historian himself, spending a considerable amount of time tracking down older residents, studying old documents, visiting cemeteries, and inventorying the whereabouts of those with native blood. Following are excerpts from the diary of his trip in 1846.
Past
9 p.m. July 21st, 1846
Well here we are at Nantucket at last-very pleasant
time across from New Bedford. Got here about 4 and
so came up to Lucy's [his sister, Lucy Dyer Sheffield,
1811-1870, now buried in the New North Cemetery,
section Y, memorial no. 5]. They live in a little
cottage place on a little rise of ground nearly
opposite to Uncle Charles Gardner's [Capt. Charles
Gardner, 1769-1848] -all well-nice. Uncle Charles
was very glad to see me and no mistake. Been spending
the evening there with a whole lot of cousins .
. . Uncle C. is a hearty good-natured old man of
77 or there about and lives old fashioned and comfortable
to suit himself-in this grandfathers' house-nice.
Large and kept in first-rate repair with good fences
round. Some of the posts of which are known to be
170 years old-red cedar-The frame of the house and
barn are about 170 years old.
I have been too somewhat through the burnt district and it does indeed look melancholly, and yet some are beginning to rebuild already. I think the people are beginning to take courage; provisions and furniture and clothing are sent over quite freely from the continent. The boat today had a great deal sent over as donations-their loss they say is about 900,000 or more. Insured from 3 to 400,000.
July
22-Wednesday
Pleasant morning-went over Uncle Charles' garden
and picked straxvberrys. Uncle Edmund [Edmund Gardner,
1785-1875] went home to New Bedford this morning.
They are both laughing, joking, hearty old men.
Cruised round toward the Cliff hill and so round by the old Gardner burying ground . . . the wind mill and across Lotts home. The roads were very sandy and scattered round here and there and everywhere are the old ancient houses fronting the south without any reference to the road. Some 70-100 and 150 years old and yet many of these from being taken care of and kept in good repair do not look to be over 20 or 30 years old. . . . went all through "Guinea" among the blacks . . . they are a much more worthy set and'more respected than the blacks of New York. Among those on whom I called I find it always the case that the inside of the house looks much the best and I think from what I can see that this is universally the case all over the island- in fact, some of the houses that look old and dilapidated outside are inside painted and polished and everything is neat as wax.
Thursday-July
23rd
The house that Benj. lives in is said to be about
40 years old and belongs to Uncle Chas. as does
the most of the land round it and other land and
spots all round the town. The spot containing Uncle
Chas.' house and barn and shop and Benjamin's house
and the gardens round it came by inheritance from
Uncle Chas.' great grandfather and was originally
an island being almost surrounded by water. The
waste from all the higher lands round and a causeway
went from the street where the lane and gateway
is now-and even within 40 years the water has surrounded
the hill at times. [This would be now Gull Island.]
In the afternoon we got a horse and wagon and went out west to the sight of the old town where John Worth and his children lived and where Owen Coleman and his brothers and sisters mostly lived and where my Mother [Mary Coleman Dyer, 1786-1813] was born. The cellar of the house in which Mother was born can yet be distinguished. . . . About mile from the present town we came to the old burial ground of 140 to 180 years ago. The only stone now left with anything to be read on it is that of John Gardner. Thus- [he has drawn a sketch of the stone}.
Friday
24th
Morning very pleasant and looks likely so all day.
While at breakfast and arranging where to go today
Uncle Chas came in to offer his horse and cart and
indeed he has repeatedly done so and in the old
fashioned way, too-no make-believe about it, for
tho he keeps a wagon and chaise he rides just as
his father and grandfather and greatfather did and
insists that wagons and chaises are only fit for
babies and sick folks. Not even springs will he
have to his riding cart and in fact they are hardly
needed except in the town for all over the island
the roads are smooth and good as nature made them-aye
and plenty of "sea room" too for half
the way to Madeket yesterday the road was 3 miles
wide.
Called at John Clisbys, grandson of Paul Worth, about 2 miles from Na. Town and then further on to "Finemas" Point-to the little cottage of Abram Quarry now 74 years old, the only Indian now left of the 1500 originally on the Island and he is only half according to Rebecca Swain. But after visiting the above I find there is a woman in the poor area, Dorcas Tashma, who is also half (Dorcas Honorably)-Went on to Quaise 4 miles from the town to the Poor House containing from 50 to 60. At the Poor House Mrs Rebecca Swain widow of Freeman Swain who died in 1786. She had 4 sons-all dead-She is 95 (13th of August next) years old and knew my grandfather well and also his father Daniel whom she describes as one of her acquaintances. Saw also Dorcas Honorable- half Indian-65 years old. These are the only half Breeds who were born on the Island, that is Abram and Dorcas.
At the Poor House there was a short time ago one each of five generations from Rebecca Swain down. The house looks neat and well kept-heated by 3000 feet of iron pipe form 1 to 2 inch Bore passing through every room and filled with water heated by a furnace in the cellar to about 400 degrees F. Near the Poor House is the County Jail with no prisoners in it now. It is a strong wooden building with grated windows. Captain Timothy Bunker is keeper of the Poor House and Jail and resides there and showed us round very politely-the Poor House is of wood with slate roof with a kitchen on the rear, of Brick.
Saturday
25-July
Fair morning-got a horse and cart and at 9:00 went
off to Siasconsct by way of the South Shore where
a ship, the Eglington, went ashore last winter ...
it is all the time coming on shore in pieces-5 wreckers
are all the time there to save what they can of
copper, iron, and saved about $700 worth in 2 or
3 months for half of what they got-from the wreck
we wound over north to the "Sconset" road
and so on to the old Fishing Village Sia + Sconset
- containing about 150 houses mostly very small
2/3 of them not worth more than $100 apiece and
some not so much. These are mostly used by persons
and families that go out to spend a month or two
some for fishing and some for pleasure, but the
greatest curiosity of the place is "Franklin
Folger"-an old bachelor who now lives there
some 65 years old-a walking record of almost everything
that ever happened on the Island from the first
landing of the Whites down to his own boyhood but
later than that he thinks it is nonsense for him
to bother his head about. He knew both my great
grandfathers and great grandmothers well and gave
me their history clear back to Thomas Coleman and
William Worth, ... as for "F. Folger"
his house is as great a curiosity as himself. .
. .
Sunday
July 26 -
Spent the morning poring over old records and then
went to the old Quaker meeting in the forenoon .
. . after tea went with him over to South Shore
... all along the shores of the Island every two
miles were once placed "Humane Houses"
about 12 ft. square made tight and warm with a chimney
in one end and furnished with wood, water, straw,
bread, flint, and steel and tinder-with a fence
running from the house down to the beach so as to
catch all persons cast ashore in distress, but all
there have of late been neglected and most of the
houses gone to decay. I was in one of them-one half
mile from the town south of Guinea is seen the spot
where stood the cot of Sarah Tashma the last of
the full blood natives.
Monday
July 27 -
Pleasant-went round in the morning the candleworks-those
that were saved-and saw them pressing and refining
and casting candles etc and laying around the works
were swords of the swordfish and oil. They were
refining sperm oil in a kettle that holds 630 gals,
(largest on the Island). Dined at Uncle C's on blackberry
pudding and after dinner went on a cruise with him
away out southwest to Folly house hill about 1 mile
from the town where we had a good view over a great
part of the Island . . . from here we went . . .
about A miles west of the town and L/2 mile south
of the Shore where are now to be seen the cellars
of John Worth's house, Daniel Coleman's house, .
. . and Job Coleman s house ... I sat on the Foundation
Stones of the House in which my grandfather and
my Mother was born.
Tuesday
July 28
Pleasant and warm-went down into the Burnt district
in the morning ... I perceive the people are already
clearing out the "burnt districts" and
have begun several buildings-8 or 9 small wooden
buildings are already up and nearly finished and
5 or 6 more are framing-the lumber is coming in
like smoke-the wharves piled up with it and a vessel
just coming in with lumber-they are now surveying
for improving the streets and the mechanics all
going to work and labourers too-but the whale ships
will not get off so soon, as the rigging and sails
and furniture of several were burnt and cannot be
replaced in 1 or 2 months- but I think from all
appearance that the fire will be no pullback to
the Island although no doubt many will lose a great
deal-but they are a people that will help the poorer
sort up again first and the greater part of the
loss will eventually fall on those able to bear
it-Uncle Chas. As nigh as T can find out lost about
$2000-but he is worth about $40,000.
There we staid and on the wharves till the boat came from New Bedford. Went to Reuben Macy's and looked over a record of deaths said to be the best and most perfect one on the Island-but I could detect several imperfections in it although in the short time I had I got considerable information from it....
Wednesday
July 29-
Very pleasant this morning we got ready for home
having cruised pretty well over almost every part
of the Island and seen everything to be seen and
found the people wherever I went pleasant and obliging
and although the town itself contains not less than
7000 inhabitants I verily believe that 1/3 of them
now know me and all about me although I can't remember
200 all-together. I have remarked everywhere that
the people are very accommodating to each other
and although a very honest people take them all
together I find of late years they use locks to
their houses and outhouses to a great extent-which
was not done 40 years ago-Another trait of character
which no one can mistake or dispute is that whenever
one goes among them if he can show any Nantucket
Blood in his veins he is received as one of OUR
people and is acknowledged as a cousin even to the
4th or 5th generation. But if he is no extract from
Nantucket he is a stranger and is spoken of as such
and called a stranger even in their public records-unless
indeed he connects by marriage with them-then they
will own him.
The more things change ...
Georgen
Gilliam Charnes was formerly the NHA curator of
library and archives and is now the Webmaster and
Collection Access Specialist
