"Recording the Voyage of the Henry Astor to San Francisco" Historic Nantucket article from the Nantucket Historical Association

Originally published in the Historic Nantucket, Vol 48, no. 3 (Summer 1999), p. 27

Recording the Voyage of the Henry Astor to San Francisco
By Cecil Barron Jensen

The Nantucket Historical Association is fortunate to have a number of journals, or logs kept by seamen and passengers on their journeys to California. The Henry Astor voyage, for example, was well documented. The NHA research library has two journals, one kept by Timothy Hinckley, a passenger, and another one kept by Captain George F. Joy, recording the journey of sixty-seven men that began March 12, 1849, arriving in San Francisco on September 16, 1849. In Hinckley's journal we hear the voice of an adventurer, keeping track of all of his memories. Joy's journal faithfully records the weather, wind, and latitudes of the ship, but also allows us a more businesslike perspective on the voyage. Following are some quotations from both journals.

March 12
When a boat was prepared to transfer some friends to the steamer who after bestowing upon us there best wishes and kind farewells departed for home, I cast one longing lingering look on the home of my youth and bid it adieu. I feel inadequate to express the emotions of those onboard, the first night from home. Suffice it to say, there were husbands separated from wifes, parents from children, children from parents, brothers from brothers and sisters, lovers from their sweethearts, and friends from friends. And for what, is all this. Oh! heavens; forgive the word, for a shining oer called Gold. —TH

March 17
What a heterogeneous mess of opinions! and professions! in a company of ship Captains, and mates (all of our officers by the bye are experienced captains), sailors and landsmen, machanicks of... nearly all kinds, men and youths without trades or professions, and all on terms of equality from the cook to the captain, with the exception of the ships discipline. —TH

July 9
[A description of the scene on the ship] The carpenters making window sashes, coopers making buckets, the blacksmiths building a forge, the sailmakers making tents, the spar makers making ... ensail booms, passengers making baskets, the sailors to work on the rigging, the dogs fighting &c &c. —GFJ

August 4
The cooks by some strange fatality, have taken it intotheir heads to give us mince pies for dinner on Saturdays, for myself, I would like it very much if Saturday came twice or three times a week. —TH

September 16
At 9 am saw the land at 11 am come to anchor in San Francisco harbour found some 200 sail of vessels lying at anchor. 188 days from Nantucket. —GFf