Manuscript Collections of the
Nantucket Historical Association Research Library

MS1 - Mitchell Family Papers, 1844- 1896
Collection Overview: Letters, inventories, receipts, investment records, etc. relating primarily to Joseph Mitchell and other members of his family, primarily Andrew C. Edward, Charles, Francis M., Matthew, Richard H., Isaac and Dr. J. Sidney Mitchell. The letters contain some family news and reports of events in the Second Congregational Society (Unitarian Church). Of particular interest is the correspondence regarding payment of insurance after the loss of the ship Edward Cary. Other ships mentioned are the Florence, Smithfield, Rambler, Apphia Maria, and Christopher Mitchell. There is a large group of receipted bills from Nantucket merchants and professional men. A scrapbook includes information, with hand-drawn maps, about the location of the land and houses of many early settlers of Nantucket. A diary and letterbook of Peleg Mitchell discusses Friends meetings and religious affairs on Nantucket. Also included in the collection are reprints of articles and speeches on medicine by Dr. J. Sidney Mitchell.

MS2 - Kezia Coffin Fanning Papers, 1775- 1820
Historical Note: Kezia (Coffin) Fanning was born to John and Kezia (Folger) Coffin in 1759. She married Phineas Fanning, a young attorney, at age eighteen and continued to live in Nantucket until she died in 1820.

Collection Overview: Diary records family events, news of Nantucket especially births, deaths and marriages. Of particular interest are reports on the robbery at the Nantucket Bank and on politics, particularly during the American Revolution. Information on fishing and whaling as well as commerce and trade are included. Kezia began keeping her diary when she was sixteen and continued until her death. The record originally numbered 50 booklets, but all but a few fugitive pages were lost. Fortunately, however, extracts from the entire record were made by family members.

MS3 - Bunker Family Papers, 1796- 1919
Historical Note: Descended from George and Jane (Godfrey) Bunker who came to Nantucket in 1659 and were among the first white settlers on the Island, the Bunker family was active in the fields of education and local politics. Among the Nantucket family members represented in this collection are James Madison Bunker (1811-1873), lawyer and Town Clerk of Nantucket before he became Justice of the Bankruptcy Court in New Bedford, Bridgewater and at Vassar College and taught at Bradford Academy before returning to Nantucket to retire; and Asa Bunker (1802-1869), Register of Deeds. Those who left the Island are represented by Augusta Bunker (1855-1886), who married Walter M. Fee and moved to Washington Territory and Waha, Idaho to operate a ranch and teach school and Madison Bunker (1853-1916) who became a veterinarian in Newton, Massachusetts.

Collection Overview: The Asa Bunker Letter Books give excellent accounts of the financial status and credit rating of Nantucket businessmen. His letters also discuss education in Nantucket and the place of women in education. Detailed records and discussion of the raising, training and flights of carrier pigeons and the Chase family genealogy are also included.

MS4 - Crosby Family Papers, 1812- 1893
Historical Note: Matthew Crosby (1791-1878), son of Silvanus and Hulda (Pease), married Lydia (Coffin) in 1813. She died in 1823 and he then married Elizabeth (Powell) in 1825. He had 15 children by his two wives. During his life, he was a bank director, merchant, pilot, ship captain, and owner of the ship “American.”

Collection Overview: An autobiographical letter, record books with farming data, and information on the lighthouse at Tuckernuck Shoal are in this collection.

MS5 - Maria Mitchell Papers, 1859- 1883
Historical Note: Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) was the daughter of William and Lydia (Coleman). William was a Quaker and a teacher devoting himself primarily to astronomy in which he had a distinguished career. He was at one time chairman of the Harvard Observatory Committee and, for a long time, one of the Overseers of Harvard College. He was a member of the Massachusetts Senate and of Governor Briggs’ Council. It is not surprising that his children were accustomed to cultivated society and brilliant minds. At the age of twelve, Maria began her astronomical observations. She worked as librarian at the Nantucket Atheneum to earn money for her studies. She became Professor of Astronomy at Vassar College and, when nearly thirty, was awarded a gold medal by the King of Denmark for her discovery of a telescopic comet.

Collection Overview: Chiefly social letters; also an extract of journal of William Mitchell.

MS6 - Henry C. Platt Papers, 1867- 1894
Historical Note: Henry C. Platt (1850-1895) was born in Georgia but moved to Nantucket where he worked as a photographer.

Collection Overview: Diaries and letters describe brief business trips to New York and the southeast states.

MS7 - Joy Family Papers, 1806- 1880
Historical Note: The Joy family first came to Nantucket in 1708. They became members of the Society of Friends. Third generation Moses Joy (1781-1847) married Deborah Macy and they were the parents of David Joy (1801-1875) who was best known for his efforts to help his fellow man. He, with his wife, the former Charlotte Austin, worked actively against slavery, for complete temperance and for schools which offered equal education to Negroes. He was elected as Nantucket’s Representative to the General Court in 1834 and 1837 and became a member of the Governor’s Council in 1838. He and Mrs. Joy moved to the Isle of Wight in 1870 and it was here he died in 1875. David Joy’s brother, Moses Joy, Jr. (1807-1895), was equally enterprising and was closely identified with the Island’s business interests during the prosperous days of whaling. In early life, he made a voyage as cooper on the Ship “Sea Lion” and then joined his brother in the cooperage and whale oil refining business. He also shared his brother’s concern for temperance and the abolition of slavery.

Collection Overview: The papers include financial papers concerning the shipping of oil and candles. There are also scrap books which record the work of David and Charlotte (Austin) Joy.

MS8 - Timothy White Papers, 1727- 1759
Historical Note: Timothy White (1700-1765) was one of fourteen children of John White Jr. of Haverhill, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard College in 1720 and came to Nantucket in 1728 to teach and preach to the Indians and early settlers of the Island. He married Susannah Gardner, daughter of John Gardner of Nantucket, in 1728. During the later years of his life, he returned to Haverhill to teach school and engage in business.

Collection Overview: Papers contain records of Indians’ attendance at sessions and the names and tuition paid by pupils in school, records of baptisms and family statistics. Letters indicate White’s discouragement and the difficulties under which he labored.

MS9 - Dr. John B. King, 1832- 1872
Historical Note: Dr. John B. King was born on May 23, 1808. He was a doctor for Nantucket residents and foreign seamen until his death on July 27, 1889.

Collection Overview: Chiefly a Case Book, recording symptoms and treatments of diseases and injuries of local and transient patients.

MS10 - Account Books Collection
Collection Overview: Financial books of individuals, businesses and some tradesmen, also financial records of ships. Over 500 account books give current prices through the years of Nantucket’s growth. Of particular interest are the accounts of the small businesses which served the whaling industry as well as the farmers and householders who stayed home.

MS11 - Sir Isaac Coffin Letter / Achurch, Beale Collection, 1830
Historical Note: Sir Isaac Coffin (1759-1839) Fifth generation from Tristram Coffin.

Collection Overview: ALS from Thomas and William Earle and Company concerning a shipment of itemized china at the request of Sir Isaac Coffin. Liverpool, 11/28/1830

MS12 - Marie M. Coffin Collection, 1806- 1965
Historical Note: Marie (Marden) Coffin (1900-1976) was involved in the history of Nantucket as a descendant of early Nantucket families and as a student of the Island. Her marriage to C. Clark Coffin, who was Town Clerk for 35 years, her work with Everett U. Crosby, an authority on Nantucket history, and her wisdom in collecting primary source material contributed to her knowledge. When the Historic American Buildings Survey studied Nantucket, she wrote full descriptions of the historic houses for the group. At the time of the Bicentennial, she did a similar study for the committee awarding medallions to pre-1812 houses on Nantucket. Mrs. Coffin also compiled information for “The History Of Nantucket Island – A Bibliography of Source Material with Index and Inventory,” 1970.

Collection Overview: The collection contains correspondence, clippings, land transfers, Coffin family papers, a scrapbook and historical information on HABS studies of Nantucket houses.

MS13 - West Family Papers, 1829- 1899
Historical Note: Descended from Charles West (1742-1821) and his second wife, Hepsabeth Paddock Barnard (1744-1820), this branch of the West family was active in Nantucket education, local politics and business.

Collection Overview: Of particular interest are the papers of Paul West (1778-1862) concerning the Straight Wharf, Second Congregational Meeting House and Tower restoration in 1830-31, and the construction of lighthouses in Nantucket. Letters of Sarah (West) Bunker (1839-1915) give additional information about the Bunker family as well as the West family. Letters written to Phebe Ann West (1819-1899) by her brother, Benjamin West (1814- ) and other relatives reveal many of the family affairs of the West family. Phebe Ann West’s own letters to Thayer, Brigham and Company from 1872 until 1880 document her business affairs. Letters from her friends and nieces and nephews in the last years of her life relate West family events at the end of the nineteenth century.

MS14 - Dr. John Shackford Grouard's Medical Record Book, 1915-1916
Historical Note: Dr. John Shackford Grouard (1867-1927) was a physician and surgeon who trained at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Grouard came to Nantucket in 1891 where he was Medical Examiner and practiced at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital.

Collection Overview: Book contains doctor's records of the course of births, influenza and other diseases of residents of Nantucket and Siasconet, Mass. from Nov. 11, 1915 until May 31, 1916. Names are included. Two or three cases are recorded by Dr. [Frank] Lewis (first name not given).

MS15 - Ships' Papers Collection
Historical Note: Nantucket Island, until the early 20th century, had always relied on ships for her survival. During the whaling era, great sailing ships traversed the oceans in search of whales. When whaling became unprofitable, many ship owners refitted their ships to carry cargo and passengers on trans-ocean voyages or, during the gold rush, to California. “Coasters” sailed along the Eastern seaboard moving freight from one port to another including Nantucket. These “Coasters” provided food, fuel and other necessities for the Island. Beginning in the early 19th century, Nantucket was also serviced by steamboats. Steamers provided a daily connecting lifeline bringing passengers, mail and other goods from the mainland.

Collection Overview: Arranged alphabetically by ship, these papers include bills of sale, insurance policies, surveys of loss, crew lists, cargo inventories, wages, supplies and lay transfers.

MS16 - Journal of Samuel Swain, 1813-1837, 1876- 1888
Historical Note: Samuel Swain (1808-1892) was the son of George and Hannah (Coffin) and the Register of Probate and Insolvency in Nantucket.

Collection Overview: The journal discusses the sale of candles and oil and gives a thorough record of weather conditions.

MS17 - Early Documents / Swain Collection, 1665- 1876
Collection Overview: A collection of seventeenth and eighteenth century documents concerning the Indians and early settlers of Nantucket. Probably originally assembled by Benjamin Franklin Folger (1777-1859). The records include bills of sale, apprenticeship contracts, deeds, letters, marriage certificates and wills.

MS18 - John H. Shaw Papers, 1825- 1859
Historical Note: John H. Shaw (1798-1872), born on Nantucket, established himself as part-owner of many ships including the “Alabama,” “Mount Vernon,” and “Barclay.” He also invested in Nantucket land. In 1857, Shaw made an agreement with Cartwright, Harrison and Co. of New York to sell spermaceti candles on Nantucket. Shaw died in Lynn, Massachusetts at 64 years of age.

Collection Overview: The papers contain primarily deeds, agreements and receipted bills.

MS19 - Arthur H. Gardner papers, 1862- 1923
Historical Note: Arthur H. Gardner (1854-1924) was the editor for the “Nantucket Journal” and a member of the Massachusetts State Legislature from 1891-1892 and again from 1900-1904. He was also a member of the Legislature Committee on Education, a Representative in the General Court, Register of Deeds in Nantucket and Moderator at Nantucket’s Town Meetings.

Collection Overview: The collection contains a diary, a journal (written when he was 10 years old), a scrap book, correspondence and clippings. Subjects include local events, shipwrecks, Boston, and summer life in Siasconset.

MS20 - Engine Company #4, 1871- 1899
Historical Note: In the early days of Nantucket, there was no central fire station. Volunteers operated hand-pumpers which were located in several sections of town, placed where the Firewards deemed most beneficial. Originally known as John B. Chase Engine Company #4, their headquarters were located at the corner of Main and Federal Streets; the building is still standing. Engine #4 was placed in Coffin’s Court located at the head of Broad Street (now the corner of Centre and Quince Streets) and was attended by Peter Chase, Aaron Mitchell and Frederick Hussey.

Collection Overview: The record book contains weather reports, ships’ arrivals and departures, wrecks and rescues, notes from Town Meetings, and records regarding the Nantucket Fire Department including a list of fires through the years (copied from the “Inquirer and Mirror”).

MS21 - Carey Family Papers, 1809- 1894
Historical Note: Edward Carey (1771-1850) was born in Boston and worked there in the cordage business until he and his brother, Nathaniel, moved to Nantucket. Once on the Island, they established a rope-making business and proceeded to purchase large tracts of land. Nathaniel also built, for all the Careys, a large, elegant house located at 117 Main Street. Edward owned a large farm at Squam, inherited from his father, Edward and acquired through purchases of adjoining land. Betsey (Swain) Carey (1778-1862) inherited her father’s house in S’conset, known as “Shanunga.” From this house she ran a tavern during the 1840’s; consequently the house was dubbed Betsey Carey Cottage. Her son-in-law, Captain William Baxter, was S’conset’s self-appointed postmaster and made the tavern into his post office.

Collection Overview: The papers consist of a story about Betsey Carey, two deeds, and a divorce agreement for Robert Carey, 1814.

MS22 - Wood Family Papers, 1797- 1868
Historical Note: David Wood (1785-1869) was the son of Obadiah and Martha (Tupper). Obadiah Wood (1756-1825) lived in New Jersey

Collection Overview: The collection contains letters concerning education, a journal noting weather, and a receipt.

MS23 - Eliza W. Mitchell Reminiscences Collection, 1894-1896
Historical Note: Eliza W. (Clapp) Mitchell, the fourth wife of David Mitchell (1799-1875), was a lifetime resident of Nantucket.

Collection Overview: Journal of Nantucket social events in late 19th century Nantucket.

MS24 - William B. Starbuck Papers, 1839- 1894
Historical Note: William B. Starbuck (1818-1907) lived with his wife, Lydia Macy (Harris) (1815-1899), and their three children in the “Tea House” located in Quaise. Starbuck had a varied career. He worked during Nantucket’s whaling days as a merchant seamen, whaler and sailmaker. Later, besides being a member of many Nantucket organizations, he was a tax collector, truss maker and farmer.

Collection Overview: The papers contain three journals which highlight ships and voyages, poetry, farming and reports from Nantucket organization. Also included are notes which deal primarily with land and taxes for 1893.

MS25 - Ewer Family Papers, 1813- 1875
Historical Note: The Ewer family was very involved in shipping and whale oil. They owned ships and took part actively in the silk industry on Nantucket. Rev. Ferdinand C. Ewer (1826-1883) was known throughout America as a theologian, writer and scientist. He was a mapmaker, well educated in geology, and made an extensive study of the geology and topography of the Island. Peter F. Ewer (1800-1855), a successful businessman, acted as agent for his father purchasing and selling ships and cargoes. He operated first out of Providence, then moved with his family to New York City.

Collection Overview: The papers are primarily correspondence which reveals much of interest about whaling ships.

MS26 - William Coffin Letter Book, 1811- 1833
Historical Note: A Nantucket businessman, William Coffin (1756- 1835) was concerned with the shipment of provisions between Nantucket and coastal cities.

Collection Overview: Copies of many letters concern business matters, particularly the sale and shipment along the east coast of the United States of salt, rice, pitch, molasses, elephant oil, onions, fish, shingles. Many ships are named and their cargo described.

MS27 - Coastal Trading Licenses, 1846, 1854
Collection Overview: These licenses not only name the vessel and Master and give the date of licensing, but also name the people who have given bond, the place of enrollment, and the tonnage of the vessel.

MS28 - Unidentified Diaries Collection, 1822- 1875
Collection Overview: Diaries describe people and travels to and from Nantucket and elsewhere and are by unidentified authors.

MS29 - Eliza Ann McCleave Books, 18??
Historical Note: Eliza Ann (Chase) McCleave (1811-1895) was the daughter of Job and Ruth (Macy) Chase. She was also the wife of Captain Robert McCleave.

Collection Overview: A catalogue of items in her museum on Nantucket is included in the collection plus records of births, deaths, Nantucket history and some information concerning her husband’s ships.

MS30 - Rebecca Watson Diary, April to July, c. 1840-1848
Historical Note: Rebecca Watson (1831- )

Collection Overview: Diary kept while a student at West Newton Normal School

MS31 - Thomas Burns Marriott Diary, 1834- 1837
Collection Overview: Comments on: Marriott family affairs and local events Society of Friends in the vicinity of Aurora, NY, Auburn, Union Springs, Cayuga and Ithaca, NY Nov. 29, 1834 - March 21, 1837 (May 15 through June 30, 1835 blank)

MS32 - Citizens News Room Record, 1875- 1878
Collection Overview: A group of 54 Nantucket men kept and furnished a meeting place to exchange news, June 1, 1875 - June 30, 1878 Keeper: unknown

MS33 - Autograph Books, 1830- 1911
Collection Overview: Books of greetings to friends, 1830-1911. Books contain names from Nantucket and off-Island and some original poetry.

MS34 - Telegram Collection, 1887- 1918
Historical Note: Telegrams were found under the floor of the Pacific Club Building, located at the foot of Main Street. This building was the original office of the United States Weather Bureau from 1886 to 1902 during which time the telegraph office was also housed there.

Collection Overview: The telegrams contain mostly personal messages regarding health, funerals, arrivals and reservations sent by travelers, visitors to Nantucket, permanent residents, merchants, political figures, newspaper reporters and insurance agents.

MS35 - Henry Barnard Worth Collection, 1641- 1905
Historical Note: Henry Barnard Worth (1858-1938) a lawyer in New Bedford, his wife, and his sister, Helen Barnard Worth (1861-1907), devoted themselves for many years during the early 1900s to locating and copying materials pertaining to the Worth family and the history of Nantucket where members of the family were among the early settlers.

Collection Overview: Official records, such as minutes of Town Meetings, Quaker minutes, Registry of Deeds, have been copied. Worth family genealogy is traced and photographs of Nantucket houses as they appeared in 1905 have been included.

MS36 - Micajah Coffin Papers / Charles Congdon Collection, 1671-1844
Historical Note: Micajah Coffin (1734-1827) was a Nantucket merchant and shipmaster.

Collection Overview: The collection contains letters, journals, account books, deeds, and copies of official records that have extensive information about the whaling business in Nantucket plus information about Micajah Coffin, his sons, Zenas and Gilbert, and other Coffin family members. Included are negotiations with the British during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 to permit Nantucket ships to sail to the mainland for food and supplies. Letters of financial papers deal with trading voyages to France, the West Indies, Nova Scotia and eastern U.S. ports. Diaries give detailed information about the fitting of ships, daily events and many Nantucket inhabitants.

MS37 - The Great Nantucket Fire Collection, 1751-1907
Historical Note: On July 13th 1846 at about 11:00 pm, a fire started in the hat store of William H. Geary which stood on Main Street where the Masonic Lodge is presently located. There have been many speculations as to why the fire spread so rapidly; some blame the use of gun powder which was intended to stop the fire and perhaps increased it instead. The fire first consumed the entire waterfront area, then spread up Main Street to Centre Street and north to Broad Street. Besides the loss of over 33 acres of homes and businesses, the original Atheneum with its priceless library and paintings was lost. A conservative estimate of loss of property at the time was $1,000,000. Response to Nantucket’s disaster was immediate with mainland communities and organizations sending money, medical supplies, food, clothing and other necessities.

Collection Overview: Circulars, letters, an account book and contemporary newspaper stories tell of the fire which destroyed 250 buildings in Nantucket’s center, July 13 and 14, 1846. The 1846 report of the Fire Department attempts to explain its failure to control the blaze. An account book lists losses in money and goods and amounts awarded sufferers. Over 100 letters of condolence, most sending money, from divisions of the Sons of Temperance, describe the condition of their off- island organizations from Maine to Georgia. Minutes and journals of two Nantucket Engine Companies (1851-1889) and later newspaper articles list and describe other fires on the Island.

MS38 - Phebe Ann Coffin Hanaford Papers, 1848- 1929
Historical Note: Phebe Ann Hanaford, the first woman ordained in New England was born a Quaker in Siasconset in 1829. She gravitated toward the more cheerful Unitarian doctrine, however, and became a member of this church. She was ordained a Universalist minister in 1868 and spent a long career pastoring, writing, and working for women's rights.

Collection Overview: Correspondence, diaries, lectures, mss. of writings, poems, scrapbooks, official documents, photos, and other materials, of and relating to Hanaford and her activities in anti-slavery, temperance, women's rights, and other social causes; reports, addresses, and poems pertaining to associations with which she was affiliated including National Society of New England Women, Woman's Press Club of New York City, and Sorosis Club (New York, N.Y.); research notes concerning Hanaford written by relative Helen C. McCleary; newspaper clippings and some correspondence documenting her successes and struggles as the first woman in New England to be ordained a Universalist minister; information concerning her love of Nantucket and Siasconset, Mass.; materials relating to her friendship with Ellen Miles; and other papers. Correspondents include Phebe L. Alcott and her daughter, Phebe Anne, Alice Stone Blackwell, Antoinette Brown Blackwell, Charles Darwin, Julia Ward Howe, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Booker T. Washington, and Frances E. Willard.

MS39 - Helen Barnard Winslow Worth Diary, 1855- 1861
Historical Note: Helen Barnard (Winslow) Worth (1835-1911) was the daughter of George W. and Love Winslow; she was the second wife of Captain Calvin G. Worth.

Collection Overview: Her diary reports details about Mrs. Worth’s life with Captain Worth in Williamsburg, New York and visits to Nantucket. She also gives information about trips made by the ships “Cresent,” “Atlantic,” and “Hannah Crocker” from New York to New Orleans and to Nantucket, describing a trip when she sailed with her husband and her activities when she stayed behind. The books also contain poems copied by Nellie B. Worth and those written by Mary Starbuck Coffin.

MS40 - Reverend M. Springer Record Book, 18??
Historical Note: Unidentified minister.

Collection Overview: Record book records an Indian legend about the creation of Nantucket and also gives family history about the Coffins and Folgers.

MS41 - Piece Books, 1794-1915
Historical Note: Piece books contain poetry and bits of prose copied and, in some cases, written by owners. Items were frequently included in celebration of a birthday or in memory of a dead friend.

Collection Overview: Several of the books are combined autograph- piece books, in that the friends who contributed copied material or wrote rather lengthy poems or essays revealing their thoughts. Many Nantucket individuals are included. Many of the quoted materials reveal the thoughts of the books’ keepers.

MS42 - "The Miscellany” Collection, 18??
Historical Note: “The Miscellany” was a weekly Democratic, Freesoil and Whig Journal published in East Dennis, Massachusetts.

Collection Overview: Letters to the Editor and editorials in the weekly newspaper are devoted to reforms, morals, education, temperance, and politics.

MS43 - Poets and Poetry / Songs and Music Collection, 1745-[open]
Historical Note: Nantucket produced many amateur poets and lovers of poetry during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Some of their poems were printed in small privately published books or in the weekly newspaper but many survive as individual manuscripts.

Collection Overview: The poetry and songs included here are primarily by Nantucket poets. Many are written in praise of Nantucket but a good many also describe local events and people. Some have value for their style as well as their content.

MS44 - Nantucket Cable Collection, 1882- 1901
Historical Note: With appropriations from the U.S. Government, a cable was laid between Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Woods Hole on the mainland, establishing communication in 1885 by telegraph between points previously served only by carrier pigeons, semaphore signals or mail by ship except for two brief periods when short-lived cables were laid between Great Point and Monomoy (Chatham) and between Great Neck, Nantucket and Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard. The cable was soon followed by land lines across the Island when additional appropriations were received.

Collection Overview: The collection is made up largely of correspondence between Joseph B.Macy and Daniel Round who lobbied in Washington for the appropriations for constructing the cable. Also included is correspondence between Rev. Round and General W. B. Hazen of the Signal Corps, Eastman Johnson (Representative from Massachusetts), R. T. Davis and others in Washington. Also included are communications regarding the laying of land lines in Nantucket in 1886 and the unequal use of the cable by Western Union.

MS45 - Winter Club Records, 1933- 1983
Historical Note: The Winter Club was a group of Nantucket men, organized during World War II by Austin Strong, who met during winter months to discuss newly published books.

Collection Overview: Papers include the constitution and by-laws, membership lists, minutes, some treasurer's reports and financial statements, and some publicity items.

MS46 - Ship "Newton" Collection, 1866- 1867
Historical Note: The German ship, loaded with 2,200 barrels of kerosene at New York and bound for Hamburg, struck the shoals near the shore just east of Maddequecham Pond, Nantucket, Massachusetts on December 25, 1865. The second mate made it to shore but died later. All others perished.

Collection Overview: Letters in the collection express the gratitude of relatives of the Captain and Second Mate for the kindness of Nantucket people in burying those lost when the Ship “Newton” wrecked on the Island’s shoal. Biographical information about Captain and Second Mate are included.

MS47 - Robert J. Leach Papers, 1976- 1979
Historical Note: Robert J. Leach, a Quaker and historian, has read thoroughly the source materials on the New England Quakers which is kept at the Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, Brown University, and the Nantucket Historical Association. He has done parallel examination of the Nantucket Town and County records. His research has developed into a life-time project.

Collection Overview: The papers consist of manuscripts of three unpublished books on the Quakers of Nantucket, plus 13 tapes. The texts included represent Robert Leach’s analysis of the first half century of the Quaker movement of Nantucket and incidentally also much of the important history of Nantucket Island itself. “Why Nantucket Quakers” presents the historical facts of the Quaker movement in Nantucket as if seen through the eyes of twenty-one leading Nantucket Quakers. Chapers I through XIX have been read on to eleven of the tapes by the author. Footnotes have not been used but combined as bibliographical essays - also read on tape. “Nantucket Monthly Meeting” is a chronological account of the Nantucket Quakers from 1698-1738. Chapter I of Volume III of the same text is included and is also on tape, but Volume II is not included. “Nantucket Quakerism” records the beginning of the Quaker movement on Nantucket from 1661-1763. The text of an article on the “Hicksite Separation on Nantucket” is included on tape but no transcription of this is among the papers.

MS48 - Nantucket Improvement Society Records, 1890-1911
Historical Note: The Society was organized in 1890 to promote temperance and morality and to secure public health in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, particularly Nantucket. The Chairman was Henry B. Worth, Justice of the Peace. Meetings continued regularly until 1897. After a lapse of 14 years, it met in 1911 to vote its merger with the Civic League of Nantucket.

Collection Overview: The minutes of the Nantucket Improvement Society report its interest in improving rubbish collection, filtering drinking water, eliminating profanity, planting trees and protecting wildflowers. The Chrysanthenum Show they held is fully reported as are their acquisition of Mill Hill property and attempts to acquire other property. The Society’s dissolution and merger with the Nantucket Civic League is recorded in the minutes of 1911.

MS49 - Nantucket Defense Committee Records, 1940-1943
Historical Note: The Nantucket Public Safety Committee, set up in November 1940 by Henry B. Coleman, Chairman, became the Nantucket Defense Committee in 1941. Its primary responsibility was to organize protection for Nantucket against air raids or possible invasion during World War II.

Collection Overview: The papers include a list of committee members, firemen and police, and volunteers including American Legion members and give a good picture of the organization of protection, the rules enforced, tests made, reports of violation of blackout, results of scrap collections. A financial sheet gives costs for 1942 and 1943. An inspector’s report describes Nantucket’s preparedness in 1943.

MS50 - Albert G. Brock Insurance Company Records, 1888-1952
Historical Note: The Albert G. Brock Insurance Company has been selling insurance in Nantucket since 1886 when it was established by Albert G. Brock as an agency for the New York Life Insurance Company. The business was continued by William Cartwright Brock and is presently owned by Albert G. Brock II.

Collection Overview: The records include declarations to medical examiners and the medical examiners’ reports on the applications for insurance made by Nantucket people. The notes give physical and biographical information about the applicants and their parents. The names are listed in the order in which they appear in the books. Books 3, 4 and 5 are indexed.

MS51 - Nantucket Monthly Meeting of Friends' Papers, 1664-1889, 1928
Historical Note: The Society of Friends (commonly known as Quakers) was the first and, for a long time, the largest organized religious group on Nantucket. The earliest meeting for worship began in the house of Nathaniel and Mary Starbuck in old Sherburne where an organized Friends Meeting (Nantucket Monthly Meeting) was set up in 1708. For a hundred years, over half of the population belonged to the several Friends Meetings in Nantucket town, and the Island was a regular stopping place for traveling Quaker ministers from England including Elihu Coleman, Quaker abolitionist; William Rotch, famous whaler-merchant; and Lucretia (Coffin) Mott, abolitionist and champion of the rights of women. In the 19th century, schisms and disownments weakened the Society on the Island and these, with the emigration consequent upon the decline of whaling, caused a gradual decrease in the number of Friends on Nantucket until they had practically disappeared by 1900.

Collection Overview: Assorted minutes of meetings of Friends on Nantucket, Massachusetts and some documents give a picture of the growth and division among Quakers of the Island. The decision to dispose of their last meeting house is documented. Also included are marriage certificates of many Nantucket Quakers from 1721-1815 and notices of marriage intentions 1700-1850. A record of births, deaths, burials, receptions, disownments and restorations, including a list of members who were disowned by the Society for activities interpreted as participants in the Revolutionary War, is included.

MS52 - Nantucket Monthly Meeting of Friends' Records, 1672-1944
Historical Note: The government of the Nantucket Friends (1708- ) was simple. Weekly meetings were held for worship and instruction; monthly meetings, for religious purposes and business transactions. The matters transacted at the monthly meetings were reported to Quarterly Meetings and reviewed at Yearly Meetings. A clerk and treasurer served the monthly meetings; a select committee of overseers supervised the behavior of the membership. The final penalty for unacceptable behavior was disownment. The religious leaders were those among the membership chosen as the most worthy. In 1831, ideological divisions first began to appear among the Nantucket Friends which eventually caused the dissolution of the Nantucket Friends Monthly meeting.

Collection Overview: A complete record of the Nantucket Friends Monthly Meetings from its founding to its dissolution is contained in these books of minutes and records of membership. The records of births, marriages, deaths, disownment, removal, reception, and restoration touch not only the Quakers of Nantucket but many others who did not join their ranks. The life style, customs, and beliefs of the members are clearly revealed as are their changing ideologies. The collection is not limited to Nantucket alone since the group here was part of, met, and corresponded with others in New England, New York, and England.

MS53 - Edward C. Joy Journal, 1863- 1876
Historical Note: Edward C. Joy, born in Nantucket in 1806, was Captain of the Whaleship “Lydia” from 1833 until 1835 when she burned at sea, and of the Ship “Constitution” for her 1835-1839 voyage. He retired to farm on Nantucket in 1894. (?)

Collection Overview: The journal deals primarily with weather and farm activities but also mentions many local people. At the end of the book are brief “Historical Notes of the Island of Nantucket” concerning Indian events, fires, annual population records of 1650-1870, Revolutionary War and local events. Also included are copies of literary efforts, recipes for cures, and a copy of the June 24, 1876 article in the “Inquirer and Mirror” on the construction of the town clock by Robert W. Jenks assisted by Walter Folger, Jr.

MS54 - Barney Family Papers, 1728- 1860
Historical Note: The Barneys of Nantucket descended from Jonathan and Sarah (Griffin) Barney of Newport, Rhode Island, and their sons, Jacob and Benjamin of Nantucket, Massachusetts and Jonathan of Newport, Rhode Island.

Collection Overview: The papers contain letters, deeds and notes concerning land purchases on Nantucket, the economics of shipping, anti- slavery efforts and some personal family news. Included is information about many early settlers of Nantucket and particularly information gathered from the notes of Benjamin Franklin Folger.

MS55 - Brock / Goss Collection, 1816- 1883
Historical Note: Priam P. Brock (1789-1832) was Master of the Bark “Franklin” out of Rochester, Massachusetts. He and his boat crew were lost while fast to a whale in the south Atlantic, September 23, 1832. Peter C. Brock (1805-1878) was Master of the Whaleship “Lexington” out of Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Collection Overview: Papers concern primarily the Ships “Franklin” and “Lexington” and their respective Captains, Priam P. and Peter C. Brock, including a description of the death of the former. Also included are documents concerning other family members.

MS56 - H. Manning Carpenter Clippings, 1923- 1928
Historical Note: Hallett Manning Carpenter was a summer resident of ‘Sconset and lived in the Castle Bandbox located on Shell Street during the 1920’s. His winter address was New York City.

Collection Overview: Collection of clippings from Nantucket newspapers concerning his trip to Europe in the 1920’s and other observations of Nantucket. Of particular interest are his descriptions of ‘Sconset.

MS57 - Grace Brown Gardner Collection, 1900- 1962
Historical Note: Grace Brown Gardner (1880-1973), daughter of Arthur H. Gardner, was a Nantucket teacher, journalist and author. She compiled scrap books and collected botanical specimens. She served as Vice-President of the Nantucket Historical Association from 1946-1970.

Collection Overview: Clippings in 84 scrap books contain much information about Nantucket Island and its history: churches, farming, architecture, special events, whaling, wrecks, local organizations, people, Quakers, schools, anniversaries, wars, streets and houses. Also included is an outline of a high school course in Nantucket history given by Miss Gardner and botanical specimens collected by her on Nantucket plus letters to her from fellow botanists concerning her finds.

MS58 - Tony Sarg Papers / Murphy Collection, 1712-1920
Historical Note: Antonio (Tony) Frederick Sarg (1880-1942) was an American puppeteer, illustrator, designer and painter. He also recorded his family genealogy.

Collection Overview: The papers contain much documentation of Tony Sarg’s English ancestors. Materials concerning his immediate family include a diary kept by his grandmother Sarg in 1845 describing a tour of England with her son, Frank, Tony’s father. Also included are letters written by his grandmother and uncle, one showing two sketches probably done by Tony Sarg. Tony Sarg’s own letters include one written while a child to Santa Claus and several written to his family while he lived and studied in Germany as a young boy. A Birthday Book contains greetings from his puppeteer friends celebrating Sarg’s birthday, 1940.

MS59 - Margaret Fawcett Barnes Collection, 1895- 1979
Historical Note: Margaret (Fawcett) Barnes (1896-1980) was born in New York City to Mr. And Mrs. George Fawcett and was christened Margaret Gilbert Fawcett. She wrote under pen names Georgia Fawcett, Georgianna Fawcett and Margaret Georgia Fawcett. Margaret first came to Siasconset, Massachusetts as a small child and made friends with many famous actors who summered there. With her first husband, Robert Wilson, she started the Straight Wharf Theatre in Nantucket town in 1940. After her divorce from Mr. Wilson, she married Landon Barnes.

Collection Overview: This collection contains: plays, essays and poems written by Margaret; essays, poems and an autobiography by George Fawcett; journals and reminiscences of Margaret’s mother, Percy Haswell Fawcett; a play by George Fawcett’s brother, Alan; plays by Robert Wilson, newspaper clippings, theatre programs, and letters.

MS60 - Benevolent Societies' Records, 1814- 1976
Historical Note: Union Benevolent Society (1866-1978) was founded in 1866 by a group of Nantucket ladies who met weekly with the purpose of providing the poor children of the Island with suitable and comfortable clothing to enable them to attend schools and particularly Sunday schools. It was disbanded in 1978, its financial holding transferred to the Relief Association. Washington Benevolent Society (1814- ) was largely a Federalist organization, the Society was made up of citizens without official backing or responsibility who met on July 4, 1814 to prepare a petition for free passage of supply ships to and from Nantucket to relieve the shortage of firewood caused by the War of 1812.

Collection Overview: The minutes of the Union Benevolent Society deal primarily with election of members and officers, lists of members, By- Laws, and plans for meetings. Gifts of clothing are recorded but names of recipients frequently are omitted, excised or obliterated. The records of the Washington Benevolent Society contain an exchange of messages with the British regarding liberty of passage for vessels bringing provisions to the Island from the mainland in 1814.

MS61 - Maria L. Owen Papers, 1870- 1900
Historical Note: Maria L. (Tallant) Owen (1825-1913) was born on Nantucket and a teacher at the Academy on Fair Street. She became interested in Nantucket flora early in her life, collecting and identifying many specimens. In 1888, she published her “Catalog of Plants Growing without Cultivation in the County of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The author’s notations in her “Catalog of Plants” will lead botanists today to the exact locations where she found the plants in 1870 and 1888-1896. Without her notes, it would have been impossible to trace the history of the Nantucket heathers and the Coatue cactus, among others.

Collection Overview: Correspondence chiefly relating to species of marine algae found on Nantucket; and notes used for Owen's book Catalog of Plants Growing Without Cultivation in the County of Nantucket, Massachusetts (1888), giving particular emphasis to local heathers. Correspondents include Frank S. Collins.

MS62 - Nantucket Brass Band Records, 1856- 1893
Historical Note: Nantucket Brass Band was formed on August 6, 1856 for the purpose of supplying commissioned musical entertainment on Nantucket Island and in nearby mainland communities, the group was disbanded on November 17, 1860 by unanimous decision and then reactivated circa 1893.

Collection Overview: Minutes containing names of members and events in Nantucket, Mass., and off-island, at which the band performed including concerts, parades, fairs, and special events such as the celebration of the laying of the Atlantic Cable.

MS63 - Nantucket calendars collection, 1899- [open]
Collection Overview: Calendar (1899) published by Albert G. Brock Fire and Life Insurance, including illustration entitled "Music of the Pinewood"; calendar (1910) from the Inquirer and Mirror, including illustrations of historic sites; and calendar (1966) from the Inquirer and Mirror, including handwritten notes (keeper unknown) on various days listing historic events, such as President Grant's visit to Nantucket on 27 Aug. 1874.

MS64 - Scrapbook Collection, 1793- [open]
Collection Overview: Scrapbooks (54 v.) kept by various residents of Nantucket, Mass., including genealogies, and information relating to local history, whaling, fires, and other subjects. Received from numerous donors.

MS65 - Clarence King Manuscripts, 1968- 1973
Historical Note: Clarence King (1883-1974) was an author and researcher of Nantucket history.

Collection Overview: Research notes and mss. of writings, relating to people of Nantucket, written with historical and biographical accuracy but imaginary plots. Includes dramatic version of his The Half-Share Man (1972) published in novel form in 1972 by the Nantucket Historical Trust.

MS66 - Theater Collection, 1842- [open]
Historical Note: The Fawcett Players, created during the 1920’s by Margaret Georgia (Fawcett) Barnes, established itself as a Nantucket based professional acting troupe. The Players began productions on the Commercial Wharf, then later in 1940 moved to Straight Wharf when Mrs. Barnes purchased a building and converted it into the Straight Wharf Theatre. In 1955, the Fawcett Players changed their name to the Theatre Workshop but continued productions at the Straight Wharf Theatre until it burned to the ground in 1975. By this time, Mrs. Barnes had retired and “Mac” Dixon assumed the position of theatrical director. The Theatre Workshop has continued productions in the renovated Bennett Hall which is next to and owned by the First Congregational Church on Centre Street. Productions are presented as community theatre. During the early 1900’s ‘Sconset was known as the “actors’ colony of America.” Legendary figures such as Henry Woodruff, Vincent Serrano, Margaret Fawcett, daughter of Percy Haswell and silent-screen star George Fawcett, and Agnes Everett, founder of the Chanticleer restaurant, returned each summer to build homes and “rest” after a long theater season.

Collection Overview: Advertisements, newspaper clippings, reviews, playbills, programs, and other materials, relating to plays and concerts presented at Straight Wharf Theatre, Nantucket, Mass., which was founded by Margaret Fawcett Barnes in 1940 as home for Fawcett Players (later named Theatre Workshop); programs, and playbills of Siasconset Casino (also known as 'Sconset Casino) and bylaws of the association; and materials documenting performances by other Nantucket theaters and groups including Actor's Theatre of Nantucket, Barn Stages Theater, Discovery Playhouse, Duncan Summer School of the Arts, Nantucket Stage Company, and Whalers' Little Theater.

MS67 - Certificates of Registry Issued in Nantucket, Massachusetts, 1815-1870
Historical Note: Licenses were issued at the Nantucket Customs District during the years it was located on the Island, 1815-1870.

Collection Overview: Photoelectric copies of microfilms of certificates of registry on deposit at the National Archives. The registers from the Nantucket Customs District give ship’s Master at time registered, place and date ship was built and ship’s measurements, weight and rigging. Unfortunately, the original registers were badly water- damaged and the multiple-copying procedure has made these copies quite difficult to read.

MS68 - Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Nantucket Branch Minutes, 1947- 1977
Historical Note: The Nantucket Branch of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (1947-1977) was formed to protect childhood, build up family life, and improve community standards. The Nantucket Branch of the MSPCC had as its main function annual appeals for money to support the Executive Director’s work on Nantucket.

Collection Overview: The papers include the By-Laws, membership lists, financial statements, and minutes reporting work done by the Executive Director with Nantucket schools, churches and local town officials to locate and assist Nantucket families and children needing help, and the help given. Names of recipients of aid are omitted.

MS69 - Fragment Society Papers, 1819-1836, 1902
Historical Note: The Fragment Society was formed in 1817 by a group of young Nantucket women for the purpose of opening a school for girls unable to pay for their education. When the public schools were established, the efforts of the Society turned to sewing and distributing clothing and quilts to sick and destitute individuals and to the Town Hospital. The Society also paid tuition for two students at the Deaf and Dumb School in Hartford, Connecticut and one student at the Blind Asylum in Boston, Massachusetts. In November 1836, the Society united with the Benevolent and Charitable Societies and became known as the Ladies Howard Society which did much to distribute clothing and money to the poor of Nantucket.

Collection Overview: Minutes and treasurer's reports, documenting the society's sewing and distribution efforts. Includes information relating to economic difficulties experienced by island residents following the War of 1812.

MS70 - George William Coffin Papers, 1860- 1899
Historical Note: George William Coffin (1845-1899) was born in Nantucket, entered the Naval Academy in 1860 and was married to Mary Starbuck Cartwright in 1866. He was first assigned to the steam sloop “Ticonderoga” of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron in which he served until the end of the Civil War, during which time he was severely wounded. He served in the “Shawmut” and the “Franklin” until 1870 when he was made Chief of Staff of the North Atlantic Fleet. In 1884, he commanded the “Alert,” one of the three ships to go to the Arctic in the rescue of Lt. Adolphus W. Greely and the surviving five of his crew. In 1886, Coffin was made Chief of the Lighthouse Division until he took to sea again in 1895 on the cruiser “Charleston” making official records of the waters of Manila Bay which were later used by Admiral Dewey in the battle of Manila. He died in Yokahama, Japan on June 15, 1899.

Collection Overview: The papers give a good picture of the events surrounding Coffin’s part in the Greely Relief expedition in 1844 and a complete record of the problems faced by Lt. Greely at Camp Clay in the Arctic.

MS71 - Ladies' Howard Society Papers, 1836- 1918
Historical Note: Women's charitable organization formed 1836 when the Fragment Society united with two similiar groups to provide care for the island's poor. The Ladies Howard Society (1836-1918), named for an eighteenth century philanthropist, was formed in 1836 when the Fragment Society united with the Benevolent and Charitable Societies in Nantucket to carry on the work of caring for the Island’s poor. At the time of the Great Fire of 1846, the Society lost all its property but managed to continue its good work with the aid of many donations of money, duel, and clothing. With the help of William Barney, the Society was incorporated in 1856.

Collection Overview: Visitors' reports (1846-1894) including names of recipients of aid and type of aid given and membership lists.

MS72 - Nantucket Relief Association Papers, 1873-1980
Restrictions Note: Collection can only be consulted with permission of Relief Association due to sensitive contents.

Historical Note: The Nantucket Relief Association was founded in 1873 to relieve the "indigent, aged people in our [the island's] midst" (as stated in the association's Preamble). The founders of the Nantucket Relief Association were: Rebecca Coffin, Clarissa Allen, Mrs. Josiah Macy, Mary B. Winslow, Leonora Mooers, Louisa Mitchell, Mary F. Baxter, Eunice Coleman. The organization was incorporated November 2, 1874. Money for the association was raised through social events, donations, and bequests. The group met quarterly, as well as on special occasions when the need arose. Annual meetings were also held. This collection includes account books, books of minutes, correspondence, balance sheets, wills, tax-exemption forms, and deeds.

Collection Overview: Chiefly financial records, including monies received from members and other donors and names of recipients. This collection also includes a folder of papers pertaining to the Union Benevolent Society which, in 1978, merged with the Nantucket Relief Association. The society's funds were transferred in this year to the Relief Association. (The Union Benevolent Society was formed in 1866 to assist in fitting children that they might attend the Sabbath School. See collection 60.)

MS73 - Children's Aid Society of Nantucket Papers, 1860-1962
Historical Note: The Children’s Aid Society (1867-1954) was organized by Nantucket women on June 10, 1867. The Society’s purpose was to provide a home for girls, 6-12, who were exposed to such influences in their homes as to render it desirable to remove them from their present environment. Care was expanded to include boys as well as girls circa 1885. The Society was incorporated on July 21, 1894 and certified as legally organized, August 8, 1894. Money was raised to support the foster homes and to supply some clothing and bedding. Among the matrons of the homes were Mrs. Narcissa Coffin and Mrs. Anna Coggeshall. The Society disbanded in 1954 and turned its records and assets over to the Union Benevolent Society which was fulfilling the same children’s needs.

Collection Overview: Constitution, certificate of incorporation, correspondence, minutes, treasurer's reports, financial records, lists of members, and other documents, including records of Nantucket families who were unable to handle the needs of their children.

MS74 - Ship "Globe" Papers / Stackpole Collection, 1824-1980
Historical Note: The Ship “Globe” of Nantucket sailed out of Edgartown, Massachusetts, on December 20, 1822, on a whaling voyage around Cape Horn--a voyage that would experience "the most horrible mutiny that is recounted in the annals of the whale-fishery from any port or nation" (according to Alexander Starbuck in his "History of the American Whale Fishery"). Sometime prior to the mutiny, Samuel Comstock, boatsteerer, had major quarrels with Captain Thomas Worth, who reportedly flogged several of the crew: William Beetle, first mate, John Lumber, second mate, and Nathaniel Fisher, third mate. On the night of January 25, 1824, Samuel Comstock, Silas Payne, Thomas Lilliston, and John Oliver brutally murdered the captain and first, second, and third mates. Samuel Comstock then took command. With Silas Payne and Jack Oliver, Samuel Comstock hanged the black steward, William Humphries, on the morning of January 26, 1824, because he was found loading pistols to use against the mutineers. The “Globe” arrived at the Mulgrave Islands on February 7, 1824, where, for the next ten days, Samuel Comstock proceeded to distribute goods to the natives without any distribution to the remaining crew. On February 17, 1824, Silas Payne and John Oliver shot and killed Samuel Comstock and buried him on the beach. That evening, six crewmen, not involved in the mutiny, cut the lines of the ship and sailed the “Globe” to Valparaiso, leaving the other crew members behind. These men, George Comstock, Peter Kidder, Stephen Kidder, Anthony Hanson, Gilbert Smith, and Joseph Thomas, gave their depositions of the mutiny to Michael Hogan, United States Consul at Valparaiso, Chile. Meanwhile, the natives of the Mulgrave Islands murdered all but two crewmen, William Lay and Cyrus M. Hussey. These two survivors, rescued by the Schooner “Dolphin,” co-authored the book “Mutiny on Board the Whaleship Globe” in 1828. William Lay disappeared and his fate in unknown; Cyrus M. Hussey died on board the Ship “Congress” in 1829 at the age of 24. The Ship “Globe” returned to Nantucket November 14, 1824. In June 1825, the ship was sold out and went to Buenos Aires where she was broken up in 1828. This collection, compiled of primary sources and research notes by Edouard A. Stackpole, historian and author, consists of a list of crew members, depositions of the crew who sailed the Ship “Globe” to Valpariaso, and the depositions and letters of the two survivors of the Mulgrave Islands, William Lay and Cyrus M. Hussey. Correspondence of others involved is also included.

Collection Overview: Collection, comprised of primary sources and research notes by author and historian Edouard A. Stackpole, relates to the mutiny of the Massachusetts-based whaling ship Globe on Jan. 25, 1824, when the captain and first, second, and third mates were murdered by crew members, led by Samuel Comstock, who subsequently took over the ship, sailing to the Mulgrave Islands (part of Marshall Islands) where they distributed goods to natives (without providing for the remaining crew) whereupon crewmen, not involved in the mutiny, cut the lines of the ship and sailed to Valparaíso, Chile, leaving other seamen behind who were later killed by the natives. Includes correspondence, lists of crew members, depositions of the crew who sailed to Valparaíso, and other materials. Correspondents include William Lay and Cyrus M. Hussey, the two survivors of the Mulgrave Islands.

Donor Note: Gift of Edouard A. Stackpole.

MS75 - Conservation Commission of Nantucket Papers, 1962-1970
Historical Note: Official agency of town of Nantucket, Mass.; established 1953 as outgrowth of Nantucket Conservation Committee. An outgrowth of the Nantucket Conservation Committee, the Nantucket Conservation Commission was established on April 5, 1963 as an official seven-member agency of the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Its purpose is to promote, protect, and develop the natural resources of the Island. It is further empowered to carry out a program to preserve the open spaces of Nantucket.

Collection Overview: Records detailing the early years of the commission and its efforts to protect the natural resources of the island, particularly the removal of cattails (typha) from ponds and creeks.

MS76 - Volunteer Aid Association of Nantucket Papers, 1898
Historical Note: The Volunteer Aid Association of Nantucket (1898- ) was organized by a group of Nantucket women as the Nantucket Branch of the Volunteer Aid of Massachusetts to raise money and make or collect garments to be used to mitigate the suffering of the soldiers in the Spanish-American War. The group also assisted other Massachusetts branch organizations in fitting out the hospital ship “The Bay State.”

Collection Overview: Papers concerning the activities of the group, including sewing and the organizing of social events to raise money.

MS77 - Ladies' Aid Society Papers, 1913- 1918
Historical Note: Formed in 1913 by some of the lady members of the Unitarian Church (also called Second Congregational Church); met at various houses for sewing, planning church fairs, and social activities.

Collection Overview: Lists of members and other papers.

MS78 - Records of Temperance Societies of Nantucket, 1834-1900
Historical Note: The Young Men’s Total Abstinence Society of Nantucket (1834- ) and the Union Temperance Society of Nantucket (1876- ) were formed to stop the use, sale, or serving of intoxicating drinks. The Societies’ members pledged that they would never make, buy, sell, or use any spirituous or malt liquors and would discourage the manufacture of liquor.

Collection Overview: Records, containing names of members and other materials, of young people's temperance societies of Nantucket, Mass., including Young Mens Total Abstinence Society of Nantucket (formed 1834) and Union Temperance Society of Nantucket (organized 1876).

MS79 - Debating Societies Collection, 1836- 1879
Historical Note: The Forensic Association (1836-1837) and the Franklin Debating Society (1837-1840) held public debates or lectures once a month. The society for Mutual Improvement (1840-1841) stated its purpose was to “cultivate those social qualities which elevate the understanding, impart dignity to the character and, by a wholesome course of mental discipline, prepare man for duties which he may be called upon to exercise.” The Nantucket Social and Literary Society was formed in 1841 for the reading of original compositions and debates. Sherburne Lyceum (1877-1879) was formed for the “mutual improvement and mental culture of the members.” The Sherburne Debating Club (1895-) was formed to hold weekly debates under the supervision of the Employment Society.

Collection Overview: Records of various debating societies of Nantucket, Mass., including names of members and subjects debated. Organizations represented include Forensic Association (1836-1837), Franklin Debating Society (1837-1840), Society for Mutual Improvement (1840-1841), Nantucket Social and Literary Society (1841), Sherburne Lyceum (1877-1879), and Sherburne Debating Club (1895- ).

MS80 - Records of Educational Societies, 1821- 1879
Historical Note: Pleyel Society, 1821-1823 To introduce members to better kinds of music as a source of rational entertainment, the Society gave concerts to get money for books and instruments. The Philosophical Institute of Nantucket, 1826-1832 The Institute was made up of Nantucket men organized to promote general science and particularly useful agricultural, mechanical and nautical arts. No political or religious controversy could be introduced. Non-Nantucket residents who had attained sound literary distinction could also be members. In 1831, females and males under 21 were admitted to honorary membership. They paid no dues and had no vote. The Coterie, 1844-1845 Organized by young men and women to enlarge and improve their minds and to enjoy good food, each member was to contribute an original composition which might be read before the society. The Female Reading Society, 1848-1858 Despite its name, the Society included men at its meetings. Its members wrote poems and essays and read these at the Society’s regular meetings. The Botanical Society of Nantucket, 1878-1879 The Society was founded by Mrs. Catherine Starbuck for men and women interested in botany.

Collection Overview: Records, including names of members and subjects studied, of Pleyel Society (1821-1823), music organization; Philosophical Institute of Nantucket (1826-1832), men's group (later accepting some women) dedicated to promotion of general science, agriculture, and mechanical and nautical arts; The Coterie (1844-1845), young people's literary and social group; Female Reading Society (1848- 1858), literary association, also accepting men; and Botanical Society of Nantucket (1878-1879), founded for persons interested in botany.

MS81 - Records of the Lt. Max Wagner Encampment, U.S.W.V., Nantucket Auxiliary, 1934-1938
Historical Note: The Lt. Max Wagner Encampment, Nantucket Auxiliary, was formed May 5, 1934 as a branch of the Massachusetts group to honor the veterans of the Spanish-American War by raising funds for hospitals caring for the veterans, obtaining trophies for the Battleship “Oregon” and conducting essay contests.

Collection Overview: Chiefly membership records and information concerning auxiliary activities.

MS82 - Citizens' Association of Nantucket, 1894
Historical Note: The Citizens Association of Nantucket was formed in 1894 so that a general discussion could be held in a social manner concerning all town questions prior to annual Town Meetings whereby private preference could be set aside for the public welfare. The members were any tax payers of the town of Nantucket, real, personal or poll. Dues were 25 cents.

Collection Overview: Various materials relating to questions concerning Nantucket in 1894.

MS83 - Letter-Journals of Mary (Hayden) Russell and Captain Forman Marshall Mount, 1823-1824
Historical Note: Mary (Hayden) Russell (1784-1855) was the daughter of Abishai and Merhab (Pinkham) Hayden of Nantucket. She married Captain Laban Russell (1780-1847 in 1802. Mrs. Russell was one of the first women to go on a whaling voyage with her husband. She and her twelve-year old son, William, accompanied Captain Russell on the Ship “Hydra” 1817-1820. She and her small son, Charles, sailed with her husband on another whaling voyage on the Ship “Emily” 1823-1824. Their son, William, was boatsteerer on the same voyage. Captain Laban Russell (1780- ) migrated from Nantucket to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and thence to Milford Haven, Wales. In 1805, he was Master of the whaleship “Charles” of Milford Haven and, in 1817, Master of the whaleship “Hydra” of Plymouth, England. At Tres Maria Islands, off Mexico, he helped a British captain quell a mutiny on the Ship “Shakespeare.” Shortly after, the Ship “Hydra” was held captive by the Spanish in Callao for six months. In 1823-1824, he was Master of the whaleship “Emily” of London, England which sailed for Australia and the Japan Grounds via the Cape of Good Hope. Captain Forman Marshall Mount ( -1827), a British captain, was the husband of Mary Ann (Russell) Mount (1803- ), daughter of Captain Laban and Mary (Hayden) Russell.

Collection Overview: Letter-journal of Russell, written to her daughter, Mary Ann Mount, describing a whaling voyage with her husband, Capt. Laban Russell, on the ship Emily, providing a detailed account of storms at sea, the perils of whaling, and customs and dress of natives of Pacific islands visited; together with letter-journal of Russell's son-in- law, British Capt. Forman Marshall Mount, written during the last ten days of a voyage ending at Liverpool, England. The Mount letter-journal reveals the loneliness of a man at sea, separated from his wife.

MS84 - Churches on Nantucket, 1761- 1986
Historical Note: First Congregational Church Papers, 1761-1974 The start of the First Congregational Church on Nantucket is unknown. The Old North Vestry is said to have been built around 1711 in Sherburne, then taken down and re-erected on the site of the present Church building in 1765. By the early 1830’s, the Vestry was too small to accommodate the congregation so it was moved back to its present location and the present Church built. The First Congregational Church was dedicated on November 6, 1834. The church itself has gone through several architectural changes over a number of years. The Old North Vestry was renovated between 1947 and 1949 and is now attached to the Church located on Centre Street. Second Congregational Society-Unitarian Universalist Church Papers, 1810- 1986 The Second Congregational Church is also known as South Church, Old South Church, Second Congregational Church, Unitarian Church, Second Congregational Society, Second Congregational Meeting House Society, or the Unitarian-Universalist Church. Its official name is the Second Congregational Society - Unitarian Universalist Church; the building is owned by the Proprieters of the Second Congregational Meeting House. One theory to explain its beginning on Nantucket is that, in 1809, the liberals of the First Congregational Church felt that the conservative members held too strict a surveillance over matters concerning amusements and recreation. The liberal members (most were wealthy) withdrew their membership, organized and built the Second Congregational Meeting House on Orange Street in 1810. The congregation of this new church was called the Second Congregational Society, becoming a Unitarian church in 1837. The church, supported by the proprietors, started a lending library in 1815 and, in 1818, opened the island’s first Sunday School. The women supported their church by forming The Ladies Sewing Circle. Rev. John K. Karcher, the church’s seventh minister, served July 1, 1863, to February 1, 1865. Tradition states that he appeared to be an eccentric person. In 1959, the merger between the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America occurred. First Universalist Church Papers, 1827 In March 1824, an ad in the “Nantucket Inquirer” announced a meeting for the organization of a Universalist Society at Aaron Mitchel’s home. In May 1825, a report in the “Inquirer” told of the building of a Universalist Society Meeting House on Federal Street where the Atheneum now stands. The Meeting House replaced a private home and was dedicated on November 3, 1825; incorporation took place on January 20, 1827. Rev. William Morse of Philadelphia accepted the position of pastor in 1826 and was succeeded by Rev. George Bradburn. The Meeting House was sold August 6, 1834 for the use of the Atheneum. The Universalists continued to meet at least through 1837 at the Broad Street Hall. First Baptist Church Papers, 1839-1962 At the height of the Nantucket whaling era, the First Baptist Church was organized on the Island in 1839 by ten men and eighteen women. They purchased land on Summer Street from Joseph Chase and started construction. In 1840, there were 88 proprietors. These share holders were members of various Island churches who also believed in religious liberty and tolerance. On June 2, 1890, the Church was incorporated. In September 1960, Hurricane Donna badly damaged the steeple, so a “Save the Steeple Fund” was organized to raise the $10,000.00 needed to repair it. The new steeple was dedicated in July 1962. First Methodist Church Papers, 1799-1973 Methodism began on Nantucket during the years 1797 and 1798 when sermons were held on Mill Hill. In 1799, the Rev. William Beauchamp organized the first Methodist Society with 19 charter members. On January 1, 1800, a Methodist Episcopal Church located on Fair Street was dedicated. Increasing membership caused the purchase of land and building of a new church on Centre Street in 1823. It cost $14,000.00 and seated 1,000. The Fair Street Church building was periodically used until 1864. Extensive improvements to the church on Centre Street occurred in 1840 with a change to a gable roof to compliment the six Ionic columns for the new portico. The Upper Room was built in 1904. Trinity Church/St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Papers, 1839-1955 Rev. Moses Marcus preached the first Episcopal service on Nantucket in the Atheneum January 3, 1838. On March 31, 1838, Rev. Marcus was appointed pastor of the Broad Street Hall (Friends North Meeting House) for use as the Episcopal Church. On April 8, 1839, the Broad Street Hall was purchased, moved to the rear of the lot and remodeled as a Chapel and Sunday School. In its place a Gothic church was erected and called Trinity Church. It was destroyed by the Great Fire of 1846. With a financial debt and no church building the Parish was formally dissolved on September 21, 1846. On September 28, 1846, a new Parish was formed with a new name: St. Paul’s. Services for the Episcopalians conducted in various buildings from 1846 until 1850 when a new church building was constructed on Fair Street. The tiny Gothic structure experienced a severe decline in membership due to a decline in the whaling industry and unpopular pastors. However, around 1900, the Church entered a new era of growth and soon the church building became inadequate for the growing congregation. Through the generosity of Miss Caroline French, a summer resident, the old church building was sold, moved to Brant Point to be used as a residence, and a new St. Paul’s built. The present Church was consecrated on June 11, 1903. Union Chapel Papers, 1923-1931 The idea for a Union Chapel in Siasconset can be documented as far back at 1875 when meetings were held in a schoolhouse and money was collected for construction of a chapel. A lot owned by Horace G. Brooks was donated and the Chapel was erected by Charles H. Robinson in 1883 at a cost of $1,680.00. The first service was held July 15, 1883. The Chapel was dedicated July 26, 1883; its property is held by seven Trustees. Services are held on Sunday in July and August; a Roman Catholic service is held in the morning followed by a nondenominational service. At one time, a Sunday School was held in the afternoon.

Collection Overview: Records (1761-1974) of First Congregational Church (organized with construction of Old North Vestry in 1711; present building dedicated 1834), including minutes of proprietors' meetings, names of members, records of pew taxes, and treasurer's reports; records (1810-1986) of Second Congregational Church (also known as South Church, Unitarian Church, and Unitarian-Universalist Church, organized 1810) including correspondence relating to Rev. John K. Karcher and letters from other ministers asking to preach at the church, and records of purchases, receipts, and programs; sermon (1827) of First Universalist Church (organized 1827; disbanded ca. 1837); minutes (1839-1962) of First Baptist Church (formed 1839) pertaining to the engagement of ministers, election of officers, membership, and the construction of a new steeple (1960- 1962); records (1799-1973) of First Methodist Church (earlier Methodist Episcopal Church, organized 1799) containing information concerning the history and organization of the church, list of pew owners, deed for purchase of land, and programs of services; programs and announcements (1839-1955) of St. Paul's Episcopal Church (formed 1838 as Trinity Church; destroyed by fire in 1846 and reconstructed as St. Paul's the same year); and programs (1923-1931) of Union Chapel (Siasconset, Mass.), a nondenominational chapel (built 1883).

MS85 - Nantucket and Tuckernuck Acquisition, 1641-1703
Historical Note: In 1635, at the request of Charles I of England, the Plymouth Company, created by James I, transferred Nantucket and its surrounding islands, along with much of the New England coast, to William, Earl of Sterling. In 1641, he sold Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and its adjacent islands to Thomas Mayhew and his son. In 1659, Mayhew sold shares of Nantucket to nine others forming a joint proprietorship of the Island. In the same year, he deeded Tuckernuck to members of the Coffin family. Both these transfers of ownership were confirmed by the British Governor of New York in 1671. With the exception of the brief Dutch occupation of New York from July 1673 to October 1674, the islands remained under the jurisdiction of the British Governors of New York, Francis Lovelace and Major Edmund Andros, until 1691 when, upon the succession of William and Mary to the British throne, Parliament granted a new charter to New England expressly declaring Nantucket under the Governor of Massachusetts Bay.

Collection Overview: Documents relating to the transfer of Nantucket and Tuckernuck from Thomas Mayhew and his son to members of the Coffin family and other original proprietors of Nantucket. Includes summons from Queen Anne, directions from the British regarding the government of the islands, and confirmation by the British governor of New York.

MS86 - Mark Coffin Book, 1834
Historical Note: Mark Coffin (1786-1835) was the son of Shubael and Mary (Mitchell) Coffin.

Collection Overview: Material, collected by Coffin for Moses Brown (1738-1836) of Providence, R.I., relating to Nantucket's geology, ships, census, principal families, Indians, land transfers, and shore-whaling.

MS87 - Gardner Family Papers, 1717- 1911
Historical Note: The Gardner family of Nantucket descended from Richard and John Gardner, sons of Thomas Gardner, planter, who came from England to Salem, Massachusetts in 1626. Richard’s wife, Sarah Shattuck, was the daughter of Thomas Gardner’s second wife, Demaris Shattuck, by her first husband. She was a devoted member of the Society of Friends for which she suffered during her residence in Salem before she and her husband moved to Nantucket in 1666/1667. John and his wife, Priscilla Grafton, soon followed. The two brothers were originally in the fishing business but also began accumulating property. Their descendents became captains of whaling ships, land owners and merchants. Anna Gardner (1816-1901), descended from John, had a distinguished career as a schoolmistress and reformer. She taught in Nantucket elementary schools and, after the Civil War, in the schools of the New England Freedman’s Bureau in the south.. She was also active in the causes of temperance and women’s suffrage. In 1841, she called the Anti-Slavery Convention in Nantucket. Anna Gardner also wrote two books of poems. William Edward Gardner (1872-1965), Episcopal minister, historian and author, is particularly remembered in Nantucket for his biographies of Walter Folger, Jr., John Gardner, the Starbuck family, and the Coffin family. He also wrote memorials of Dr. Roy H. Gilpatrick, George Fawcett, Charles H. Selden, Frederick C. Sanford, Peter Folger and Moses Joy as well as “Rambles in the Historic Nantucket District.”

Collection Overview: Correspondence, deeds and other land records, poems, financial and legal papers, wills, certificates, obituaries, research notes, genealogical materials, inventories, and other papers of family members, relating to many phases of Nantucket history. Includes papers of Anna (1816-1901), teacher and social reformer, pertaining to her membership in local women's and temperance organizations; Charles (1769- 1848), ship captain and merchant, concerning whaling and sales of whale oil and candles; William Edward (1872-1965), Episcopal clergyman, historian, and author, detailing research on his memorials honoring various Nantucketers; Paul (1730-1823) and Paul, Jr. (1755-1835) relating to land transactions; ship captains' wives, Charlotte Coffin (1820-1882), Elizabeth Chase (1766-1840), and Susan Gardner (1789-1879) documenting voyages on the Sarah Parker and other ships taken with their husbands, economic difficulties faced as widows, and other family matters; and Gideon (1759-1832) pertaining to problems encountered by islanders during the War of 1812. Other family members represented include Asa, Elisha Pope Fearing, George Gorham, Grafton, Jared, and Jemima Worth Gardner.

MS88 - Nantucket Schools Collection, 1788- 1980
Historical Note: Education began in Nantucket as early as 1716 when the Town voted to hire a school master, Eleazer Folger. He held the job for less than one year. During this early period of education, “school” was held in various private homes. In the early 1800s, the idea of public schools received harsh criticism from those who didn’t want to support free schools through taxation and from Quakers who, although providing secular education for their own children, did not want their children exposed to worldly people. Private schools, usually run by women, were numerous on the Island but financially unaffordable to many parents. Just prior to 1818, more than 300 children between the ages of 3 and 14 could not afford tuition. Then in April 1818, a committee organized by the Town investigated and found a need for public schools. Little action was taken until 1827 when the first Coffin School was built on Fair Street, created by the determination of two men, Samuel Haynes Jenks, a Bostonian, who wanted to see all the children of Nantucket educated and Sir Isaac Coffin, who wanted to build a monument to his ancestors. Their collaboration established the first free school on Nantucket called the Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin Lancasterian School. (The present Coffin School was built on Winter Street in 1852 but closed as an academy in 1898 to reopen in 1903 as a manual training school.) As a result of the opening of the Coffin School, the Town took swift action, appropriated a large sum of money and established two free public schools in the same year. William Mitchell took charge of the North School located on the corner of Main and Milk Streets. Mr. Spoffard, formerly a teacher with William Mitchell, became principal of the South School on Orange Street. In the years that followed, many public schools were opened and closed to accommodate the fluctuating number of students. Schools, for the most part, were named according to their location, though the buildings were often moved from one place to another which involved a name change. In most cases, school buildings housed various grade levels.

Collection Overview: Exercise books and notebooks of students; records of various schools, the school committee, and organizations related to education; official records, including attendance statistics and teachers' notes relating to individual students, parents, behavior, and performance; and correspondence providing personal perspectives on education and the school system. Schools represented include the Coffin School, first free school in Nantucket, Mass.

MS89 - Gertrude and Hanna Monaghan Collection, 1930-1953
Historical Note: In the 1920s after World War I, Gertrude Monoghan ( -[1950]) and Hanna Monaghan ( -1972), two spinster sisters, came to vacation on Nantucket from their home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and bought a barn on Howard Street with the intention of converting it into a summer residence. “Greater Light,” the name they gave their eclectic converted barn, was redesigned and furnished with precise craftsmanship based upon a scale model and plans created by the two sisters. They also converted the carriage house, known as “Lesser Light”, into a summer home for their parents. After the sisters died, “Greater Light” was bequeathed to the Nantucket Historical Association and is open to the public; “Lesser Light” is a private residence.

Collection Overview: Correspondence and sketches relating to Greater Light, the converted barn, which with its adjoining carriage house, known as Lesser Light, was used as a summer residence by the two sisters, who later bequeathed Greater Light to the Nantucket Historical Association.

MS90 - Sons of the Revolution. Thomas Turner Chapter (Nantucket, Mass.), 1932-1988
Historical Note: Organized on December 3, 1932, the Nantucket Chapter of the Society of Sons of the Revolution received its charter on June 16, 1933 with sixteen members. The Nantucket Chapter was named after Thomas Turner who served under John Paul Jones and was killed in action between the “Bon Homme Richard” and H.M.S. “Serapis” on September 23, 1779. The Chapter placed a bronze tablet on the southeast corner of the Pacific National Bank designating the area in front of the building as Thomas Turner Square. It was believed that Thomas Turner was a Nantucketer but this was later disproved. The Chapter also dedicated a gravemarker for Reuben Chase, born in Nantucket in 1754, Midshipman on the “Bon Homme Richard.”

Collection Overview: Correspondence of officers with members and state headquarters office in Boston, Mass., bylaws, minutes, and treasurers' reports, documenting chapter history, its charitable activities, essay contest for Nantucket high school students, and social events, including annual meetings with the Abiah Folger Franklin Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution.

MS91 - Banks on Nantucket, 1804- 1985
Historical Note: The Nantucket Bank Papers, 1795-1952 The Nantucket Bank was established on May 1, 1795 and opened its doors in June 1795. The Bank was located on the corner of Main and Union Streets. On the evening of Saturday, June 20, 1795, the Nantucket Banks was robbed of over $20,000.00. The Directors and stockholders of the Bank accused each other of the theft and blamed many prominent citizens of conspiracy based upon personal prejudices. A Court of Inquiry was held (the proceedings resembled the Salem witch trials) with wrongly accused men jailed and later released on bail. Meanwhile, William Coffin, Josiah Barker, Jr., and Albert Gardner searched the mainland for the three criminals who actually robbed the Bank, escaped Nantucket onboard the Sloop “Dolphin” and buried the money on Long Island. Only James Weatherly was tried, then sent to the New York State Prison where he died of gangrene. Seth Johnson escaped to Canada, and John Clark Jr. was lost on a voyage to the Bahamas. The Nantucket Bank money was never recovered. After the robbery, the Bank found itself unable to raise capital or to meet the requirements for a charter to incorporate. It closed in October 1819. Phoenix Bank Papers, 1811-1814 The Phoenix Bank, located on the corner of Main and Orange streets, was created by wealthy Quakers who were estranged from the Nantucket Bank. Manufacturers and Mechanics Bank Papers, 1825-1846 This bank held a respected position in Nantucket until Barker Burnell Jr., the cashier, was accused of embezzling $130,000.00 of capital stock between April 1843 and December 1845. The Nantucket Court of Common Pleas demanded $43,000.00 to cover the bank’s losses. Burnell made restitution but many questions remained unanswered. A few months before the Great Fire in 1846, an explosion destroyed the bank building located on the east corner of Main and Federal Streets. Citizens’ Bank Papers, 1834-1838 The Citizens’ Bank was located on the east corner of Main and Washington Streets. It was destroyed by the Great Fire. Pacific National Bank Papers, 1804-1839 The Pacific Bank was a State bank chartered in 1804, located where St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church now stands on Federal Street. The bank gained notoriety from defendants and sympathizers of the Nantucket Bank robbery. In 1812, the charter was renewed as the Nantucket Pacific Bank. The present building was erected in 1818. Incorporation occurred in 1864 when the State charter was surrendered and the bank became the Pacific National Bank of Nantucket. Of special interest, the Pacific National was the only bank in Massachusetts to continue specie (coined money) payments through the great panic of 1857. Nantucket Institution for Savings Papers, 1834-1932 The Nantucket Institution for Savings formed a corporation on April 2, 1834 headed by Daniel Jones, William Mitchell and Cromwell Barnard. The institution, still located on Orange Street, has remained financially stable. It is now known as the Nantucket Savings Bank. A branch office was opened on Lower Pleasant Street in 1979.

Collection Overview: The Nantucket Bank papers contain primarily correspondence, statements and depositions of the Bank robbery. Also included are Writs of Attachment against the Nantucket Bank, circa 1808. Phoenix Bank Papers, 1811-1814 contain shareholder certificates and cashier checks. Manufacturers and Mechanics Bank Papers, 1825-1846 are mainly business papers of cashier Barker Burnell Jr. Citizens’ Bank Papers, 1834-1838 contain cashier checks and a transaction book. Pacific National Bank Papers, 1804-1839 includes blank cashier checks and a list of officers and cashiers. Nantucket Institution for Savings Papers, 1834-1932 contain by-laws and correspondence.

MS92 - Farms on Nantucket, 1822- 1952
Historical Note: Farming was well established on the Island before Nantucket men went to sea to earn a living. There is little documentation for the economics of farming but it is known that the farmers of Nantucket were successful in raising sheep, milk cattle and produce. During the 18th and 19th centuries, much of the Island’s land was used for farming; today only a small portion is given over to raising produce and poultry for local consumption.

Collection Overview: Memoirs and papers documenting farm life on Nantucket Island; together with maps indicating location of farms. Includes information concerning sheep, produce, and dairy cattle, all of which were successfully raised on the island.

MS93 - Grand Army of the Republic Collection, 1866-1937
Historical Note: On February 3, 1866, the Sherburne Army and Navy Union of Nantucket established itself to aid deceased Civil War veterans and widows and orphans of deceased soldiers and sailors. This organization was abandoned shortly thereafter due to poor management. On April 6, 1866, the Grand Army of the Republic, a national political force, organized and established Memorial Day. The Nantucket Chaper of the G.A.R. was Post #2. Nantucket observed its first Memorial Day on May 30, 1868. At a later date, Post #2 was renamed the Thomas M. Gardner Post #207, honoring Thomas M. Gardner (1819/20-1887), a Nantucketer who achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy.

Collection Overview: Record books, applications for membership, official reports, correspondence and information pertaining to Memorial Day observances and the Civil War monument in Nantucket, Mass., and other materials, of Thomas M. Gardner Post #207, Grand Army of the Republic which was organized in 1866 as Post #2 and renamed 1892; and materials concerning Sherburne Army and Navy Union, established in 1866 to provide aid to widows and orphans of veterans, but dissolved shortly thereafter due to poor management.

MS94 - Civil War Collection, 1862- 1914
Historical Note: After the Battle of Fort Sumter, Nantucket men organized and trained themselves for combat. This unit, known as the “Island Guards,” became the first volunteers from Nantucket. Later, over 300 Nantucket men served in the Union Army and Navy; most were volunteers. Nantucket was represented at every major battle during the Civil War.

Collection Overview: Records and documents pertaining to enlistments, appointments, pensions, and discharges, of Nantucket, Mass., residents serving with the U.S. Army and Navy during the Civil War. Includes information concerning U.S. Sanitary Commission, a national organization with a chapter on Nantucket which raised money (through fairs and musical programs) to improve the sanitary conditions of soldiers and military hospitals.

MS95 - Thomas M. Gardner Papers, 1861- 1892
Historical Note: Thomas M. Gardner (1820- ), a Naval Officer during the Civil War, retired from the Navy in 1884. The Nantucket Chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic is named after him.

Collection Overview: The collection consists of appointments and detachments and letters to his wife, Sara C. Gardner, regarding his pension.

MS96 - Macy Family Papers, 1729- 1959
Historical Note: Thomas Macy left his home in England and sailed to the Massachusetts Bay Colony between 1635 and 1639. He was a merchant, planter, one of the selectmen of the town, a juryman and a Baptist preacher. In early 1659, he became one of the original purchasers of Nantucket land and, in the fall of that year, he sailed with his wife, Sarah (Hopcott), and five children to become the first white family to settle on the Island. His descendants contributed greatly to the history of Nantucket, particularly the local government, whaling, manufacturing and the faithful recording of events of their time. Obed Macy (1762-1844), a Quaker, historian, whaleman, shoemaker, blacksmith, farmer, ship-owner, merchant, Clerk of the Town Meeting of the Proprietors of the Common and Undivided Land, chose to make several whaling voyages as soon as the War of 1812 was over. Upon his return, he went into partnership with his brother, Silvanus, to manufacture soap and, later, spermaceti candles. As partners, they also served as agents for whaleships, merchant vessels and fishing craft. He was a devoted journalist and, in 1835, published the first “History of Nantucket.” Although many members of the Macy family are represented in this collection, its principal value lies in the journals and notes of Obed Macy. It would be difficult to find anyone more fully aware of the significance of the times in which he lived. He makes much of his opportunity to observe many phases of Nantucket life and to record it fully and in relation to events elsewhere in the United States and in Europe. His detailed record of weather and many medicinal cures are also of value to specialists in such fields. The deeds, letters, brief diaries, and business transactions of his relatives and descendants fill in the picture which he so ably paints.

Collection Overview: Correspondence, letter books, journals, research materials, and other papers, of Obed Macy (1762-1844), Quaker, public official, businessman, whaling master, landowner, shipowner, and local historian, relating to many phases of Nantucket life; and correspondence, diaries, deeds and land records, estate papers, business and financial records, and other materials, of other family members, including Alexander (b. 1792), Caleb (1719-1798), Caleb (1764-1834), James (1796-1862), John, Jr. (1674-1751), Josiah (1785-1872), Judith Folger Gardner (1729-1819), Peter (1792-1846), Richard (1742-1814), Silvanus (1756-1833), Thomas (1787-1864), William Hussey (1826-1891), and Zephaniah Coffin (1781-1866) Macy. Subjects include manufacture of soap and candles, salt trade, fishing, whaling, real estate, Coffin School, banking, local history, ships, shipbuilding, shipwrecks, War of 1812 and its economic effects on the island, weather, Quaker meetings, Indians, and medicinal cures.

MS97 - Coffin Reunions Collection, 1881- 1992
Historical Note: During the summer of 1881, 500 descendants of Tristram Coffin, one of the founding fathers of Nantucket and of the Coffin name in the United States, gathered on Nantucket to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his death. Organized by Allen and Charles Coffin, a three-day program of tours, speeches and dinners highlighted the reunion. Again, in the summer in 1959, approximately 500 members of the Coffin clan gathered on Nantucket to celebrate their heritage and the Island’s 300th Birthday. Chaired by Isabel Worth Duffy, a three-day program similar to the 1881 reunion gave many Coffins an opportunity to investigate their family history.

Collection Overview: Correspondence relating to planning and organization of Coffin family reunions, held in Nantucket, Mass., 1881 and 1959 by descendants of Tristram Coffin, one of the founding fathers of Nantucket; information concerning books published shortly after each reunion, History and Genealogy of the Coffin Family (1881) and The Coffin Family (1959); and commemorative items. Family members represented include Allen and Charles Coffin and Isabel Worth Duffy, organizers of the reunions.

MS98 - Marcel Emile Alcan Gouin, U.S. Navy Papers, 1928-1938
Historical Note: Marcel Emile Alcan Gouin (1900-1960) was born in Siasconset, Massachusetts. Marcel graduated from Tabor Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy. He achieved the rank of Vice Admiral.

Collection Overview: Aviator's flight logbooks (6 v.) and admiralty flags (2).

MS99 - Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin's Lancasterian School Papers, 1806-1837
Historical Note: Through the collaboration of Sir Isaac Coffin and Samuel H. Jenks, the first free school on Nantucket opened in 1827. It was called the Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin Lancasterian School and was intended to serve not only as a place of learning but as an enduring monument to the Coffin clan. The Coffin School (as it is called today) closed as an Academy for a brief period, 1898-1903, and reopened as a manual training school. Today, the Coffin School building, managed by a Board of Trustees, serves as a home for the Chamber Music Society and organizations needing lecture space.

Collection Overview: Correspondence, including information relating to the origins and correct title of the school; together with town marriage records kept by Coffin as justice of the peace.

MS100 - Nantucket's 300th Birthday, 1956- 1969
Historical Note: Nantucket celebrated 300 years of inhabitance by white men during the spring and summer of 1959. The 300th Birthday Steering Committee, chaired by George W. Jones, included most of the Island’s social, civic, governmental and educational organizations. Over seventy-five events were scheduled for the celebration including a birthday card contest, concerts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Coffin, Bunker, Swain, Hussey and Folger reunions and a Main Street Fete.

Collection Overview: A large part of the collection is correspondence for planning the birthday. Other topics include contracts and agreements, mementoes, news releases and plans for a commemorative postal stamp.

MS101 - Rotch Family Collection, 1773- 1898
Historical Note: Joseph Rotch came to Nantucket from Salisbury, England via Salem, Massachusetts in 1725 when he was 21 years old. He was a cordwainer by trade but soon became a “trader” with his own vessels. By 1765, Joseph became involved with land deals and, during the next ten years,