Description
Two original journals cover the voyage to California and Adam's
first months in San Francisco (4/1/1849 - 3/18/1850). The bulk of the Adams papers comprises
letters from Adams to his wife, business correspondence, and Mrs. Adams' letters to her son
Samuel G.
Background
Samuel Adams arrived in California aboard the Barque Mazeppa
on December 3, 1849 after a ten-month voyage at sea. He had left New York on January
27, 1849 with a carge of merchandise which he had been commissioned to sell for the firm of
Rowland and Whitehouse of Brooklyn, N.Y. Adams had previously managed a drugstore in
Brooklyn for Rowland, but when it and the house he had been preparing for his family burned,
he agreed to act as a commercial factor in order to support his family. The voyage of the
Mazeppa was plagued by storms, lengthy repairs to the ship
after it was forced to return to Rio de Janeiro, and long delays in navigating around Cape
Horn. Adams helped to pass the time by writing a journal for his wife and children living in
Winthrop, Me. Some sections are addressed to the children and in them he describes details
of life at sea--what the sailors ate, where they slept, and how they were disciplined; how
to reckon the speed of the ship in knots, and the awesome responsibilities of the
captain.
Extent
1 box (6 folders)
ca 40 items (.42 linear ft.)
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to California Historical Society. All requests for
permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the
Director of Research Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of
California historical Society as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the
reader.
Availability
CHS is not taking appointments for research at this time. Please check the Library's website updates:
https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/collections/north-baker-research-library/