This is a transcription of a sea journal kept by William Warren, who was born about 1802 and passed away before the 1850 census, when his two children, Isaac and Catherine were living with their aunt and uncle, Isaac and Catharine Warren. William Warren married by banns first, Eliza Eats, in Kent, London, England on 18 July 1833. Eliza was the mother of Isaac, his oldest child. Isaac was born in 1838 and died in 1922. Eliza must have died before William married his second wife, Mary Knolls, who also disappeared before 1850. She was the mother of Catharine, 1840-1923. William was a taxable resident from 1841-1842 in Shenango Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and in 1847 in Patterson Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He was naturalized in 1840 in Beaver County. The parentage of the children was determined from their death certificates, and from the will of their aunt, Catharine (?) Warren.
My thanks to Papa’s cousin, Susan, who scanned the pages of the journal and emailed them to me.
The punctuation or lack of it, and the weird capitalization and spelling are copied exactly from the pages. There are quite a few pages that I had trouble figuring out the words, you will see question marks.
A Google map with the locations mentioned in the journal is located here.
Page 1 scan
Directions
Willm Clegg 3 Cuts New England
Steven Roalf Mr Hobbs Seven Oaks Kent
Saturday June 29 embarked on Board the ship Electra for Philadelphia at 8 E weighd from Graves end 10 anchord in the h?
30 m 4 weighd wind SW ? a long shore noon past by Margate 3 put back from off Broadstairs and anchor’d in Margate Road E 8 weigh ‘d wind NW 11 past through The Downs
1 July m 6 of Syd Light House 10 wind W brisk passengers sick
2nd m 6 off’ Beachy Head 10 wind SW 3
3rd m 6 Ile of Wight in sight, 3 past by ???head E8 Anchord at Cowes .
4th E 10 weigh’d for the Needles.
5th m 10 9 miles from Cowes Weighd anchor from Lymington Passed through the needles at 3 E 11 wind N
6 M 7 wind N E 4 saw the coast of Dorsetshire .
7 M5 wind N
8 wind north fine
9 M 6 wind W
10th Wind West light
11 M 6 Wind W. and is gusty? Noon Wind NNW a strong gale
12th Wind NNW brisk gale people sick E3 Wind W.
13 M 6 wind W. Noon spoke To Ship Hope of Outend from Trieste Bound to Amsterdam 3 Weeks Out E3 wind NW fine Written above: Saw a grau? (refers to a large fish)14
14th Sunday M6 Wind WNW and light. Noon a calm lower’d a Hemmisrical lead Bottle with 120 fathams of line and drew it up again for the empty?, for the Philosophical Society. E2 saw several Bonettas jumping out of the sea appeared about 3 or 4 feet long colored like a Mackerel with two small fins about a foot long projecting from each side [drawing of fish]. 15th This day we saw neither ship nor barge all day.
15th M M 6 wind NW and light
left side blank. Right side:
Receipt for getting grese out of woollen
Dissolve a piece of pearl ash about the size of a ? in half a tea ? full of warm water pour some of in on the grease rub it with a clean brush or woollen ? ???
Noon saw a Brig bearing NW distance 6 or 7 miles
16th wind S and light. Noon a strong gale 8 knots an hour E 8 wind N.W the man at the helm was thrown Over ½ past 8 N and less than a hour ship wheel it blew a ?
17th M6 wind NW blowing hard all day.
18th M 2 a heavy gale M 6 have Moderate a heavy swale M 10 wind a N but little Canvas set on account of the Heavy swell. 11 wind NW a stiff breeze.
19th M 6 Wind NNW and fine Weather
20th Wind N and Weather fine.
21st M6 (Sunday) Wind W. weather fine.
22 M 6 Wind W E3 wind NW fine Weather
23 M 6 Calm Noon Wind NW fine Weather
24th M wind N Course WNW 6 Knots the Brig that has been in sight this far ?? ?? ? on us this Morning This is the first vessel that has been able to keep up with us out of about 80 weather fine
25th M 6 Clam M 10 Wind WNW and light made but little way
26th Wind W and again by noon wind NW E for ? a flying fish 16 inches long flew on board and was sold by the carpenters to one of the passengers for ½ a Dollar who skin ? and ?
27th M 6 Wind NW and fine. M 11 saw a turtle asleep floating on the starboard side of the ship about 80 yards distant lowered the boat and sent and took it on board weighed it 13 ¼ lb saw several dolphins but could not ratch any and ? ? flying fish 28 lbs ? Wind N by W a fine Breeze Latitude 39 at Noon Longitude 33.1.5W several flying Fish skyming along and dipping and Rising they fly about 5 or 6 feet above the water Sunday NB the turtle was off the western Iles
29 M 6 Wind NE and Nearly Calm M 10 a ship under Portuguese Colours Forcd a Shot at us and demanded where we came from E10 wind shifted Southward
30th M 6 wind WSW a steady Breeze all Day at 3 O’Clock a Brigg past by under all sail about a Mile distant
31st M6 Wind S.S.W and Squally with past by a ? Heavy sea.
Augst 1 M6 Wind NW a heavy Sea 10 saw a Ship steering E, weather fine.
2nd M6 Wind N by E course NW by W and fine weather Latitude 40.49 at noon Longitude 45.1 S #7 Saw a Brigg Mogn Eileford? at ¾ ? in the NW.
3rd quite Calm still Noon the Brigg we saw yesterday bearing NE Wind SSE and very firce EC Saw a Vast Number of Grampuses going to the N.E they appeard to go in a line and to extend 8 or 9 miles and to be 20 or 30 feet in length.
4th M6 Wind SSE 8 wind Shifted to WSW and Nearly Calm. We ? from 12 o’clock yesterday till 8 this Morning 130 Miles and greatest part of the time the Ship was still as if we had been in the Thames M 10 I ? after m d ceti? Whale ? close to the ship A?? to be about 10 or 11 feet from the Back fin to the nose and Nearly white and scaled hog. E4EH saw several Whales Sunday.
Day hours Min? Observations
Course WNW wind S?
5th M6 3 Saw Several gramssusscs? at a distance WNW
8 8 Distance saw some bonetas? Wind S?
12 5 Latitude 42 Longitude 51,8
E4 4 on the south of Newfoundland
6 5 Bank a fine day Wind SW by S
6th M6 7 Squally ? WNW
8 8 latitude 42. Longitude 53 1/3
12 8 Afternoon fine
6 9 Do saw a Ship and Brig
7th 6 2 Weather fine wind SW by S WNW
12 2 The Ship and Brigg we past in the night Latitude 42 longitude 55
Afternoon fine
8 6 5 Saw a saw a sail ? weather fine
12 4 Saw several gulls and flying Long?
6 4 ½ fi? Wind SW and fine Breeze 58? the sail as leven? diving on us
9th 6 61/2 Wind W by S a fine Breeze Longitude 6.14 a Brigg past to leeward N
10 6 5 Wind NE and light ? Tail in sight W
12 5 Wind S Lat 42. Longitude WSW
11 6 3 ½ Wind NW fine Weather
12 Calm
12 6 Do SW? Noon then ESE and light 5 Sales in sight
13 6 Wind SSW a fine Breeze NNW
13 Augst
11 5 ? an American Vessel bound to the Couno?vy? les 3 days from Boston Wind SW Lat WNW Longitude 63 a find day WNW
14 6 8 Wind N a fine Breeze all day WSW
Vast number of porpoises swimming round the ship thick as ? round the ware stumfrd?
15 6 2 Wind S. saw several granssur?
12 4 at a distance Longitude WSW
4 6 find day and light wind
16 6 5 Wind N fine weather and fair WSW
12 7 Two ships past by Longitude
4 7 69.40 Latitude
17 6 3 Wind W fine weather and smooth SSW
N 4 Sea wind S.W Latitude ? Lan NW
18 6 A dead Calm full moon then a light wind W Sunday
19 6 5 Wind N ? by E a find Breeze WSW
12 6 ? of Porpoises along side
2 8 saw a Thermicide? Wale pass
6 9 quite close all in health
9 8 and spirits in ? of seeing
10 8 Land
20 6 7 got a bilot? on Board Wind SWWNW
E 4 3 saw land for the first time since I left England the Capes on Each side
20 4 The Delaware it is very low and full of trees being over flowd in some places ? on about 9 Mile from the Lighthouse and Cast Anchor
21 6 Made sail with tide and got about 11 Mile anchord, at 2 the wind shifted to SE made sail up the Bay of Delaware it is about 18 mile wide and 60 long ubo? more up the River to Philadelphia and shores of the Bay are Beautifully interspersed with woods and gently rise up grounds and look Delightful though a good ? run up the Bay and got 4 mile within the River and got aground at low water ? off and cast anchor at 12 A at night.
22 weighd with the flood wind foul first by Penn harbour and fort at 2E came in tight of New Castles at 3 Very pretty place and many Delightful farms ? and Cottages Every one appearing to have a field of Indian corn and fruit trees in it. E7 at anchor 2 miles from Newcastle the Land on the western side of the Delaware is here much bolder than on the East rises
In gentle slopes of hill and vale to about 150 to 220 feet about 2 or 3 miles distant, Newcastle is Very Piguereske, and today was very fine. From 200 to 300 houses in newcassle.
23 Weighd Anchor about 3 this Morning and went about 8 miles passed by Wilmington came to an anchor abreast of sand resembling the Ile of Wright but not so high and bigger timber with gentlemans seats cottages orchards woods we came alongside a boat with 120 bushes of Peaches bought 3 bushel of picked fruit 1 Dollar each Bl. & came alongside a Boat with Melons Mussk & Water as big as a half anchor 8 cents Views Delightful 2E Past by Marguis (Marcus) Hook 20 houses on a point of land 18 M from Philladelphia could see with a glass orchard upon Orchard loaded with fruit vast quantities of Indian Corn in small inclosures 4 came in sight of the Lagarette and cast anchor was visited by ? ? and then Proceeded on about 3 miles and Cast anchor for the Night.
24 M8 got
(next page)
Into the steam Boat and reached the city about Noon just 8 weeks after I Embarked at Gravesend in good health and spirits.
Directions for Mr. Kellett at the Signs of the Dog Pitsburg
