The Life of the Schooner B. N. Hawkins A trove of letters reveals the history of a 19th-century packet
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all images courtesy of the author
n 16 September 1853, the David T. Bayles Shipyard in Stony Brook, Long Island, launched its latest construction project, the schooner B. N. Hawkins. She was towed to New York City, outfitted with rigging and sails, and entered into service in October 1853 as a packet ship transporting cargo along the east coast of the United States and beyond. It was the third sailing vessel belonging to Benjamin Newton Hawkins, my great-great-grandfather, and his partners. Benjamin Hawkins lived in Southport, Connecticut, where he owned a large onion farm. Southport Globe Onions were then renowned, and are still a variety grown today. Benjamin Hawkins owned threeeighths of the schooner named for him and his nephew George M. Hawkins owned one-eighth. The captains owned one-eighth shares during their time onboard, with the remaining three-eighths owned by various
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by Douglas B. Tolles family members, including two nephews, David Bayles (the ship’s builder) and Scudder Smith Wells, both of Setauket, Long Island. The history of the Hawkins is revealed in a trove of 425 letters that were mailed to Benjamin Hawkins as the primary owner during the years 1847–1873. Primarily written by the ship’s captains and coowners, these letters detail the voyages, proceeds, costs, construction, and challenges that faced the captain and crew operating the ship. Passed down within our family for four generations, these letters portray the life and history of the schooner, and more broadly the economic times in which she operated and glimpses of life underway in the mid-nineteenth century. The Captains For a majority of her nearly twenty-five-year lifespan, the Hawkins had two primary captains. Benjamin Tuthill Griffin served
as her first captain and original part-owner from 1853–1860. He previously commanded the schooner Matilda E. Wells, another ship owned by B. N. Hawkins and partners. In 1860, Griffin sold his oneeighth share for $17,000 and left the maritime trade. Griffin’s share was purchased by John Parker Wyatt, who had been master of the schooner N. W. Smith. Wyatt served as master of the Hawkins during the years 1860–1877. These two ship masters are the authors of the majority of the letters, and this story of the Hawkins is primarily constructed from their accounts. The B. N. Hawkins must have been a beautiful sight. Originally launched at 369 tons and measuring 109 feet, (described by Lloyd’s Register as measured “from forward side of stem to after side of stern post, on deck”), 27 feet on the beam, and a depth of hold at 12 feet 3 inches. Her first captain, Benjamin Griffin, writes from New York on 5 October 1853: “Our vessel is very much admired here.” The schooner plied her trade carrying cargo mainly on the East Coast during the years 1853–1878. Frequent ports of call included Boston, New York, Baltimore, Charleston, Savannah, and Wilmington (North Carolina). It also made voyages to Cuba, France, and Belize when shipping on the Eastern Seaboard was in decline. In 1858, the Hawkins sailed to La Rochelle, France, to bring back a load of brandies. Captain Wyatt wrote: “That is a big voyage for the little schooner.” Many different types of cargo were transported including ice, coal, lumber, rice, cotton, guano, coconuts, skins, wheat, flour, rice flour, raisins, hams, phosphates, turpentine, brandies, bread, and occasionally passengers. A letter from Charleston contains an original newspaper clipping that reads: “The The author and his family are stewards of a collection of hundreds of letters pertaining to the work and life of the schooner named for his great-great-grandfather Benjamin Hawkins. SEA HISTORY 174, SPRING 2021