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Letterpress copybook of the ship Henry Failing, 1874-1894
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Merriman, J. (Jacob), 1843-1918
- Title
- Letterpress copybook of the ship Henry Failing
- Dates
- 1874-1894 (inclusive)18741894
- Quantity
- 0.15 cubic feet, (1 folder in shared box)
- Collection Number
- Coll 297
- Summary
- Letterpress copybook of Jacob Merriman, captain of the merchant vessel Henry Failing, containing copies of approximately 400 letters sent by Merriman to his partners, including ship captain William H. Besse and merchant, banker and politician Henry Failing of Portland, Oregon. The bulk of the letters were sent from 1883 to 1894, during the time the ship carried such cargoes as coal, oil, wheat, and tea. The ship was a sailing vessel built in Bath, Maine, and launched from the shipyard of Goss & Sawyer on May 5, 1882.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The ship Henry Failing was a sailing vessel built in Bath, Maine, and launched from the shipyard of Goss & Sawyer on May 5, 1882. It was built for Captain William H. Besse of Wareham, Massachusetts; Henry Failing of Portland, Oregon; Captain Jacob Merriman of Topsham, Maine; and others.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Letterpress copybook of Jacob Merriman, captain of the merchant vessel Henry Failing, containing copies of approximately 400 letters sent by Merriman to his partners, including ship captain William H. Besse and merchant, banker and politician Henry Failing of Portland, Oregon. The bulk of the letters were sent from 1883 to 1894, during the time the ship carried such cargoes as coal, oil, wheat, and tea. The ports visited by the ship included: San Pedro and San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Nanaimo, British Columbia; Manila, Philippines; Yokusuka, Yokahama, Kobe and Hiogo, Japan; Sydney, Australia; Hong Kong; and many ports in Europe. The letterbook remained with Merriman when other captains took charge of the ship.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Purchased March 2012 (Lib. Acc. 27562).
Related Materials
Correspondence and other documents relating to the ship Henry Failing are included in the Henry Failing papers, Mss 650, at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library. These include some of the letters written by Jacob Merriman and copied into his letterpress copybook.
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Ship captains--Correspondence
- Ships--United States
- Voyages to the Pacific coast
Personal Names
- Besse, William H.--Correspondence
- Failing, Henry, 1834-1898--Correspondence
- Merriman, J. (Jacob), 1843-1918--Correspondence
Corporate Names
- Henry Failing (Ship)--Records and correspondence
Form or Genre Terms
- correspondence
- letterpress copybooks
