Collection is open for research.
Purchased from Charles Apfelbaum in 1994 (Lib. Acc. 25094).
The Olive S. Southard was a wooden cargo ship that transported goods to and from Portland, Oregon, in the 1880s. It often shipped lumber. Its captain was M. H. Walker (1836-1899).
Sources: Articles and advertisements in the Oregonian, 1881-1888; census and vital records on Ancestry.com; obituary in the Biddeford Daily Journal, April 7, 1899.
Records of the cargo ship Olive S. Southard, Coll 991, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
The collection consists of records of the cargo ship Olive S. Southard, including correspondence to and from its captain, M. H. Walker, and financial documents. Much of the correspondence written by Walker is addressed to the firm T. J. Southard & Son of Richmond, Maine, while many of the letters to Walker are from the firm Taylor, Young & Co. of Portland, Oregon. Financial records include bills of lading, receipts, and canceled checks. Other records include a complaint that Walker filed in Astoria, Oregon; a report for an inspection of the ship; and an 1887 certificate that includes the names of the ship's crew.
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.