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MH 16 Benjamin Crowninshield Family Papers Revolutionary War. With the captain’s permission he left the ship and joined the American militia, only to be wounded at Bunker Hill. He then began a successful career as a ship master and merchant, commanding a number of Crowninshield family vessels including the ships America, Belisarius, and Prudent. In 1817, his cousin George Crowninshield asked him to command the yacht Cleopatra’s Barge on a pleasure voyage to Europe. He then served as Collector of Customs for the Marblehead/Lynn, Massachusetts district from 1821-1830. Crowninshield was a member of the Essex Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in Salem, joined the Salem Marine Society in 1794, and became a member of the East India Marine Society in 1799. He married Mary Lambert (1760-1851) on November 9, 1780 and they had five children: Benjamin (1782-1864); Maria (1789-1870); Hannah (1789-1834); Elizabeth (1794-1870); and Jacob (1799-1849). Benjamin Crowninshield died in 1836. Benjamin Crowninshield (1782-1864) was born in 1782 to Benjamin Crowninshield (1758- 1836) and Mary Lambert Crowninshield (1760-1851). He attended school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and later transferred to the College of William and Mary in Virginia. Known as “Philosopher Ben,” he accompanied his father on the voyage of Cleopatra’s Barge and kept a detailed journal of the trip. From 1816-1822, with the exception of his voyage in 1817, he represented his brother-in-law John Crowninshield’s interests in New Orleans. He died unmarried in 1864. Hannah Crowninshield Armstrong (1789-1834) was born on June 28, 1789 to Benjamin Crowninshield (1758-1836) and Mary Lambert Crowninshield (1760-1851). She was a talented portrait painter and artist. On March 29, 1819, she married James Armstrong (1794-1868) in the Crowninshield house in Salem, Massachusetts where the Reverend William Bentley resided. She died on May 4, 1834 at age 45. Armstrong later married Elizabeth Crowninshield (1794-1870) in 1836. Jacob Crowninshield (1799-1849) was born on March 10, 1799 to Benjamin Crowninshield (1758-1836) and Mary Lambert Crowninshield (1760-1851). Jacob joined the United States Navy at age fourteen, moving up the ranks from midshipman to lieutenant to Inspector of Provisions in 1843. The highest rank he achieved was that of captain. On June 9, 1825, he married Harriet Wallach (1802-1885) and they had six children: Mary R. (1831-1916); William Wallach (1833-1874); Benjamin Carlton (1835-1875); Harriet Wallach (b. 1840); Daisey B. (b. 1842); and Jacob (b. 1843). In 1848 Jacob was ordered to command the USS St. Mary’s of the Pacific Squadron. He was detached from that command in 1849 and died at sea on July 9, 1849, while returning from duty aboard the Pacific Mail Steamer Oregon. Mary R. Crowninshield (1831-1916) was born in Danvers, Massachusetts on April 8, 1831 to Jacob Crowninshield (1799-1849) and Harriet Wallach Crowninshield (1802-1885). She grew up surrounded by relatives and friends who were a part of the United States Navy, Army, and government. She herself volunteered with the United States Sanitary Commission, a precursor of the Red Cross, during the Civil War. She lived in the Crowninshield home in Boston, at the corner of Chestnut and Mount Vernon Streets, only a block away from the Navy Yard. In her later years she traveled to different countries with her various relatives. She died on June 4, 1916 in Cienfuegos, Cuba, at the house of her nephew, Richard Milne Bartleman, Jr., United States Consul. William Wallach Crowninshield (1833-1874) was born on April 4, 1833. He joined the United States Navy at age eighteen and rose to the rank of Acting Volunteer Lieutenant. During the Civil War he was in Confederate custody. By 1865, he was Acting Master in the United States Navy and one of several individuals who positively identified the body of John Wilkes Booth on board the USS Montauk. In 1866 he was court-martialed on charges of drunkenness while on duty. He was later stationed in Yokohama from 1869 to 1870. He died on January 3, 1874. Benjamin Carlton Page 2 ©2012, Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum
MH 16 Benjamin Crowninshield Family Papers Crowninshield (1835-1875) was born on April 2, 1835. He was a merchant and served as First Officer aboard the ship Horatio. He died on December 24, 1875. SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE The Benjamin Crowninshield Family Papers include the shipping, business, and personal papers of Benjamin Crowninshield, his son Benjamin, Jr., and a series of other descendants of Jacob and Hannah Crowninshield. The bulk of the collection is made up of the writings of Benjamin Crowninshield, Jr, along with material related to the naval careers of Jacob Crowninshield (1799- 1849) and his son, William Wallach Crowninshield (1823-1874). Finally, there is a significant amount of correspondence to and from Mary R. Crowninshield (1833-1916) along with papers of related families and friends. This collection has been arranged into six series. Series I. Benjamin Crowninshield (1758-1836) Papers include ships papers, Custom House papers, accounts and receipts, estate papers, correspondence, and personal papers. This series is arranged into three subseries. Subseries A. Ships Papers include a ledger, day book, and detailed invoice for a shipment of jewelry on the ship Prudent. The ledger includes disbursements and charges relating to the detention of Prudent at Algeciras in 1800-1801, along with accounts for the ship America at Reunion. The day book holds various personal accounts, including material on rental properties, and shipping accounts for the ships Prudent and America. Additional papers are included for the ships Alexander and Belisarius, the sloop Commerce, the brig Eunice, and the schooner Peggy. Subseries B. Business Records include Custom House papers documenting Benjamin’s work as collector for the Marblehead/Lynn district, along with folders for accounts and receipts and legal documents. Subseries C. Personal Papers include correspondence, the majority of which is made up of letters from William McLeod, a merchant agent that worked for Benjamin. There are also estate papers comprised of correspondence between executors John Crowninshield and Benjamin Merrill, along with notes, memos, and certificates from the Salem Marine Society, Essex Lodge, and the Bunker Hill Monument Association. Series II. Benjamin Crowninshield (1782-1864) Papers include correspondence, notes, and writings from 1785 to 1871.This series is arranged into two subseries. Subseries A. Personal Papers include correspondence, accounts and receipts, newspaper clippings, three commission merchant cards, notes, and a portrait, presumably of Benjamin Crowninshield himself. Of particular note in the correspondence is a draft letter by Benjamin dated 1804, describing a conversation with Thomas Jefferson and a letter from Thomas Paine concerning Benjamin’s subscription to “The Prospect” and current political affairs. Letters after 1810 are largely associated with efforts to obtain a military pension on behalf of his mother. Subseries B. Writings include journals, essays, reviews and collection writings. The New Orleans journals contain poetry and personal observation of the business climate and social character of that city. The journals written on board Cleopatra’s Barge describe the progress of the voyage and the cultures of various European localities. Although some sections of the journal are not bound in chronological order, this material represents the most complete first-hand account of the voyage available. Volume 1 of the Cleopatra’s Barge journal has been temporarily removed from the collection and is on exhibition in the Cleopatra’s Barge exhibit in the Putnam Gallery in the Peabody Essex Museum. The essays and reviews are on topics of science, history, philosophy, and a number of pages of notes and portions of other essays. Collected writings are published materials most likely used as sources for Benjamin’s own writings. Series III. Jacob Crowninshield (1732-1774) Papers include the personal and business papers of Jacob Crowninshield and his wife Hannah Carlton Crowninshield. This series is arranged into two subseries. Subseries A. Personal Papers include papers for the sloop Resolution, personal ©2012, Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum Page 3
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Finding Aid - Peabody Essex Museum

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