This collection is made up of 9 letters to Israel Snow regarding shipping and other nautical subjects in the early and mid-19th century, as well as a letter from Snow to his wife Lucy and a copy of a deed.
Israel Snow received 8 letters from professional acquaintances between October 2, 1829, and November 21, 1849, mostly regarding vessels, captains, and shipments of goods along the Atlantic seaboard and to New Orleans. He corresponded with men in Norfolk, New York, and Philadelphia, and received news from his home in Thomaston, Maine. Though most writers focused on cargo, consignments, ship arrivals, and finances, others commented on personal issues; for example, Israel Thorndike briefly mentioned his attempt to establish a school (December 12, 1836). The remaining items are a letter from Israel L. Snow to his father about business in Mobile, Alabama, written on a printed "Merchants' and Planters' Price-Current" (October 12, 1850), and a letter from Snow to his wife Lucy, concerning his safe arrival in Hull, England, and his plans to return home (August 27, 1840). The document is a copy of a deed between Daniel Weed and John Jameson pertaining to land in Thomaston, Maine (original dated March 9, 1804; copy dated September 12, 1844). The copy was mailed to Israel Snow.
Israel Snow was born in Maine around 1801. He worked as a ship captain on board vessels such as the schooner Maria (1829), the brig Snow (1835-1836), the brig Lucy Ann (1842), and the barque Star (1848). He lived in Thomaston, Maine, and later moved to Rockland, Maine. In 1850, he and his wife Lucy lived in Rockland with seven children: Lovina, Israel L., Lucy A., Susan E., Eliza T., Lydia T., and Charles W. Israel L. Snow also went to sea.
