Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The Zaccheus Brown notebook contains information compiled between 1782 and 1783 on arithmetic, sailing and navigation, and surveying, as well as a log of the Phoenix's voyage from New Jersey to the Virgin Islands in 1789. Mathematical and navigational problems are often illustrated with diagrams, and the volume also contains an example of a Mercator chart of the Caribbean.

The Zaccheus Brown notebook (175 pages) contains information on arithmetic, sailing and navigation, and surveying, as well as a log of the Phoenix's voyage from New Jersey to the Virgin Islands in 1789.

The first 112 pages, compiled from 1782-1783, are comprised of information about mathematics and sailing and contain a brief ship's log. Mathematical subjects include square and cube roots, geometry, and plane trigonometry; Brown copied and solved mathematical problems, which are often illustrated with diagrams. Instructions for aiming cannons appear in the section about trigonometry. Brown also described sailing methods such as plane, traverse, oblique, Mercator, parallel, middle latitude, and current sailing, as well writing instructions for turning a ship windward and for determining location. The parts of the volume concerning sailing also contain problems, diagrams, and an example of a "Plane Chart" and "Mercator's Chart." The Mercator's chart shows the locations of islands in the northern Caribbean Sea. The notebook's other subjects include the compass, calculating the phases of the Moon, and the Gregorian calendar. A final section pertains to surveying.

Zaccheus Brown's notebook also contains logs concerning the voyage of the Endeavour (9 pages) and the schooner Phoenix (58 pages). The Endeavour log, attributed to "L. H," notes the ship's journey "from the Cape" in late June and early July 1783. The Phoenix log details Brown's voyage from June 17, 1789-September 1, 1789 from Salem, New Jersey, to the Virgin Islands and back to Virginia. Some of Brown's daily entries about his voyage on the Phoenix include charts recording the ship's course and position, along with additional remarks on wind speed and direction. Brown occasionally discussed other aspects of his voyage, such as the pidgin language spoken by the ship's Dutch crew and his premonitions after bad weather and delays. He also described the port and the island of Saint Thomas, a Dutch colony (currently part of the United States Virgin Islands).

The volume contains illustrations of a man in the sun, a compass rose, and a fish and man; the latter drawings are flourishes on the heading for the section of the book on cube roots. The back endpaper includes a table of angles related to navigation.

This 30-page notebook by William Case Clark of South Kingston, Rhode Island, contains very brief notes on the 1776 British attack on Newport, Rhode Island, a copy of the numbers of soldiers of different ranks killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill, financial accounts for the purchase of foodstuffs in the 1780s, and a weather journal spanning January to May 1775. Clark also copied extracts from the poems "The Ballad of Chevy Chase" and "A New Song Called the Gaspee."

This 30-page notebook by William Case Clark of South Kingston, Rhode Island, contains very brief notes on the 1776 British attack on Newport, Rhode Island, a copy of the numbers of soldiers of different ranks killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill, financial accounts for the purchase of foodstuffs in the 1780s, and a weather journal spanning January to May 1775. Clark also copied extracts from the poems "The Ballad of Chevy Chase" (9 pages) and "A New Song Called the Gaspee" (3 pages).

The final page of the volume bears an illustration of a sailing ship.

This log book chronicles the actions of the United States Navy sloop Marion between June 1861 and January 1862. During this time, the Marion was stationed at Key West, Florida; "Ships Island"; and Dog Island, Florida, as part of the Gulf Blockading Squadron. Entries pertain to the ship's movements and sails, crew discipline, and other naval matters.

This log book (106 pages) chronicles the actions of the United States Navy sloop Marion between June 29, 1861, and January 24, 1862. During this time, the Marion was stationed at Key West, Florida; "Ships Island"; and Dog Island, Florida, as part of the Gulf Blockading Squadron. The emph page is signed by Edward A. Pendexter of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the first few pages of entries are signed by officers including John W. Brown, G. F. Philbrick, W. H. Swaine (or Swain), G. F. Pendleton, and J. W. Philips. The Marion served under the command of William H. Ball (June 29, 1861-September 13, 1861), N[athan] C. Bryant (September 14, 1861-November 7, 1861), and George W. Doty (November 7, 1861-January 24, 1862). The log notes Ball's burial at sea on September 13, 1861.

The Marion's log entries pertain to aspects of daily life onboard the ship, such as the use of sails, crew exercises, and ship and gun maintenance. Some refer to punishments for disrespect, intoxication, and attempted desertion; the affected sailors were often bound in irons. During the Marion's time at sea, the log provides information about the ship's course, winds, the temperature, and barometer readings, reported every few hours. The Marion sometimes encountered other ships, most often Union vessels, and its crew sometimes heard distant gunfire. The log includes at least one mention of a court martial (January 10, 1862). A small piece of paper with brief log entries dated July 27 and August 1 (no year given) is laid into the volume.

This volume contains logs for the United States Navy ships Constellation (December 1825-April 1827) and John Adams (July 1827-October 1827), kept by Alexander Hamilton Marbury.

This volume contains logs for the United States Navy ships Constellation (December 1825-April 1827) and John Adams (July 1827-October 1827), kept by Alexander Hamilton Marbury. Martha Louisa Marbury contributed a list of musical definitions and a lengthy essay on Greek and Roman history and mythology. Most pages bear traces of plants once laid between the leaves.

The bulk of the volume consists of the log of the ship Constellation from December 1, 1825-April 28, 1827, during its service in the Caribbean Sea under the command of Melancthon Taylor Woolsey and, after mid-February 1827, under Commodore Charles G. Ridgely. Alexander Hamilton Marbury wrote daily entries about the ship's movements, the use of sails, encounters with other vessels, and daily occurrences onboard and in port. While at sea, Marbury included hourly charts of wind direction and the ship's course. The Constellation sailed primarily between the ports of Port Comfort, Havana, Pensacola, Matanzas, and Newark. The log of the John Adams, which contains similar entries, pertains to the ship's Caribbean and Atlantic service under Edward R. Shubrick between July 27, 1827, and October 16, 1827. The ship sailed from and returned to Pensacola; the final entries refer to a trip to Virginia.

The final part of the volume is in the handwriting of Martha Louisa Marbury, who lived in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. She copied a list of Italian musical terms and definitions (2 pages) and wrote a lengthy essay about Greek and Roman history and mythology (28 pages). Some parts of the later essay pages have been removed from the volume.

The US Frigate Potomac collection is made up of a letter book and logbook concerning the ship's service along the Atlantic coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean in the mid-1840s. The letter book contains correspondence between Captain John Gwinn and various navy officials from 1844-1847, and the log chronicles daily incidents onboard the Potomac from 1844-1845.

The US Frigate Potomac collection is made up of a letter book and log book concerning the ship's service along the Atlantic coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean in the mid-1840s.

The Letter Book contains 107 pages of copied outgoing letters that John Gwinn wrote to various United States Navy personnel, such as Secretaries of the Navy John Y. Mason and George Bancroft, from October 11, 1844-December 29, 1847 (primarily in 1844 and 1845). The first letter is a copy of the Navy Department's official order for Gwinn to assume command of the Potomac, and the remaining letters pertain to the ship's service along the Atlantic coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean. Gwinn discussed the ship's movements, personnel, and maintenance. Many letters concern a leak sustained by the Potomac and its repair, and another group of letters addresses Gwinn's concern about possible cases of yellow fever on another ship. Gwinn wrote far less frequently after the Potomac's arrival at the Gosport Shipyard in December 1846, and his later correspondence includes a lengthy letter from Philadelphia with his opinions regarding possible improvements to the Pensacola Navy Yard (February 2, 1846). A letter by Gwinn dated July 3, 1847, is laid into the volume's back pages, alongside a transcription written directly into the book.

The Potomac's Journal (198 pages) is a log of the ship's movements and incidents onboard, with daily entries covering October 16, 1844-December 17, 1845. Entries written while the Potomac was at sea include charts with hourly records of the ship's course and wind direction, and every entry has prose remarks, often concerning weather conditions. The remarks also address issues such as activities at various ports, encounters with other ships, rations and cargo, and crew discipline and deaths. This log was compiled while the Potomac visited ports such as Norfolk, Pensacola, Port Royal, Port-au-Prince, Havana, and Veracruz. The final entry was written as the ship entered dry dock at the Gosport Shipyard. Two sheets of blotting paper are laid into the volume.

This collection is made up of correspondence and financial records related to vessels of the United States Revenue Cutter Service, United States Navy, and United States Merchant Marine in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

This collection is made up of correspondence and financial records related to vessels active in the United States Revenue Cutter Service, United States Navy, and United States Merchant Marine in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The materials relate to crews' wages, ships' cargoes and expenses, cutter construction, privateering, and other subjects. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

The donor has collected, arranged, transcribed, and annotated each document and has written a well-researched collection description.

Thomas O. LeRoy's journal contains log entries, diary entries, and drawings that he composed while sailing onboard the merchant ship Natchez from New York to Valparaíso, Chile, and back to New York between September 1841 and May 1842. LeRoy recorded the ship's progress, his observations about seafaring life, the scenery he passed, his travels in Chile, and other topics.

Thomas O. LeRoy's journal contains approximately 85 pages of log and diary entries that he composed while sailing onboard the merchant ship Natchez from New York to Valparaíso, Chile, and back to New York between September 1841 and May 1842. Also included are 9 drawings he made on the voyage, an inventory of the belongings he carried during the trip, and 7 pages of double-entry bookkeeping accounts of Captain Robert Waterman of the brig Konohassett and of Theodore Lewis of the brig Philip Howe.

LeRoy began his journal with a brief entry on August 28, 1841, and the Natchez set sail under Captain Robert Waterman on September 1. Between September 1 and November 11, LeRoy regularly kept detailed log entries documenting the ship's course, winds, and notable onboard occurrences. The log entries were often interspersed with prose accounts of life on the Natchez, in which he mentioned seeing birds and aquatic animals, and described the scenery, particularly after the Natchez reached the Brazilian coast. In early November, LeRoy interrupted his log with detailed descriptions of the scenery around Tierra del Fuego, and he resumed his regular entries until reaching Valparaíso, Chile, on November 15.

LeRoy recorded his impressions of the Chilean people and discussed his travels around the country, which included visits to nearby towns and to Santiago. He noted other ships in the harbor, reconsidered his decision to embark on a seafaring life, and discussed sailors' religious beliefs. The Natchez began its return journey on February 6, 1842, and LeRoy continued to write journal entries about his experiences onboard, sometimes mentioning his eagerness to return to his family. After a brief stop at Pernambuco, Brazil, the ship sailed through the Caribbean and, at a point of about 160 miles from New York, LeRoy composed his final entry, dated May 1, 1842. The journal is followed by an inventory of the belongings LeRoy brought along on his trip. He dedicated the volume to Midshipman Charles Cooper of New York.

LeRoy drew 9 pencil sketches during his time on the Natchez.

• Cape Horn
• Juan Fernandez, "the Island where Robinson Crusoe resided"
• Huasco, Chile
• "Attack on fort Moultrie by the British"
• "Ship Natchez... in a snow squall"
• "View of the Brazil Coast near El Salvador with Negro Fishermans Hut on a small rocky Island"
• Cape St. Augustine, Brazil, and Saint Aleixo Island
• Brazilian coast near Pernambuco, with a view of a "Coca Nut Plantation"
• View of Brazil near Cape São Roque

The volume holds 7 pages of double-entry bookkeeping accounts. These record the finances of Theodore Lewis of the brig Philip Howe and those of Robert Waterman during a trip to Asia onboard the Konohassett.

The collection focuses primarily on John Tailyour, a Scottish merchant who traveled to North America and Jamaica in the 1770s and 1780s to conduct business, before finally returning to his home in Scotland in 1792. His correspondence is heavily business related, centering especially on his trading of slaves, foodstuffs, and sundry goods. It also chronicles the current events in both Jamaica and the Empire. Many of Tailyour's correspondents debate the meaning and merit of the cessation of the slave trade in the late 18th century, as well as the military events of the American and Haitian revolutions, and of the Maroon rebellion of 1795. The papers also include letters between John and his family in Scotland regarding John's mixed-race Jamaican children. He sent three of his children to Britain to be educated, which caused much family concern. Tailyour's account books and financial papers relate both to his Jamaican estate and business, and to his Scottish estate, from which he received added income from rents. The accounts for this estate continue for several decades after Tailyour’s death in 1815. A number of disparate and miscellaneous letters, war records, photographs, and realia that belonged to various members of the extended Tailyour family date mainly from the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.

The collection has three substantial parts. The most comprehensive and cohesive section is the one concerning John Tailyour, until his death in 1815. The second part contains business papers and accounts related to the Tailyour estate. The third part is the least integrated, and consists of a variety of family papers, photographs, military memorabilia, and other miscellanea.

The Tailyour papers date from 1743 to 2003, with the majority of the collection concentrating in the period from 1780 to 1840. Within these bulk dates, are the two largest portions of the collection: the correspondence and accounts of John Tailyour until his death in 1815, and the account records of the Tailyour estate after 1815.

Seven boxes contain John Tailyour's personal and business correspondence of 3757 letters. The letters focus on Tailyour's mercantile activities in the Atlantic market, especially on the slave trade, its profitability, and the threat posed by abolitionists. Tailyour's correspondence also chronicles personal and family matters, including the education and provision for his mixed-race children from Jamaica. In addition, the collection contains four of Tailyour's letter books of 1116 copies of retained letters that cover the period from 1780 to 1810, with the exception of the years 1786-7 and 1793-1803. In these letters, Tailyour's focus is business, particularly as it relates to the slave trade, but he also includes personal messages to his friends and family.

Tailyour's business papers contain 32 loose account records, as well as five account books documenting the years between 1789-90 and 1798-1816. These primarily concern his Kingston and Scottish estates, including the expense accounts and balance sheets for each, as well as the finances of his merchant activities during the period. Finally, 38 documents of probate records for John Tailyour mainly relate to his landed estate.

The latter portion of collection within these bulk years (1815-1840) also contains correspondence and accounts, although the 228 letters are almost entirely concerned with business accounts. These focus on Tailyour's estate after his death, with John's brother Robert as the main correspondent. Additional materials include 1761 business papers that chronicle the finances of the estate, 11 account books, and 6 hunting books. The business letters and account books detail the estate's expense accounts and receipts, as well as the balances for their annual crops, salmon fishing business, and profits derived from the rents collected on their land. The hunting books contain descriptive accounts of the family's hunts and inventories of their hunting dogs.

The third, and final, part of the collection consists of Tailyour family records (bulk post-1815), including 49 letters from various family members in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries and five letterbooks, kept by Alexander Renny Tailyour and Thomas Renny Tailyour. 4 account books are also present kept by Alexander Renny Tailyour and others. Some of the records concern the First World War, including a group of prisoner-of-war records sent from Germany, and journals kept at home that detail news of the war, and daily domestic activities.

The family history documents include 64 genealogical records and 58 probate records. Many of the genealogical items are brief notes on family history, and sketches of the family tree, including a large family tree that spans several hundred years to the present day. The probate records contain one will from the late-nineteenth century, but are otherwise entirely concerned with John Tailyour's estate in the years immediately after his death.

Of the printed records, Memoirs of my Ancestors (1884), by Hardy McCall is a genealogy of the McCall family, and Tailyour's Marykirk and Kirktonhill's estates are described in two printed booklets, one of which is an advertisement for Kirktonhill's sale in the early-twentieth century. Other printed material includes 14 various newspaper clippings concerning the family over the years, and 12 miscellaneous items.

The illustrations, artwork, and poetry comprise 14 fashion engravings, 12 sailing illustrations, a picture of a hunting cabin, two silhouettes, and a royal sketch, all of which date from the early- to mid-nineteenth century. Kenneth R. H. Tailyour's sketches are represented in two sketch books created in his younger years (1917 and 1920). Loose records of poetry, as well as a book of poems from George Taylor, are in this section.

The 221 photographs are of the Tailyour family from the late-nineteenth to the twentieth century, with the majority falling in the early decades of the twentieth century. Most are portraits of the Tailyour family from the early twentieth century, particularly Kenneth R. H. Tailyour.

The 138 pieces of ephemera are, for the most part, postcards of foxhunts during the nineteenth century. These announce the almost-weekly family foxhunts during the middle years of the nineteenth century. The 19 items of realia, include Robert Taylor's quill pen from 1826.

The audio-visual portion of the collection contains three items: a compact disc with an audio interview of John Dann, Director of the Clements Library, on National Public Radio's "The Todd Mundt Show;" a compact disc with photos of the West Indies; and a collection of photographs of the Tailyour papers in their uncatalogued state, and of the festivities surrounding the acquisition of the collection.

Finally, miscellaneous material of 18 pieces includes Robert Taylor's commonplace book of short stories, letters, and poems; the catalogue of Robert Taylor's books; James Tailyour's 1771 style and form book; and a communion book.

This volume (209 pages) contains instructions, diagrams, and tables related to many aspects of sailing and British naval ships.

This volume (209 pages) contains instructions, diagrams, and tables related to many aspects of sailing and British naval ships. Multiple unidentified writers contributed to this book.

The first section is comprised of a manuscript excerpt from S. John Peschell's Observations upon the Fitting of Guns on Board His Majesty's Ships. Peschell, who was stationed on the HMS San Domingo in Bermuda, provided instructions for mounting, firing, and otherwise working with guns onboard a ship. He also discussed some differences between the Royal Navy and United States Navy, and wrote about the battle between the Shannon and the Chesapeake. The text is accompanied by charts showing elevations and depressions of the San Domingo's guns and a copied letter from several ship captains to Admiral Richard Bickerton.

The remainder of the volume consists primarily of notes about naval vessels, intended for commanders. They concern ship construction, sailing methods, gunnery and first aid. Some instructions are accompanied by diagrams. Other information includes recipes, a list of items to be placed next to a ship's guns, and notes about ammunition. The end of the volume contains accounts of quill tubes, powder, shot, and wads on an unidentified ship from 1824-1825, and a list of addresses.

Samuel S. Inglee maintained this logbook between 1852 and 1855 during several commercial fishing voyages off the Atlantic coasts of Massachusetts, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. The bulk of the entries record information including the hour, knots, fathoms, courses, winds, low water levels, and traverse tables. Inglee also provided general remarks, documenting nearby locations, weather, handling of sails, hauls of fish, and the latitude and longitude. He also commented on shipboard practices, such as food choices, work tasks related to fishing, encountering other ships, and taking soundings. At times, Inglee mentioned his emotional state, dislike of the fishing trade, and homesickness. Inglee also included several poems and lyrics in the volume with themes relating to seafaring, love, death, and other topics. The volume is bound in hand-stitched canvas covers, possibly sailcloth, with printed images pasted on the inside covers.

Samuel S. Inglee maintained this logbook between 1852 and 1855 during several commercial fishing voyages off the Atlantic coasts of Massachusetts, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. The bulk of the entries record information including the hour, knots, fathoms, courses, winds, low water levels, and traverse tables. Inglee also provided general remarks, documenting nearby locations, weather, handling of sails, hauls of fish, and the latitude and longitude. He also commented on shipboard practices, like food choices, work tasks related to fishing, encountering other ships, and taking soundings. The entries for September 21-23, 1852, mention seeing a shipwreck, trying to navigate the challenging area around Georges Bank, and finding their way to shore. At times, Inglee mentioned his emotional state, referring to homesickness, and on September 27, 1853, he noted his desire to give up seafaring. "...I hope that I never shall be dam fool enough for to go again. I have got enough this summer for to cure me from going to sea any more." On July 22, 1855, he reiterated his fatigue with sea life, calling himself "home sick fish sick and sick of the sea."

While most of the voyages are unnamed, Inglee did identify his trip which began in May 1853 as a "Voyage made from Kingston to the Grand Bank by the good Schooner Cosmus" under Otis Phinney, Master.

Later entries in the volume were written more as journal entries rather than logbook entries, commenting on weather, food eaten, tasks performed (including patching holes in his pants on July 29, 1855). He regularly noted the numbers of fish they caught, the names of nearby ships, their home port, and the size of their hauls. At times, upwards of one hundred other vessels were in sight, and Inglee occasionally referenced passing off letters to home. On June 11, 1855, Inglee recorded their captain going overboard and being successfully rescued.

Inglee also included several poems and lyrics with themes relating to seafaring, love, death, and other topics. The volume is bound in hand-stitched canvas covers, possibly sailcloth. Printed images are pasted on the inside covers, one of a sailing ship, "The Yankee Privateer," and the other of a man on a ship deck holding a sword, "The Smuggler King."