Feb 07

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, part 3

Today, the third in a series of blog posts, the transcription the 1852 journal of Nimrod Headington, my fourth great-granduncle. [1]

Nimrod Headington (1827-1913), at the age of 24, set sail from New York in February 1852, bound for San Francisco, California, to join the gold rush and to hopefully make his fortune. The Panama Canal had not been built at that time and he sailed around the tip of South America to reach the California coast.

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, p.1

Nimrod Headington kept a diary of his travels and in 1905 he made a hand-written copy of his 1852 journal for his daughter Thetis O. Tate. This hand-written copy was eventually passed down to Nimrod’s great-great-granddaughter, Karen (Liffring) Hill (1955-2010), who was a book editor. During the last two years of her life she transcribed Nimrod’s journal, which documents his travels between February of 1852 and spring of 1853.

Today, the third installment of Nimrod Headington’s 1852 journal, “Trip to California.” Nimrod’s diary continues in Brazil, 39 days after sailing from New York:

BRAZIL

Thursday fine weather and good sailing in latitude 20°14’. We came in sight of the Brazilian Mountains. We amused ourselves by looking at them all day, as we had not seen land for 30 days.

These mountains are very high and can be seen a great distance from off the sea. The mountains are covered with low bushy trees. Thousands of wild cattle can be seen feeding in the mountains, by the aid of the spyglass, and all kinds of wild animals.

March 24. We came in sight of Rio, and the light at Rio de Janeiro. The wind grew so strong that we had to tack ship and stand out to sea because we could not reach the port before dark. No vessels are allowed to enter or depart from this port after the sun goes down.

The next morning it was almost a calm, but we headed for port. At four o’clock we passed the first Fort. They hailed us from the fort, saying, “Where are you from and how many days out?” Our captain answered, “From New York, 39 days out.” In five minutes one of the custom house officers was on board of our ship, and he ordered the captain to let go anchor or the second fort would fire into us. The captain paid no attention to the officer, and when we got opposite the second fort, they cried out, “Cast your anchor immediately!” The anchor was let loose. If it had not been done, they would have fired into our ship and perhaps sunk us, as the custom of this port is to allow no foreign vessel to pass the second fort without a special permit from the first fort and from the custom house office.

A guard boat is stationed halfway between the fort and the city to prevent passengers from landing or smuggling anything to or from our ship. The custom house officer examined the ship’s papers and inquired about the health of the passengers and crew and whether we had any sickness on board since we left the port at New York and if any had died. As we had only had one death and all was well, he left us well satisfied for us to land. But previous to our landing at this port, we had prepared a petition to the

American consul at this place, asking him to aid us in chartering another vessel to take part of our passengers, as we were suffering for want of room and ventilation.

As soon as the anchor was dropped, the captain gave orders that none of us should go ashore until the next morning. He thought to visit the consul first and arrange things to suit himself, but we beat his game easy, for we had some long heads in our crowd. About the time the sun set in the west and the shades of night set in, a small boat manned by two Portuguese came along the side of our ship, and without the knowledge of our captain, we lowered a man by the name of Abott from the state of Maine down into the boat by the aid of a rope and told the men to take him ashore as fast as possible. He was soon on shore and at the office of the consul armed with our petition setting forth our grievances. It being late Saturday evening, the consul told Mr. Abott to come to his office on Monday morning at ten o’clock, and at the same time he wrote a note for Mr. Abott to hand to our captain, and as the note was not sealed, he read it was a notice to the captain to appear at the same hour.

The next morning, Sunday, the captain was preparing to go on shore with his [lady] when Mr. Abott stepped up to him and handed him the note from the consul. Oh, but he was surprised! He asked Abott where he got the note and was told “at the office of the American consul.” He asked Abott if he had not seen his order that no one should go on shore until Sunday morning. Abott answered, saying, “Captain your ship is not laden with cattle, but with free-born American citizens, who have some rights that you are bound to respect.” [2]  

To be continued, with more from Brazil…

Nimrod Headington (1827-1913)

I will post Nimrod’s journal in increments, but not necessarily every week.

[1] Nimrod Headington, the son of Nicholas (1790-1856) and Ruth (Phillips) (1794-1865) Headington, was born in Mt. Vernon, Knox County, Ohio, on 5 August 1827. He married Mary Ann McDonald (1829-1855) in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1849 and they had a son a year later. Nimrod moved to Portland, Jay County, Indiana, by 1860. He served in the 34th Indiana Infantry during the Civil War as a Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, and Major. Nimrod died 7 January 1913 and is buried in Green Park Cemetery, Portland. Nimrod Headington is my fourth great-granduncle, the brother of my fourth great-grandfather, William Headington (1815-1879).

[2] Nimrod Headington’s journal, transcription and photos courtesy of Ross Hill, 2019, used with permission.

Feb 04

Tombstone Tuesday–Michael J & Barbara (Geisler) Grieb

Michael J & Barbara (Geisler) Grieb, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of Michael J and Barbara (Geisler) Grieb, located in row 8 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

GRIEB
Michael J
Grieb
Geboren
Den 26 Jan 1819
Gestorben
Den 11 Feb 1903

Barbara
Grieb
Geboren
1839
Gestorben
Mar. 14, 1929

Grieb, Michael J Grieb, born 26 Jan 1819, died 11 Feb 1903; Barbara Grieb, born 1839, died 14 Mar 1929.

Michael Johann Grieb was born 26 January 1819 in Gerabronn, Wuertemberg, according to Zion Schumm’s records. Michael’s wife Barbara Geisler was born in Germany in 1839, according to her tombstone, but on her death certificate, her date of birth is unknown and her age is about 90. [1] Her death is not recorded in Zion Schumm’s records at all. I do not know the names of the parents of either but Barbara Geisler may have had siblings living in the area.

Michael immigrated in 1852 and his wife Barbara immigrated in 1849. [2] 

This may be Michael Grieb in the 1860 census, Willshire Township, Van Wert County: Michael, age 40, born in Wuerttemberg, real estate value $500, indexed as Michael Creep on Ancestry.com. [3]

Michael Greib married Barbara Geisler on 9 January 1867 at Zion Lutheran, Schumm, according to the church records and Van Wert County Marriages. In the church record his name is shown as George Michael.

Michael and Barbara had two children after their marriage, Elizabeth, born in 1867, and John, born in 1869.

The Michael Grieb family in 1870: Michael, 50; Barbara, 30; Elizabeth, 2; and John, 11 months. This enumeration also indicates that both parents were born in Germany. [4]

The Michael Grieb household in 1880: Michael, 60; Barbara, 40; Margaret E, 13; and John E, 10. [5] 

The 1900 census gives more information. The Michael Grieb family in 1900: Michael, 86, Maggie, wife, age unknown; Lizzie, 32; and John, 30. The couple had been married 32 years and she had given birth to 2 children, both of whom were living. Michael’s wife is shown as Maggie in this enumeration and the person being interviewed does not know her date of birth or her age. I assume this was his wife Barbara. They were both born in Germany, Michael immigrating in 1852 and Maggie [Barbara?] in 1849. [2] 

Michael Grieb died of a bladder infection on 11 February 1903. He was 84 years and 25 days old and was buried on the 13th, according to the church records.

In 1910 and 1920 widow Barbara Grieb lived with her two single children, John and Elizabeth, near Willshire. In 1910: John, 41; Barbara, 70; and Elizabeth, 22. This enumeration indicates that Barbara immigrated in 1850. [6] The Grieb household in 1920: John, 50; Barbara, 82; and Lizzie, 51. [7] John’s occupation was farmer.

Barbara (Geisler) Grieb died in Willshire Township, Van Wert County, from a cerebral hemorrhage, on 14 March 1929. She was buried on the 17th. [1]

John and his sister Elizabeth remained in the family’s home after their mother’s death. [8] 

Daughter Elisabeth Grieb died 28 April 1938 and son John Grieb died 12 May 1951. John is buried in Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm.

[1] “Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953,” Van Wert County, Barbara Greb, 14 Mar 1929; database with images, FamilySearch.org  (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-95WJ-9K52?i=2794&cc=1307272&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AX8PV-CNM : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[2] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 98, p.10, dwelling 181, family 186, Michael Greeb; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020). [note: Barbara’s name may have been Margarethe Barbara and she may have been called Maggie in this census. The christening name of their daughter “Elizabeth” was Margarethe Elizabeth.]

[3] 1860 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.426, dwelling 1081, family 1075, Michael Creep; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/ : viewed 3 Feb 2020).

[4] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.436B, dwelling 104, family 105, Michael Croep; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/ : viewed 10 Jan 2020).  

[5] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p.449B, family 119, Michael Greup; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[6] 1910 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 114, p.3B, dwelling & family 60, John Grieb; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[7] 1920 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 146, p.4B, dwelling 88, family 89, John Grey; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[8] 1930 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 24, p.5B, dwelling 113, family 116, John Krieb; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

Jan 31

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, part 2

Today, the second in a series of blog posts, the transcription the 1852 journal of Nimrod Headington, my fourth great-granduncle. [1]

Nimrod Headington (1827-1913), at the age of 24, set sail from New York in February 1852, bound for San Francisco, California, to join the gold rush and to hopefully make his fortune. The Panama Canal had not been built at that time, so he sailed around the tip of South America to reach the California coast.  

Nimrod Headington (1827-1913)

Nimrod Headington made a hand-written copy of his 1852 journal for his daughter Thetis O. Tate in 1905. This original hand-written copy stayed in the family and was eventually passed down to Nimrod’s great-great-granddaughter, Karen (Liffring) Hill. Karen, a book editor, died of cancer in 2010, at age 55. During the last two years of her life she transcribed Nimrod’s journal, which documents his travels between February of 1852 and the spring of 1853.

The second installment of Nimrod Headington’s 1852 journal, his “Trip to California.”

MARCH 1852

Sunday, March 1st. This does not appear like a Sabbath day to me. All hands working all day putting up masts and spars and passengers engaged in all kind of amusements—some playing cards, dice, or checkers, while others were reading or singing. It is anything to kill time.

March 2nd. Masts all up again, and we now are under full sail again, heading southeast and running 12 knots an hour in latitude 23°15’. It is quite warm so that a number of the passengers slept on deck.

The next day we struck trade winds again in latitude 20°34’. We had good sailing and smooth sea, which is very acceptable after being in a storm and seasick for so many days.

The next day, the passengers began to grumble about not getting enough to eat. The captain was waited on and notified of the condition of things in the galley kitchen, but he paid no heed to our complaint. So under the circumstances, we formed a board of health, and the next evening, we gathered on deck and proceeded to elect officers, making Captain Copeland president, Mr. John Gomd vice president, and L.D. Shelden secretary, and a committee of six to see that the rations were properly cooked and at the proper time and to see that the decks were kept clean and to report to the doctor if any were sick and needed medicine.

Friday, March 5th. Fair winds and plenty of it. We headed south by east, running 14 knots per hour in latitude 14°12’. The wind continued to blow from the same direction until Sunday, March 7th, when the wind changed to northwest and continued from that direction for four days and nights. This morning finds us in latitude 4°30’. We came in sight of another vessel off our lee bow, which seemed to be heading right toward us and soon came up in plain sight, and when about two miles off, she hoisted her colors. Then up went the Stars and Stripes on our gallant ship. She came nearer and nearer until within speaking distance. Our captain came out with his speaking trumpet and hailed the other ship, saying, “Where are you from? How many days out? Where are you bound for?” And she answered from Calio, “40 days out and bound for Hamburg.” She was a Spanish bark. We gave them three cheers, and our colors dropped, and soon we were out of sight.

The next morning, it rained powerful hard. The wind went down, and the sea was calm all day. The next day, we sighted another ship light astern. There being little or no wind, she could not run up to us. The next morning, she was still in sight. Our captain, being anxious to speak to her, set back sails and at eight o’clock a light breeze struck up. We hoisted our colors, and in a minute the beautiful Stars and Stripes were up on the other ship. This was a beautiful sight to see—an American ship plowing her way through the blue water toward us. She soon came up to us, and our captain lowered a lifeboat and four sailors to row and went on board the other ship. What his business was we did not know, but we thought perhaps as we were then getting very short [on food] and on allowance. And were afraid that we should run out entirely. This ship was The Marian of New York bound for Rio de Janeiro.

March 13th. Today we crossed the equator. Four hours after crossing the line, we had finer winds and good sailing. We came in sight of another ship but not close enough to speak. The winds increased, and we are running at a rapid rate. The passengers are all merry on account of such fine sailing and fine weather. When the captain took the sun’s altitude the next day at noon, we were in latitude 5°29’ south latitude. The winds continued from the same direction. The captain began to be afraid of running ashore. He went aloft and saw on our lee bow land. And he immediately came down and changed our course, and we are now running south by east running 10 knots an hour.

The ship’s doctor—we had on board a Dr. Morgan of Philadelphia—had laid in a fine supply of liquors and had it all marked Castor Oil, pretending that it was for the passengers as medical supplies, but some of the stevedores, whose business it is to get provisions and water out of the hold found out that the vessels were filled with cherry brandy of the best kind, and they broke into the caskets and handed out the liquor by the bucketful, and such a drunken set of sailors probably never was seen on board of a ship. All the stevedores, steward’s cooks, and sailors and some of the passengers were drunk. The next day, the captain found out where they got their liquor, and he sent the stevedores down into the hold and had all the caskets marked Castor Oil hoisted up on deck and then rolled it all into the sea.

The next day was very pleasant, and some of the passengers climbed up into the rigging, and the sailors thought it a good time to have some fun, and they followed them up and tied them fast to the rigging. Some of the passengers were too supple and got down without being caught.

Sunday came, and oh, what a beautiful day! We were then in latitude 18°15’, and while I was eating my breakfast, some one of the passengers cried out, “Breakers ahead!” The mate cursed him and told the man he was a damn fool, but he went aloft to see, and there he saw rock on every side. He was not slow coming down, and he called out, “All hands on deck!” to warn the ship. We ran within 50 feet of two rocks on our starboard side and could see a number more on the larboard side [2]. Had it been in the night, we should have been smashed to pieces and gone to the bottom of the sea, but we got off safely, and we were soon out of sight of those rocks, and I hope we shall not encounter another such school of rocks.

The next day it was calm until evening, when the wind set in from the northwest and blew very hard so that we had to reef sail. [3]

To be continued…

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, p.1

I will post Nimrod’s journal in increments, but not necessarily every week.

[1] Nimrod Headington, the son of Nicholas (1790-1856) and Ruth (Phillips) (1794-1865) Headington, was born in Mt. Vernon, Knox County, Ohio, on 5 August 1827. He married Mary Ann McDonald (1829-1855) in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1849 and they had a son a year later. Nimrod moved to Portland, Jay County, Indiana, by 1860 and a couple years later served in the 34th Indiana Infantry during the Civil War as a Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, and Major. Nimrod died 7 January 1913 and is buried in Green Park Cemetery, Portland. Nimrod Headington is my fourth great-granduncle, the brother of my fourth great-grandfather, William Headington (1815-1879).

[2] Larboard side: archaic term for port side.

[3] Nimrod Headington’s journal, transcription and photos courtesy of Ross Hill, 2019, used with permission.

Jan 28

Tombstone Tuesday–John E. Grieb

John E Grieb, Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Van Wert County, Ohio. (2012 photo by Karen)

This is the tombstone of John E. Grieb, located in row 3 of Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio. The marker is inscribed:

JOHN E. GRIEB
1869-1951

Johann Eberhard “John” Grieb, was born 27 August 1869 near Willshire, Ohio, the son of George “Michael” (1819-1903) and Barbara (Geisler) (1839-1929) Grieb. He was baptized at Zion Schumm on 23 January 1870, with Eberhard Zimmerman and Johann Bienz serving as his sponsors.

The Michael Grieb family in 1870: Michael, 50; Barbara, 30; Elizabeth, 2; and John, 11 months. This enumeration indicates that both parents were born in Germany. [1]

The Michael Grieb household in 1880: Michael, 60; Barbara, 40; Margaret E, 13; and John E, 10. [2]  

The 1900 census gives a little more information about the Michael Grieb family: Michael, 86, Maggie, wife, age unknown; Lizzie, 32; and John, 30. The couple had been married 32 years and she had given birth to 2 children, both of whom were living. Michael’s wife is shown as Maggie in this enumeration and the person being interviewed does not know her date of birth or her age. I assume this was his wife Barbara. They were both born in Germany, Michael immigrating in 1852 and Maggie [Barbara?] in 1849. [3] 

John’s father Michael Grieb died in 1903 and in 1910 John lived with his widowed mother and his sister Elizabeth near Willshire: John, 41; Barbara, 70; and Elizabeth, 22. This enumeration indicates that John was single, that he farmed, and that his mother was born in Germany and immigrated in 1850. [4]

The John Grieb household in 1920, shows John living with his widowed mother and his sister: John, 50; Barbara, 82; and Lizzie, 51. John’s occupation was farmer. [5]

John’s mother Barbara (Geisler) Grieb died 14 March 1929. She and her husband Michael are buried in row 8 of Zion Schumm’s cemetery and share the same tombstone.

John and his sister Elizabeth remained in the family’s home after her death and were enumerated in the 1930 census: John, 58; and Elizabeth “Lizzie”, 61. John’s occupation was farmer. No occupation is given for his sister Elizabeth. [6]  

John’s sister Elisabeth Grieb died 28 April 1938 and John lived by himself in 1940: John, 69, still listed as a general farmer. [7]  

John died at the Adams County Home, Rural Route Decatur, of a heart attack on 12 May 1951. He was 81 years old and had been at the County Home for two years. He was buried on the 15th, with Rev. P. Kuhlberg officiating at the service. [8]

John never married.

It was interesting, as well as challenging, to find the Grieb surname in the various census enumerations. Their name was spelled differently in just about every census. The footnotes below show are how Ancestry.com has the Grieb name indexed, to help others find the family in the censuses.

[1] 1870 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, p.436B, dwelling 104, family 105, Michael Croep; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/ : viewed 10 Jan 2020).  

[2] 1880 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 154, p.449B, family 119, Michael Greup; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com, (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[3] 1900 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 98, p.10, dwelling 181, family 186, Michael Greeb; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[4] 1910 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 114, p.3B, dwelling & family 60, John Grieb; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[5] 1920 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 146, p.4B, dwelling 88, family 89, John Grey; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[6] 1930 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 24, p.5B, dwelling 113, family 116, John Krieb; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[7] 1940 U.S. Census, Willshire, Van Wert, Ohio, ED 81-28, p.10B, home 211, line 75, John Krcib; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com  (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442/ : viewed 11 Jan 2020).

[8] Indiana Death Certificates, Coroner’s Certificate of Death, 1951, Roll 5, Indiana Archives and Records Administration, Indianapolis, IN, John Grieb, 12 May 1951; digital image by subscription, Ancestry.com. And, records of Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Van Wert County, Ohio.

Jan 24

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852

It was 1852. Gold was discovered in California a couple years before and young men were rushing to California to stake their claims, hoping to strike it big and make their fortunes.

This was also the dream of one of my ancestors, Nimrod Headington.  

Nimrod Headington (1827-1913)

Nimrod Headington was the son of Nicholas (1790-1856) and Ruth (Phillips) (1794-1865) Headington. Nimrod was born in Mt. Vernon, Knox County, Ohio, on 5 August 1827, and moved to Portland, Jay County, Indiana, by 1860. He served in the 34th Indiana Infantry during the Civil War as a Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, and Major. Nimrod died 7 January 1913 and is buried in Green Park Cemetery, Portland. Nimrod Headington is my fourth great-granduncle, the brother of my fourth great-grandfather, William Headington (1815-1879). [1]

Nimrod married Mary Ann McDonald (1829-1855) in Delaware County, Ohio, in 1849. [2] They had a son a year later. Despite the fact that he had just started a family, Nimrod took off for California in February of 1852, hoping to stake his claim on a profitable gold mine. As were so many others, he was hoping to strike it rich. In February of 1852 he traveled to New York, where he boarded a ship bound for San Francisco, sailing all the way around the tip of South America to get there. This was before the Panama Canal was constructed and was evidently a good way to get to California from the east coast.  

One of the best things about Nimrod’s journey is that he kept a journal of his travel by ship to California and of his time in the California gold fields, panning for gold.

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, recopied by him in 1905.

Last year a reader shared Nimrod’s journal with me. His late wife Karen (Liffring) was a great-great-granddaughter of Nimrod Headington and she had acquired the original handwritten journal from her father John Liffring. The journal has been in the Liffring family since 1905, when Nimrod made a hand-written a copy for his daughter Thetis O. Tate. Karen (Liffring), who was a book editor, died of cancer in 2010, at age 55. During the last two years of her life she transcribed Nimrod’s journal, which documents his travels between February of 1852 and spring of 1853. [3]

Nimrod Headington Journal, 1852, recopied by him in 1905.

Today begins a series of blog posts, the 1852 journal of Nimrod Headington. I hope you will find the journal as interesting as I do.

START OF THE TRIP

On the night of February 16th, 1852, we weighed anchor at New York and hoisted sail bound for San Francisco, California, with 330 passengers on board the clipper ship Race Hound. Commanded by Captain Copeland, the ship was a beautiful specimen of her kind: a three-mast clipper ship and copper bottom with a larger-sized hound in running position trimmed in gold on her bow. 

On February 17th, we were under full sail and headed southeast and ran 13 knots per hour. The sea was quite rough, which made many of the passengers sea sick—some of them moaning as if in great pain, others vomiting, while a few others were laughing at their distress. As for myself, I escaped being seasick but felt somewhat distressed to see so many in distress. You could hear all kinds of remarks—some praying, some wishing they had never started. One poor fellow said, “If I was at home with my mother, I would stay there!”

February 18th. The wind continued from the same direction and increasing every hour. The sea became very rough and the waves ran high, and occasionally a spray would dash over the side or bow of the ship, wetting those on deck all over. Then those that escaped would roar with laughter while those who got soaked would hunt for dry clothing.

The wind and the weather continued about the same until Saturday, February 19th, when we struck the trade winds. The wind changed and came from the west, and the sea ran down, and the passengers began to recover from their seasickness.

Sunday came, and it was a beautiful day. The sun shown so brightly on the deep blue water. No land in sight. It was warm and pleasant on deck, and everyone that was able to crawl was on deck. We had some notebooks, and we enjoyed the day in singing, making little speeches, and telling stories. There were quite a number of good singers and some musicians in our company, several violins, and some horns.

About eight o’clock that night, the wind changed to the northwest and blowed tremendous hard at ten o’clock. Our top mast and main [topgallant] mast was carried away by the storm. This left us in a very bad condition. The ship presented a horrible and pitiful-looking spectacle. Many of our passengers were considerably frightened, and I will not say that I felt at all easy over our situation. I made it a point to watch and converse with the sailors. They are so very harshly treated by the ship’s officers that they are glad to talk to anyone who will talk kindly to them, and when I could see that they were not frightened, it made me feel better, as I was not seasick any. I had good opportunities to talk with them when they were not busy.

This storm continued until Wednesday, the 25th, when it cleared up and was pleasant, but the sea waves ran high for several hours. The sailors all hands went to work, taking down the broken spars and ropes and preparing to erect new ones.

On the 26th, a Mrs. Bresler, the wife of a merchant of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, died. She was on her way to join her husband, who had gone to California a few months before. The funeral service was led by the ship’s captain, and she was buried the same day. There being no minister on board, it is the duty of the captain to officiate. He read the 15th chapter of Corinthians and a few of us gathered around the corpse as it lay on the plank, ready to be lowered into the sea and sang “Jesus, Lover of My Soul.” This was a sad sight for those who had never been to sea.

February 27th. The sea has run down. The day is pleasant and almost calm, which very moves in our favor—being dismasted. It gave the sailors a chance to erect new masts and spars.

February 28th. Two of the ship’s crew got to fighting, and the people on board crowded around. The fighters brought all on one side of the ship until they came very near capsizing us. The captain cried out to trim ship, and a rush was made for the other side, and soon the ship was all right.

To be continued…

I find it interesting that Nimrod mentions the names of people, some of whom died onboard the ship. It makes me wonder if there is any other record of their deaths, or perhaps their families never knew what happened to them.

I will post Nimrod’s journal in increments, but not necessarily every week.

[1] Tombstone Tuesday—Nimrod Headington, Karen’s Chatt, 13 Oct 2013.

[2] “Ohio County Marriages, 1789-2013,” Delaware, Vol. 2, no. 212, Nimrod Headington & Mary Ann McDonald, 22 Nov 1849; online database, FamilySearch.org  (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BG9B-6Y?i=93&cc=1614804&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AX8XB-BF7 : viewed 16 Jan 2020).

[3] Nimrod Headington journal, transcription and photos courtesy of Ross Hill, 2019, used with permission.