A silhouette of Captain Paul Cuffe (c.1812) and his compass (c.1800) will be part of a new exhibit at the Museum recognizing his life and accomplishments, opening Sept. 23 at 5:30 p.m. A new park will be dedicated in his honor on Saturday, Sept. 24. Lectures on Cuffe are also part of a two-day free public program, "Old Dartmouth Roots, a Genealogy & Local History Symposium, Sept 23-24.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum and its partners proudly present four free public programs over two days recognizing the life and accomplishments of Captain Paul Cuffe at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, September 23-24, culminating with the dedication of a park in his honor.

Paul Cuffe (1759-1817) was the free-born son of an African father and a Native American mother. A skillful mariner, he was also a successful merchant, philanthropist, community leader, civil rights advocate and abolitionist. In 1780 he petitioned for the right to vote as a landowner and taxpayer. He established the first integrated school in America and became an advisor to President James Madison.

On Friday, September 23, a genealogy presentation titled “The Cuffes and the Wainers,” will be offered by George Wortham, a Cuffe/Wainer descendant, at 1:45 p.m. in the Cook Memorial Theater.

At 5:30 p.m., the museum will open a new exhibit, the “Cuffe Kitchen Gallery.” The multi-media exhibit will highlight the gallery, which recreates an 18th century kitchen, the wooden panels of which came from Cuffe’s home in Westport. Funded in part by Mass Humanities, the exhibit will provide an opportunity to ponder the social and racial issues faced by Cuffe. A reception will follow in the Jacobs Family Gallery.

The evening will conclude with a keynote lecture, “Paul Cuffe, His Life and Times,” presented by award-winning Cuffe biographer, Lamont D. Thomas at 6:30 p.m. in the Cook Memorial Theater.

On Saturday, September 24, dedication ceremonies for Captain Paul Cuffe Park will begin at noon at Union Street and Johnny Cake Hill. Located on Whaling Museum property, the park is adjacent to the site where Cuffe operated his store, Cuffe & Howards.

The park’s designer, Nan Sinton, is a nationally recognized landscape designer, horticulturist and former director of public programs for Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum. The president and co-founder of Sinton & Michener Associates, Inc., Sinton has designed gardens throughout North America and Europe.

The new park incorporates a large compass rose within an elaborate terrace of brick, bluestone, granite and Belgian paving blocks that recall Cuffe’s own ship’s compass – part of the museum collection. Plantings include boxwood; bayberry and sea roses donated by Sylvan Nursery, Inc., Westport, Mass. Construction and plantings were executed by G. Bourne Knowles & Company, Inc., Fairhaven. The park will include new interpretative wayside panels on Cuffe’s life, produced by New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. The Cuffe commemorative plaque and new lighting were funded in part by a grant from the City Works Community Improvement Program, administered by the City of New Bedford Community Development Block Grant Program.

The park site previously included 20th century whaling equipment including a 1936 harpoon cannon now on exhibit in the museum plaza, and a small garden given by the Garden Club of Buzzards Bay in 2003. Club members will continue to oversee the new planting.

All events are free to the public and will be held at the Whaling Museum as part of “Old Dartmouth Roots: A Genealogy & Local History Symposium,” which is funded through a grant from the Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations (ECHO), administered by the United States Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement.

Old Dartmouth (modern-day Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, New Bedford and Westport) is a region steeped in history. Family histories – some recorded and many yet untold – each represent a unique thread in this region’s rich narrative. Come and learn how to explore your family’s past and discover its role in the growth of our region and the nation. Be prepared for new insights and surprises. As Helen Keller wrote, “There is no king who has not had a slave among his ancestors, and no slave who has not had a king among his.” Old Dartmouth Roots will reveal the intersection of history, destiny and opportunity in Old Dartmouth, which has produced countless inspirational stories.

Partners in Old Dartmouth Roots include the New Bedford Free Public Library (NBFPL), New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, New Bedford Preservation Society, New Bedford Historical Society, and other local community organizations.

Old Dartmouth Roots will feature presentations from several expert genealogists and historians. Keynote speakers include Judith Lucey, Maureen Taylor and Lamont D. Thomas.

Judith Lucey is Assistant Archivist, New England Historic Genealogical Association (NEHGS), Boston. She joined the staff of NEHGS in 2003, after receiving a B.S. in Education from Northeastern University and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College. In addition to her expertise on how to begin personal genealogy research, she specializes in Irish genealogy, Newfoundland, 19th and 20th century genealogy, Italian genealogy, and the history of Cambridge and Somerville, Mass.

Maureen Taylor is an internationally recognized photo identification and family history expert. The author of a number of books and magazine articles, she offers a range of dynamic, interactive seminars on photographs, genealogy, and history. Maureen has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Hallmark Television, “The View,” Better Homes & Gardens, the Boston Globe, Martha Stewart Living, MSNBC, PBS Ancestors, and more. The Wall Street Journal called her “the nation’s foremost historical photo detective.” Ms. Taylor will also be available for private consultations during the day for a fee.

Lamont D. Thomas is a Pulitzer Prize Nominee author and a retired university professor. He is a leading authority on the life and times of Captain Paul Cuffe. Thomas holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in history from Trinity College. He is the author of “Paul Cuffe: Black Entrepreneur and Pan-Africanist” and “Rise to be a People: A Biography of Paul Cuffe,” both published by University of Illinois Press.

Old Dartmouth Roots Schedule

Thursday, September 22, 2011

9:00 a.m.: Registration and Coffee – Jacobs Family Gallery, NBWM.

10:00 -10:15 a.m.: Welcome – James Russell, President NBWM.

10:15 -11:00 a.m.: “How to Get Started on a Genealogy Search,” presented by Judith Lucey, Assistant Archivist, New England Historical Genealogy Assoc. (NEHGS), Boston.

11:15 am-12:30 p.m.: “Panel on Local Resources in Various Libraries and Centers,” presented by Paul Cyr, NBFPL; Judy Farrar, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; Michael P. Dyer, NBWM.

12:30 -1:30 p.m.: Luncheon – courtesy of the NBWM.

1:30-2:45 p.m.: Concurrent Sessions – Common Threads: (a) “Introduction to Portuguese and Cape Verdean Genealogy,” presented by Judith Downey, NBFPL, and James J. Lopes, NBWM; (b) “History of Jewish New Bedford,” presented by Judy Farrar.

3:00-3:15 p.m.: Coffee and Refreshments.

3:30-4:30 p.m.: Concurrent Sessions: (a) “Quaker Roots: the Rodmans, Russells and the Rotches,” presented by Judith Downey; (b) “The French Canadians,” presented by Paul Cyr.

6:30 p.m.: “Sitting in New Bedford with the Photo Detective,” presented by Maureen Taylor, photo analyst and family history expert. Cook Memorial Theater, NBWM. This lecture is made possible by the Samuel D. Rusitzky Fund.

Friday, September 23, 2011

8:30 a.m.: Coffee and refreshments – Jacobs Family Gallery.

9:00-10:15 a.m.: Concurrent Sessions – Unlikely Connections: (a) “The Grinnells and the Howlands; the Jacobses and the Knoxes,” presented by James Grinnell and Katherine Culkin; (b) “Cemeteries of the Old Dartmouth Region – Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, New Bedford, and Westport,” presented: Joan Barney, NBFPL, Betty Slade, and Judith Navas Lund, former Curator, NBWM.

12:30 -1:30 p.m.: Luncheon – courtesy of the NBWM.

1:45-3:00 p.m.: Concurrent Sessions – Family Ties: (a) “The Cuffes and the Wainers,” presented by George Wortham; (b) “The Irish,” presented by Andrew Pierce.

3:00-3:15 p.m.: Coffee and Refreshments.

3:30-4:45 p.m.: Concurrent Sessions: (a) “Wampanoag Genealogy,” presented by Andrew Pierce; (b) “Decoding the History of Logbooks and Crew Lists,” presented by Michael P. Dyer and Judith Navas Lund.

5:30 p.m.: Opening of the Cuffe Kitchen Gallery, NBWM.

6:30 p.m.: Reception and lecture titled “Paul Cuffe, His Life and Times” presented by award-winning Cuffe biographer, Lamont D. Thomas. Jacobs Family Gallery and Cook Memorial Theater, NBWM.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

12:00 Noon: Dedication of Captain Paul Cuffe Park, northeast corner of Union Street and Johnny Cake Hill. In the event of inclement weather, the dedication will be conducted in the Cook Memorial Theater.

Also: Walking tours of the National Park, shuttles to Rural Cemetery will begin from the Museum plaza.

Old Dartmouth Roots is free and open to the public, however, pre-registration is preferred. To register, CLICK HERE or call Museum Admissions: (508) 997-0046, ext. 100.

All events are planned to be held at the New Bedford Whaling Museum or adjacent venues unless otherwise noted. All events are free except as noted. Admission to the Museum Galleries is subject to daily pricing schedules.

The nomination was made by Congressman Barney Frank. “The New Bedford Whaling Museum serves as an invaluable and unique resource that has been of great benefit for both scholars and the general public. In recognition of its extraordinary service to the community, I am pleased to nominate the Whaling Museum for an Institute of Museum and Library Sciences National Medal,” Congressman Frank said.

In noting the recognition, James Russell, Museum president and CEO said, “We are extremely grateful to Congressman Frank for his nomination as the Whaling Museum continues to evolve and tell the story of the region in new and inspiring ways which will be forever linked to the sea.”

Headquartered in Washington, DC, the mission of the IMLS is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development.

The IMLS National Medal is awarded to “selected institutions which demonstrate extraordinary and innovative approaches to public service and inclusiveness, exceeding the expected levels of community outreach, and may also include libraries and museums advancing global cultural understanding.”

The Museum’s Department of Digital Initiatives strives to keep up with electronic publishing and digitization trends.  While doing so we plan, as part of our ongoing website rebuild project,  to increase online access to the museum’s holdings, an idea which, if we follow Darnton’s thinking, puts us in the company of  Founding Fathers who wrote about  access to knowledge as an essential condition for a flourishing republic. It’s great to have a big idea to get behind.

As one notable New Bedford Whaling scholar noted ‘If you drove a tunnel from New Bedford through the centre of the earth you would most probably come out in the southern hemisphere, somewhere near Albany in Western Australia.’

Albany, where I live, is a long way from New Bedford. Certainly today, to travel the distance, can take in excess of 30 hours.

In 2009 the New Bedford Whaling Museum kindly offered me a scholarship-in-residence to carry out research in the Museum’s archives. I was happy to accept and, in 2010, arrived on a drizzly cool April Friday morning for a three week stay. The journey was worthwhile and the weather did improve.

In 2003 I had completed, courtesy of the University of Western Australia, a masters study of the whaling industry on the Western Australian coast, a study that spanned the years from before European settlement through to the modern age.  Much of my work on the 19^th century drew on Western Australian historical records and the comprehensive collection of whaling logs contained in the Pacific Manuscript Collection held at the Alexander Library in Perth. What was missing was an examination of a more detailed record that could better explain the American point of view: personal journals and letters, consular records, whaling logs not copied into the Pacific Manuscript Collection, and the financial records and papers of agents and owners.

In particular, I was looking for evidence that would help answer a number of questions: who were the Americans who discovered the New Holland Ground; what effect or influence, if any, did they have on Western Australia’s Aboriginal peoples and the recently arrived European colonists; what roles did different groups and individuals play in this relationship; how did the pattern of whaling on the New Holland ground change over time; and, what legacy did the Americans leave for future generations, with regard to the region’s natural environment, economic development,  and social and cultural evolution? The scholar-in-residence program provided an opportunity to examine these questions and more.

The seas around Western Australia are remote and isolated. In the 19^th century they stood at the very edge of the known world.  A place where, even at the time, Gulliver’s fantasies of strange, Lilliputian lands seemed strangely possible, even probable. Only the far distant and still unknown polar realms could exceed this figurative loneliness and unknowingness.

The seas and coast around Western Australia were also a place of ambiguous sovereignty. Although the shore and land had been claimed for the British Empire much of it remained unoccupied and unexploited by British colonists.  Those areas that had been settled were sparsely populated and vast distances separated the few established communities. In this environment the ability of the Crown to enforce colonial sovereignty was difficult.

For the American whaling industry such places offered undiscovered potential and opportunity: new whaling grounds, with an abundance of previously undisturbed whale species and free of territorial claims and boundaries, provided a bonanza of easy hunting and fast profits. These discoveries would lead to a whaling rush as ships from all ports and, unrestrained by any boundaries or limits, sailed to take advantage of the new discovery.

Success would last as long as whales could be caught or, until a new and more attractive ground was found. In the event of the latter the old would be abandoned within weeks and months.

The New Holland ground offered such success. For a short while in the late 1830s and 1840s it was the focus of many an east coast whaling merchant and captains’ attention. Estimates indicate that at the height of the boom, in the period 1840-1842, possibly in excess of 150 American whaling vessels were cruising on and off the Western Australian coast or, closer inshore, engaged in bay whaling.

The discovery of the New Holland whaling ground occurred in stages and comprised a collection of distinct and separate smaller grounds, spread across a vast body of water extending from the tropical Timor Sea, between Indonesia and Northwest Australia, to the sub-Antarctic seas of the southern ocean.

By the 1820s the Timor Sea was being successfully exploited as a sperm whale ground. Subsequent voyages led to a descent on the Western Australian northwest coast. The Rosemary Islands (the off shore waters near present day Port Hedland), were found to be the winter breeding ground of the humpback whale. Whaling grounds were also found in the south. Reports from the Government Resident at Augusta, near Cape Leeuwin on the southwest tip of Western Australia, indicate that by 1834 American whaling ships were cruising between that port and Bunbury to the north. On the south coast, at Albany, American whaling ships were observed as early as 1835. These latter vessels were mostly engaged in bay whaling for southern right whales to the east of Albany during the southern hemisphere winter.

Other whaling grounds were also discovered. Further south, at latitude 46 and, beyond. Here were found the summer grounds of the southern right whale while, towards the east, deep into the Great Australian Bight, were found sperm whales. They were also found on the west coast off Cape Leeuwin and Shark Bay.

Sperm whales were generally found in the deep waters of off shore canyons and the abyssal depths. Inshore, could be found humpback and southern right whales on their annual winter migrations between their winter breeding grounds off the north west and south coasts, respectively, and their summer breeding grounds in the higher latitudes. Other whale species, both great and small also swam in these seas; minke, killer, finn, blue and others.

The American whaling boom off Western Australia was short lived. The discovery of the rich and more abundant northwest Pacific and Arctic whaling grounds led to a rapid abandonment of the New Holland ground. By 1843 possibly less than a dozen American whalers were on the coast.

The effect of whaling on the southern right population was considerable. By 1845 it was reported that the south coast southern right bay fishery had been fished out and that southern rights, found on their summer grounds, were easily gallied and increasingly difficult to catch. In comparison sperm whales, humpbacks and other species appeared to be still abundant.

By the 1850s increasing numbers of American whalers were returning to the New Holland ground in search of sperm whales. They remained, despite the interruptions caused by the American Civil War, until 1888 when declining sperm oil prices made whaling in Western Australian waters uneconomical.

During this time Albany became a de-facto homeport. Whaling captains, often accompanied by their wives and children, remained for periods of up to three years making alternate cruises along the southern and western coasts and out into the Indian and even, on occasion, the Pacific Oceans. In the 1870s one of the best whaling grounds was described as being southeast of Albany and lying within site of Breaksea Island Lighthouse in King Georges Sound.

The historical record indicates that the Americans were able to exercise considerable economic influence on the small isolated communities along the West Australian coast. They provided a range of commercial services and goods not normally, or easily, available. These included passengers services between ports, maritime employment and training for local boys and men, trade in goods and even luxuries: haberdashery, ironmongery, clothing, tobacco, clocks and other items. In return they provided a source of income for local people, in particular through the provision of victuals, minor ship repair services, medical and later, in the case of Albany and, Fremantle to the north, consular assistance.

The growth in trade benefited the European settlers and to some degree the local Aboriginal peoples. The latter benefited from the trade in curiosities that flourished at the height of the boom in the early 1840s. Its collapse, following the decline in American bay whaling, sparked social disturbance and reignited conflict with European settlers as Aboriginal people attempted to find other sources of income and sustenance. This included spearing and taking the European’s prized livestock.

Trade with Americans enabled European settlers to increase and accumulate capital. While in the 1830s local merchants had some difficulty in financing small shore whaling ventures, by 1873 an Albany syndicate was able to purchase the New Bedford whaling barque Islander, which they operated successfully until 1884.

Perhaps one of the greatest attractions for the Americans was the proximity to the whaling grounds of a ready supply of whaling crew, deserters from previous voyages who, for what ever reason, had sought better prospects ashore and, now disappointed, were prepared to take their chances and return to the sea. Moreover, with advancements in steam ship technology, telegraph services and, the establishment of Albany as a strategic coal port on the steam ship route from Europe, Africa and India to Australia, American captains were able gain ready access to a network of comparatively fast communication services that connected them and, their crews, to agents and owners on the East Coast of the United States.

The evidence from the New Bedford Whaling Museum archives has added other dimensions to this history. It now seems more than probable that whaling captains from Salem were instrumental in the mid 1830s in discovering and opening up the southern right and even the sperm whale fishery off the South Coast. This does not exclude the probability of an earlier unrecorded discovery by Australian colonial whalers and, others, and certainly suggests an area for further research. Whether the Salem captains played a similar role off the west coast is still to be determined.

Important to the discovery was the way in which the New Holland Ground formed part of a system of other whaling grounds around and across the Indian Ocean. These in turn acted as a links or waypoints to whaling grounds in other Oceans and seas. Knowledge of the ground facilitated a truly global extractive industry based on annual seasonal and biological changes in the marine environment.  Ashore, the first Governor of the Swan River colony, Sir James Stirling, promoted the benefits of whaling ships engaging in a seasonal progress, following the prevailing winds and sailing eastward around the northern rim of the Indian Ocean to Madagascar and then, south and east along the sub-Antarctic rim back to ports in Western Australia.  Once arrived, these ships could tranship their cargoes for shipment back to Britain and the United States. They could then resume their anticlockwise progress.

The New Bedford archive has also thrown up evidence of individual experiences and perspectives. Whaling captains appear as amateur anthropologists and collectors; whaling wives as avid business entrepreneurs and social observers. Interesting is the disappointment with the place itself: Albany, the so called ‘city’, but really nothing more than a tiny fishing village; the rapaciousness of the Colonial administration in its pursuit of port and custom dues; a harsh judgement of Aboriginal peoples, possibly influenced by religiosity and previous encounters with what were seen to be more advanced Indigenous peoples from other lands; and the appalling bleakness and perceived emptiness of the western and north west coasts.

On the other hand there was close social intercourse with the European colonists. One whaling captain calling at Augusta near Cape Leeuwin, tried to win the charms of a local belle and was trumped by the more successful ship’s mate. The eventual marriage established a dynasty. At Albany, romance also led to marriage. A young 19 year old girl went to sea with her whaling captain to spend the rest of her days in New Bedford. Further north, at Geographe Bay, a 14 year old girl, ‘…a fair maiden of Australia’, sailed on a whaling voyage as companion to the Captain’s wife.

Also interesting are the copies of bills and accounts submitted by local merchants, which provide details of exact services bought and sold: evidence that can be used to increase understanding of the scale of the American trade. Amongst the accounts are names of local people, details of their employment and indications of their status and role in the community. At Albany men who could build jetties also came aboard to repair tryworks and other parts of the ship as did tin smiths who repaired well worn pots and pans. At the time the income earned from a visiting American whalers was not inconsiderable, especially in the then uncertain economy of colonial Western Australia.

The archives also help confirm that the there was a dynamic, vibrant yet naturally geographically distant relationship between the colonial communities of Western Australia and whaling merchants, captains and families in New Bedford and other whaling ports on the east coast of the United States. American 4^th of July celebrations were observed in Albany and the local merchants talked of the possibility of direct trade between their port and New Bedford. The departure of the last American whaling ship from Albany in 1888 marked the end of the relationship, but left the door open for renewal amongst the opportunities of the new century ahead.

This history also provides a shared legacy that resonates with the global village of today. Through the history of whaling the experiences of coastal communities in Western Australia can link to those of communities in New Bedford and others on the eastern American seaboard. These connections have no doubt a potential to provide economic, educational, social and cultural benefits to all.

Many of the questions raised during my research are only partially answered. Further study is required in particular of other archives and collections held by other institutions in the United States. Future visits and research will no doubt fill these gaps and help provide a more complete understanding of the history of the New Holland whaling ground.

In the meantime my notes, copies of letters, journals and accounts await even further examination in the pursuit of a very interesting history.

I would like to express my deep appreciation and thanks to James Russell, President of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Dr Stuart Frank, Senior Curator, Laura Pereira Librarian, Michael Dyer, Maritime Curator and Michael Lapides, Curator of Photography, for their kind assistance and support in making my visit to the New Bedford Whaling Museum possible.

I would also like to express my admiration and thanks to Henry Fanning and Jan Keeler, both Museum volunteers, for their support and amazing hospitality, patience and enthusiasm.

Adam Wolfe

26 Grey Street East

Albany, 6330.

Western Australia.

Email: wolfeaah@yahoo.co.uk

A  fascinating  discussion about the relationship between emerging technologies, primary source research, and libraries. (Run time, 1:54 minutes, takes a while to get to the meat of the topic). Posted online via MIT World™, a free and open site that provides on demand video of significant public events at MIT.

“Perhaps because he is a historian rather than librarian by training, Robert Darnton regards the vast ocean of digital information that civilization has begun accumulating with relish rather than anxiety. Darnton delves into European archives to find raw material, boxes of cast-off “ephemera,” for his stories of how people lived hundreds of years ago. No wonder he believes “it’s important to preserve as much as you can because you don’t know what will turn out to be significant.”

In conversation with David Thorburn and audience members, Darnton lays out why he finds more promise than peril in rapidly expanding digital collections.”

Today, the Gulf of Mexico is home to an estimated population of 1600 to 1700 sperm whales. Dr. Randall R. Reeves, a biologist with Okapi Wildlife Associates, Quebec, Canada, and an Advisory Curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum, noted that sperm whales “move through the water column to great depths, and they spend long periods at the surface ‘catching their breath’. Exposure to oil is inevitable, and it is very hard to imagine that such exposure will not be harmful to both the whales directly and to their prey.”

The display, which includes several whaling logbooks and charts from 1836 to 1932, is located in the Jacobs Family Gallery, an admission-free area of the Museum complex.

A stage in the manufacturing of rope. "Feed end of Spreader" (Photo by Joseph G. Tirrell)

Records of company directors and stockholders (1848-1958) including correspondence, minutes, reports, deeds and bills of sale for land or ships purchased by the firm, tax appraisals, and proposals relating to the company’s physical plant; correspondence, general accounts, employee’s wage book, and production and sales records reflecting the firm’s manufacture of binder twine, transmission rope, rope cables, and nylon rope for U.S. and world markets; product catalogs and advertisements (ca. 1911-1958); articles of organization of Cordage Institute, a national trade organization; and memoir and newspaper clippings concerning the history of the company. Includes information relating to National Cordage Company and Travers Brothers Company, both in New York, N.Y. Persons represented include Francis A. Bryant and Martin Walter, Jr., presidents of the company.

Original funds for processing this collection were provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Coach with two large rolls of cordage in front of the New Bedford Cordage Company. (Photo by Joseph G. Tirrell)

Visit our flickr set to view all photos in this collection.