Carolyn Ravenscroft, Archivist & Historian

This article was originally published in the Lamplighter Newsletter, Summer 2016

Duxbury’s rich maritime history stretches back to the early days of settlement. There were some “firsts” here and there during our colonial days, including the first vessel built on Duxbury’s shores, but many of these early achievements went undocumented and remain in the murky past. There are later recorded milestones, however, that give Duxbury’s mariners a unique place in history. After the Revolution, Duxbury ships and sailors became the first Americans to enter ports around the globe. Four such stories can be found in the archival collections of the DRHS.

Samuel Delano Jr. was the son of a Duxbury shipbuilder. His successful career as a shipwright and seaman has always been overshadowed by the famous exploits of his older brother, Capt. Amasa Delano. Recent revelations, however, have assured Samuel’s place in history. In 1791, as a sailor aboard the brig, Grace, under the command of Capt. William Douglas, Samuel Delano became one of the first Americans to enter a Japanese harbor. Japan had been closed to Westerners for over 150 years when the Grace arrived in Koshimoto alongside the American brigantine, Lady Washington, under Wareham, MA’s Capt. John Kendrick. The log kept by Delano relating to this adventure was donated to the DRHS in 2007 by the Hoyt family, and it contains his rare first-hand account. [1] You can read the log here.

Almost a decade after Delano’s voyage, the American ship Industry entered the port of Ancona on the Adriatic Sea, flying the stars and stripes. On March 9, 1800, Capt. Gamaliel Bradford wrote his wife Elizabeth, “…in this port we have had the honor of displaying the first American flag ever to be seen here – the people have been very curious to visit our ship, and I am constantly fatigued with questions about our country which they appear to have a very imperfect idea of.”[2] The voyage would end badly for Capt. Bradford. Four months after he penned his letter to Elizabeth, the Industry was attacked by French privateers in the Straits of Gibraltar. During an hour-long battle, Gamaliel was wounded in the thigh and disabled. His brother, First Mate Gershom Bradford, took command and repelled the enemy. Gamaliel’s wounds were such that his leg was amputated. He survived the surgery and continued his maritime career. His brave brother, Gershom, built our Bradford House museum at 931 Tremont Street.

In 1824, eleven-year-old Jacob Smith traveled aboard the brig Globe with his father, Capt. Jacob Smith Sr. He visited many ports, including Malaga in Spain, Elsinor and Copenhagen in Denmark, and Stockholm in Sweden. But it was in St. Petersburg that he made his mark as the first American child to visit the Russian court. Perhaps because the United States was viewed as an untamed wilderness, he was considered such a curiosity that “Baron Stiglitz took him home to show his wife, so she might be convinced he was white all over.” Jacob went on to have a very successful life at sea before settling down in Westford, MA, as a gentleman farmer and civic leader.

Finally, there is Ezra “King Caesar” Weston’s brig Smyrna under the command of Capt. Seth F. Sprague. In 1830, the Smyrna became the first American vessel to be granted permission to sail into the Black Sea by the Ottoman Empire. The DRHS has the log book of this historic voyage in which Capt. Sprague wrote, “Received my ferman to pass the Bosphorus Sea, the first was ever granted to the American flag.” A day later, he recorded, “5pm pass the point of the Bosphorus and entered the Black Sea, there is beautiful vileges [sic] as you pass up the Bosphorus.” [3] The Smyrna’s voyage has long been celebrated in Duxbury. During the Tercentenary in 1937, a float commemorating the event was part of the parade.

[1] Amasa and Samuel Delano Collection, DAL.MSS.014
[2] Bradford Family Collection, DAL.MSS.024
[3] Capt. Seth F. Sprague Collection, DAL.MSS.104