Diary of William Chancellor, 1750 May 18 - 1751 May 10
Abstract
In September 1749, the sloop "Wolf" departed from New York on a slaving voyage to the coast of West Africa. Working on board as the ship's doctor, William Chancellor of Philadelphia, recorded his accounts of the voyage in a diary. One volume, either lost or destroyed, covered the period from September 1749 to mid-May 1750. The surviving volume is entitled "Continuation of a Voyage from New York to the Coast of Africa in the Sloop Wolf Gurnay Wall Command." Chancellor's diary entries detail the misery he witnessed amongst the captured Africans on board. Dozens died from disease and violence, including four men who were drowned after attempting to revolt against the crew.
The earliest entry in the surviving volume is dated May 18, 1750, and the last was recorded on May 10, 1751, when the "Wolf" anchored at New York City after a slaving expedition that lasted twenty months. However, both the pagination and the chronology are incomplete--there are duplicate page numbers and pages bearing no number at all. Additionally, there are six pages missing.
Dates
- 1750 May 18 - 1751 May 10
Conditions Governing Access
Public use of the Diary of William Chancellor (1750-1751) is restricted to microfilm or digital surrogate of microfilm. For microfilm, see reel MS 899.
Extent
1 Volumes
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Scope and Contents
The E. A. Williams Papers (1749-1969) include personal and business papers (letters, financial records, legal agreements), documents, genealogical material, photographs, and other papers of the Williams family of Mecklenburg County, Virginia.
Most of the papers are those of Captain Edwin Anderson Williams, and relate to his activities as a lawyer, bank trustee, treasurer of the Roanoke Valley Railroad, tax collector, tobacco grower, and Confederate Army officer. His papers date from 1828-1873, and include letters, financial papers, legal papers, and tax accounts. His papers document his varied business and public activities and have references to slaves and the Civil War, but reflect little of his private life.
The letters of Captain Williams' second wife, Lucy Kennon, and his sons Carter N., Thomas Nelson and Henry S. Williams, daughters-in-law Rosa Haskins and Sue Withers, and his daughter Alice Kennon Williams complement his papers by reflecting family life. The letters of Alice Kennon Williams (1865-1878) are courtship letters from numerous suitors.
The papers of Edwin Anderson Williams, III include letters and documents and photographs relevant to family history (1908-1928). Also, two volumes of genealogical material, Plain Facts About Some Virginians and its index are included.
A significant item in the collection is the diary of William Chancellor (1750-1751), a ship's doctor who kept a diary during a slaving voyage from New York to the coast of West Africa.
Creator
- From the Collection: Williams, Capt. Edwin Anderson, 1828-1873 (Person)
- From the Collection: Williams, Edwin Anderson, 1878-1948 (Person)
- From the Collection: Chancellor, William (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org