Martha's Vineyard Museum
A Finding Aid to the Edwin Ambrose Whaling Research Papers
Table of Contents
Descriptive Summary
Repository | Martha's Vineyard Museum Gale Huntington Research Library 59 School Street P.O. Box 1310 Edgartown, MA 02539 (508) 627-4441 |
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Call Number | RU 517 |
Creator | Ambrose, Edwin R., 1928-2009 |
Title | Edwin R. Ambrose whaling research papers |
Date | 1947-1950 |
Extent | 2 boxes (1.581 cubic feet) |
Language | The materials are in English. |
Abstract | The collection contains mostly photocopies documenting research done by Edwin R. Ambrose while working on catalog descriptions of Martha's Vineyard Museum's logbook collections and a series of articles regarding Martha's Vineyard and its whaling history. |
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions.
Use and Reproduction Restrictions
Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to the library's staff. Reproduction fees may apply.
Preferred Citation
Martha's Vineyard Museum, RU 517, Edwin Ambrose Whaling Research Papers.
Acquisition Information
These materials were produced by Edwin R. Ambrose during his time as a volunteer at the Martha's Vineyard Museum and therefore were not processed as a donation. The materials were presumably donated by his wife or family sometime around his death in 2009.
Publication Information
Martha's Vineyard Museum
Gale Huntington Research Library59 School Street
P.O. Box 1310
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508) 627-4441
Processing Information
Finding aid prepared and machine-encoded by Nathaniel Janick in February 2015.
Creation of this finding aid was sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Alexander Barclay
- Braganza
- Charles W. Morgan
- Chase
- Chili
- Commodore Roberts
- Emma Jane
- Hecla
- Hesper
- Java 2
- Junior Christmas
- Laconia
- Midas
- Minnesota
- Oscar
- Rose Pool
- Vineyard
- Virginia
- William Thompson
Genre(s)
- Logbooks
Geographic Name(s)
- Martha's Vineyard (Mass.)
Personal Name(s)
- Smith, George Fred
- Manter, Henry
Subject(s)
- Whaling--Massachusetts--Martha's Vineyard
- Whaling--New England--History
- Whaling--Social aspects--New England--History
Biography/Historical Note
Edwin R. Ambrose was born on July 23, 1928, in Syracuse, New York, the oldest of three children. His family moved to Detroit, Michigan, when he was the age of 10. After high school graduation, He joined the Marines, stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina, for the last year and a half of World War II. Following the Marines, he attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in history in 1952. While living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he met his wife, Nancy, and the two married in 1953. In 1959, Ed and Nancy and their three children, Robert, William, and Sarah, moved to Darien, Connecticut.
Ed began his business career as a salesman with Abex Corporation and remained with the company for over 35 years, last as a director of export and licensing. Most of these years were spent traveling around the world, with Japan and India among his most frequent destinations. He circled the world 37 times. In 1988, Ed and Nancy moved to Gaborone, Botswana. Ed had a contract with USAID, consulting with the Botswana Ministry of Commerce and Industry and writing speeches for the President of Botswana. After four years in Africa the couple retired to the Vineyard.
Ed volunteered for the Land Bank and the Martha’s Vineyard Museum. From 2000 to 2003, he was the Research Editor of the Dukes County Intelligencer at the Martha's Vineyard Museum. During that time, he wrote a series of articles about the whaling industry and how it affected life on Martha's Vineyard.
Ed loved sailing, owning many sailboats over his lifetime. His favorite was his first boat, the Willy Wisp, a Pearson/Alberg 35 that he sailed in Corinthian races on the Great Lakes as well as the East Coast. Ed was once a member of the Noroton Yacht Club and the Edgartown Yacht Club.
Edwin R. Ambrose died on March 18, 2009.
Scope and Content Note
The collection contains mostly photocopies documenting research done by Edwin R. Ambrose while working on catalog descriptions of Martha's Vineyard Museum's logbook collections and a series of articles regarding Martha's Vineyard and its whaling history. There are photocopies of logbooks, articles and excerpts about whaling history, clippings, and other materials related to the history of whaling and Martha's Vineyard.
Arrangement
The collection is loosely arranged by the following topics, and therein, alphabetically:
- Logbooks
- Whaling captains
- Mariners
- Whaling
- Whales
- General topics/Miscellaneous
Collection Inventory
Box | Folder | |||
Materials regarding whaling logbooks at the Martha's Vineyard Museum library, circa 2000 | 1 | 1 | ||
Materials regarding Martha's Vineyard Museum whaling logbooks, circa 2000 | 1 | 2-3 | ||
Materials regarding miscellaneous logbooks, circa 2000 | 1 | 4 | ||
Notes regarding logbooks of the ships Chase, Chili, Oscar, and Vineyard, circa 2000 | 1 | 5 | ||
Materials regarding logbook of the Alexander Barclay, circa 2000 | 1 | 6 | ||
Notes concerning and photocopy of logbook of the ship Braganza, circa 2000 | 1 | 7 | ||
Materials regarding logbook of the Charles W. Morgan, circa 2000 | 1 | 8 | ||
Log data sheet and photocopy of the logbook of the Commodore Roberts, circa 2000 | 1 | 9 | ||
Materials regarding logbook of the Emma Jane, circa 2000 | 1 | 10 | ||
Materials regarding logbook of the Hecla, circa 2000 | 1 | 11 | ||
Log data sheet and photocopy of the logbook of the Hesper, circa 2000 | 1 | 12 | ||
Materials regarding logbook of Java 2, circa 2000 | 1 | 13 | ||
Materials regarding logbook of Junior Christmas, circa 2000 | 1 | 14 | ||
Photocopied excerpts from the logbook of the Laconia, 1993 | 1 | 15 | ||
Materials regarding the logbook of the Minnesota, circa 2000 | 1 | 16 | ||
Materials regarding the ship Midas, circa 2000 | 1 | 17 | ||
Materials regarding the ship Oscar, circa 2000 | 1 | 18 | ||
Materials regarding the logbook of the Rose Pool, circa 2000 | 1 | 19 | ||
Materials regarding the ship Virginia, 1847-1851, circa 2000 | 1 | 20-21 | ||
Materials regarding the logbook of William Thompson, circa 2000 | 1 | 22 | ||
Materials regarding whaleship William Thompson, circa 2000 | 1 | 23 | ||
Martha's Vineyard whaling captains (3 folders), circa 2000 | 1 | 24-26 | ||
Materials regarding whaling captains (2 folders), circa 2000 | 1 | 27-28 | ||
Materials regarding Captain Henry Manter, circa 2000 | 1 | 29 | ||
Materials regarding Captain George Fred Smith, circa 2000 | 1 | 30 | ||
Materials regarding Martha's Vineyard mariners, circa 2000 | 1 | 32 | ||
Materials regarding mariners, circa 2000 | 1 | 33-37 | ||
Materials regarding officers and crews, circa 2000 | 1 | 38-39 | ||
Materials regarding wages of whalemen, circa 2000 | 1 | 40 | ||
Glossaries of whaling terms, circa 2000 | 1 | 41 | ||
Research materials from the New Bedford Free Public Library Whaling Project, 2002 | 1 | 42 | ||
Materials regarding New Bedford whaling voyages, 2002 | 1 | 43 | ||
Materials regarding whaling, circa 2000 | 1 | 44 | ||
Materials regarding whaling history, circa 2000 | 1 | 45 | ||
Materials regarding whale hunting, circa 2000 | 1 | 46 | ||
Excerpt on whaling ports, circa 2000 | 1 | 47 | ||
Materials regarding whaling ships, circa 2000 | 1 | 48 | ||
Martha's Vineyard whaling voyages, circa 2000 | 1 | 49 | ||
Materials regarding whaling wives, circa 2000 | 1 | 50 | ||
Materials regarding whales (2 folders), 1996-circa 2001, undated | 2 | 1-2 | ||
Materials regarding Northern Right Whales, 1998-2000 | 2 | 3 | ||
Materials regarding sperm whales, circa 2000 | 2 | 4 | ||
Excerpt regarding whale attacks, circa 2000 | 2 | 5 | ||
Materials regarding Kendall Whaling Museum, 1999 | 2 | 6 | ||
Packet from 25th Annual Whaling History Symposium at the Kendall Whaling Museum, 2000 | 2 | 7 | ||
Photocopy of 1859 Vineyard Gazette article, circa 2000 | 2 | 8 | ||
Materials regarding schools, 1998, undated | 2 | 9 | ||
Materials regarding shipwrecks, 2003, undated | 2 | 10 | ||
Introduction [?], circa 2000 | 2 | 11 | ||
Sources (2 folders), circa 2000 | 2 | 12-13 | ||
Voyages [?], 1998-2002, undated | 2 | 14 | ||
Miscellaneous materials, circa 2000-2001, undated | 2 | 15-16 | ||