Once upon a time ... just kidding. Thanks to John Ottinger of Wisconsin, we can all have a brief glimpse into William McK's life. The California Historical Society has entries from two journals that William kept. In John's usual generous spirit, he has shared with me what the Historical Society sent him, and shares with you by means of my summary.
The first is a portion of a diary William kept during his voyage to California, sailing from Baltimore, Md. around South America's Cape Horn in 1849. His trip began with his departure in January and ended on July 21st when the ship docked at San Francisco. According to the coverpage the Historical Society provided, the diary was found on the floor of the home at the Carson Ranch in Stockton, Ca. in the year 1934. There is only a portion of the trip notes present, with the first entry dated February 1st.
William speaks about various types of fish including those that fly, and birds he saw while on his voyage in the ship named "Jane Parker". Porpoises and whales made their appearance every now and then. Portuguese Man of Wars were seen, and the sight of crabs and sharks were noted as well. He described the weather and speed of the ship in each entry. A mental picture is painted with the words he uses to describe the various landscapes he sees.
Fairly early in the trip he speaks of some of the passengers complaining about lumber that was on deck. I gather it wouldn't take long to feel cramped even if on deck. The agreed upon solution was pooling their money to purchase the wood. After the owner accepted the offer of the $48 dollars collected by the group, the lumber "was consigned to the sea" except for a small amount which the Captain stowed away for usage on the ship. I thought this was a solution that seemed to satisfy all involved. Another comical anecdote in the story, but serious from a passenger's position, was the great chicken escape. The chicken coop door fell and five chickens managed to make a break for it. Two were immediately subdued, but three flew overboard and were found bobbing on the ocean's swells. A sailor had a rope tied around his waist, and lowered over the side to fetch them, knowing if he failed to do so meant a great loss in the egg supply for the majority of the trip. After being swallowed by the ocean several times, he caught his feathered escapees. He was reeled onboard to the sound of cheers and applause.
William and other passengers seemed to take great pleasure when they'd view another ship. On one occasion there was an exchange of information such as points of departure and where they were headed. He seemed to take great comfort in the fact that the "Jane Parker" was a rather fast ship, and handled herself well in very rough seas.
I gained even more of an appreciation for our immigrant ancestors who sailed from England and Germany while reading this diary and the next which you'll find a summary of below. You come to understand how precious water was on these types of voyages. I can imagine it got pretty dicey "down below". During one rainstorm, people gathered on deck to get refreshed in the rainfall and gather water for drinking and washing.
Our diarist had the company of two of his brothers on this trip, Joseph and Joshua. They attended service on Sundays, and on February 5th even celebrated William's birthday onboard with a meal consisting of "good beef", hominy, potatoes and for dessert were treated to a Minced Pie prepared by the cook. On Feb. 22nd, George Washington's birthday was commemorated with a salute "fired on the forecastle". The band played the "Star Spangled Banner" followed by poems and more songs alternately performed, including "Hail Columbia" and "George Washington's Farewell Address". He states that, "The exercises were concluded by extending an invitation to the after cabin passengers to the ball to be held" that evening.
In the entry for March 12th, William visits the port of Rio de Janeiro. He speaks of the beautiful flowers he saw, the "Emperor's Palace and the Market House" which he describes as a square of houses that you could access on each side of the square. The shops were entered by doors for each once in the courtyard. He states, "Fruit in abundance, guinea pigs, parrots and monkeys" were for sale. In his opinion, the prices had been raised for them. He estimated that two-thirds of the people he saw were "Africans". On a website about Rio, I read that many blacks had been brought there in that era to be used on the coffee plantations.
This portion of the 1849 diary ends with a notation dated March 19th.
-The Return Home for a Two Year Visit to Baltimore-
The family members in this journey are: Wm. McKendree Carson, diarist;(Isa)Belle, Wm's wife; daughters Annie, Kate, Hattie and Grace; sons Edward and Owen; Old John, the Chinese cook, reported to be "Nursemaid", according to the Hist. Soc's note, the only way Wm. Could get him on board. Most of the family members became seasick at one point or another, but Grace was sick with intermittent fever for eight of the twenty-three days of the trip.
The first entry of William's journal is dated November 3, 1870. He speaks of leaving San Francisco on the steamer "Colorado". As with the diary entries above, he notes the weather conditions and according to the Calif. Historical Society, "Almost scientific interest in nature by his description of birds, plants, and sea life" each day. Unlike the first voyage, he doesn't state the ship's speed.
On Nov. 8th he says that the steamer "Constitution" was signaled and came alongside. Papers were exchanged. He doesn't say what type of papers. He mentions that the seas were very rough and everyone but himself was ill. By the 10th it seems all were back to normal with the exception of his daughter, Grace. On the 11th they arrive at Acapulco. Unlike the vacation spot that it presently is, in 1870 William described the town as, "very ancient and dilapidated". He said it appeared as though, "no improvements had been made in the last century". I couldn't believe the prices of fruit in his day. Of course, salaries weren't what they are today. Five "cocoanuts" were 6 1/2 cents, large oranges were 1 cent, and limes and lemons were 60 cents per hundred. On the 13th they arrived at San Jose. At that time the town consisted of 6 houses and a wharf.
On Thursday, November the 17th, they were in the Bay of Panama. They boarded a ferry steamer that took them to shore. The family then caught a train in Panama station headed for Aspinwall, across the Isthmus of Panama. A "heavy storm" came up. Upon arrival at their destination, they found the steamer "Arizona" waiting for passengers and baggage. The next day William describes the difficulty involved in keeping the ship in position at the wharf. He said the steam was kept up in order to leave the dock at once if necessary. It was not safe for the ship to stay in the harbor because of the seriousness of the storm. His journal shows that one passenger and three native Panamanians drown. The "Arizona" moved into the Caribbean waters, "with a very heavy sea and high wind". Due to the severity of the weather, the ship sailed with little notice to those still on land who had booked passage. Some passengers were left at the dock. Thousands of bananas were left on the wharf as well.
According to a web page hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in November of 1870, there was an "Atlantic tropical cyclone". They've determined that the storm reached hurricane status based upon reports from the ships "Silver Star" and "Nymph".
The William McKendree Carson family's voyage ended one week and two days following the quick departure from the port of Aspinwall. I'm sure they were all relieved to enter the narrows off Staten Island. They were required to wait one more hour onboard for the Port Physician. -End-
-Progress of the Voyage From San Francisco to Balto., Via New York-
Nov. 3, 1870 Left San Francisco
Nov. 4 Passed Point Conception
Nov. 6 Passed San Bonita Nov. 7 Passed Santa Maria Bay and located off Magdalena Bay
Nov. 8 Passed Cape St. Lucas
Nov. 9 Crossing Gulf of California
Nov. 11 Arrived at Acapulco
Nov. 12 Off Gulf of _________
Nov. 13 Close to Guatemalan shore. Stopped at San Jose
Nov. 15 Very close to coast of Costa Rica
Nov. 17 In Bay of Panama and disembarked & Train ride across isthmus.
Nov. 18 Ship left port in hurricane-like conditions
Nov. 19 Passed through "Carribean Sea".
Nov. 20 Passed Island of Mavis
Nov. 21 In "full sight of Cuba and Haytie", and passed among the Bermuda islands.
Nov. 24 Saw lighthouse on Cape Hatteras
Nov. 25 Passed Cape May, N.J.
Nov. 26 Entered the narrows off Staten Island, N.Y. and waited for Port Physician.
If you would like a copy of William's journals, you can give the California Historical Society a call and request it. Visit their site by clicking HERE.
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