Francis Grey Ford Wadsworth ivory and scrimshaw
Scope and Contents
This collection includes 57 pieces of ivory and scrimshaw believed to have been collected by Francis Grey Ford Wadsworth in Alaska and around in the late 1800s. Carvings include bear figurines, seal figurines, polar bear figurines, walrus figurines, fox figurines, human figurines, sled figurines, a folding fan, pipes, elephant figurines, and bow drills.
Dates
- Creation: Undated
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with Archives & Special Collections staff.
Biographical / Historical
Francis Grey Ford Wadsworth was born to Captain Alexander Wadsworth (1808-1900), a ship master, and Bulah Holmes (also spelled Beulah, 1813-1853) in Duxbury, MA on December 30, 1843. According to family lore, he accompanied his parents on a sea voyage on the Seth Sprague in 1853. During this voyage his mother gave birth to Alexander Seaborn Wadsworth and died shortly after.
Francis Grey Ford Wadsworth is believed to have married Lydia Frances Harlow (1844-1911) on December 30, 1863. They had approximately six children including Beulah Holmes (who later married Henry Thomas Burrill), Louise Gray, and Frances Harlow.
He worked in the United States Revenue Cutter Service (later merged to become the Coast Guard) and was a Lieutenant on the USRC Bear, in the late 1800s. His name is recorded in the ship’s log in 1894 and 1895, during which time the ship was captained by Michael A. Healy.
Wadsworth is believed to have traveled with the ship from San Francisco, CA to the Arctic Circle and is also believed to have collected the scrimshaw during this time. According to an interview with descendant Kendall Burrill, during a war in Cuba, Wadsworth once took men to the harbor in Havana to destroy the logs used as a blockade. Wadsworth died in Bridgewater, MA on January 24, 1925.
Extent
2 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection includes 57 pieces of ivory and scrimshaw (human and animal figurines, bow drills, a fan, etc.) believed to have been collected by Francis Grey Ford Wadsworth in Alaska in the late 1800s.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged by design (similar carvings grouped together), but due to storage considerations, large items like bow drills have been interspersed throughout the boxes.
Physical Access
There are no physical restrictions on this collection.
Technical Access
There are no technical restrictions on this collection.
Physical Location
Bridgewater Public Library Historical Room
Custodial History
Kendall Wadsworth Burrill (donor) believes items were collected by Francis Grey Ford Wadsworth (Burrill’s great great grandfather) in the 1860s or 70s. When Burrill’s parents moved to Kingston in 1972 (along with one aunt), they sold their house to Burrill and his wife. The scrimshaw was in the house.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift, Kendall W. Burrill and Eusebia Burrill. 1978.
Accruals
Accruals are not expected.
Bibliography
Francis Grey Ford Wadsworth. The Sprague Project. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://sprague.one-name.net/getperson.php?personID=I13037&tree=Sprague#cite5
New England Historic Genealogical Society. (1916). Vital Records of Duxbury, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850.
O’Toole, J. M. (1997). Racial Identity and the Case of Captain Michael Healy, USRCS. National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1997/fall/michael-a-healy-1.html
USS Bear – March to October 1884, New York, Greely Arctic rescue mission. Log Books of the United States Navy, 19th and 20th Centuries. Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://www.naval-history.net/OW-US/Bear/USS_Bear-1884.htm
- Title
- Francis Grey Ford Wadsworth ivory and scrimshaw
- Author
- Allyson Sekerke
- Date
- 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Box: 1 of 2, Carton: Top - Eight scrimshaw and ivory items including carvings of bears, a seal, and a bow drill (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 1 of 2, Carton: Middle - Seven scrimshaw and ivory items including carvings of one polar bear holding a fish, a polar bear head, and a bow drill (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 1 of 2, Carton: Bottom - Eight scrimshaw and ivory items including six tooth or tusk-shaped carvings (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 2 of 2, Carton: Top - Sixteen scrimshaw and ivory items including carvings of walruses, seals, foxes, and a folding fan (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 2 of 2, Carton: Middle - Eight scrimshaw and ivory items including carvings of humans, sleds, and one bow drill (Mixed Materials)
- Box: 2 of 2, Carton: Bottom - Nine scrimshaw and ivory items including six tooth or tusk-shaped carvings, a group of elephants, and a pipe (Mixed Materials)
Repository Details
Part of the Bridgewater Public Library Archives and Special Collections Repository
