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| Field name | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Illustrations for Loss of the Ship Essex |
| Reference | MSS 106/Folder 3 |
| Library | Nantucket Historical Association |
| Collection | Thomas Nickerson Collection, 1819-1876 |
| Date | n.d. |
| Description | Pictures related to the wreck of the whaling ship Essex, including paintings and drawings of the ship, the whale attacking and sinking it, and the discovery of skeletons on the island where the survivors landed. There are also diagrams and maps of the route the survivors took following the wreck. |
| Document Type | Illustration, Painting, Map |
| Theme(s) | Trade and Commerce |
| Keywords | shipwreck, whaling, survivor, castaway |
| Countries | USA; Chile |
| Places | Henderson Island; Galapagos |
| Ports | Nantucket, USA |
| Ships | Essex |
| People | George Pollard; Thomas Nickerson |
| Additional Information |
Born in Harwich, Massachusetts, Thomas Nickerson (1805-1883) was brought to Nantucket in 1806 where he was raised by his grandfather, Captain Robert Gibson. In 1819, he sailed for the Pacific in the whaleship Essex under Captain George Pollard. On November 20, 1820, the Essex was sunk by a whale and Nickerson, with nineteen other men, took to three small open boats. After three months of harrowing experiences, he and two others in his boat were picked up by the Brig Indian. He continued a career at sea until the early 1870s when he opened a rooming house on Nantucket. In 1876, he wrote an account of his experiences. Please note that some of the metadata for this document has been drawn from the Nantucket Historical Association catalogue. |
| Copyright | Nantucket Historical Association |
