Muster Book of the U.S. Navy in Ordinary at the Navy Yard Washington City, from 1 January to 31 December, 1826.
Introduction: This muster for 1 January 1826 to 31 December, 1826 is one of earliest to survive from the Washington Navy Yard, and consequently has much information of value to historians and demographers.The 1826 muster is particularly important since it is the first of surviving Department of the Navy documents to list African American diarist Michael Shiner[1]. The Washington Navy Yard “Ordinary” was designated for ships held in reserve, or for later need. Normally these vessels had seen hard service abroad and were awaiting restoration, but due to the small naval appropriations of the era, repairs were not possible. To maintain these ships required a substantial number of men to keep the vessels preserved and secure, in addition, a number of officers and men in transit were temporarily assigned to the Ordinary. The Ordinary was responsible for the maintenance of these laid up ships and was under the command of the WNY Commandant. Ordinary personnel included a small group of officers, e.g., the Commandant, Purser, and Storekeeper and seamen assigned to the Station for indefinite periods. In keeping with naval regulations those assigned to Ordinary, were required to muster periodically for record keeping and pay purposes. At WNY the number of seamen assigned to the Ordinary varied but regularly consisted of a 20 to 40 enlisted men. We are fortunate that a few of these early muster book pages survived, for they provide unique insight into the careers and work assignments of the officers and men of the early naval service.
Naval ships in Ordinary typically had small or minimal crews comprised of semi-retired or disabled sailors who stayed aboard to ensure that the ship remained in usable condition, provided security, kept the bilge pump running, and ensured the lines were safe. Surviving musters records rarely have any specific reference to color, ethnicity or servile status. Officially African Americans enslaved and free were often excluded from the military service. As early as August 1798, Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert had sent out an order forbidding “Negroes or Mulattoes” enlistment in the Navy, although in practice the enforcement of this regulation appears to have been left to the discretion of Commanding Officers, especially aboard ships.[2] While both white and black seamen comprised the Ordinary, many of the African Americans enumerated below as “Ordinary Seamen”, are in fact not free volunteers for naval service, but bondsmen rented by individual slaveholders to the navy yard. The slaveholders were a mix of Yard officers, senior civilians, and other citizens of the District of Columbia. The lucrative practice of renting out enslaved laborers was a long standing one and would continue for many years.[3] Slaves assigned to the Ordinary, performed many of the most unpleasant and onerous jobs. For example, the WNY Station Log records for the week of 15 January 1827, the Ordinary men were assigned to scrape the hull of the ship Potomac, move timber from the saw mill, and help suppress a large fire at Alexandria.[4]
The notes below for ease of reference are keyed to the original muster entry line numbers, and provide, biographical information and citations for many of the officers and seaman enumerated. The information for Navy and Marine Corps officers identified in this muster is mainly from the Naval Register: Printed by Order of the Secretary of the Navy, August 1st, 1815. Washington, D.C.: Weightman, [1815] on line as : Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the War of 1812, and Officers of Continental and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps 1798 -1900, from the Naval History and Heritage Command Nine individuals in this muster are identifiable as enslaved seamen; their biographical information, dates of birth, slaveholder’s name , manumission date and related data is provided with source citations. In this muster some names were entered multiple times, as officers and men moved in and out of the Ordinary.Today these surviving muster records allow historians to illuminate the economic and social relationship of a fascinating and bygone era and provide what one historian has called a “window to be able to see the participants of the past in a comprehensive way in the context of their own time”.
Abbreviations: The common abbreviations used in this muster are for rank or rating; Lieut.,for Lieutenant, Master for Sailing Master, Mid., for Midshipman, O.S. for Ordinary Seaman andBoy. In the early United States Navy “boys” were enlisted men who served as seaman. Boys were usually rated Ordinary Seaman at 18 years of age. The following designations reflect muster status: D is discharged, DD for died, and R for Runaway or Deserted.
Source: National Archives and Records Administration Washington DC, Record Group 45, Entry, T829, Miscellaneous Records of the Office of the Navy Records and Library, Microfilm Roll 163: Washington Navy Yard p.49 -50.
Transcription: This document was transcribed fromNARA Microfilm roll 163, pages 49 -50. I have striven to adhere as closely as possible to the original in spelling, capitalization, punctuation and abbreviation (e.g. ".., “, Do" or "do" for ditto or same as above) including the retention of dashes, ampersands and overstrikes. Where I was unable to print a clear image or where it was not possible to determine what was written, I have so noted in brackets. Where possible, I have attempted to arrange the transcribed material in a similar manner to that found in the letters and enclosures. All transcriptions of this and other documents quoted are mine.
John G. Sharp
Concord, California 5 August 2011
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Muster Book of the U.S. Navy in Ordinary at the Navy Yard Washington City, from 1 January to 31 December, 1826.
49
No. / EntryDate/month / Year / Where. / Names. / Stations. / Time last settled and paid to. / D
DD or R / When
Day/month / Year / Where or what reason. / When Mustered.
1 / ………… / Thomas Tingey / Commodore
2 / March 19 / 1825 / Benj. W. Booth / Master Comdt.
3 / Edward Barry / Master / D
4 / Jan 24 / 1816 / Marmaduke Dove / “ / D / 24 Nov / 1826 / To the Warren
5 / Salvadore Catalano / “
6 / May 18 / 1816 / T.Winn / Purser
7 / March 1 / 1825 / David Eaton / Boatswain
8 / Jan. 1 / 1816 / William Spieden / Steward
9 / May10 / 1820 / Henry Carrol / O.S.
10 / July 1 / 1824 / John Ambler / “
11 / June 1 / 1822 / Robert Clarke / “
12 / Jan. 1 / 1823 / Benj. M. Dove / “ / D / 24 Nov / 1826
13 / “ / 1816 / Charles Grandison / “
14 / March 19 / 1825 / John Shaw / “
15 / “ “ / “ / Mordecai Waller / “ / D / 4 April / “
16 / July 1 / “ / Robert J. Barry / “ / DD / 19 Jan / 1819
17 / March 1 / “ / William Murphy / Boy
18 / Jan. 1 / 1824 / Peter Hutton / Invalid Seaman / DD / 29 Aug. / 1826
19 / “ 6 / “ / Charles Daugherty / O.S. / D / “ “ / “
20 / “ “ / “ / Washington Bright / “ / D / “ “ / “
21 / “ 12 / “ / Bernard Murbrine / “ / D / “ “ / “
22 / “ “ / “ / John Williams / “.
23 / “ 24 / 1825 / Jeremiah Labourn / O.S. / D / 24 Jan. / 1826
24 / June 6 / “ / Henry Overton / D / 7 June
25 / “ “ / “ / Thomas Penn / “ / D / 7 “ / “
26 / “ “ / “ / William Barton / “ / D / “ “ / “
27 / “ “ / “ / Thomas Marbury / “. / D / “ “ / “
No.
[page] 50 / Entry
Date| Month / Year / Where / Names / Stations / Time last settled and paid to / D
DD
R / When
Day/month / Year / Where or What Reasons. / When Mustered
28 / June 6 / 1825 / Samuel Moody / O.S. / D / 7 June / 1826
29 / “ “ / “ / Jordon Green / “
30 / “ “ / “ / Andrew Cox / “ / D / 7 June
31 / “ 10 / “ / Michael Pumphrey / “ / D / 30 “ / “
32 / “ 18 / “ / Samuel Ward / “ / D / 17 “ / “
33 / March 3 / 1823 / Benjamin Allison / Chaplin
34 / Nov. 24 / 1824 / Thomas Crabb / Lieut.
35 / May 18 / 1824 / Arch. R. Bogardus / Mid. / D / 26 May / 1825 / Furloughed for 6 months Rec’d no pay.
36 / June 30 / “ / Will. P. Piercy / “ / D / 8 Aug / 1826 / Promoted to Lieutenant 28 April 1826. Ordered to Schooner Florida. [5]
37 / June 12 / 1826 / William Barton / O.S.
38 / “ “ / “ / Henry Overton / “
39 / July 1 / “ / Michael Shiner / “
40 / June 12 / “ / Thos. Penn / “
41 / “ “ / “ / Israel Wallace / “
42 / “ “ / “ / Basil Brown / ‘
43 / “ “ / “ / John Barton / “
44 / “ “ / “ / James Simms / “
45 / “ 24 / “ / John Thompson / “
46 / “ “ / “ / Joseph Douglas / “
47 / July 3 / “ / Cornelius Gilchrist / “ / Deserted from the Brandywine [6]gave himself up.
48 / Nov. 25 / “ / John Denny / Surgeons Mate / D / 30 April / 1819
49 / “ “ / “ / Joseph Savoy / Boy / D / 8 Sept. / “
Navy Yard, Washington City 1 January 1827
[Signed] T. Winn
Purser
Approved
[Signed] Thos. Tingey
[End document]
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Biographical Notes
1. Thomas Tingey, Commodore USN, Commandant Washington Navy Yard 1800 -1829. Tingey was born in London in 1750 and had served in the British Navy and later became an American citizen. He was commissioned a naval officer in 1798. He was the first Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard serving from 1801 until his death in 1829. He directed the destruction of the Navy Yard during the War of 1812 less it fall into British control and managed the rebuilding after the war. Commodore Tingey is buried at the Congressional Cemetery R 57 S 1 WashingtonDC.
2. Benjamin W Booth, Midshipman, 20 June, 1806. Lieutenant, 7 January, 1813. Master Commandant, 28 March, 1820, died 26 July, 1828.
3. Edward Barry, Sailing Master USN, 28 February, 1809, died 2 May, 1830.
4. Marmaduke Dove,Sailing Master USN. Warrant dated November 11, 1802. Dove was attachedto the John Adams March 31, 1804. He later served on the USS Constitution in theMediterranean and was for many years served as Sailing Master WNY, he died 3 July, 1846. Dove had previously rented his slave Alexander Hays to the Navy; see Muster Book of the U.S. Navy in Ordinary at the Navy Yard Washington City, ending 31 December 1819. Dove’s wife Margaret Dove is said to have taught Hay’s to read and write. Like Michael Shiner, Hays, went on to eventually purchase his own freedom and to become a leader in the black community see, District of Columbia Department of Education, Special Report of the Commissioner of Education on the Condition of Public Schools in the District of Columbia, Submitted to the Senate June 6, 1868 and to the House with Additions June 13, 1870. (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1870): p. 215 - 221.
5. Salvadore M. Catalano, Sailing Master USN, 1767 - 1846, native of Palermo, Sicily, Catalano sailed with Commodore Stephen Decatur as pilot on 16 February 1804 into the harbor at Tripoli and helped recapture and burn the Frigate Philadelphia. Catalano later returned with Decatur in 1805 to Washington DC and went to work at the navy yard (see 1808 list of WNY Ordinary). For his services Catalano was granted US citizenship and appointed into the U.S. Navy as a Sailing Master, on 9 August, 1809. Sailing Master Catalano held that position until his death.
6. Timothy Winn, Purser USN, 1773 – 1836,Winn was born, to a prominent family in Burlington Township, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Winn entered the United States Navy in 1799, and served on the Frigate Chesapeake. As a Purser on the U.S.S. Chesapeake he had served on an expedition to North Africa against the Barbary Corsairs (1801-1805).1 He married Rebecca Ann Dulaney (1784-1865) at Alexandria, Virginia in 181l. The couple had three children: Eliza Rebecca Winn (1812-1835), William Timothy Winn (1813-1848), and Mary Louisa Winn (1818 -1854). Timothy Winn was appointed Purser at the Washington Navy Yard in 1815; a powerful position which he held until his death on 18 February 1836. The Washington Navy Yard Purser was almost by definition an extremely influential position and as such, Timothy Winn was in charge of contracting for the District of Columbia's largest employer and industrial concern. As the Washington Navy Yard Purser, Timothy Winn was in charge of all procurement and contracting for naval supplies and equipment. Timothy Winn was said to be a man of considerable scholarship and learning. Winn was a slaveholder and his last will and testament , lists Charles Grandison , see below and Elizabeth Savoy possibly , the mother of Joseph Savoy, see. Last Will and Testament of Timothy Winn filed in the District of Columbia Orphan’s Court (Probate Court) No.1, 848 O.S., District of Columbia Archives.
7. David Eaton, Boatswain USN, entered the navy in 1795, became a warrant officer in 1811 and was under Capt. James Lawrence on the Hornet when the British ship HMS Peacock was captured, and under Capt. Biddle when the Hornet captured the HMS Penguin. Mr. Eaton was in the yard for many years dying in the service, and was well known, especially in that section of the city.
8. William Spieden Steward USN, later Purser USN, 1805 -1861 one of the executors’ of Timothy Winn last will. His career began when Winn appointed the 18 year old Spieden to a position at Washington Navy Yard Purser's office. Spieden's appointment as Purser Clerk was challenged by Treasury Department auditors and Timothy Winn as Purser was deemed liable for the funds allocated. In 1836 Spieden was appointed US Navy Purser for Norfolk Va. William Spieden later served with Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan. Information on William Spieden is from the Heritage Gazette fall 2006 issue p.4. The Heritage Gazette is a publication of the Association for the Preservation of the Historic Congressional Cemetery.
9. Henry Carrol, Ordinary Seaman, slave of Commodore Thomas Tingey, Carrol had run away and been recaptured, see, Daily National Intelligencer, April 25, 1818 “For apprehending, and securing so that I get him again, my Negro man Henry; well known in this city by the name of Henry Carroll. He ran away in June last, and had been sometimes well fixed, probably as a thief, or receiver of stolen goods, in New York. He was sent from thence by the municipal authorities on board the sloop Eagle, - Wright master, and arrived at Alexandria yesterday; when, by an unaccountable carelessness or delinquency, he was suffered to escape. As he cannot be far off, but may be in part of the district or its vicinity, where unknown - he is about 5 feet 8 inches high, yellow complexion, rather large round and full eye, and when spoken too sternly gets easily alarmed; and at such times hesitates, or rather stammers in his speech. All persons whatever are forbid harboring him, under pain of having every nerve of the law strained to obtain satisfaction.” Thos. Tingey , Navy Yard, Washington.
10. John Amber/Ambler, Ordinary Seaman. John Ambler was enslaved to naval officer Cary Seldon and later to Commodore Isaac Hull who freed Ambler in 1835. Ambler’s manumission reads, Whereas during my late residence at Washington in the District of Columbia, I purchased in proper form of Carey Seldon of said Washington, a certain negro or coloured man named John Ambler, as a slave , and whereas, I have recently given up my said residence at Washington , and being about to embark for Europe – Now, know all men by these presents , that I Isaac Hull in consideration of the premises and of the faithful and highly useful services of the said John Ambler do hereby give, grant, and confirm unto him his freedom, during the remainder of his life, and do hereby absolve him fully, and to all intents and purposes from all obligation to me as a salve , by virtue of the aforementioned sale from the said Cary Selden, so that he is now , and for all times hereafter , at liberty to do business for himself , and to go and come whenever he chooses, free of any claim , whatever of me or my heirs. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal , this 17th day of October A D 1835[ signed] Isaac Hull” Source: Allen, Gardner Weld editor, Papers of Isaac Hull Commodore United States Navy Boston :The Boston Athenaeum, 1929, p. 80-81.
13. Charles Grandison, Ordinary Seaman, slave of Timothy WinnWNYPurser“ I give & bequeath to my Son my Servant Man Charles Grandison, & to my Daughter my Servant Woman Lizy, or Eliza Savoy. They are neither of them to be sold, nor be set free on any account whatever. I have too much regard for them to set them free to provide for & support themselves in their old age, after having had their faithful services for the best part of their lives. They must be comfortably & well provided for & kindly treated & supported & receive every indulgence compatible with their situation, & should either of my Children die, or by reason of any casualty or misfortune become incapable of providing for his or her Servant , the other Child must take such Servant & fully comply with all the requirements herein stated .” Source: Last Will and Testament of Timothy Winn filed in the District of Columbia Orphan's Court (Probate Court) No.1, 848 O.S, District of Columbia Archives. The spelling, punctuation and the use of ampersands is that of the original document.
18. Peter Hutton, Invalid Seaman, the Navy Yard on occasion made provision for disabled seaman such as Peter Hutton, who were given less demanding jobs aboard a vessel in the Ordinary. Hutton died 29 August 1826.
20. Washington Bright Ordinary Seaman, Bright is enumerated on the 1829 List of WNY employees prepared by Commodore Isaac Hull as a laborer employed in the Laboratory see, Hull to BNC Letters RG 45.3 NARA “A List of Colored men free & Slaves now Employ'd in the Blacksmiths & Engine department & in Ordinary at the WNY 8April 1830.” Bright is also mentioned in the Diary of Michael Shiner, page 84, entry for 1844 where he is referred to Washington Bright, Gunner,
24/34. Henry Overton/ Over, Ordinary Seaman, Henry Over is mentioned in the Diary of Michael Shiner, in an entry for 4 July “on friday Comerder Tinssys [Tingey] gig Wher orderd to be ready to carry up above georgetown for to take the Honable John quincy adams president of the united States a shore the Coxswain of the comerder gig was John M green thomas payne Henry over John Williams John Thompson Basil Brown and Michial Shiner crew was compose of colerd man except the coaxman” See also the 1830 list of enslaved seamen in the Ordinary
25/40. Thomas Pen/Tom Penn, Ordinary Seaman. Michael Shiner, in his Diary records, that in January 1827 following a large fire in Alexandria which members of the Ordinary had help s suppress, Thomas Penn was placed on report for insolence and came close to being whipped.
“Went down that day to alexdranina and Mr William Speedon went down that day which at that time was clerk to Mr Wind the purser all the Master Workmen and Mechanics and Laborers of all classes went down that day a circumstance accrued between sailing master edward Barry and a colled man by the name thomas pen ton [penton] didnt conduct himseve so Well When we wher a coming home and Mr Barry gave him a repramand and it apears that tom pen gave him some insolents and Mr Barry when got home he reported him to captin Booth friday the 19 day of January 1827 We all hands of the ordernary men Wher cauledup in to the rigin loft to giv an acount of our selves captin Booth Wher present in the loft first lieutenant thomas crab and Sailing master edwar Barry who had prefered the charge against thomas pen captin Booth sais now thomas pen you are brought befor me for usin abusive and insultin language to an officer of this yard what have you got to say for your selve captin thee had kein a ben drinkin and if the said anything to Mr Barry out of the Way they are sorry for it and if thou pleases and if Mr Barry pleases to excuse the will never do so no more sire dont you no the danger of givin insolence to an officer Well tell the captin if thou please excuse me this time never do so no more sire Mr Barry reply i will excuse him this time captin now Thomas pen i will let you oft as Mr Barry has excuse you Now captin and Mr Barry the[y] is ten thousand times oblige to thou for letin [him] off captin Booth and first lieutenant crab sail Master edward Barry Boatswain David eaton turned their backs and laught and told Tom to go on now and behave your selves and never struck him a crack When pen got up to the ordernary house among the men are sais Tom pen by the powers of Mol kely didnt the(y) tell thou if ever thou let the[e] get into quaker sistom that thou would never Wip the[e] so Tom pen got clear of the cats [cat of nine tails] that day by talkin quaker to captin Booth and the rest of the officers”