This letter, from Capt. Jared Wade (1811-1889) to his wife, Harriett Bushnell Wade (1831-1911), was written about 172 years ago, on Jan. 21, 1854. While we don’t know exactly what Harriet sent Jared, his reply addresses some of her concerns.
Jared wrote Harriett while his ship, the Caroline, was at St. Helena, a South Atlantic island roughly halfway between Brazil and Angola. Her letter traveled with Capt. Henry Babcock, a Sag Harbor whaler, on the Oregon, and another ship carried his reply.
Jared references lost money he had “lent his brother and company” (presumably Oliver, a merchant). He doesn’t want Harriett or their son, William Everett Wade (1851-1902), to suffer for this financial loss, or deprive themselves, even though they were probably living on credit until “the ship comes in,” as did many whaling families of the time.
In an attempt to reassure Harriett, Jared writes that the loss of this money “will not make any difference with me and I hope yourself and our darling boy have not suffered. . . . I am used to fortune’s frowns and it can make no lasting impression.”
It’s not clear what ill fortunes inspired Jared’s resilient words. He lost multiple younger siblings in childhood, and his first wife, Bathsheba (1818-1843), died a year after their marriage. It’s also possible he refers to the dangers of whaling.
Jared tells Harriett he wrote to “Mr. Douglas” (presumably Josiah Douglass, a merchant and the previous partner of Jared’s brother Oliver) to arrange support for Harriett and their son. It’s not clear if Jared knows Douglass had transferred his store to his sons the year before. As a backup plan, Jared advises Harriett to beseech their friend “Captain William Payne,” who had previously promised to help Harriett.
Jared estimates his voyage will last at least six months longer because of challenges capturing whales, although he knew this was not what Harriett wanted to hear. The Caroline returned to Sag Harbor sometime before October of 1854, when Jared departed on the Roanoke for three more years.
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Andrea Meyer, a librarian and archivist, is the Long Island Collection’s head of collection.
