History of J. & D. D. Beckwith
Jason Beckwith and his six brothers began their shipbuilding activity before the Revolutionary War. When Jason died in the 1840’s, his sons James and Elisha carried on the business. In the 1850’s James and his son Daniel moved to East New London where they established one of the most active of the areas shipyards. Yachts, cargo, and fishing vessels between 100 and 400 tons were built, and the yard employed 15 to 20 men. After James’s death the yard was directed by E. P. Beckwith, and continued to build fishing vessels through the 1870’s.
Restrictions
Restrictions on Access
Available for use in the Manuscripts Division.
Restrictions on Use
Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the G. W. Blunt White Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Persons:
Beckwith, Daniel D.
Beckwith, James, d. 1865
Places:
Connecticut–Commerce
Massachusetts–Commerce
New York (State)–Commerce
Subjects:
Merchants–Connecticut–New London
Shipbuilders–Connecticut–New London
Shipbuilding–Connecticut–New London
Document Types:
Deeds
Specifications
Administrative Information
Coll. 38, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
Indexes
Detailed Description of the Records
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
| Correspondence; 1845-1884 | |||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Accounts relating to general merchandise, including bills payable and receivable; 1849 Jun-Dec | |||||||||||
| 2 | Accounts relating to general merchandise and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1850 Feb-Apr | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Accounts relating to general merchandise and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1850 May-Jul | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Accounts relating to shipbuilding materials, including bills payable and receivable; 1850 Aug-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Accounts relating to shipbuilding materials, including bills payable and receivable; 1851 Jan-Mar | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Accounts relating to ship building materials including bills payable and receivable; 1851 Apr-Jun | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1851 Jul-Sep | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Accounts relating to ship building materials, general merchandise, and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1851 Oct-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1852 Jan-Mar | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Accounts relating to ship building materials, general merchandise, and service, including bills payable and receivable; 1852 Apr-May | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1852 Jun-Jul | ||||||||||||
| 12 | Accounts relating to ship building materials, including bills payable and receivable; 1852 Aug-Sep | ||||||||||||
| 13 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1852 Oct-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 14 | Accounts relating to ship building materials, including bills payable and receivable; 1853 Jan-Feb | ||||||||||||
| 15 | Accounts relating to ship building materials, services and miscellaneous, including bills payable and receivable; 1853 Mar-May | ||||||||||||
| 16 | Accounts relating to ship building materials, general merchandise and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1853 Jun-Aug | ||||||||||||
| 17 | Accounts relating to ship building materials, general merchandise, and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1853 Sep-Oct | ||||||||||||
| 18 | Accounts relating to ship building materials, general merchandise, and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1853 Nov-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 19 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1854 Jan-Apr | ||||||||||||
| 20 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1854 May-Jul | ||||||||||||
| 21 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1854 Aug-Dec | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including a quit claim dead, bills payable and receivable; 1855 Jan-May | |||||||||||
| 2 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including an agreement on shares, bills payable and receivable; 1855 Jun-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1856 Jan-Apr | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including specifications for a bark, bills payable and receivable; 1856 May-Aug | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1856 Sep-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1857 Feb-Apr | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1857 May-Jul | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Accounts relating to ship building materials and services, including bills payable and receivable; 1857 Aug-Dec | ||||||||||||
| 9 | Accounts relating to ship building materials, services and miscellaneous, including quit claim deed, release from same, bills payable and receivable; | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Papers relating to miscellaneous tax, household, and ship building materials, including a mortgage deed; 1869-1884 | ||||||||||||
| 11 | Papers relating to miscellaneous receipts, mathematical computations, and ship building materials; undated | ||||||||||||
| 12 | Account book with Beckwith & Co., relating to ship hardware; 1857 Oct 16-1858 Jun 14 (7 pages) | ||||||||||||
| 13 | Record book relating to workmen, vessels, and material; undated (56 pages) | ||||||||||||
| 14 | Ledger relating to ship, individual, and firm accounts, journal, one diary entry, and mathematical computations; 1854-1876 (171 pages) | ||||||||||||
| 15 | Ledger relating to general merchandise and provisions, with numerous pages of mathematical computations; 1844-1876 (322 pages) | ||||||||||||
| Daybook relating to general merchandise and provisions, and ledger relating to individuals, vessels and firms; 1845 Oct 1-1846 Feb 7, 1850 Feb 25-1854 Mar 25 | |||||||||||||