Obed Hathaway
Within this ship's log, Obed Hathaway records data regarding navigation, notes on his voyages, and useful information on weights and measures, as well as several poems and songs. His creative outpourings seem to have occurred in late fall 1793 through the spring of 1794. He then returned to the log to record two voyages in 1796. The first few pages indicate that Hathaway may have still been learning navigation; there are problems posed about latitude and longitude, with long answers and calculations answering them. Despite the formality of the log, it is interspersed with personal references, and numerous poetic songs and revisions. The final page includes an inventory of the possessions in Hathaway's sea chest as he came on board the ship on October 13, 1793 including clothing, knives, “fore books one testament,” a scale, and a “pound of money”.
This log is available on the digital library project I Remain.
