The storied nineteenth century whaler Ploughboy was built in Haddam, Connecticut in 1821. It was a shipped-rigged vessel that was 109 feet long and more than twenty-eight feet wide. It had two decks, a square stern, no galleries and a man bust figurehead. The ship likely sailed with a crew of about thirty officers and men.
Between 1821 and 1843 the Ploughboy was registered at Nantucket from where it made voyages in 1821, 1824, 1827, 1830, 1834 and 1839. In the early 1840s, the ship was sold to New Bedford, Massachusetts owners and sailed from that port in 1843 and 1848.
On the Ploughboy's final voyage in 1849, the ship grounded and broke up on a shoal in the Bay of Guayaquil while en route to Tumbes, Peru. Part of this voyage is documented in the book In A Sperm Whale's Jar: An Episode in the Life of Captain Albert Wood of Nantucket, Mass.
Interestingly, the Nantucket Historical Association owns a rather fascinating stoneware jug that retains a history of use aboard the Ploughboy of Nantucket. The four-gallon jug is attributed to a manufacturer in the northeast - it is inscribed with a Masonic square and compass, and part of the inscription is also filled in with cobalt blue decoration.
It's unquestionable that every piece of early pottery like this can tell a remarkable story, although it is so rare today to learn about an object such as this jug that retains that type of history. In fact, you may also recall that nearly ten years ago a stoneware jug from Manhattan made by the African-American potter Thomas Commeraw was discovered by divers in coastal waters in northeast Norway.
Nonetheless, does anyone recognize the area that this jug was manufactured? The jug may also predate the construction of the ship depending on where it was made.
Jug that Retains a 19th C. History of Use Aboard the Whaler Ploughboy of Nantucket
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