America II, Hudson NY - Voyage of 1833-1837

A Crewman Detests his Captain and Life at Sea

On September 11, 1833 America II left the Port of Hudson on an almost four year voyage to the Pacific whaling grounds. It returned to Hudson in January 1837 with 800 barrels of sperm oil. The master of this voyage was Robert Folger of Hudson and the agent/owners of the ship were Barnard Curtiss and Co.

Gilbert Jenkins Jr., grandson of Hudson proprietor Thomas Jenkins, was a crew member. Although no crew list exists for this voyage, his personal letters written while onboard are in the Special Manuscripts Division of the New York Public Library.

These letters provide a firsthand account of Gilbert, Jr.’s experiences on America II. Greenhands, or first time whale men, were most likely to desert vessels mid-voyage to escape the harsh realities of life on a blubber hunter, as they were called. In these letters, Gilbert, Jr. thinks of deserting in hopes of better opportunities on land in South America. His relationship with Captain Folger began badly and continued to deteriorate. Folger rejects his desire to learn skills such as navigation and seamanship for a future career as a Mate, and constantly threatens to flog Gilbert, Jr. Many crew members were indeed flogged and many deserted ship and those who remained behind were expected to pick up the slack. At one point Gilbert spends 10 days in irons. He was determined to earn his fortune and contribute to his family and considered working in a clerk position to earn money to make his way back home.

Gilbert Jr.’s father was Gilbert Jenkins of Hudson born about 1773 and died about 1846 in Prairieville, Wisconsin, where he is buried. His first wife’s name was Mary and he passed away about April 1811. His second marriage to Sally Worth was on February 10, 1812 and she is the mother of Gilbert, Jr.

Gilbert Jenkins, Jr. was born in New York sometime after his father married Sally Worth. There is a Gilbert Jenkins, Jr. born 1806, who lived a little over a year and is buried in Hudson City Cemetery. We believe the Gilbert, Jr. who wrote these letters is the second son who was named Gilbert after the first son died. We have very little personal information on Gilbert, Jr. other than the information provided in these letters.

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Additional Resource (Links to PDF):

Gilbert Jenkins Jr Letters, Ship America 1833-35, April 9, 1833 & August 8, 1834
Manuscripts and Archives Division. The New York Public Library. Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations