Title: Captain Samuel R. Percy Papers, 1910-1935
Abstract
Ship captain, shipbuilder, and ship owner from Bath, ME Papers of Captain Samuel R. Percy, Jr., primarily incoming correspondence relating to investments. Also includes letter books containing drawings and information for the Ulak (schooner-barge) and Carroll A. Deering (five-mast schooner), as well as blank account and insurance books and stationary from the Percy & Small shipyard and Allen M. Irish.
Administrative/Biographical History
Samuel R. Percy Jr. was born on December 13, 1856, in Phippsburg, Maine, the son of Captain Samuel R. Percy. He went to sea in 1875 after working in shipyards for several years. He was given his first command, of the Normandy (three-mast schooner) in 1882, and later commanded the Henry P. Mason (three-mast schooner). In 1892, Captain Percy was presented with a chest of sterling silver flatware by the citizens of Velasco, TX, in honor of the arrival of the Mason, which was the largest vessel to arrive in that port to that date. Percy married Lucy E. Tobey, the daughter of James Tobey of Bath, in 1880. They had one daughter, Eleanor. In 1894 Percy and Frank A. Small opened the Percy & Small shipyard in Bath. Percy served as the president and general manager. The shipyard built a total of forty-five vessels, including the Wyoming (schooner), which was the largest wooden sailing vessel built in the United States. Percy served as the mayor of Bath in 1901, served on the board of the hospital and old folks home, and was a member of the Masons and the Shrine in the city. The Percy & Small shipyard ceased operations in 1920, and the firm was dissolved in 1931. In 1938 the property was transferred to R.O Morse. Samuel Percy died on October 7, 1940. In 1899, it was written that Percy was “born in Phippsburg and educated in the public schools. He began going to sea, winning steady promotion until he became master. After years of success on the sea he retired to manage shipping and in company with Frank A. Small has constructed several of the largest and finest schooners and is now at work upon another.”
Captain Samuel R. Percy Papers
