Given, William S., Captain (1802-1877) | Maine Maritime Museum Manuscript Collection Online Catalog

Name: Given, William S., Captain (1802-1877)

Historical Note: Captain William Spear Given was born on February 2, 1802 in Brunswick, Maine to John Given and Jenne Spear. He married Susan Woodward (b. September 18, 1808). They had children Horace (b. 1832-d. 1835), William A. (b. 1834), John H. (b. 1837-d. 1856), Frances C. (b. 1839), Henry (b. 1843-d. 1865), George B. (b. 1845) and Lewis M. (b. 1851-d. 1854).¹ Captain Given was a mariner and then later a ship master.² He worked for the Pennell Brothers of Brunswick, Maine from about 1838-1851 as a sea captain. Captain Given sailed on the Pennell vessels the Isabella (Bark) and Lancaster (Ship).³ He corresponded extensively as ship captain and shipping agent to Jacob Pennell Jr. manager of the Pennell Shipyard (1838-1841). His letters concerned bills, shipments, freight, costs, vessel damage, repairs, weather, shipping rates, market trends and procurement of business for the Pennell Brothers. He wrote to Jacob Pennell from the ports of New York, Boston, New Orleans, Matanzas, Staten Island, Marseilles and the Northeast Passage. By 1870, he was residing as a farmer in Brunswick.  He died on October 9, 1877 and is buried at New Meadows Cemetery in Brunswick, Maine.

Sources:

1. freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/.../RobertSpear.html

2. http://searchancestry.com

3. Baker, William Avery. A Maritime History of Bath, Maine and the Kennebec River Region. Vol. I. Bath, Maine: Marine Research Society of Bath, 1973.

Records or Manuscript Collections Created by Given, William S., Captain