Pennell Shipbuilding Company (1834-1874) | Maine Maritime Museum Manuscript Collection Online Catalog

Pennell Shipbuilding Company also known as Pennellville was located in Brunswick, Maine. The property was first settled by Thomas Pennell II (b. 1720-d. 1770) in 1760. Thomas II was a shipwright by trade. His second son, Thomas Pennell III (b. 1738-d. 1812), established a shipyard at Middle Bay near Brunswick. Thomas III taught his sons (Thomas IV, Jacob, William, John and Robert) the shipbuilding trade. This shipyard became renowned in Maine where all five brothers were shipbuilders.¹  William (b. 1781-d. 1832) also established a shipyard in 1822 on a point in Brunswick at the head of Middle Bay, which was down the bay from his father’s shipyard. He later sold this shipyard to his brother Jacob (b. 1778-d. 1841). Jacob Sr. in turn sold the shipyard to his son, Jacob Jr. (b. 1807-d. 1882). Jacob Jr. ran the Pennell Shipyard from 1834 to 1874 with his brothers Charles Sewall (b. 1815-d. 1900), James (b. 1809-d. 1865), Robert Spear (b. 1826-d. 1899) and John Dunning Pennell (b. 1828-d. 1878).²

The Pennell Brothers became leading shipbuilders in Maine of approximately seventy vessels. They built the Argo (Brig), Hope (Schooner), Farmer (Schooner), Florida (Schooner), Amazon (Brig), Charles (Brig), Clement (Bark), Jacob Pennell (Ship), Mary Pennell (Brig), Washington (Ship), Joseph Henry (Brig), Guadalupe (Bark), Robert Pennell (Bark), J. D. Pennell (Brig), James Pennell (Ship), Charles S. Pennell (Ship), United States (Ship), William Woodside (Bark) and Deborah Pennell (Bark) among others. James Pennell was the finest shipbuilder of them all. He became a master builder for the Pennell Brothers Company. The James Pennell (Ship) of 570 tons was named after him when launched in 1848. The Pennell Brothers put out three ships in 1855: Charles S. Pennell (Ship), Ellen Hood (Ship) and the United States (Ship). Pennell vessels advanced by becoming heavier and longer. The United States (Ship) weighed over a 1000 tons in 1854 and the Oakland (Ship) weighed 1237 tons in 1865. Charles Sewall Pennell was the business manager of the Pennell Shipyard. He went to cities such as Boston, New York or Philadelphia to meet the family incoming vessels. He also took charge of these vessels until they were ready for sail again. Charles gained control of the Pennell shipping industry with 51 shares to his name.³ Moreover, he was also a shipbuilder for the company. Robert Spear Pennell was a carpenter and ship joiner in the family shipyard. John Dunning Pennell was a ship carpenter and by 1860 a shipmaster. The 1850 and 1860 United States Federal Census lists another brother, Benjamin Dunning Pennell (b. 1804-d. 1861), as ship builder and ship carpenter, respectively.⁴

The Pennell vessels carried cargoes all over the world. Oftentimes, the family retained ownership of their vessels. Pennell’s were also captains of many of the ships they built. For example, Captain John Dunning Pennell was shipmaster of the Deborah Pennell (Bark) and the William Woodside (Bark). Captain Samuel Chase Pennell, son of Jacob Jr., was shipmaster of the John O. Baker (Ship). The Benjamin Sewall (Ship), 1874, was the last vessel the Pennell’s built. The demise of the shipyard was due to a number of contributing factors. In particular, James Pennell died as a result of an accidental fall aboard the bark Istria in 1865, which fractured his skull.³ The Pennell vessel Istria (Bark) was lost at sea and the age of wooden ship building came to a close.

1. Little, George Thomas, comp. Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine. Vol. II. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1909. On-line source. 10 July 2012.

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

3. Coffin, Robert P. Captain Abby and Captain John: An Around the World Biography. New York: Macmillan Company, 1939.

4. http://trees.ancestry.com