Correspondence, 1864

From June through September 1864 Captain Daniel C. Childs was engaged in the purchase and then repair of an Italian brig, later named the Gertrude, for Messrs. Freeman and Almy's shipping business. Captain Childs wrote them almost daily from Baltimore describing the work that was needed on the brig, the difficulty of hiring and retaining competent carpenters and mechanics, the search for suitable cargo at the best price, and the overwhelming summer heat. Although the ship had been seriously damaged in a collision with a steamer, Childs still believed her a worthwhile purchase. Much of the correspondence concerns the search for a profitable cargo to be transported to Europe or South America. Among those considered were pertolean (petroleum) oil, grain, and tobacco. The Gertrude departed from Baltimore on September 8, 1864 loaded with 2,071 barrels of flour bound for Trinidad. Childs's only possible cargo for the return voyage was guano, although he hoped to find something that would pay more.

This collection also includes the correspondence of J. M. Hall who handled financial affairs for Captain Childs and the Gertrude. There is also correspondence of Edward F. Levell who wrote asking for green turtles of 50 to 60 pounds, and James G. Ramsay who discussed sperm oil and a hawser.

Arrangement is alphabetical by correspondent, and then chronological.