Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society Records 1829-1977 Guide to the Collection The bulk of the Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society records is stored offsite and must be requested at least one business day in advance. Contact the Library at library@masshist.org or (617) 536-1608 to request materials. Please discuss your request with the reading room staff before requesting cartons by barcode.

Table of Contents Collection Summary Historical Sketch Source Collection Description Related Materials Treatment Acquisition Information Restrictions on Access Organization of the Collection Detailed Description of the Collection Preferred Citation Access Terms

Collection Summary

Historical Sketch

The Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society is an organization devoted to charitable activities that benefit sailors and their families, including the operation of Mariner's House, a sailor's boarding house, at 11 North Square, Boston.

Mariner's House originated from the work of Methodist minister Edward Thompson Taylor (1793-1871), known simply as Father Taylor. A former sailor himself, Father Taylor became the first minister of Seamen's Bethel, founded in 1829 by the Port Society of the City of Boston and its Vicinity (the Boston Port Society). The Seamen's Bethel ministered to the many seamen who were prey to the temptations and dangers of the nineteenth century Boston waterfront. Father Taylor's unique sermons, delivered in the language and imagery of a sailor, garnered him a widespread reputation and the Seamen's Bethel a sizeable attendance.

The Seamen's Aid Society, organized in 1833 as an auxiliary by women associated with the Boston Port Society, complemented their efforts by undertaking the task of assisting wives and daughters of sailors who were at sea. After sewing garments to be donated proved an inefficient form of relief, the Society undertook the operation of an outfitters shop in order to employ wives and daughters of sailors so that they could earn a livable income.

In response to growing concern over the moral and criminal effects of the boardinghouses populated by sailors in port, Father Taylor and the Boston Port Society, with the support of the Seamen's Aid Society, opened Mariner's House in a building on Ann St. in May 1837. Mariner's House provided affordable rooms on a daily or weekly basis, meals, a library, and daily morning and evening prayers. Father Taylor was the primary person responsible for the operation of Mariner's House during its initial years.

After its first edifice was condemned by the city in 1845, Mariner's House sought a new location. Temporarily re-locating in a small, unsuitable building, the Boston Port Society acquired two adjoining lots in North Square, on which the present Mariner's House was built. The structure was dedicated on March 24, 1847.

In 1867, the Boston Port Society and the Seamen's Aid Society merged to form the Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society. With attendance declining after the retirement of Father Taylor and the rise of the Catholic population of the neighborhood, the Seamen's Bethel was sold in 1884.

Source

Leehey, Patrick M. A History of the Mariner's House. Boston: Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society, 1995.

Collection Description

Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society records consist of 69 volumes and other records in 17 record cartons, as well as 3 reels of microfilm, spanning the years 1829 to 1977. The collection is divided into three series: Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society, Seamen's Bethel, and Mariner's House.

The first series, Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society records, contains annual reports, minutes, committee records, accounts and rent records. Annual reports include those for the Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society as well as its two predecessors, the Boston Port Society and the Seamen's Aid Society. The primary activity documented by the records is the management of Mariner's House and Seamen's Bethel.

The second series, Seamen's Bethel records, contains minutes, membership records, birth and death records, and marriage records for the church of Father Taylor and his successors. Of particular interest are marriage records, some of which provide personal and demographic information on sailors in Boston, including country of origin and race.

The third series, Mariner's House records, contains registration records, a baggage check, cashbooks, comparative cash statements, a credit ledger, a floor plan, and miscellaneous volumes. Personal and demographic information on sailors in Boston can be found in registration records, the baggage check, most cashbooks, and the credit ledger.

Related Materials

The Arthur Lane/Jane Mead Maritime Industrial History Collection at the Boston Public Library contains materials related to the maritime industrial history of the port of Boston.

Treatment

Eight volumes of Mariner's House records were treated for mildew damage and microfilmed at the Northeast Document Conservation Center. Treatment included cleaning, deacidification, repair, and removal of text blocks from their bindings. The eight volumes are on three reels of microfilm, P-717. The original volumes are stored in conservation phase boxes with the remainder of the Mariner's House records, however researchers should use the microfilm.

Acquisition Information

The Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society deposited their records with MHS, April 2001.

Restrictions on Access

The bulk of the Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society records is stored offsite and must be requested at least one business day in advance. Contact the Library at library@masshist.org or (617) 536-1608 to request materials. Please discuss your request with the reading room staff before requesting cartons by barcode.

Organization of the Collection

The collection is organized into the following series.

Detailed Description of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Boston Port and Seamen's Aid Society records, Massachusetts Historical Society.

Access Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.