There were two whaling ships registered in New Bedford with the name Frances. The subject of this article, referred to as "Frances II" or "Frances 2nd"1 to differentiate it from an existing whaler Frances, was built in New York (perhaps Brooklyn) in 1824 and registered as a whaler for the first time in New Bedford on 30 July 1831.2 It was 368 tons, 105' long, 20' wide and 14' 1" deep. It had three masts and a female figurehead. The owners, as recorded, were William H. Allen,3 John Briggs, Gideon Allen,4 Timothy I. Dyre,5 Anthony D. Richmond,6 John H. Coggeshall,7 Joshua Richmond,8 John H. Clifford,9 Samuel J. L. Vose,10 Joseph H. Allen11 and Thomas Allen 2nd.12 Beginning on 2 September 1836, an advertisement in The New Bedford Mercury offered an eighth share of the ship and "appurtenances as she arrived discharged from her late voyage" by the "late" firm Coggeshall, Richmond & Vose.13 John Briggs was master between 1831 and 1840, followed by John's former first mate William A. Hussey. The ship may have been reconfigured or a new one built and named for the older vessel, since it was re-registered on 1 August 1845 as a bark with Allen & Briggs as primary owners. However, another reference to this registration leaves Briggs off the owner list. He may have been included in the first reference by mistake. He had moved to Rochester, New York, by then. The bark Frances is said to have burned off Mauritius in 1846.

John Briggs, master, voyage #1: Left New Bedford about 1 August 1831 (crew list registered 30 July, notice of clearance, 31 July issue of New Bedford Mercury, for the So. Atlantic Ocean). There is a logbook for this trip, which took them to Madagascar. The 27 April issue of the New York Spectator says it returned 22 April 1832 from the South Atlantic with 1400 barrels.

voyage #2: Left New Bedford about 24 June 1832 (crew list registered 30 July 1832. Notice of clearance, 29 June issue of the Mercury, for the So. Atlantic Ocean). Frances was sighted off the island of "Tristan d'Acunha" (Tristão da Cunha, off the western coast of Southern Africa) on 12 September with no oil.14 The Frances log, excerpted on her return for the Mercury, says that the ship left Tristão da Cunha on 19 January with 900 barrels, "bound round the Cape."15 Ship Hydaspe, on its return to New Bedford, noted that Frances had been "heard of" with 1600 barrels and was heading for the Indian Ocean.16 Frances probably stayed in the South Atlantic after leaving Tristão da Cunha long enough to boost their production by 700 barrels, then continued around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean, perhaps in February. The 24 April issue of the Mercury says it returned 22 April 1833 from the South Atlantic and brought back 2000 barrels of oil.

voyage #3: Left New Bedford about 6 June 1833 (crew list registered 5 June, notice of a 6 June clearance in the 7 June issue of the Mercury). They were at St. Michael's and St. Jago in the Azores in July, "no oil - all well" and headed for the South Atlantic.17 The ship Bramin reported that Frances had captured 10 whales by 30 October.18 Two reports from ships say that Frances was heard from on 6 December with 1100 barrels, then on 22 December with 21 whales.20 According to the crew list notes, Frances was at Rio de Janeiro on 19 May 1834, where one of the crewmen died in a hospital from undescribed injuries. John sold the cargo of oil and set sail on another cruise on 25 May.21 In Memoirs Of The Life And Gospel Labors Of The Late Daniel Wheeler,22 Frances is mentioned as having been at Rio at this time, when John made the acquaintance of Wheeler, a Friends minister and missionary in the South Pacific. Wheeler recalled the event when he and John met again in Tahiti on 29 July 1835. This is confirmed by a news report saying John was at Tahiti on 9 August 1835, bound for New Zealand, then to Chili,23 also in a 25 June notation that Frances, with 500 barrels, was southeast of New Zealand and heading for Tahiti.24 The previous January (1835), Frances was at the Gallopagos Islands with 400 barrels.25 Ship Timolean reported it with 300 barrels on 8 February shortly before heading home off the coast of Chili.26 Timolean probably brought back a letter from Frances dated 9 February, in which 350 barrels are mentioned.27 The crew list says first mate William Topham requested a discharge in 1836 and was transferred to "the American ship Brandt." This was very likely the New Bedford whaler, Capt. Maxfield. Charles Darwin shadowed John that year in the Pacific, Beagle sailing around Cape Horn and up to Chile in the Spring, at the Galapagos in September, Tahiti in the late Fall and then New Zealand. Frances returned 14 August 1836.28 The crew brought 1900 barrels of oil, 600 of it from sperm whales, and had left Talcahuano on the 14th of May.

voyage #4: Left New Bedford 6 December 1836 (crew list registered 3 December, 6 December sailing reported in the 9 December issue of the Mercury for the Pacific Ocean). Frances was reported at Valparaiso on 17 April 1837 with no oil.29 A Capt. Taber (of Maria Theresa?) said that he spoke with the ship off the Coast of Chile with 50 barrels.30 The crew list notes say that two of the crew deserted at Lima on 19 August. They had 650 barrels by the time the were at Payta on 10 September to hire more men.31 They may have also been at Callao.32 By 25 November the crew had upped their catch by 800 barrels,33 and by 17 December, to 900 (reported at Payta).34 On 4 April 1838 the ship was in the Marquesas (Washington Islands) with 1000 barrels of oil.35 Crewmember Frederick Stevens died in August 1838, and on the 15th of that month, John B. Jones deserted while they were anchored off Tutuila Island (now a part of American Samoa). On the 18th Abram Knapp jumped off one of the whale boats, presumably while they were on a chase, off Savai'i (now an independant island in Samoa). The Columbus, Capt. Ray, arrived in New Bedford on 15 July 1839 carrying as freight 950 barrels of oil from Frances, probably transferred when both were at Talcahuano in mid April.36 It was also reported that Frances was headed for Valparaiso to hire men for another cruise. On 17 and 18 April 1839 Frances crossed paths with the United States Exploring Expedition, better known as the Wilkes Expedition, the mission of which was to document geography, natural resources and ethnology across the world in places largely unfamiliar to Americans. The ship Peacock was one of the vessels involved, and Titian Peale, one of the documenting artists, says in his journal that Frances approached them and came aboard their ship, then officers of Peacock went to Frances and brought back "island lances and shells."37 Although not mentioning Briggs by name, he refers to the number of months the ship had been at sea, the number of barrels the ship currently had and the amount sent home and the intent to go to Valparaiso. This leaves no doubt which ship Frances was referred to, aside from the fact that it could not have been the other Frances of New Bedford. The journal of Peacock captain William Hudson may reveal more. In expedition leader Charles Wilkes narrative, he summarizes Hudson's journal entry, saying they encountered Frances and offered medical assistance.38 It was probably in the summer of 1839 that the ship Swift saw Frances with 100 sperm and 1 right whale.39 In the return notice he is said to have been at Valparaiso on 29 Jan 1840 and at Talcahuano on 1 April.40 The ship must have been cruising the Chilean coast in these months, since another report41 says he was at Valparaiso on 3 February with 1250 barrels of oil, 900 of it sperm oil. The ship returned 26 June 1840 with 1310 barrels of oil, 950 of it sperm oil.

1. The other was captained by Obed Alley and Stephen C. Christian in the 1830s, primary owners William R. Rotch and or James Arnold.
2. Ship Registers of New Bedford, Massachusetts, vol. 1 (Boston: 1940), 109
3. Henry Crapo, The New Bedford Directory, etc., (New Bedford: 1836), 36, merchant, counting room 11 Hazzard's Wharf, house 36 7th st., corner of School St.
4. Ibid, merchant, counting room 11 Hazzard's Wharf, house 23 Sixth, corner of School St.
5. Timothy Dyre was a brass founder coppersmith in New Bedford, in partnership with Anthony Richmond (see next) in 1836 (New Bedford Mercury, 4 Mar 1836).
6. Ibid (1836), 76, brass founder, 103 No. Water, house 24 High, partner with Timothy Dyre as brass founders and coppersmiths in 1836.
7. Ibid, 46, house 81 Middle (ibid, 46); Ibid (date?), shipping house, 7 Rodman, house 90 Hillman.
8. Ibid (1836), 76, dry goods, 31 No. Water, house 56 Fifth; ibid (1839), house 20 Seventh (the Elisha Thornton house).
9. Ibid, 45, counsellor and notary public, 23 North Water, house 54 Fifth.
10. Ibid, 87, Samuel J. S. Vose, boards 13 South Sixth, co. Spring (Humphry Russell house).
11. Ibid, 36, ship's chandler, counting room 9 Hazzard's Wharf, house 58 Fifth.
12. Ibid, ship chandler and grocer, 9 Hazzard's Wharf, house 86 First.
13. New Bedford Mercury (hereafter NBM), 2 Sep to 23 Sep 1836.
14. New York Spectator (hereafter NYS), 4 Feb 1833.
15. NBM, 24 Apr 1833.
16. NYS,18 Ap 1833.
17. NBM, 3 Jan 1834, 4, and 4 Oct 1833, 2.
18. Ibid, 14 Feb 1834, 4.
19. Ibid, 7 Mar 1834, 4 and NYS, 17 March 1834.
20. NYS, 31 Mar 1834.
21. NBM, 11 July 1834, 1.
22. Daniel Wheeler, Memoirs Of The Life And Gospel Labors Of The Late Daniel Wheeler (London: 1842), 375.
23. NBM, 19 Aug 1836.
24. NYS, 31 Dec 1835.
25. Ibid, 27 July 1835.
26. NBM, 10 July 1835.
27. NYS, 9 July 1835.
28. NBM, 19 Feb 1836.
29. Ibid, 4 Aug 1837, 1.
30. Ibid, 13 Oct 1837, 1.
31. NYS, 8 March 1838.
32. NBM, 23 Mar 1838, 3.
33. Ibid, 18 May 1838, 1.
34. Ibid, 16 Nov 1838, 2.
35. Ibid, 19 July 1839, 1.
36. Jessie J. Poesch, Titian Ramsay Peale, 1799-1885: And his Journals of the Wilkes Expedition (Philadelphia: American Philosphical Society, 1961), 144.
37. Charles Wilkes, Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition, etc., vol. 1 (London: 1845), 156.
38. NYS, 27 Feb 1840.
39. NBM, 1 May 1840, 1.
40. NBM, 3 July 1840, 1.