Captain William Shackford (1783-1870), Commanded the Active, Sally, Orient, Blockade, Five Brothers, Lady Sherbrook, Sarah, and the Splendid (Blog 484)

The chapter titled Captain John Shackford and Family in Eastport and Passamaquoddy: A Collection of Historical and Background Sketches was written by William Shackford’s nephew, Samuel Shackford of Chicago.  A part of this chapter describes the life of William Shackford (1783-1870).

Eastport and Passamaquoddy: A Collection of Historical and Background Sketches page 449

William, the second son of John and Esther, born at
Newbury Nov. 23, 1783, was a seaman from early boy-
hood. He commanded the “Active” in 1807, afterward the
“Sally,”, “Orient,” “Blockade,” “Five Brothers,” and was
engaged principally in the West India trade. He com-
manded the brig “Dawn,” which was taken by a French
cruiser during the wars of Napoleon I. and taken into France.
On being released, he crossed over to England, and from
there worked his passage home as a sailor before the mast.
He then commanded the “Lady Sherbrook” and the “Sarah.”
His last vessel was the “Splendid,” a fine vessel, built espe-
cially for the passenger trade between Eastport and Boston.
About 1822, at the age of fifty, he retired from the sea, and
engaged with his brother Jacob and the Hon. Lorenzo
Sabine in mercantile pursuits. He died in 1870, aged eighty-
seven, leaving, by his second wife, Mary, daughter of Cap-
tain Jacob Lincoln, sons,- John William, who for many
years commanded the steam packet-ship “Illinois” and
other ocean steamships, and is now master of Jay Gould’s
famous steam yacht “Atalanta”; Captain Edward Wallace, a
successful ship-master; and Ebed Lincoln, who, after serving
in the Union Army during the Rebellion, settled at St. Paul,
Minn., where he is now, a thrifty merchant.

This document doesn’t list William’s first wife whose Sept 2, 1836 or 1837 death was reported in Kenneth Wiley’s Vital Records from the Eastport Sentinel of Eastport, Maine 1818-1900.  She was buried in the Hillside Cemetery in Eastport, Maine.

CHILDREN:

by first wife Sarah Ann Batson (1788-1836/7)

John B Shackford (1807-1807)

Abigail Shackford (1809-1813)

Sarah A Shackford (1812-1814)

by second wife Mary Cutter Lincoln (1814-1867)

John William Shackford (1839-1905) – famous ship captain, commander of the “Illinois” and “Atlanta”, marine superintendent,

Edward Wallace Shackford (1840-1919) – ship captain, married Clara R Gardner and Adelaine Tobey

Mary Cutter Lincoln Shackford (1841-1913) – married Andrew Washington French

Eben Lincoln Shackford (1842-1908) – served as Quartermaster in Civil War, moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota where he worked as a merchant, married Lucy H Parritt

Sarah Ellen Shackford (1844-1929)

Charles Russell Shackford (1849-1850)

Charles Joseph Shackford (1854-1870) – lost at sea

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

Kilby William Henry, Eastport and Passamaquoddy: A Collection of Historical and Background Sketches (Eastport, Maine: Edward E Shead & Company, 1888), page 449; digital images,, Chapter, XIV. CAPTAIN JOHN SHACKFORD AND FAMILY. By Samuel Shackford, of Chicago, Ill., Google eBooks (http://books.google.com : accessed 12 January 2015.

Wiley Kenneth L., editor, Vital Records from the Eastport Sentinel of Eastport, Maine 1818-1900: Note: Cover and title page of my hard copy edition are misspelled as “Eastport Sentinal” (Camen, Maine: Picton, Press, 1996), p. 160.

Copyright 2018 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)

Maritime Monday – Schooner Boundary, Shackford, Eastport Changes now listed as Brig Boundary, Shackford, Eastport (Blog 434)

This delightful article points out a few issues regarding the maritime reports and ship captains

1.  The Boundary which was captained by John Shackford (1782-1866), son of John and Esther (Woodwell) Shackford (or mostly captained by him), had a regular route from Eastport, Maine to Boston, Mass
2. We’re never exactly sure which Shackford is the Captain of a ship listed in the maritime reports with a Shackford as captain
3. The author of this article may have missed some shipping announcements – we’ve found the Boundary listed as a Brig on June 6, 1845 and Nov 20, 1845 – there may be more. (Capt John would have been 63 yrs old).  The last record we’ve found so far (and there may be more) was APr 27, 1847.
4. We hadn’t noticed the change & along with the author of the article also wonder if the ship was rerigged or was a new ship, or was being captained by one of John’s sons.

And onto the creative article about the Boundary

New Hampshire Statesman and State Journal (Concord, New Hampshire), 2 April 1847

“SCHOONER BOUNDARY, SHACKFORD, EASTPORT,”
For a long series of years, extending onwards from 1820, the ship news of Boston papers every few days announced the arrival or departure of a coaster as above. The line was found under the marine head with as much certainty as old Mr. Pierce, the barber, might be looked for in his 7×9 ship in Marshall’s Lane, or Major Russell at the corner of State and Congress Street, on Wednesday and Saturday forenoons (publication days of the Centinel) dressed in best attire; broad, well plaited ruffle, powdered hair, cane under his arm, and snuff box full of the yellow, wide open to the fingers of those who always gathered about the Major as soon as he howe in sight at the corner of State and Congress sts. “Schooner Boundary, Shackford, Eastport:” – the compositors upon the daily papers doubtless set that line more times than any under the marie head; and if they never had any inclination to know something of Mr. Shackford, who was so closely adhering to the same line of operation-remaining fast by the schooner, and sailing all the while back and forth between Eastport and Boston; constituting no greater variety in his life than that of the Vicar of Wakefield, in changing from the blue bed to the brown-wh, they were not very inquisitive fellows, that’s all.
But, for several immediately preceding years, we have not found the schooner nor her skipper announced. Perhaps, though we, Mr. Shackford has charge of a larger craft, and is sailing over wider seas; or, perhaps, gone to the bottom, or taken to agriculture, or has died in his bed. Last week, however, we met the familiar line again, with a slight variation. It is now “Brig Boundary, Shackford, Eastport:” whether the schooner, rigged as a brig, or a new brig and the same old master, or a son of old Mr. Shackford, or some other Shackford, we don’t know, and probably
never shall. Be that as it may, the old familiar line has got into the ship news.

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

“For Eastport, Saturday.,” The Boston (Massachusetts) Daily Atlas, 20 November 1845; digital images, Godfrey Memorial (http://godfrey.org : accessed 10 June 2014).

Kilby William Henry, Eastport and Passamaquoddy: A Collection of Historical and Background Sketches (Eastport, Maine: Edward E Shead & Company, 1888), page 157, 447-448; digital images,, Chapter, XIV. CAPTAIN JOHN SHACKFORD AND FAMILY. By Samuel Shackford, of Chicago, Ill., Google eBooks (http://books.google.com : accessed 13 June 2014.

“MARINE LIST – PORT OF BALTIMORE. MEMORANDA.,” American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper (Baltimore, Maryland), 6 June 1845; digital images, Library of Congress Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 25 July 2014).

“Schooner Boundary, Shackford, Eastport,” New Hampshire Statesman and State Journal (Concord, New Hampshire), 2 April 1847; digital images, GaleGroup (find.galegroup.com : accessed 2 May 2017).

Copyright 2017 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not just copy this material and paste it elsewhere)  Updated 5/8/2017 to reflect Eastport, Me and Boston, Mass, to add the last date we have a record of the Boundary’s travels and John’s age at that time.

Sunday’s Obituary – John Shackford (1753/5 – 1840) – Soldier of the American Revolution (Blog 348)

John Shackford, the son of Samuel and Mary (Coombs) Shackford (Samuel and Mary are my ancestors!), was born in either 1753 or 1755 in Newbury, Massachusetts.  According to George Thomas Little, he was brought up a sailor.  He enlisted in Newburyport in Capt Ezra Lunt’s Co in Col Moses Little’s Regiment on July 17, 1775.  His service card includes the word “Quebeck”   He also gave a deposition in 1779 that he was aboard the Sloop Hannah with Capt Evans and was taken prisoner with him by the Brig Hazzard from Glascow.  He also was apparently a prisoner for nine months, serving multiple weeks in irons.

John married Esther Woodwell in Newburport on November 16, 1780 and around 1784 moved to Eastport, Maine where according to Kilby, “he and five other person’s compromised the whole population of the island.” Around 1787 he brought his wife and three children to Eastport where the family settled and added more children to the family and according to Kilby were one of the 22-24 families that lived there on the lot between Shackford’s Cove and Key Street.  He’s listed in the 1790 census in Machias, and in the 1800, 1810, 1820, and 1840 censuses in Eastport.

Samuel Shackford of Chicago, an avid genealogist in his latter years and a descendant of John provided a chapter to the 1888 Kilby book titled Captain John Shackford and Family. which provides and excellent biography of John describing his skills taking and curing fish, building multiple facilities, master of the ships the “Industry” “Delight”, “Hannah”, “Sally”, and “Patty”, running a store, building a windmill, leading a militia, and serving in the military again in the War of 1812.

In 1832, John wrote his will mentioning wife Elsie (Eliza Haddon, his 2nd wife), his grandson Samuel (the Samuel mentioned above), sons John, William, and Jacob and daughters Hannah Pearce, Esther Hinkley, and Sarah S Lincoln.  He died on December 25, 1840.  We suspect many obituaries were written but at this time have only found this one from the New York Spectator.  We hope that one of his descendants preserved the discharge papers mentioned in the obituary he so cherished!

DIED,
…
At Eastport, Maine, Capt. John Shackford, 86. He was a soldier of the revolution, -accompanied Arnold in his expedition to Quebec, and having been of Montgomery party in the assault on that city was taken prisoner. It was his fortune, after the peace, to aid in stowing a ship at Campobello, for his old commander, who, after his treason resided some time at St. John as a merchant. His discharge from the Army bore the signature of Washington and he treasured it as a precious relic.

Note:  We’re hoping to learn more about John and his descendants when we get to Eastport in a few weeks!!!

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

“DIED,” New York Spectator (New York, NY), 9 January 1841; digital images, Godfrey (http://godfrey.org : accessed 20 August 2013).

Kilby William Henry, Eastport and Passamaquoddy: A Collection of Historical and Background Sketches (Eastport, Maine: Edward E Shead & Company, 1888), page 139; digital images,, Chapter, XIV. CAPTAIN JOHN SHACKFORD AND FAMILY. By Samuel Shackford, of Chicago, Ill., Google eBooks (http://books.google.com : accessed 31 October 2013

Little George Thomas, Rev Henry S. Burrage, and Albert Roscoe Stubbs, Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine Volume II (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1909), page 837-838; digital images, Google Books (http://books.google.com/ : accessed 2 March 2014.

“Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910,” index, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 30 October 2013), John Shackford m Esther Woodwell 26 Nov 1780

“Massachusetts, Revolutionary War, Index Cards to Muster Rolls, 1775-1783,” digital images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 1 December 2015), John Shackford; https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2548057; Selden, Jesse – Shaw, David, Image 1619.

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. 1906: A Compliation from the Archives, Prepared and Published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Company, 1906), page 2; digital images, Google Books (http://books.google.com : accessed 5 May 2014.

Rolls of the Soldiers in the Revolutionary War, New Hampshire, Volume 4 (n.d.), page 340; digital image, MyHeritage (http://myheritage.com : accessed 23 May 2014.

Copyright 2018 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)