The Ronson Ship: the Study of an Eighteenth-Century Merchantman
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University of New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship Winter 1987 The Ronson ship: The tuds y of an eighteenth- century merchantman excavated in Manhattan, New York in 1982 Warren Curtis Riess University of New Hampshire, Durham Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation Recommended Citation Riess, Warren Curtis, "The Ronson ship: The tudys of an eighteenth-century merchantman excavated in Manhattan, New York in 1982" (1987). Doctoral Dissertations. 1527. https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/1527 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V . 1. Glossy photographs or pages ____ 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print _____ 3. Photographs with dark background 4. Illustrations are poor copy _____ 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy v '"' 6. Print shows through as there is text on both sides of page ______ 7. Indistinct, broken or small print on several pages ______ 8. Print exceeds margin requirements _____ 9. Tightly bound copy with print lost in spine ______ 10. Computer printout pages with indistinct print _____ 11. Page(s) _________ lacking when material received, and not available from school or author. 12. Page(s) seem to be missing in numbering only as text follows. 13. Two pages numbered . Text follows. 14. Curling and wrinkled pages 15. Dissertation contains pages with print at a slant, filmed as received 16. Other Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE RONSON SHIP: THE STUDY OF AN EIGHTEENTH CENTURY MERCHANTMAN EXCAVATED IN MANHATTAN, NEW YORK IN 1982 BY WARREN CURTIS RIESS B A , Nasson Collage, 1972 M.S., Texas A&M University, 1980 DISSERTATION Submitted to the University of New Hampshire in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History December, 1987 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. This dissertation has been examined and approved. £ , cm Dissertation director, Charles E. Clark Professor of History V ~j) 'fU. , Francis D. McCann, Jr.. Professor of History ^/Wc L _ ____ artTDSchwarz, Professor^of History (_paifett B. ptrnan. Professor of History, UnivUernsivityersity of Florida L ^ v ' — i Dafvid C. Switzer, Professor History, Plymouth State College .fWv. y, nn Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED COPYRIGHT 1987 WARREN CURTIS RIESS Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To my parents, who have not always understood why I chose my path, but always supported me along the way. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Ronson ship investigation was made possible by the hard work and support of all the people involved with the project during the past five years. A special thanks is due Shell Smith, my partner in research and family, who often set a rigorous pace, provided an anthropological conscience, and has been my collaborator in this study since the first day we saw the ship's timbers in Manhattan. I wish to express my gratitude, for their suggestions and comments, to the members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Francis McCann, Dr. Marc Schwarz, Dr. David Switzer, and especially to Dr. Charles Clark and Dr. Darrett Rutman, who encouraged and guided this study from the very beginning. Howard Ronson and his associates, cognizant of the historic value of the site, supported the investigation well beyond government and business requirements. The dose cooperation of the people at H.R.O., Ltd., Fox and Fowle Architects, Soil Systems, Inc., George Fuller Construction Company, and the New York Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission supported the excavation, recording, analysis, and preliminary historical research for the ship and the recovery and conservation of the bow. The field crew, who accomplished the excavation under very harsh conditions, serve as an example of dedication overcoming adversity. Between May 1982 and May 1985 the constant attention of Heidi Micsh, Ken Morris, Betty Seifert and Seifert's conservation staff guaranteed the preservation of the bow and many key artifacts. The gathering of remains, notes, photographs,and illustrations and the continued analysis of all the material was made possible by the efforts of the Board of Directors, staff, and volunteers of The Mariners' Museum, especially staff members Linda v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Kelsey, Richard Malley, Leris Oglesby, John Sands, Paul Sullivan, and William Wilkinson and volunteers William Ackiss, Linda Brown, Gere Cobb, Kyle Conard, Al Foster, Ed Hoffman, Katherine Kelly, George Matson, Joe Powell, Virginia Powell, and Linda Rogers. Helpful suggestions for field work, research, and writing came from many other people during the past five years, especially from George Bass, Norman Brouwer, Amy Friedlander, Richard Jageis, Ellen Lockwood, David Lyon, David MacGregor, Kerry Shackelford, MacClean Shakeshober, J. Richard Steffy, Peter Throckmorton, and Gordon Watts. 1982 Reid Staff: Warren Riess and Sheli Smith, Co-directors; Jay Cohn arid Bertrand Herbert, Crew Chiefs; Robert Adams, Jay Allen, Thomas Amorosi, David Babsen, Kathy Biddick, Quentin Blaine, Debra Brodie, Eugene Boesch, Laurie Boros, Bobtri Lynn Brickman, Eric Clingen, Nicole Coolidge, Ellen Cosby, Ann Marie Cuskley, Valerie DeCarlo, Joesph Diamond, Anne Donadeo, Claire Falco, Andrea Foster, Elaine Friedman, Peggy Froeschauer, John Froeschauer, Edwina Gluck, Lisa Goldberg, Steven Gross, Laurel Harrison, Fred Harvey, Faith Hentshel, Peter Hentshel, Kerry Horn, Dana Howe, Abby Jaroslow, Sarah Keyishian, Marc Kodack, S. Ruby Lang, Jim Lally, Ann Marie Lunsford, Sam Margolin, Lee Margolis, Claudia Marshall, Barbara Mehrhof, H. James Merrick, William Moran, George Myers, Steven Niddas, Philip Perazio, Valerie Perazio, Amy Pickell, Sissy Pipes, Jesse Ponz, Drew Pritsker, Keith Reiner, David Robinson, Julie Rosen, Jay Rosloff, Patricia Seabury, Richard Shallenberger, Scott Simpson, Annette Silver, Anne Somoroff, Bla Stewart, Barbara Sb'dworthy, Avery Stone, Richard Swete, and Debra Tiller. vi Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS____________________________________ viii ABSTRACT.._____________________________________________ xi INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1. EXCAVATION OFTHE S IT E _______________________________ 7 2. IDENTIFYING THE S H IP __________________________________ 32 3. BUILDING THE SHIP_____________________________________ 60 4. DESIGNING THE S H IP _____________________________ 83 5. CAREER AS A MERCHANTMAN ____________________________ 114 6. BURIAL IN NEW YORK____________________________________