Ship's Logbook - Gem of BeverlySC-1Lynda KachurekUniversity of Richmond
Book Arts, Archives, & Rare Books, Boatwright Memorial Library 261 Richmond WayUniversity of Richmond, VA 23173archives@richmond.eduURL:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-02-04 07:01:28 -0500.Description is written in: English, Latin script. University of Richmond Ship's Logbook - Gem of Beverly Locke, Vernon Guyon, 1827-1890 SC-1 /repositories/4/resources/159 1 Volumes 1851-1868 (bulk 1850s) English Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection.

 Existence and Location of Copies

The ship's log has been fully digitized and transcribed.

 Arrangement

This small collection consists of one item.

 Biographical / Historical

The 1850s were considered the height of American whaling during the 19th century. This manuscript documents several different voyages during the 1850s, although the entries record varying levels of detail. Many are dated and often include the longitude and latitude of the vessel as well as information about the weather and when whales were sighted. Throughout the material, the name Vernon Locke appears in various forms. Vernon Guyon Locke (1827–1890) was from Nova Scotia but spent many years living in Fayetteville, NC. Locke commanded the Confederate privateer Retribution under his alias as Captain John Parker, but he was best known for his role in the Chesapeake Affair in December 1863, when Confederate sympathizers from Nova Scotia captured the Chesapeake.

 Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

While mainly intact, the log does have some loose pages throughout. Additionally, the handwriting is often dense and occasionally overwritten which causes challenges in reading the full text in some places.

 Preferred Citation

[page], SC-1 Ship's Logbook Gem of Beverly, Book Arts, Archives, & Rare Books, Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia.

 Related Materials

Other ship logs are available in the collections.

 Scope and Contents

This ship's log records the journeys of at least 3 ships and voyages during the 1850s, ostensibly all authored by Vernon Locke.

The Gem of Beverly was an American whaling brig and forms the bulk of information documented in this ship's log. Beginning on 7 April 1851, the log documents the location and activities of the brig almost continuously through 29 April 1853.

The SS Sonora (1853-1868) was an 82m long wood sidewheel steamer that was built for the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. The ship primarily sailed the San Francisco – Panama route through 1863, then made one additional voyage delivering troops to Panama in 1865. It was dismantled in 1868. The log tracks the Sonora from 9 December 1853 through 17 Feb 1857, but several pages were removed at some unknown time.

The log then picks up again with the Barque Vernon, listing Vernon Locke as master, on 13 March 1857 continuing through 30 July 1857.

Other materials in the logbook are recipes, budget and accounting calculations, song lyrics and poetry, correspondence, notes, and other miscellaneous writings. One notable addition in the last section of the book is an essay titled "My travels from the year 1846 to 1862."

 Conditions Governing Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

 Logbook Whaling Locke, Vernon Guyon, 1827-1890 Ship log/repositories/4/archival_objects/86031851-18681850s11