In A Newport Minute | 1846-1855

This video is the 8th in our series, In A Newport Minute, created by the Newport Historical Society as part of Newport’s contribution to America Turns 250. Each installment highlights a moment in American history within a ten‑year span, beginning in 1776 and continuing to the present day.

Across these 25 short videos, we’ll explore how Newport grew, adapted, and evolved alongside the nation—sometimes in step with national events, sometimes in its own unique way. Our goal is to bring local history to life and show how our community’s story fits into the larger American narrative.

We invite you to follow along every two weeks as we share new chapters in Newport’s past.

Overview

A historical account recounts Captain Hawes’s transition from a respected New Bedford whaler to a Gold Rush shipmaster, detailing his 1849 purchase of the three-masted schooner Harriet Rockwell and formation of the Franklin California Trading and Mining Co. The narrative traces the vessel’s arduous 161-day voyage from Boston, around Cape Horn, to California, noting stops in Brazil and Chile and significant storm damage upon arrival.

The video outlines Hawes’s later career in the Panama trade, his permanent maritime life, and eventual death in Calcutta in 1865.

All of the videos in the series can be viewed using the link below:

Sources:

• Whaling History: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/research/research-resources/whaling-history/yankee-whaling/
• Idyllic: https://us.idyllic.app/gen/new-bedford-whaling-town-244131
• Timecaps Tales: https://x.com/timecaptales/status/1881890881286164741/photo/1
• Lot-Art: https://www.lot-art.com/auction-lots/Franklin-California-Trading-and-Mining-Co-Stock-160128/2253-franklin_california-03.12.22-holabird
• The Diary of Charles Emerson, compiled by Jayna Huot and Larry Cote, NHS, 2021.
• Argus Champion, 1/18/1949, p. 4
• The 1849 Gold Rush Fleet: Harriet Rockwell, Goodman, John, Southern California Quarterly
• Jane Addams Papers Project: https://janeaddams.ramapo.edu/publications/selected-papers-volume-
• Rehs Galleries – Clipper Ship Dashing Wave Entering the Golden Gate
• Scrimshaw Gallery, John Stobart
• Edelweiss Post: https://edelweisspost.com/products/10-vintage-california-postage-gold-rush-green-stamps-for-mailing

Key Words:

Shubael Hawes, Nancy Smith, Francis Hawes, Mary Jane Hawes, George Hawes, Frederick Fernald, Austin Stockwell, Jeremiah Ladd, Bela Jenks, Newport, Croydon, New Bedford, Massachusetts, Boston, Cape Horn, South America, Brazil, Chile, California, San Francisco, Isthmus of Panama, Pacific Ocean, New Hampshire, Calcutta, India, Portsmouth, Parlin Field airport

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