DACS

painemarygorham Guide to the Mary Gorham Paine Diary, 1879-1884 and undated Processed by: Danielle Moore; machine-readable finding aid created by: Danielle Moore David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Duke University Durham, N.C., USA

Aleph Number: 003851431

Machine-readable finding aid derived from XML authoring program. Date of source: September 2010Processed by Danielle Moore, September 2010; finding aid encoded by Danielle Moore, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University, September 2010 Description is in English Finding aid was prepared using DACS and local Style Guide Guide to the Mary Gorham Paine Diary, 1879-1884 and undated David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library Duke University Durham, North Carolina 27708-0185 USA

Descriptive Summary David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University Paine, Mary Gorham, 1843- Mary Gorham Paine Diary, 1879-1884 and undated Material in English 0.1 Linear Feet 1 Item For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Mary Gorham Paine (b. 1843) of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, was married to Eben W. Paine (1835-1904) of Brewster, Massachusetts, a merchant ship captain in the trade between Boston and Zanzibar. They had one son, Allan Thatcher Paine (b. 1882). The collection consists of a single diary kept by Mary Gorham Paine as she traveled twice by ship from Boston to islands near Madagascar. Forty-six manuscript pages provide both a day-by-day account of her trip aboard the Sarah Hobart to Nossi-Be (present day Nosy Be) from December 25, 1879 to May 4, 1880, and a three-page, mid-journey synopsis of the passage with her young son to Reunion Island, begun on December 13, 1883. As is made clear by the text, the intent of both voyages was to join her husband who was probably located in Zanzibar at the time. Newspaper clippings chiefly concerned with literary topics, news and issues relating to Africa, and obituaries for her husband and others are pasted into 18 pages following the narrative portion of the diary together with a photograph of a man and another of a baby, most likely her husband and son. The diary as a whole provides some insight into the life of a sea captain's wife and a description of long-distance ocean travel aboard a barque such as the Sarah Hobart. Administrative Information Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

However, collection may contain materials to which the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights form applies. Patrons must sign this form before using this collection.

Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.

Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Mary Gorham Paine Diary, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Provenance

The Mary Gorham Paine Diary was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a purchase in 2007.

Processing Information

Processed by Danielle Moore, September 2010

Encoded by Danielle Moore, September 2010

Accession 2007-0113 is described in this finding aid.

Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.

Biographical Note

Mary Gorham Paine was born on March 2, 1843, in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, to Captain Thacher Gorham (1806-1874) and Dinah Hall Bray (1807-1856). She married Captain Eben W. Paine (1835-1904) of Brewster, Massachusetts, and had one son, Allen Thatcher Paine, born on April 29, 1882. Her husband, who commanded merchant ships in the trade between Boston and Zanzibar, resided in Zanzibar as agent for the Ropes & Co. shipping firm for several years, presumably during the time this diary was written. After retirement, he farmed cranberries and later served as Brewster's town clerk, treasurer, and director of the Barnstable County Mutual Fire Insurance Company.

Collection Overview

The collection consists of a single diary kept by Mary Gorham Paine as she traveled twice by ship from Boston to islands near Madagascar. Forty-six manuscript pages provide both a day-by-day account of her trip aboard the Sarah Hobart to Nossi-Be (present day Nosy Be) from December 25, 1879 to May 4, 1880, and a three-page, mid-journey synopsis of the passage with her young son, Allan, to Reunion Island, begun on December 13, 1883. As is made clear by the text, the intent of both voyages was to join her husband, Captain Eben W. Paine, who was probably located in Zanzibar at the time. Newspaper clippings chiefly concerned with literary topics, news and issues relating to Africa, and obituaries for her husband and others are pasted into 18 pages following the narrative portion of the diary together with a photograph of a man and another of a baby, most likely her husband and son. The clippings lack an indication of the year and source except for the Literary Leaves articles which are from the Boston Journal.

The diary provides some insight into the life of a sea captain's wife and a description of long-distance ocean travel aboard a barque such as the Sarah Hobart. Paine initially suffered from sea-sickness, but once recovered, occupied herself with sewing, reading, washing, and baking, as well as socializing and playing cards and Parcheesi with fellow travelers. She often mentioned the activities of her primary companions, Mrs. Crocker and the ship's Captain, who sometimes cooked special meals for his female passengers and was often engaged in washing clothing himself. In addition, Paine unfailingly commented on the weather, foods served at meals, number of miles traveled, number of days at sea, and types of ships sighted. On April 18th, after nearly four months at sea, the ship made port at Tamatave, Madagascar (present day Toamasina). Paine mentioned little about the six days spent ashore and continued with the diary only until arrival at Nossi-Be. The summary description of the second journey centers mainly on Paine's concern with her 20-month old son's well-being and activities aboard ship, her own struggle with sea-sickness and feelings of inadequacy in managing her son, and her appreciation for the assistance of Mrs. Hill and the ship's Captain in caring for him. The final update to the narrative was added on February 4th, 1884, while still en route to their first stop, Reunion Island.

Subject Headings

These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.

Paine, Mary Gorham, 1843- Ocean travel--History--19th century. Ship captains’ spouses--Massachusetts--History--19th century. Women travelers--History--19th century. Women travelers--Diaries. Atlantic Ocean--Description and travel. Indian Ocean--Description and travel. Diaries. Contents of Collection Mary Gorham Paine Diary, 1879-1884 and undated (1 folder) 1Mary Gorham Paine diary, 1879-1884 and undated