Camp Cachalot Alumni Association Forums

[Dennis Wilkinson]

I've been poking around a little online looking for more information on Andrew Jackson (nee André Cabrara), the whaler whose name adorned the 1964-1999 waterfront tower. The original article I found in the Standard-Times noted that he had been a mate on the Charles W. Morgan of New Bedford, and it just happens with the Morgan on display at Mystic Seaport there is a wealth of archives related to the Morgan online, including crew lists.

Sure enough, he's listed as 3rd mate (apparently being promoted mid-voyage to 2nd mate) on the 9th voyage of the Morgan out of New Bedford:

http://www.mysticseaport.org/library/exhibits/morganvoyage.cfm?mlet=9

The notes on the crew list give his age as 38, and his birthplace as Canary Island (which further confuses that issue, as the Standard-Times article explicitly stated he was Portuguese, but does mention the Canary Islands as well.) Both of these line up reasonably well with his stated retirement "from the sea" in 1880 and death in 1903. The name also appears on the 10th voyage crew manifest, but for a 19 year old "greenhand", clearly not the same individual.

The New Bedford Library also has crew manifests online for ships sailing out of the area, and the name Andrew Jackson appears on many crew lists, but without enough information to say which might be the same man (the earliest reference would have him aboard a ship at age 12 if it is the same person, which could be possible, although it's not clear that he would have changed his name at that age.)

I'm still trying to hunt down a picture; the Standard-Times article has a photo which is not terribly clear on the microfilm that looks like his granddaughter holding a painted portrait.
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Dennis
Minister of Propaganda, Webmaestro, and Chief Bottle Washer

"Everything that passes unattempted is impossible." - Stephen R. Donaldson