Samuel Merritt, a medical doctor, arrived in California in 1850 on a 140 ton sailing vessel that he purchased for the passage. He arrived during one of the city's great fires, and inadvertently made a profit on his cargo of general merchandise.
In the winter of 1850-51, he purchased the brig G.W. Kendall and sent her north to the Puget Sound area to bring ice to San Francisco, where he planning on storing it in ice houses. The captain of the Kendall returned four months later to report that "water don't freeze at Puget Sound." However the captain had loaded a cargo of spiles which were in great demand in San Francisco.
The brig was sent to Australia with passengers and cargo and instructions to load coal at Newcastle for the homeward passage. The captain found many vessels waiting to load ahead of him, so he sailed to Tahiti and shipped a cargo of oranges to California. They sold at immense profit and an active trade developed.
The brig was ultimately sold at double her cost.
In 1852, the Doctor purchased a track of land in Oakland, bordering on an arm of the Estuary. There he built his home and when a fill separated the body of water from the Bay, it was named Lake Merritt.
Dr. Merritt was Mayor of Oakland, but retired in disgust at the political machinations of the time and turned his attention to yachting. He built the schooner Casco, the largest pleasure craft on the Pacific Coast. This was also the vessel Robert Louis Stevenson sailed in to the South Seas Islands in 1888.
Dr. Merritt died in Oakland in 1890.
To Top of Page
Samuel Merritt
This site started with my daughter's family tree homework project ten years ago. It has taken us around the world in search of family (and to just have fun). Our generational tree is now 5'x4' and goes back to the 1700s in Maine (before that Ireland, Wales and Germany). A family tree is a marvelous way to keep your family connected.
Recommended Reading.
Books can be ordered just by clicking on a cover.
The Annals of San Francisco by Frank Soule, John H. Gihon, James Nisbet
Originally published 1855. Illustrated.
One of the best ways to link with your past is to travel to the home of your ancestors to conduct research. We have unexpectedly come across links in Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Northern Ireland, Wales, New Zealand, Central America, and various cities in California. Expedia.com guarantees the lowest prices. They are worth considering.
Page: http://www.maritimeheritage.org/vips/
Date Entered: Between 1998 and 2008
Source: Daily Alta California, Family Papers, Historical Records, Submissions from Researchers
Research and WebDesign: D.A. Levy
Contact: D.A. Levy
www.MaritimeHeritage.org
Post Office Box 2878
Sausalito, California 94966
U.S.A.
Contact: D.A. Levy
www.MaritimeHeritage.org
Post Office Box 2878
Sausalito, California 94966
U.S.A.
Copyright © 1998-2008:
D.A. Levy/The Maritime Heritage Project.
All rights reserved.
Please inform us if you link from your site.
And please do NOT link from your site unless your site specifically relates to immigration in the 1800s,
family history, maritime matters, maritime history and/or California history.
Please inform us if you link from your site.
And please do NOT link from your site unless your site specifically relates to immigration in the 1800s,
family history, maritime matters, maritime history and/or California history.