Washington District of Columbia

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1808 Lists of Employees,
Carpenters Joiners, Sawyers, Laborers & Sailors
Washington Navy Yard

By : John Sharp ©

 

Two 1808 Lists, Carpenters Joiners, Sawyers, Laborers &c
employed in the Navy Yard Washington, Building Six Gun Boats -
& a list of Sailors Employed

Introduction:
      The transcribed letter and two lists below from Commodore Thomas Tingey, Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard to Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith dated 22 April 1808 are important historical records. Commodore Tingey's letter to Secretary Smith was sent with two enclosures, a muster role of Carpenters Joiners, Sawyers, Laborers &c employed in the Navy Yard Washington Building Six Gun Boats and a list of Sailors Employed in the Navy Yard Washington. Both lists provide valuable insights as to the composition and nature of the early navy yard. This information requested by the Secretary Smith allowed him to gain a better idea of the number of military and civilian employees then working on six Gun Boats for the new Navy. These important boat building projects were near to completion and the Department of the Navy was preparing to reduce the WNY workforce. In a separate article I have discussed the political and economic background of these reductions and there implications for the WNY workforce.             1808 Reduction in Force

Today these 1808 documents provide a valuable record for historians and genealogists seeking to understand the history of federal employment and the important role of labor and African Americans in the early naval yard.

See : Gun Boat Diagram

Appreciation:
My gratitude to Ms Gail Munro for her extraordinary help in providing the research material that are sine qua non for this
Washington Navy Yard project.

 

Transcription:
      This transcription was made from the National Archives and Records Administration Record Group 45 microfilm of the letters of Commodore Thomas Tingey dated 22 April 1808 to Secretary of the Navy Robert Smith. In transcribing this letter and enclosures, I have striven to adhere as closely as possible to the original in spelling, capitalization, punctuation and abbreviation (e.g. "Do" or "do" for ditto or same as above) including the retention of dashes, ampersands and overstrikes. Where I was unable to print a clear image or where it was not possible to determine what was written, I have so noted in brackets. Where achievable, I have attempted to arrange the transcribed material in a similar manner to that found in the letters and enclosure.

John G. Sharp                         February 23, 2009
Stockton Ca                                                      

==================================================

 

							Navy Yard Wash 22 April 1808 
Sir

	I am honor'd with your letter of yesterday, and in part of a reply thereto, transmit 
here with a list of Blackman discharged from the Yard the 16th inst in pursuance of your 
verbal instructions, a few days prior thereto. 

   	I transmit also a list of Seamen lately taken into the yard as laborers, and list of the 
carpenters, laborers &c exclusively employed on the Gunboats -
   These two lists form a great addition to the yard expenditures, but they are both temporary 
and I presume will soon end. 

	The account of all the other descriptions of persons is making out and shall be
 transmitted with my opinion therein as soon as complete. 

					I have the honor to be 
						Very respectfully 
							Sir 
							   Yr Obedient Servt 
								Thos Tingey 
Hon Rt Smith
==================================================

 

 

 
Sailors Employed in the Navy Yard Washington
[22 April 1808 ]                        

No. Names Pay per
day/cents 		No. Names Pay per
day/cents
1 Geo Christian 75 17 Walter Hubbard 75
2 John King 75 18 Sam- Geo - 75
3 Thomas Cunningham 75 19 William Clark 75
4 John Battenhorn 75 20 John Daniel 75
5 Walter Gailer 75 21 Nich Davis 75
6 Anthony Quester 75 22 Mily Nosten 75
7 Zachar James 75 23 William Hulday 75
8 James Biibe 75 24 William Dale 75
9 John Joseph 75 25 Henry Lyell 75
10 Jacob Wiley 75 26 William Wanington 75
11 William Kent 75 27 Josephs Sims 75
12 John Silva 75 28 Geo Bostock 75
13 John Seana 75 29 William Anderson 75
14 John Dice 75 30 Joseph Matthews 75
15 Chris Banet 75 31 William Love 75
16 William Boyle 75 32 Robt Phillips 75 

Making in the Aggregate the expense per diem $ 24 - Being Seamen Employed as 
Laborers in Pursuance of the Secretaries Instructions of 23 Feby, last part 
				Navy Yard Washington 
					22nd April 1808 
						Thos Tingey

 

 

 
Carpenters, Joiners, Sawyers, Laborers &c employed in the Navy
Yard Washington Building - Six Gun Boats -- [22 April 1808]
No. Names Station Pay per
day/ cents 		No. Names Station Pay per
day/ cents
1 John Nowland Quarterman 2.56 28 Char Stevens Carpenter 2.06
2 Walker Turner " 2.56 29 William Slater " 2.06
3 William Adams Carpenter 1.81 30 John Slater " 2.06
4 Jas Anderson " 2.06 31 William Thompson " 1.81
5 James Brown " 2.06 32 William Wells " 2.06
6 Geo Barnes Apprentice 1.81 33 John Nicholson " 2.06
7 Robt Bradley " 1.20 34 Rich Allen " 2.06
8 Dan Buchanan Carpenter 2.06 35 Bill Brent Sawyer 1.50
9 Char Cannon Apprentice 1.60 36 Hiram Brown " 1.50
10 Geo Chamberlain Carpenter 2.06 37 Bill Barber " 1.00
11 Jas Dutton " 2.06 38 Harry Brent " 1.00
12 Geo Dyson " 2.06 39 Jo Martin Calker 1.75
13 Jas Felt " 2.06 40 Dan Easterday Carpenter 1.25
14 William Fisher " 1.81 41 Dan Brent Laborer .80
15 Pat Geoffrey " 2.06 42 Geo Barclay " .80
16 William Gilliot " 2.06 43 Hir Club " .80
17 Rob James Apprentice .80 44 Samuel Hays " .80
18 Ben King Carpenter 2.06 45 Hezekiah Sangley " .80
19 Thomas Riley " 2.06 46 Barton Monis " .80
20 David Sewes " 2.06 47 Chas O'Neale " .80
21 Hugh Mead Apprentice .80 48 Hir O'Bryan " 80
22 Thomas McClan Carpenter 2.06 49 Wiseman Sherlock " .80
23 Kirby Needham Apprentice 1.60 50 James Thialkeld " 80
24 Thomas Pen Carpenter 2.06 51 Peter Whelan " .80
25 Walter Sherlock Apprentice 1.20 52 James Dimmick " 80
26 William Spotswood " .80 53 Elisha Padget " .80
27 Dan Smith Carpenter 2.06 54 William Carico " .80 

Expenses in the Aggregate of $ 82.52 Per Diem Employed Exclusively on building Gun 

Boats , In pursuance of the Secretary's Instruction of 13th Jan last past, Navy Yd Wash

 22d 1808
 			Thos Tingey

 

 

Gun Boat Diagram

      This diagram of a Gun Boat similar to number Eight which was built at Washington Navy Yard about the same time as Haraden's letter. These Gun Boats were all light craft carrying a small crew and one or two guns. The danger Haraden refers to is of the vessel moving to quickly across the water as it was driven by the wind and the Boat crew losing control of the vessel etc. "Doping the Rudder" is to make a heavyer rudder for the Boat to slow its progress and give it more stability.

 

Endnotes :

Commodore Thomas Tingey, 1750 -1829 Commandant, Washington Navy Yard for biography:
Biography of Thomas Tingey

Robert Smith Secretary of the Navy 1757 -1842 for biography:
Biography of Robert Smith

African Americans and the Washington Navy Yard see The Diary of Michael Shiner Relating to the History of the Washington Navy Yard 1813-1869 Navy Department Library online, transcribed with an Introduction and Notes John G. Sharp 2007.
The Diary of Michael Shiner

 

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