Thomas Freeborn

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Thomas Freeborn
Monument to Thomas Freeborn, Pilot.jpg
Monument to Thomas Freeborn, Pilot, 19th-century engraving by James D. Smillie.
Born(1774-08-14)August 14, 1774
Nantucket, Massachusetts, US
DiedDecember 15, 1846(1846-12-15) (aged 72)
Manhattan, New York, US
NationalityAmerican
Occupationmaritime pilot
Spouse(s)Alice Fish
Children12

Thomas Freeborn (August 14, 1774 – December 15, 1846) was a 19th-century American New York Sandy Hook maritime pilot. He was best known for being a pilot on the pilot boat Blossom, who lost his life while on board the steamship John Minturn. The Pilots' Monument was built in 1847 at the by the New York pilots in 1847 at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York City in memory of Thomas Freeborn.

Early life[]

Thomas Freeborn was born on August 14, 1774 in Nantucket, Massachusetts.[1] Freeborn married Alice Fish (1774-1848) on September 7, 1796 in Nantucket and had 12 children.[2] He was the son of George Freeborn (1740-1815) and Susanna Paddack (1734-1802).[1] Freeborn married Alice Fish (1774-1848) on September 7, 1796 in Nantucket and had 12 children.[3]

Career[]

Captain Thomas Freeborn was a New York Sandy Hook harbor pilot. He helped guide steamships into the New York Harbor. He was assigned the pilot boat Blossom.

Disaster at sea[]

On February 14, 1846, Freeborn was on the pilot boat Blossom, cruising at sea outside Mantoloking, New Jersey, when he sighted the packet ship John Minturn from New Orleans. Pilot Freeborn went on board the John Minturn to guide her safely to port but ran into trouble when trying to guide the ship in a terrible icy hurricane.[4] The ship was pushed toward the Jersey Shore and ran ashore on Squan Beach. Attempts were made to help the stranded vessel. A yawl was launched with six crewment abord that reached the shore safely. Thirty-eight out of fifty-one persons perished including Thomas Freeborne and Minturn's Captain Dudley Stark, his wife, son, and daughter.[4]

Freeborn's death was commemorated in an 1846 lithograph by James D. Smillie and one by Nathaniel Currier of Currier and Ives, which shows visitors to Green-Wood paying respects at the monument to pilot Thomas Freeborn.[5][6]

Death[]

Funeral Procession for Thomas Freeborn with pilot boats ca. 1846.

The remains of Captain Freeborn were recovered and brought to the city. A funeral took place on February 24, 1846 from the residence of his mother in New York City.[7][8] A funeral procession occurred for Freeborn with many of the Sandy Hook pilot boats gathered together to pay their respects.[4]: p80 

Legacy[]

USS Thomas Freeborn at Matthias Point

The Pilots' Monument was built in 1847 and is located at Battle Avenue standing upon one of the highest points, at the top of Battle Hill in the Green-Wood Cemetery. It was erected by the New York pilots in memory of their comrade Thomas Freeborn.[9][10]

The steam tug USS Thomas Freeborn was launched on November 17, 1860. She was named after Captain Thomas Freeborn who lost his life in the discharge of his duty on board the ship John Minturn.[11]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  2. ^ "Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  3. ^ "Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2021-06-24.
  4. ^ a b c Russell, Charles Edward (1929). From Sandy Hook to 62°. New York: Century Co. pp. 64–70. OCLC 3804485.
  5. ^ Mosca, Alexandra Kathryn (2008). Images of America, Green-Wood Cemetery. Arcadia Publishing. p. 71. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  6. ^ "The Terrible Storm, On Saturday Night and Sunday Morning". New York Daily Herald. New York, New York. 17 Feb 1846. p. 2. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  7. ^ "City Intelligence". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. 23 Feb 1846. p. 2. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  8. ^ "Capt Thomas Freeborn". Find a Grave. findagrave.com. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Rider, Fremont (1916). Rider's New York City and Vicinity, Including Newark, Yonkers and Jersey City. The Rider Press, Inc. New York. p. 446. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  10. ^ "Monument To Thomas Freeborn, Pilot Lost In The Ship John Minturn, February 15, 1846, Greenwood Cemetery". The Mariners' Museum and Park. 17 Feb 1846. Retrieved 2021-06-23.
  11. ^ "Launch Of A Steam Tug". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. 19 Nov 1860. p. 3. Retrieved 2021-06-23.

External links[]

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