Biography of Henry Grinnell
Henry Grinnell was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1799 and in 1818 went to New York City where he became a clerk in the commission house of H. D. & E. B. Sewell. In 1825 Henry joined his brother Joseph Grinnell and formed Fish, Grinnell & Company. A few years later this became Grinnell, Minturn & Company, a firm whose operations were greatly expanded by its entry into the general shipping business. This company became one of the strongest mercantile houses in New York City. Henry Grinnell retired in 1850, the same year in which he financed the outfitting of two vessels, the Advance and the Rescue, to search the Arctic for the lost Franklin Polar Expedition. He also helped finance a second rescue expedition three years later. On later occasions Grinnell manifested his unabated interest in polar exploration by contributing to the voyage of Isaac I. Hayes in 1860, and to the Polaris venture of Charles F. Hall in 1871. He was also one of the founders of the American Geographical and Statistical Society. Henry Grinnell died in 1874.
Restrictions
Restrictions on Access
Available for use in the Manuscripts Division
Restrictions on Use
Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the G. W. Blunt White Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Persons:
Franklin, John, 1786-1847
Hall, Charles Francis, 1821-1871
Corporate Bodies (Including Vessels):
Polaris (Ship)
Places:
Arctic regions–Discovery and exploration
North Pole–Discovery and exploration–American
Subjects:
United States North Polar Expedition (1871-1873)
Occupations:
Capitalists and financiers–New York (State)–New York Merchants–New York (State)–New York
Administrative Information
Coll. 8, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.
Indexes
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Papers; 1861-1871.
| Box | Folder | |
| 1 | 1 | Papers pertaining to a polar expedition conducted by C. F. Hall in search of the Franklin party, including correspondence with C. F. Hall, letters from Richard H. Chapell, and Edward A. Chapel in addition to notes and clippings. Images · Transcriptions |
| 2 | Papers pertaining to polar exploration, including clippings, notes, and mostly letters from C. F. Hall. Images · Transcriptions | |
| 3 | Papers pertaining to polar exploration, including letters from Frank Leiler, C. F. Hall, and James McHaughton, Jr.. Images · Transcriptions | |
| 4 | Papers pertaining to polar exploration, including letters from C. F. Hall and W. Parker Snow. Images · Transcriptions |