Charles was born on February 2, 1837 in Montville CT where he lived for all of his life. He was the son of Erastus (1792-1880) and Fitche Utley Beebe (1790-1860)Church. Charles married Isabella Utley on September 20, 1859. She was born on December 16, 1837. They appear to have had one child, a daughter Lottie (Charlotte) who along with Isabella is mentioned in the probate papers of his estate as one of his two heirs at law. He died on May 23, 1902 in the Uncasville section of Montville and is buried in Comstock Cemetery in that town. A short obituary for Charles (The Day (New London) May 24, 1902) reports that he was survived by his wife, his daughter, and a brother. The article makes no mention of his seafaring life. Isabella died on October 19, 1923.
Perhaps because the family lived in a small town (Montville), the census records for that town present a picture of the family evolving over seventy years, from 1850 when the family consisted of Erastus and Fichte and three sons, Erastus (Jr.) (“mariner”) (26), Charles (13) and Nicholas (10). Ten years later, both the younger Erastus and Charles are “seaman.” In 1870, Erastus and Fitche no longer appear, Charles is “mariner”, and Isabella and daughter Charlotte (3) have appeared. By 1880, Charles is now “farmer” and Charlotte is now Lottie. The 1900 census notes that Charles and Isabella have been married for 41 years. In 1910, Charles is deceased, Isabella is “head” of the family, living with Lottie, now married to Jerome House. Ten years later, Jerome is head of the house, living with Lottie and Isabella who is now “boarder.”
Charles was master of one voyage on one ship with New London as home port.
ROSWELL KING (AS2313): (schooner, 135 tons, length 74’, built Rochester MA in 1873, lost in Hudson Strait in 1881). With Charles as master, itsailed on August 23, 1864 for Desolation Island, returned on April 30, 1867. Charles left the ship at a time and under circumstances not known. He was replaced by Robert H. Glass (AM2238) who is listed in the original crew list for this voyage. Starbuck shows only “— Church” as the master; Decker shows Capt. Glass as master with no mention of Charles; Colby does not list this voyage. Richard H. Chappell was the agent. AV1257.
New London Crew Lists show that Charles served on the crew for one voyage on each of four ships with New London as home port: MARCIA (AS1840) for its 1853-1856 voyage (Charles was then 17 according to the crew list), IRIS (AS1659) for its 1856-1859 voyage, ALERT (AS0834) for its 1862 voyage during which it was captured and burned by the Confederate ship ALABAMA, and ARAB (AS0059) for its 1862-1864 voyage, the crew list of which is dated December 23, 1862. The timing of the last two voyages has to be questioned. New London Crew Lists shows ALERT’s crew list, and presumably its sailing date, on August 8, 1862. Later that year, the ship was burned, location and date not shown. Charles got back to New London in time to be on the crew list of December 23, 1862, all this in almost six months.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text.
George Shaw
American Institute of Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
November 2024