George was born on September 6, 1805 in Chatham (now East Hampton) CT. No information was found about his parents. He married Sarah Peck of New London, born in 1807, on June 18, 1830 in New London. They had three children: Elizabeth (born 1832, died on May 10, 1833 at 15 months), Sarah Elizabeth (1834-1861), and Henry (1836-1874). Sarah died on July 12, 1837 at age 29. George died at sea on December 16, 1846 according to his gravestone at Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London (seen in Find A Grave) and records there. His will, dated July 17, 1840, left his estate to Nancy Peck, possibly a sister of Sarah? The probate process in the New London Probate Court started in July 1847 and continued into 1850. An August 1848 commissioner’s report shows the estate’s receipt from Miner, Lawrence & Co. of $485.07 “for his interest in voyage of ship Tenedos”.
George was master of two voyages on two ships with New London as home port:
BINGHAM (AS0986): (ship, 375 tons, length 101’, built in Philadelphia PA in 1804, condemned in the Pacific in 1846). Sailed on May 17, 1832 to the So. Atlantic, returned on February 21, 1833. Both Colby and Starbuck show Mystic CT as the home port. Decker does not identify the master. Starbuck notes that BINGHAM “Returned leaking 500 strokes per hour.” Jedediah Randall was the agent. AV01861.
TENEDOS (AS2481): (bark, 246 tons, length 96’, built in Pembroke MA in 1827). Sailed on August 5, 1844 to the Indian Ocean, returned on June 9, 1847. AOWV and other sources show Henry Comstock (AM6010), the initial master for the voyage, as leaving the ship under circumstances not disclosed, to be replaced by George. Starbuck records for this voyage “First mate, —- Churchill, injured by falling off a water-cask and died Dec., 1847.” The author believes that Starbuck’s date of death should be 1846 to be consistent with other records. TENEDOS returned from the voyage in June 1847, six months before George died at sea according to Starbuck. Joseph Lawrence was agent. AV13751.
George served on the crew for ten voyages of nine ships, all but one of which had New London as home port: PIZARRO (AS2198), home port Hartford CT, for its 1822-1823 and 1823-1824 voyages; STONINGTON (AS2437) for its 1824-1827 voyage; FRIENDS (AS1418) for its 1827-1830 voyage; AERONAUT (AS0826) for its 1830-1832 voyage; BINGHAM (see above) for its 1831-1832 voyage; ANN MARIA (AS0879) for its 1833-1834 voyage; COLUMBUS (AS0143) for its 18401841 voyage; PEMBROKE (AS2167) for its 1841-1842 voyage; TENEDOS (see above) for its 1842-1844 voyage. He was issued Seaman’s Protection Certificate #6684 on October 17, 1827 in New London, after he completed his first three voyages as a crew member
AOWV records two masters named George Churchill and assigns master number AM0976 to the master of BINGHAM and master number AM0977 to the master of TENEDOS. The New London Crew List showing crews of BINGHAM and TENEDOS as well ships on which George served as crew consistently show the master born in Chatham CT and at an age consistent with birth in 1805. The author, unable to find information suggesting two Georges, concludes there was one George Churchill, master of both ships. The author attaches AM0976 to both of George’s voyages.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text.
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
December 2024