The sources show varying dates for William’s birth (between 1829 and 1834) and place of birth (Waterford CT and New London CT). His parents were Moses and May Jane (Beebe) Dunbar. William married Frances E. Pachey (born May 19,1836, died October 24, 1872). They had three children: Fannie (born about 1862, died October 26, 1872), Alice (born about 1857), and Robert (born about 1868). The years of birth of the three children are extrapolated from their ages shown in census reports. No other information could be found about William’s family. William died in 1881, details and circumstances discussed below.
William served as master for three voyages on two ships, both with New London as home port:
NORTH WEST (AS2659): (bark, 303 tons, length 100’, built in Salem MA in 1816). Sailed on September 1, 1859 for Desolation Island. It was sold at Mauritius on April 6, 1863, for $1,600 according to Dennis Wood Abstract #3-586. Thomas Fitch II was the agent. AV10619.
FLYING FISH (AS1380): (schooner, 75 tons, length 75’, built in Essex MA in 1859, abandoned off Cape Horn on October 25, 1878). It sailed on June 27, 1877, returned on May 11, 1878, no cargo listed. It sailed again six weeks later, on June 24, 1878, for a sealing voyage that ended when the ship was abandoned. Mystic Seaport Museum holds the logbook for both voyages. Lawrence & Co. was the agent for both voyages. AV05023 and AV05024.
William also served as master of CONCORDIA (AS1140, home port Sag Harbor NY, for its 1868-1869 voyage.
New London Crew Lists show William as a crew member for seven voyages but only four could be verified, all on ships with New London as home port: GEORGIA (AS1468) for its 1846-1848 voyage, COLUMBUS (AS1125) for its 1854-1856 voyage, NORTH WEST for its 1856-1859 voyage, and CHARLES COLGATE (AS1079) for its 1875-1877 voyage. After his voyage on GEORGIA, William was issued Seamen’s Protection Certificate #328 in New London on March 11, 1850. The certificate shows William age 21 at the time and born in Waterford.
Fresh from his last whaling voyage, William joined the crew as ice pilot on JEANNETTE, a U.S. Navy ship, for an exploratory cruise from Alaska across the top of Russia to the Atlantic. The purpose of the voyage was to test the theory of a west-flowing current north of Russia. The story of JEANNETTE’s voyage has been told many times, in books and videos. The ship left San Francisco in July 1879, sailed through the Bering Strait in late August, and in September 1879 became caught fast in the ice. For almost two years, still trapped in the ice, it drifted erratically with the currents in the ice north of Russia. On June 13, 1881 the ship was crushed by the ice and sank 300 miles off of the coast of Siberia. Provisions, sledges, and the logbook were loaded onto the ship’s boats. The crew traveled over the ice toward the Siberian coast, hauling boats with the over mounds of broken and packed ice. William left in the smaller boat with seven others. During a storm in September 1881, the two boats became separated. No trace was ever found of William’s boat or its crew. The other boat ultimately reached safety, and many of the crew were saved.
Several books provide glimpses of William: Hoehling (p. 20): “grizzled oldtimer of indeterminate age. The solemn New Londoner had guided whaling ships through the far reaches of the world’s oceans”. Guttridge (p. 79-80): “born in New London … whale-hunter most his life”. Sides (p. 121): “experienced whaling captain originally from New London … been at sea since he was ten.”
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text. A.A. Hoehling, The Jeannette Expedition, Leonard Guttridge, Icebound, Hampton Sides, In the Kingdom of Ice.
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
April 2025