John was born on October 21, 1815 in New London. He was the son of Capt. Henry Hempstead and Nancy (Barber) Hempstead. Their gravestones in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London (sec. 2) record their dates: Henry: 4/26/1788 – 2/8/1883 and Nancy: 8/17/1790 – 1/13/1873. Henry’s Find A Grave site shows that Henry and Nancy had ten children, at least four of whom became New London whaling masters: John, Elias (AM2555), Denison (AM2557), and Benjamin (AM2556). Denison’s obituary adds his brothers Henry and George as whaling captains, but neither is shown in AOWV.
John married a New London girl, Abby Ann Green (born on March 18, 1820), on June 19, 1844 in New London. They had a son John, born in March 1848. Abby predeceased their son, dying on March 25, 1848, possibly due to complications from his birth? John died at six months of age on September 24, 1848. In December 1852 John married Harriet Layman (born May 25, 1836) in Honolulu. She was born and raised in Western Australia. Women Who Went Whaling” (see Sources) lists as one of those whaling women “Harriet (Mrs. John), Vesper 1855, Catherine, 1858” (see below). They “were constant visitors to south-western Australia, her homeland” (Petticoat Whalers, p. 95). They had a daughter, also named Harriet about whom more later.
As noted below in the description of his voyage on CATHERINE, illness forced John to leave that ship on January 1 while the ship was in Honolulu. On January 16, he signed a will in a hospital in Honolulu “where I have gone for medical aid from a whaling voyage in the Pacific Ocean.” He died four months later, on May 25 in Honolulu. His obituary in Honolulu’s The Friend (6/2/1862) reports, “The deceased … has several brothers who are well known ship-masters out of New London. On account of severe illness, he was obliged to leave his vessel … since that time, he has been gradually declining, but the severity of his sufferings have been sensibly mitigated by the unwearied attentions of his beloved wife, who has been his constant companion during several voyages, embracing the last ten years”. His will left one-half of his estate to his wife Harriet and one-half to his and Harriet’s daughter Harriet. John is memorialized by a gravestone in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London (sec. 2), close by gravestones of several members of the Hempstead family, including his parents, Abby, and their son John. There is no mention on those gravestones of his other (Hawaiian) family.
Harriet remarried after John’s death and had six children. She died on October 22, 1898 in Honolulu County and is buried in O’ahu Cemetery in Honolulu. Their daughter Harriet died on July 25, 1935 in Honolulu. Her obituary (Honolulu Star Advertiser (7/7/1935, p. 2) recites that she was born on October 6, 1853 in Honolulu and was the “daughter of Capt. John P. Hempstead, whaling captain from Connecticut, and Harriet Layman Hempstead, who came to Hawaii from Australia”. She was survived by six half–brothers and six half-sisters.
John served as master for nominally six (according to AOWV) but really five voyages on five ships, all with New London as home port.
COMMODORE PERRY (AS1137): (ship, 270 tons, length 91 ft., built in E. Greenwich RI in 1815, sold in 1847 and broken up in 1848). PERRY sailed on July 13, 1842 for the So. Atlantic and returned on May 25, 1844. Dennis Wood Abstract 1-119. Frink Chew & Co. was the agent. AV03175.
INDIAN CHIEF (AS1647): (ship, 401 tons, length 105 ft., built in Portsmouth VA in 1812, lost in the Arctic on August 25, 1857). CHIEF sailed on July 1, 1844 for Chile and the No. Pac. and returned on March 7, 1847. Wood Abstract 2-334. Frink Chew & Co. was the agent. AV07009.
CANDACE (AS1029): (ship (became bark in 1849), 310 tons, length 100 ft., built in Boston MA in 1818, condemned in 1855). CANDACE sailed on July 13, 1847 for the Indian Ocean and returned on April 27, 1849. Wood Abstract 2-144. Mystic Seaport Museum holds the log book for this voyage. Williams & Haven was the agent. AV02281.
VESPER (AS2557): (ship, 321 tons, length 109 ft., built in Newbury MA in 1827, condemned and sold in in Hilo HI on April 1, 1861). VESPER sailed on July 19, 1855 for the Indian Ocean and returned on June 20, 1858. Wood Abstract 3-576 states that VESPER retrieved some of the cargo from North STAR (AS2059) when it was lost off of the northwestern coast of Australia on July 12, 1856. John’s wife Harriet sailed on this voyage. Williams & Barnes was the agent. AV15132.
CATHERINE (AS1054): (bark, 384 tons, built in Rochester MA in 1831). AOWV shows that CATHERINE sailed on October 19, 1858 for the Pacific and Indian oceans and returned to New London two weeks later, on November 5 (AV02467). AOWV then shows as a separate voyage CATHERINE sailing again three weeks later, on November 24, for the same destinations (AV02468). Wood Abstract 3-535 explains: “Returned Nov 8 having lost everything above her three mastheads and split the heads of fore and mainmasts in a gale 10/24.” The latitude longitude coordinates given place the event about halfway to Bermuda. Starbuck describes the damage as “dismasted”. It is apparent that this was really one voyage, interrupted at the beginning for repairs caused by storm damage. Abstract 3-535 records “Returned to Honolulu 1/1/1862 Capt. sick.” Abstract 3-553 continues: “Heppingstone Master sailed from Honolulu April 11 for the Arctic”. John left the ship after this illness and was replaced by four replacement masters: John Heppingstone (AM2564), L. Lamb (AM3014), William H. Phillips (AM3844), John Howland (AM2733), and Lamb again. The voyage ended when the Confederate ship SHENANDOAH burned CATHERINE on June 26, 1865 in the Bering Strait. The crew was rescued by GENERAL PIKE (AS0235). John’s wife Harriet sailed on this voyage.
Colby lists SUPERIOR 1849 under John’s name in New London Whaling Masters. No other sources show John connected with SUPERIOR.
John served as a member of the crew of PALLADIUM (AS2137) for its 1835-1837 voyage and PHOENIX (AS2188) for its 1841-1842 voyage.
John was issued Seaman’s Protection Certificate #62 in New London on June 27, 1835. The certificate reported his age as 19.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text. Joan Druett, She Was a SisterSailor, p. 415 (containing a list of women who went whaling with their husband). Joan Druett, Petticoat Whalers (p. 95).
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
February 2026