Caleb was born in 1815, either in Hadley MA or less likely Hartford CT (the sources are divided). No information was found about his parents. He married Mary E. Lepard, also born in 1815. They had two children neither of whom lived beyond age four: Thomas, born in 1849, died in 1853, and Mary Alice, born in 1852, died in 1856. The 1860 census report for New London records Caleb (age 46, “master ship”, birthplace what appears to be “Massachusetts”) and Mary (age 37). Caleb died on May 31, 1867 and is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London. Mary subsequently married Samuel Warriner. She died in on May 6, 1898.
The Norwich CT Aurora (8/15/1867, p. 3) reports in some detail the circumstances leading to Caleb’s death. Caleb and four others, including Capt. Coddington Fish (AM1824) and Capt. James Fish, set off on a fishing expedition off Fishers Island NY in a new sailboat recently purchased by Coddington. A squall capsized the heavy-ballasted boat that sank almost immediately. The crew tried swimming in the rough seas to Flat Hammock off Fishers Island but unfortunately only Capt. Fish survived. Caleb “had a life preserver with him, but it leaked and was useless”. The article describes Caleb as “a large stout man, of fine appearance. For many years he was a whaling Captain from this port, but has of late years been engaged in buying and selling real estate”. The article concludes, “[I]t is believed that both the Capts. [Caleb and Coddington] reached the surf in so exhausted a condition that when they got through it, they were unable to rise”.
Caleb served as master for seven voyages on five ships, all with New London as home port:
COLUMBUS (AS0143): (brig, 153 tons, length 73 ft., built in Westport MA in 1822, condemned in Johannesburg So Africa in 1850). COLUMBUS sailed on three voyages to the So. Atlantic under Caleb: April 16, 1839 to May 16, 1840, 1840 to May 23, 1841, and June 25, 1841 to October 12, 1842. Dennis Wood Abstract 1-126. AV03095-AV03097.
GENERAL WILLIAMS (AS1445): (ship, 446 tons, length 116 ft., bult in Stonington CT in 1831, captured and burned by SHENANDOAH on June 25, 1865 in the Bering Strait, the crew rescued by GENERAL PIKE (AS0235). WILLIAMS sailed on May 23, 1843 to the NW coast and returned on March 20, 1845. Wood Abstract 1-215. AV05528.
GEORGE WASHINGTON (AS1461): (ship, 609 tons, length 134 ft., built in New Bedford MA in 1832, burned in Talcahuano in March 16, 1856). WASHINGTON sailed for the Indian Ocean and NW coast on July 29, 1845 and returned on May 19, 1848. Wood Abstract 1-204. AV05739.
ARMATA (AS0912): (ship, 414 tons, length 108 ft., built in New York NY in 1811, rebuilt in New London in 1832). ARMATA sailed on October 2 for the NW coast on October 2, 1849. Wood Abstract 2-009 records “Lost on a reef off Cape North or or about July 15, 1851. Sold for $200 to Capt. Low [Edward Low AM3159] of Francis [AS1418] of New London”. AV01250.
DELAWARE (AS1198): (bark, 300 tons, length 107 ft., built in Damariscotta ME in 1845, lost Ballenas Bar, Lower CA on December 25, 1860). Caleb was master when DELAWARE sailed on July 14, 1852 for the N. Pacific. He left the ship under time and circumstances not known and was succeeded by three replacement masters: B.F. Homan (AM2662), Theophilus Brown (AM0679, and Isaac Allyn (AM0118). Wood Abstract 3-539. AV03659
Williams & Barnes was the agent for all of these voyages.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text.
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
April 2026