George was born in New London on August 12, 1808. He was the son of George (1788-1835) and Fanny (Rogers) (1790-1863) Destin and was one of their seven children. She was the daughter of Nathan Rogers. George (Sr.) was a seaman in some manner, evidenced by issuance to him of Seamen’s Protection Certificate #3579 in Newport RI in 1806.
On August 1, 1842 George married Charlotte Lee, born on March 11, 1819 in Colchester CT. She was the daughter of Charles Lee and Esther (Tennant) Lee. Charles and Charlotte were descendants of William Brewster, a passenger on the MAYFLOWER. George and Charlotte had one child, Charlotte Tennant Destin, who died unmarried. The 1850 census for New London showed George (“master of whaling ship”) and Charlotte living in New London. By the time of the 1860 census George (“ship master”), his wife and young Charlotte were living in Colchester CT. George died on December 22, 1865 in New London and is buried in Linwood Cemetery in Colchester. His gravestone can be found in Find A Grave. HIs estate records in the Colchester Probate Court contain a lengthy and detailed inventory of his property. One notable item was “Sextant, Supposed to be worth $50”, a figure significantly higher than other items of personal property and a symbol of his life at sea. His wife Charlotte died on August 8, 1898.
Before he began his career as a master, George served on the crew for five voyages of New London or Norwich CT ships: ANN MARIA (AS0879) for its 1828-1829 and 1829-1830 voyages, CONNECTICUT (AS1144) for its 1833-1834 voyage, and GEORGE (AS1462) for its 1834-1836 and 1837-1839 voyages.
AOWV shows that George was master of six ships for 12 voyages with New London as home port:
GEORGE (AS1462): (ship, 290 tons, length 93’, built in Brooklyn NY in 1806). Sailed on May 11, 1839 and was lost at Amsterdam Island (Indian Ocean) in August 1839. George was saved, and one hopes the rest of the crew were saved as well. Lyman Allyn was the agent AV05583. George had the misfortune to lose the first ship he commanded, not an auspicious start for his career at sea.
BINGHAM (AS0986): (ship, 375 tons, length 101’, built in Philadelphia PA in 1804, condemned in the Pacific in 1846 or 1848 (two different sources)). Sailed on July 10, 1840 for the Indian Ocean, returned on June 11, 1842. AV01867. Sailed again in August 1842 for the South Seas, returned on February 17, 1843. For this second voyage George was a replacement master for Thomas Eldridge (AM1739), the initial master. AV01868. Charles Mallory was the agent for both voyages. Starbuck shows that Mystic CT was the home port for BINGHAM for these two and several earlier voyages. Colby shows Mystic as the home port for the 1840 voyage. Decker does not show either voyage.
NORTH AMERICA (AS2056): (Connecticut Ship Database: “in 1842 [the year it sailed] changed to bark ship”, 388 tons, length 105’, built in Kensington PA in 1810, condemned and sold in Hobart in 1861). Sailed on August 11 (Sept. 13) 1842 for the NW Coast, returned on April 4, 1844. Havens & Smith was the agent. AV10591.
MERRIMACK (AS1935): (ship, 414 tons, length 116’, built in Newbury (Newburyport) MA in 1833, condemned in Honolulu in 1858). The Connecticut Ship Database shows the ship’s name without the final “K”. George sailed as master on four consecutive voyages: July 17, 1844 to the NW Coast, returned May 29, 1847; October 9, 1847 to the Indian Ocean and NW Coast, returned on May 3, 1850; October 17, 1850 to the Indian and Pacific oceans, returned on July 7, 1853; and unknown date in 1853, returned on May 22, 1855. Havens & Smith was the agent for the first voyage, Williams & Haven for the next three. AV09647-AV09650 respectively. Starbuck does not show the last voyage.
JOHN & ELIZABETH (AS1707): (ship, 396 tons, length 98’, built in Hanover MA in 1825, condemned in Honolulu in 1858 and broken up). Sailed on September 11, 1855 for the Indian Ocean, returned on June 11, 1856. Williams & Haven was the agent. AV07658.
NILE (AS1491): (ship (changed to bark in 1858), 322 tons, length 103’, built in New York NY in 1826, captured by SHENANDOAH on July 28, 1865 in the Bering Strait, the crew taken home by other whaling ships). Sailed on May 24, 1858 for the No. Pacific, returned in April 1869. George was the initial master when it sailed. He left the ship and, according to AOWV, was followed by six different replacement masters. Decker records that William Earle (AS1674) was the initial master while AOWV shows him as the final master. Starbuck records that there were 11 different masters on this voyage and that it was “the longest whaling voyage on record”. Note that George died in December 1865, more than three years before the voyage ended. When and why he left the ship was not discovered.
The information provided about the six ships described here shows how they ended their days: one lost at sea, one captured, and four condemned. These events happened an average of 34 years after they were built. The author found this an interesting statistic about the useful working life of whaling ship, albeit based on a very small sample of the whaling fleet.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text. Charlotte’s MAYFLOWER connection appears in The Brewster Genealogy, relevant excerpts found online. Sailing and return dates often vary by a few days, depending on the sources, Decker, Starbuck, and Dennis Wood Abstracts.
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
March 2025