John was born about 1812 in New London CT. His birth date is extrapolated from crew lists and an 1850 census. A baptism record for 1812 shows the baptism of “John, son of William and Amy Edwards”, but the place of baptism is not shown, and it may well not be the correct John. East Lyme CT records show John Edwards marrying Sarah M. Wade on March 14, 1847. She was born about 1818 in New London. The 1850 census for Waterford CT records John as age 36, occupation “mariner”, Sarah A. as age 30, and son George at six months. The circumstances of John’s death on October 14, 1856 during his voyage on MECHANIC are described below.
John served as master for one voyage in each of two ships, both with New London as home port:
ATLAS (AS0928): (schooner, 81 tons, built in Sussex County DE in 1833, Connecticut Ship Database records that its registration was surrendered on September 20, 1859, “vessel wrecked”: it is unclear whether the date refers as well to the date of the wreck). It sailed on August 12, 1851 for Desolation Island and returned on June 14, 1856. AV01386. Henry W. Whipple (AM5294) was the initial master; he was replaced by William Brown (AM0690) who in turn was replaced by John, who was thus the second replacement maste
MECHANIC (AS19154): (schooner, 89 tons, length 63’, built in Stonington CT in 1846). It sailed on October 26, 1853 for Desolation Island. AOWV records it returning in 1856. AOWV records John dying during this voyage and shows as replacement only “Mate”, perhaps as explained in the following paragraph. AV08499. Perkins & Smith was agent for both voyages. Colby’s list of vessels of which John was master shows MECHANIC but not ATLAS. Colby describes MECHANIC as one of the “smallest nineteenth century American whalers” (p. 19).
During the two voyages described above, ATLAS and MECHANIC (and two other ships) served as tenders to CORINTHIAN (AS1153) under the command of Erasmus Rogers (AM4130) for that ship’s 1853-1856 voyage to Desolation and Heard Islands. Erasmus’s journal of this and other voyages (see Sources) describes the activities of CORINTHIAN, ATLAS, and MECHANIC during this voyage during which Erasmus (at least by one account) discovered Heard Island, lying 260 miles south of Desolation Island at latitude 53 degrees S.
Dennis Wood Abstract #3-562 shows an entry for MECHANIC with John as master: “Taken into Portland N.S.W. Dec. 13, 1856 by help of the mate and one man from S.V. “Champion”. Capt. E. and two men were lost overboard Oct. 14 [1856] in a gale”. Peterson’s Mystic Built (p. 214) presents the events in this way: “During a heavy gale off Heard Island in 1856, Mechanic was separated from Corinthian, the captain and two other men being drowned. Unable to locate Corinthian, the survivors (three men and a boy) sailed for Australia and eventually arrived at New South Wales”. Erasmus’s Journal does not mention the loss of John and the two other shipmates.
In addition to his service on ATLAS and MECHANIC, John served on the crew for at least nine voyages on eight ships, all with New London as home port: OSPRAY (AS2120) for its 1833-1834 voyage; GEORGE (AS1462) for its 1834-1836 voyage; STONINGTON (AS2437) for its 1837-1839 voyage; COLUMBUS (AS0143) for its 1841-1842 and 1842-1844 voyages; INDIAN CHIEF (AS1647) for its 1844-1847 voyage; McLELLAN (AS1913) for its 1849-1849 voyage; and HANNAH BREWER (AS1522) for its 1852-1854 voyage.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text. Also, The Journal of Erasmus Darwin Rogers, the First Man on Heard Island by Helen Winslow and Rhys Richards (held in the library of Mystic Seaport Museum).
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
April 2025