The records concerning George’s birth and death are confusing, in part because there appears to have been another George Dunn Gilderdale living in Yorkshire, England in the same general period. Determining which records refer to Capt. George (referred to herein as George) and which to the English George is a puzzle. The author attempts to reconcile this information below.
Perhaps the most reliable information about George’s birth comes from his gravestone in Elm Grove Cemetery in Mystic CT: His stone, showing him as “Capt.”, records him born February 22, 1824, died June 2, 1902. (verified in person by the author). The only record of the place of birth of a George Dunn Gilderdale appears in baptismal records for the Parish of Swinefleet in Yorkshire, England showing the baptism on February 29, 1824, of George Dunn Gilderdale, son of George and MaryGilderdale. However, that record shows “sailor”, perhaps referring to his father. This is probably the English George.
George married Elvira P. (Murdock), born May 3, 1833, place not found. Census reports for Stonington CT for 1860 record George (“seaman”), Elvira, Lizzie (age 5) and George (age 3). Ten years later, George is now “sailor”, Lizzie is (age 15), Harry (age 4), and Kate (age four months), suggesting that young George passed away in the interim. In the 1880 census, Lizzie no longer appears and Harry and Kate are now age 14 and 5. During the Civil War, George served in the Union Navy from October 22, 1861 until September 20, 1865. George died on July 9, 1902. Elvira predeceased him, dying on February 8, 1883. Kate, shown as Katherine, died on March 3, 1952. Her gravestone, adjacent to those of her father and mother, shows her date of birth as January 28, 1869, consistent with her ages in the census reports.
English records show George Dunn Gilderdale serving in the Royal Navy from April 20, 1848 to February 2, 1849. A series of polling district electoral records for Swinefleet, Yorkshire, over the period of several years beginning in 1845 record George Dunn Gilderdale of Swinefleet. This is the English George.
A family tree for George Dunn Gilderdale found on Ancestry.com (information not verified) names his parents as George and Mary (Dunn) Gilderdale, shows him born in England (“at sea”, no source), and residing in Yorkshire England in 1850. The author believes that this tree mixes the two George’s, that the George born in and thereafter residing in England was the English George, not George, and that George’s place of birth remains unknown.
George made a cameo appearance in the records of AOWV, serving as master for one voyage on one ship, home port New London:
PERU (AS0555): (bark, 221 tons, length 87 ft., built in Hanover MA in 1818 , withdrawn and sold to New Bedford owners in 1874). PERU sailed under George’s command on August 17, 1871 for the Atlantic (Starbuck says Desolation Island), returning on June 14, 1872. Dennis Wood Abstract 4-350, confirming Starbuck report destination, records PERU reached Desolation Island where it collected a cargo of Elephant oil. Mystic Seaport Museum holds the PERU’s logbooks for this voyage, both logbooks with enormous detail, alas, in handwriting very difficult to read. Williams, Haven & Co. was the agent. AV11451.
Several news articles, including The New York Herald (6/2/1873), contain a lengthy article by James A. King who sailed on the crew of FRANKLIN (AV1406) serving as tender to PERU in the South Shetland Islands in search of seal skins. The events described occurred during the voyage described above. To quote from King, “Provisions for six days were then put on shore after which Captain Gilderdale promised me to return in ten days at the furthest. We [six men]…remained twenty-two days awaiting the return of the bark Peru. At the end of that time, neither vessels [FRANKLIN the other] having returned, we started to go to the [rendezvous place for the vessels]”. When they got to rendezvous place, “we found that both Peru and Franklin had gone. We were then utterly alone”. The article goes on to describe their experiences over-wintering in the Antarctic winter at latitude S 64 degrees. After many months, King was rescued, the other five having succumbed to the conditions.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text.
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
November 2025
saying where they were heading, but when they got there, Peru and the other vessel (Franklin) had departed leaving them alone. Article describes over-wintering at 64 degrees S latitude before the author of the article, the sole survivor of the six, was rescued.