Samuel was born in the Quaker Hill section of Waterford CT on November 11, 1815. His parents were Samuel Greene (1784-1860) and Betsey Holmes Greene (1787-1827). He married Mary A. Crandall, born on May 23, 1821, on April 28, 1839. The census for New London for 1850 records Samuel (“mariner”), Mary and one child, Lewis age 5. The 1870 census shows Samuel (“ship master”), Mary and two children, Alice age 16 and Frank age 7, Lewis possibly having died. The 1880 census lists Samuel (“retired sea captain”), Mary and two children, Orrin age 35 and Frank age 17. Family Search contains a family tree for Samuel going back several generations.
Samuel was master for seven voyages on four ships with New London as home port:
NEPTUNE (AS2032): (ship, 285 tons, length 94 ft., built in New Bedford in 1809, altered to bark in 1850, sold and broken up at age 30 in Hawaii in 1857). NEPTUNE made three consecutive voyages under Samuel: (1) May 29, 1839 for the So. Atlantic and Indian oceans, returned on July 9, 1840. (2) October 13, 1840 for the So. Atlantic, returned on April 15, 1842. (3) June 20 1842 for the Indian Ocean, returned on June 23, 1844. Dennis Wood Abstract 1-373 describes the three voyages. Mystic Seaport Museum holds the logbook for the last two voyages. The sources conflict whether the agent for these voyages was Haven & Smith or Thomas W. Williams. AV10371-AV10373.
MORRISON (AS1984): (ship, 566 tons, length 123 ft., built in Kensington PA in 1837). Sailed September 14, 1844 for the Indian and SW oceans, returned on May 16, 1848. Mystic Seaport Museum holds the logbook for this voyage. Wood Abstract 2-245. Haven & Smith was the agent. AV10102.
CATHERINE (AS1054): (bark/ship, 384 tons, built in Rochester MA in 1834, burned by SHENANDOAH in the Bering Strait in January 1865, crew taken by GENERAL PIKE (AS0235)). Sailed August 10, 1848 for the Indian and No. Pacific oceans, returned March 28, 1850. Decker shows “Smith” the master. Wood Abstract 2-149. Thomas Fitch II was the agent. AV02464.
GEORGE & MARY (AS1450); (ship, 356 tons, length 108 ft., built inRochester MA in 1831, lost in the Sea of Ochotsk in June 18, 1860). Sailed on July 30, 1850 for the No. Pacific, returned on April 4, 1853. Mystic Seaport Museum holds the logbook for this voyage. Wood Abstract 2-274. Lyman Allyn was the agent. AV05631.
NEPTUNE (see above): Sailed on July 30, 1850 for the Indian and No. Pacific oceans, returned on June 5, 1855. The master at the beginning of the voyage was Isaac Allyn (AM0118). He was replaced first by Samuel, then by James Green (AM2299 and later by Henry Comstock (AM1279). Williams & Haven was the agent. AV10376.
Samuel also served as master or replacement master for three voyages on three ships with home ports other than New London: OCMULGEE (AS2076, home port Edgartown, MA) for its 1857-1861 voyage; NASSAU (AS0492, home port New Bedford) for its 1863-1865 voyage; and TRIDENT (AS0651), home port New Bedford) for its 1865-1871 voyage. Samuel replaced Jetur Rose (AM5152) when Jetur left the ship.
Samuel served on the crew for several voyages on five ships, all with New London as home port: NEPTUNE (see above) for its 1830-1831 (the crew list for this voyage shows him as age 14), 1837-1839 and possibly its 1829-1830 voyages; JULIUS CAESAR (AS1737) for its 1831-1832 voyage; TUSCARORA (AS2518) for its 1832-1833 and 1833- voyages; FLORA (AS 1369) for its 1835-1836 voyage; and ELECTRA (AS1261) for its 1843-1845 voyage.
Colby”s short chapter about Samuel (pp. 68-70) fills in further information about Samuel. The above photograph appears before p. 68.
Stuart Frank’s Dictionary of Scrimshaw Artists (p. 67) states that Mystic Seaport Museum holds a scrimshaw whale stamp likely made by Samuel.
Samuel died in New London on May 6, 1898. Mary survived him, dying on February 12, 1909. They are buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London where there is a large monument for GREENE. On either side are matching gravestones for Samuel and Mary. In front are four similar stones for their three children: Orrin (1845-1890), Alice (1854-1938), and Frank (1862-1939) and one for Laura Greene (1866-1945, possibly a granddaughter).
AOWV shows two masters bearing the name Samuel Greene: Samuel (AM2312) and Samuel Jr. (AM2313). Samuel Jr’s father was also named Samuel, presumably Samuel Sr. The only appearance in AOWV for Samuel (AM2312) was as the replacement master for the 1865-1871 voyage of TRIDENT. Samuel’s father died in 1860, before the TRIDENT voyage, so he was not the master. All of the dates in the sources used for this paper,including Colby’s article, are consistent with Samuel Jr. (AM2313) being the master on the TRIDENT voyage and more broadly being the person described in this paper. The master number AM2312 should be changed and combined under to AM2313.
Sources used: see sidebar and sources cited in text.
George Shaw
American Institute for Maritime Studies
Mystic Seaport Museum
December 2025