The venerable Capt. George Merchant passed away from earth-life about 6:30 o'clock Saturday evening (January 16, 1899) after a brief illness of pneumonia, in the ninety-third year of his age.
Capt. Merchant was a native of this city and a descendant in the fifth generation from one of the early settlers of Cape Ann, Jabez Merchant, who first appears in the history of Gloucester in 1721, when he was married to Mary Babson, and in 1823 was granted an acre of land at the head of Lobster Cove, and who came to Gloucester from Yarmouth, Cape Cod, and whose ancestor settled in Braintree in 1836.
He was the last survivor of a family of ten children, seven brothers and three sisters, and leaves a large number of descendants, nine out of thirteen children surviving him, beside over fifty grandchildren and sixty great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren, he being thus represented by four generations. His family has been remarkable for its longevity, many of its members reaching a ripe old age.
Like most of his ancestors, Mr. Merchant followed the vocation of the fisheries until reaching his eighty-fifth year and since that time has exhibited unusual activity for his advanced years. Several of his brothers also have been prominent in the fisheries of Gloucester, as well as in its business affairs, among them being Messrs. Epes W, Henry, Addison, Samuel and Gorham Merchant, while his descendants have been prominent in official circles in municipal affairs, his son George having represented his ward in the common council for two years, and his grandson, George E. has seen extended service in the aldermen and common council, and has been a prominent candidate for mayor.
Think of what an experience this aged son of Gloucester has enjoyed. Of a remarkable retentive memory, endowed with good health and a genial disposition, it has been a pleasure of the writer to oft-times listen to his narratives of the old time fisheries. How his eyes sparkled as he related incident after incident of the "pinkey" and "jigger" fleets, recalling the names of some who took an active part. In his early years the whole of Gloucester fisheries, with the exception of the Grand Bank fishing, was carried on by these small and light craft. Their trips were seldom extended to more than two or three days or a week, according to the success they might meet with. They were mostly occupied upon the fishing grounds in the vicinity of the Cape, sometimes running down along the coast of Maine and occasionally dropping their lines upon Georges. These boats were form ten to twenty boats, with standing room or berths, for they had no rail or bulwarks above the deck, the only protection being a narrow waist about eight inches in height. They carried foresail and mainsail only, and were good sailers. The "cuddy," a small apartment forward, contained two berths and a fireplace built of bricks just aloft the foremast. The chimney was made of wood and plastered on the inside to prevent its taking fire. Cooking stoves were then unknown.
Some of the names of the pinkey fleet were as follows: The Lion, Capt. Simeon Burnham; Mary, Capt. James Marchant; Nabby, Capt. Epes W. Merchant; Heart of Oak, Capt. William Parkhurst; America, Capt. Nathaniel Merchant; Fin Back, Capt. Samuel Norwood; Sukey, Capt. Benjamin Parsons.
The fitting out of this fleet commenced about the first of April. Their stores for the trip comprised two quarts of molasses, five pounds of fat port, four pounds of flour, seven pounds of hard crackers (baked by Capt. Currier or Capt. "Kier"as he was familiarly called), half a barrel of water, and a little New England rum, which in those days was considered both victuals and drink.
The change from the "pinkeys" through the various styles of fishing craft, to the splendid yacht models which comprise the fishing fleet today, has all been witnessed and participated in by our venerable friend, who has now closed his earthly life and entered into that of the immortal. What a welcome awaited him from the many who had gone on before, who had sailed with him and participated in the experiences of a fishermen' life. They are united in that port above toward which we are all hastening.
Mr. Merchant possessed a remarkable native musical talent, the violin being his favorite instrument, which he began to play at the age of 14 years, and he was a great favorite among his associates on account of his musical abilities. He was a great friend of Prof. J. J. Watson, the prot�g� of Old Bull, who received a considerable amount of his musical inspiration from Mr. Merchant's music.
Taken from the obituary of George Merchant that was posted at one time on a terrific website (downtosea), which documented all of the vessels and men out of Gloucester who were lost at sea. Unfortunately, Roberta Sheedy, the woman who created the site, passed away and her wonderful site has gone off line.
[George Merchant had a younger brother Benjamin, who was lost at sea. In writings by George E. Merchant (the grandson) it is noted about George Merchant "One of hardest trials of his early life was to stand upon the deck of his vessel and see his younger brother Benjamin swept into the sea, the fingers of each almost touching as one sank beneath the waters."]
