Call Number:

Item 0046

Repository:

University of Delaware Library Special Collections

Extent:

9 volume

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

MSS 0097, Item 0046, David B. Kempton diary, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.

Date:

1868-1874, 1876-1877 (inclusive)

Creator:

Kempton, David B.

Form:

Diaries

Abstract:

These nine volumes are the diary of David B. Kempton of New Bedford, Massachusetts, kept 1868-1874 and 1876-1877. Kempton recorded his observations on the weather, his business dealings, and local social life.

David B. Kempton was born on April 25, 1818 to David Kempton and Joanna Maxfield Kempton in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He married his first wife, Sarah, in 1842 and had at least one son, Frank Kempton, who often appears in his diary entries. Kempton was involved in many business enterprises during his lifetime, although it seems that his primary occupation was as a whale oil merchant. An 1860 manufacturing census notes that he employed 32 people and produced large quantities of whale oil, spermaceti, and whale bones. Kempton’s diary entries indicate that he was also involved with the Albion Lead Company, the Continental Salt Company, and New Bedford’s flour mill and waterworks. He was the owner of several whaling ships, including the bark

Massachusetts, Compiled Marriages, 1633-1850, Marriages for 1841 (database accessed via Ancestry.com on April 26, 2017) 1860 Federal Census (accessed via Ancestry.com on April 26, 2017)New Bedford, Bristol, Massachusetts, 1860, Manufacturing Schedule (accessed via Ancestry.com’s U.S., “Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880” database on April 26, 2017)1867 New Bedford City Directory (accessed via Ancestry.com’s “U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995” database on April 26, 2017)Massachusetts, Mason Membership Cards, 1733-1990, Records for 1874 (database accessed via Ancestry.com on April 26, 2017)Massachusetts Vital Records, 1840–1911. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts, Records for 1879 (accessed via Ancestry.com on April 26, 2017)1880 Federal Census (accessed via Ancestry.com on April 26, 2017) Information derived from the collection.

These nine volumes are the diary of David B. Kempton of New Bedford, Massachusetts, kept 1868-1874 and 1876-1877. Kempton recorded his observations on the weather, his business dealings, and local social life.

Kempton started the first volume of his diary by stating that he “beg[a]n this Journal to note some of the incidents which occur in our daily life and experiences.” He provided short daily entries, most of which began with observations on the weather. Although he rarely provided thermometer readings, he recorded blizzards and thunderstorms and noted when the weather was unseasonably warm or cool. On most days, Kempton went to work in his counting room, settled accounts with local business associates, and visited with friends and family members in the evening. He often recorded when he retired each night.

Kempton engaged in a variety of business activities while he kept his diary. His primary business appears to have been the production of whale oil, spermaceti, and whale bones, and he often noted when a whaling bark returned from an expedition. In an entry from April 23, 1869, he wrote “I believe more people are satisfied not to go into whaling than ever before but I do believe it a good rule to do differently what every body else does.” Kempton was also involved in the Albion Lead Company and the Continental Salt Company, acted as a water commissioner for the town of New Bedford, and was a director of the New Bedford Flour Mill until at least 1871. He frequently recorded the buying and selling of stock and gold drafts. In 1869, he organized an expedition to Valparaiso, Chile, but did not record the nature of the enterprise.

Kempton had a busy social schedule as well, frequently attending lectures and concerts in New Bedford. He often spent the month of August in Saratoga Springs, New York, and traveled occasionally to Boston, Massachusetts, and Lake George, New York. He commented briefly on important social and political events. Kempton seems to have been a member of the Republican Party, and made reference to the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment and the election of the first black U.S. senator, Hiram Revels, in 1870. The town of New Bedford celebrated the centennials of the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party and observed Memorial Day by laying flowers on the graves of Union soldiers each year. Kempton often attended clambakes in September and October and observed that Fourth of July celebrations involved parades, fireworks, and games of baseball. In February 1874, he attended a séance, but was not impressed by the experience. Kempton ended his diary on August 16, 1877 as he left on a voyage to Europe, noting that he would keep a separate travel journal of his experiences.

The first seven volumes of the diary (1868-1874) are bound in black leather cases with a tab that fastens through a slot on the front cover. The printed title page of each volume identifies it as a “Pocket Diary” and its year of publication. There is printed matter at the front of each, including counting house calendars, lunar calendars, and charts of United States stamp duties. The edges of the pages are either marbled or gilded. Each diary page has space for three daily entries, each headed with the date. The diary pages consist of wove, lined paper, and the entries are handwritten in black ink. The eighth volume (1876) is bound in a blue leather case with a flap that closes over the front cover. The title page reads “Excelsior Dairy for 1876.” The diary pages and entries are structured in the same manner as the previous seven volumes. The ninth volume (1877) is bound in the same manner as the first seven volumes. The title page reads “The Standard Diary 1877 Published for the Trade.” Each diary page has space for two entries, each headed with the date. The diary entries are handwritten in black ink.