National Archives at Boston

About the Ship: Registry

New England Customs Records

Refer to CaptionCertificate of Registry #24 See Transcription

The Ship

The Certificate of Registry

This certificate shows that the newly built Ship Mount Vernon was registered at the Port of Salem on June 4, 1803. All ships that were engaged in foreign trade were required to be registered with the Collector of Customs for their home port.

According to the Mount Vernon's certificate, Bartholomew Putnam, Surveyor of Customs, certified that the ship's dimensions were:

89 feet, 9 inches long
25 feet, 6 inches wide
12 feet, 9 inches deep
254 tons

It was a three masted vessel and its dimensions place it among the larger vessels of its time.

The certificate also shows that the Ship Mount Vernon was built at Salem in the year 1803 and was owned by Joseph Peabody and Gideon Tucker, merchants. Its first master was Samuel Endicott.

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