William Nestell diary and commonplace book, 1816-1822

Name:

Nestell, William S.

Timespan:

18th century; 19th century

Date:

1816

Description:

Collection of a few diary entries, a crew list, and numerous poems written by an English sailor. The diary entries describe San Sebastian, Spain; Bordeaux, France; and Buenos Aires, Argentina (p. 1-10). The entry about Buenos Aires describes a violent attack by a soldier on a Jewish vendor in a market (p. 5). The crew list for the voyage of the corvette Horatio to Buenos Aires is copied with W. S. Nestell listed as 1st master's mate (p. 30). The majority of the volume is filled with excerpts from poets and playwrights of the United Kingdom, including William Shakespeare, John Dryden (1668-1700), Edward Young (1683-1765), John Gay (1688-1732), Christopher Pitt (1699-1748), James Thomson (1700-1748), Nathaniel Cotton (1707-1788), William Cowper (1731-1800), Helen Maria Williams (1759-1827), Lord Byron (1788-1824), George Walker (1772-1847), and Thomas Moore (1779-1852). Plays include Macbeth, Shepherdess of the Alps, King Charles the First, Devil’s Bridge, and Retribution or the Chieftain’s Daughter. Many of the excerpts seem to be signed Guillermo, perhaps a signature of William Nestell, but most are by published poets. Some excerpts are marked with ports and dates and less frequently ships’ names, not in chronological order, such as Point Judith, Ship Robert Fulton; Savannah, 1821; New York, 1822; Buenos Aires, 1819; Ilio de la Plata, 1818, Ship Horatio; Equator, 1818, Brig Junius; Rio Janerio, 1819; Bota Foga, 1819, Brig Junius; off Cape Ortegal, 1816, Brig Lydia; Bordeaux, 1816, Brig Lydia; off Cape Hatteras, 1821, Ship Garrone; New York, 1822. Original pagination, 1-121, with multiple pages cut out at beginning and end and pages 13-14, 31-36, 75-76 cut or torn out. Folio volume with leather cover and spine title label Minutes, W. S. Nestell on upper cover in ink, marbled pastedowns, with Bakers Society written in ink on a label inside the lower cover (upside down, inside the former upper cover).

Identifier:

2021.09.30.00001; (OCoLC)on1336457314; (OCoLC)1336457314

Language:

English

Provenance:

Sold by University Archives (Wilson, Connecticut), 2021.; Purchased for the Penn Libraries 2021 by Arnold and Deanne Kaplan (Collectify no. 2021.09.30.00001; 13.1941).; Kaplan, Arnold Harvey, 1939- donor.; Kaplan, Deanne, donor.

Subject:

Poetry; Jewish merchants; Books

Form/Genre:

commonplace books; Manuscripts, English; manuscripts (documents)

Physical Description:

1 volume (55 leaves).

Geographic Subject:

Buenos Aires (Argentina) -- Description and travel; Bordeaux (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France) -- Description and travel

Rights:

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Notes:

A partial transcript is on file in the library.

Physical Location:

Library at the Katz Center, Archives Room, MS 56, Codex 043.1

Collection:

Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Collection of Early American Judaica (University of Pennsylvania)