In January of 1757, 18-year-old Dudley Saltonstall boarded the Africa in New London. Saltonstall was charged by his father, the ship’s owner, with keeping a log of its voyage to the coast of Sierra Leone. The Africa was commanded by John Easton, a resident of Middletown.
Once there, Saltonstall transferred to the sloop Good Hope, commanded by Alexander Urqhart, carrying enslaved people to the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean.
The next year Saltonstall recorded his voyage aboard the Fox, another ship involved in the ‘triangle trade’ between New England, Africa, and the Caribbean.
These logs are contained in a book now at the Connecticut State Library. Many thanks to the Library and to Christine Pittsley who digitized the pages of the logbook for this exhibit.
This short video (3:45 minutes) outlines the 1757 voyages of the Africa and the Good Hope, as described in Saltonstall’s log.
January 18-19, 1757, on board the snow Africa, John Easton commanding.
January 20-21, 1757
January 22-23, 1757
January 24-25, 1757
January 26-27, 1757
January 28-29, 1757
January 30-31, 1757
February 1-2, 1757
February 3-4, 1757
February 5-6, 1757
February 7-8, 1757
February 9-10, 1757
February 11-12, 1757
February 13-14, 1757
February 15-16, 1757
February 17-18, 1757
February 19-20, 1757
February 21-22, 1757
February 23-24, 1757
February 25-26, 1757
February 27-28, 1757
March 1-2, 1757
March 3-4, 1757
March 5-6, 1757
March 7-8, 1757
March 9-10, 1757
March 11-12, 1757
March 13-14, 1757
March 15-16, 1757
March 17-18, 1757
March 19-21, 1757
March 22-26, 1757
March 27-April 1, 1757
April 2-10, 1757
April 11-17, 1757, on the sloop Good Hope, commanded by Alexander Urqhart.
April 18-25, 1757
April 26-29, 1757
April 30-May 2, 1757
May 3-5, 1757
May 6-8, 1757
May 9-11, 1757
May 12-14, 1757
May 15-17, 1757
May 18-20, 1757
May 21-23, 1757
May 24-26, 1757
May 27-29, 1757
The log book of the snow Fox, commanded by William Taylor, out of New London.
In January of 1757, 18-year-old Dudley Saltonstall boarded the Africa in New London. Saltonstall was charged by his father, the ship’s owner, with keeping a log of its voyage to the coast of Sierra Leone. The Africa was commanded by John Easton, a resident of Middletown.
