The Biography of the Snow Jeanie: A Merchant Vessel in the Pre-Revolution Tobacco Trade

Abstract

This research follows an eighteenth-century merchant vessel through the major stages of its use, from its construction to its final voyage, highlighting the human interactions that occurred in and around the vessel and its movements. The goal is to provide a narrative overview of the social and economic impact of the maritime industry in colonial America and to show how a single vessel could connect different cultures and economies. The research focuses on the tobacco trade between the Scottish “tobacco lord” John Glassford and the British North American colonists who provided the goods and services that enabled the trade. The study’s evidence is based upon the letter book of Alexander Henderson, a Scottish shop owner in Chesapeake Virginia and a factor of Glassford. The book includes letters detailing ship use, the exchange of goods, and business practices. In addition, ship records from Port Glasgow and Port Greenock provide information on the movements and descriptions of the tobacco ships themselves. By detailing the multiple stages a vessel encountered during a voyage, one can create a holistic study of the maritime industry’s socioeconomic impact and the stories that a single wooden vessel can tell about pre-Revolution America.