Introduction to Lanier's Databases

Shortly after placing our research data on the Young Men and the Sea web site, we were contacted by Jessica Lanier who had recently completed her master’s thesis on the ceramic trade in Salem from 1783 to 1812. Because she had collected information on mariners for a portion of the period we studied she felt we might be interested in placing her information on the Young Men and the Sea web site.

Lanier's thesis, entitled “The Post-Revolutionary Ceramics Trade in Salem, Massachusetts, 1783-1812”, for the Bard Graduate Center in New York City, is a comparative quantitative study of the import and export of porcelain, English refined earthenware and domestic redware with a special interest in consumption and social status, and who was buying, importing and selling.

She compiled two databases: a voyage file listing vessels that had ceramics among their cargoes, and a biographical file listing mariners who had served on a vessel that carried ceramics and those who had something to do with ceramics, such as ship owners, importers, shippers, consigees, and private adventurers. The voyage database documented about 180 vessels showing tonnage, captains and on occasion whole crews, owners, and consignors along with detailed info on cargo. The biographical file contained about 800 names associated with these voyages. It was organized around those involved in the ceramics industry in an attempt to discover kin relationships and the progress of some careers.

Many of the sources for her databases are similar to ours but the years she studied were not always the same. For this reason a number of voyages and mariners who appear in her databases do not appear in ours. We felt her data, therefore, would be of value to those who visited our web site. The links to her databases are below.

Please note: The content of Jessica Lanier's databases are her responsiblility alone. We have not looked for or corrected any errors they may contain.