James E. and Ella Skolfield Papers

The collection contains correspondence, business records, ephemera, and other materials related to Captain James Edwin Skolfield and his first wife Adella Rich Eastman Skolfield (known as Ella). Based out of Harpswell, Maine, James was a master mariner who captained a series of progressively larger schooners from 1873 until at least 1907. He began his career commanding fishing schooners, including the 16.72 ton "Dolphin" of Bath (September 1873-April 1876), the 25.46 ton "Albert" of Portland (August 1878-May 1879), and the 36.32 ton "Hattie M. Hamlin" of Harpswell (1882-1887?), then progressed to larger three- or four-masted cargo schooners that carried bulk cargoes up and down the Atlantic seaboard, including the "Satilla" (1887?-1889), the "Carrie A. Lane" (1889?), the "Dicky Bird" (May 1890-April 1891), the 465.95 ton "Goeorgie L. Drake" (1892-1902), the "J. Edward Drake" (1903), the 1,294 ton "Myrtle Tunnell" (November 1904-October 1905), and, finally, the 776-ton "Isabel B. Wiley" (1906-1907?). Ella often accompanied James on these voyages, and both owned shares in the "Drake." When apart, the couple wrote frequently, and much of the collection is comprised of their letters to and from one another, often concerning their son Ansel, who also became a sea captain. The collection also includes letters with many members of the extended Skolfield and Eastman families, both of which were involved in shipping for generations, as well as numerous friends. Business records document the provisioning, movement, ownership, and other activities of the schooners under James's command. There is also a small amount of ephemera, including a guessing game about famous figures in history, created by the family for personal entertainment, likely on board ships.