The Douglas Archives

A collection of historical and genalogical records

Tariff wars - Seizure of the Sloop 'America' in 1786 by Captain Drysdal onboard Britain's Custom House Tender 'Vigilant

Sloop "America" - Cargo of salt loaded at Turks Island then detained at New Providence

- Some correspondence from the Secretary of the United States for the Department of Foreign Affairs concerning the seizure, on 25th November 1786, of the Sloop 'America' by Captain Drysdal of the British Custom House Tender 'Vigilant'and the legality of such an action.

- submitted to Congress

Owners of ship - Clark & Nightingale of Rhode Island

https://www.rihs.org/mssinv/Mss354.htm

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHK-Q3PJ-HW6F?view=ful...

Best regards

Views: 29

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ronald Drysdale on Wednesday

Just found another letter (1788) regarding Captain Drisdale, seems as if the owners of the vessel 'America' were still pretty mad at him for his seizure of their ship.

Sent to John Jay, New York

https://supremecourthistory.org/history-of-the-courts/jay-court-178...

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-R3KT-NGWG?view=ful...


Best regards

Permalink Reply by Ronald Drysdale yesterday

A summary of the correspondence in this case is contained in the following publication:

Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789 vol 34, pages 90, 111, 116, 169n & 626 refer.

https://archive.org/details/journalsofcontin34-1/page/641/mode/2up?...

It seems as though ultimately, Congress took no action on this matter.

Captain Alexander Drysdale's 1786 appointment letter to the Bahamas Customs Tender Vigilant is copied below:

Best regards

Permalink Reply by Ronald Drysdale 20 hours ago

After some further research into Alexander Drysdale, I came across the following:

In 1792 Alexander Drysdale of Long Island, now a Cotton planter, bought 19 negro slaves for his estates in the Bahamas

These 19 slaves were sold to him by Paul Lightbourn on 9th January 1792 for £1496
- the deal included any future issue and increase from the Females

Names of the enslaved

Exeter
Tony
Quamina
Jack
Harry
Grandwood
Walter
Dick
Frank
Prince
Daniel
Cupid
Jenny
Cicily
Dina and her child Will
Moll
Rosanna and her child Bina

After finding this document I lost my appetite for continuing further research into this family

Best regards

Permalink Reply by William Douglas on Wednesday

I have never got to grips with this episode in history.

The Douglases were on both sides - seizing and losing ships.

250 years on, and we have another trade war!

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.

RSS

Making conections

The more information you can give about the people you mention, the more chance there is of someone else connecting with your family.

Dates and places of births, deaths and marriages all help to place families.

Professions also help.

'My great-grandmother mother was a Douglas from Montrose' does not give many clues to follow up! But a bit of flesh on the bones makes further research possible. But if we are told who she married, what his profession was and where the children were baptised, then we can get to work.

Maybe it is time to update the information in your profile?


© 2025   Created by William Douglas.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service