- Genre:biography & autobiography
- Sub-genre:Aviation & Nautical
- Language:English
- Pages:625
- eBook ISBN:9798218598570
Book details
Overview
This exciting new biography of Josiah Perkins Creesy and Eleanor Prentiss Creesy, fills
in the blanks of their life story before and after the record-breaking voyages of the
Clipper Ship Flying Cloud.
An in-depth look into their private lives from rare journals, letters and memoirs, provides
an entirely different perspective on their marriage and personalities. Privileged educations and strict religious upbringings motivated them to escape Marblehead, but not without grief and drama from the sudden deaths of family members, scandals, and a shocking exposé that nearly destroyed Josiah's career. Eleanor kept her own list of secrets, including a traumatic miscarriage in 1851. She was constantly subjected to her husband's stern discipline while bearing witness to racism, slavery, and the barbaric "Coolie Trade" with unimaginable consequences.
Josiah also served in the Supplemental Navy during the Civil War as Lieutenant Commander of the USS Ino. He was involved in taking political prisoners in Morocco, the led to an "international crisis," a Court Martial and dismissal from the Navy. He then abandoned his wife and country to assume command of the Clipper Ship Archer to restore his reputation. A relentless drive ended his life by age 57. Eleanor was left a widow and died in obscurity in 1900. Her unassuming role as navigator eventually became a national sensation during the height of the Women's Suffrage Movement when the grandson of an "old guard shipmaster" informed the press that "Mrs. Creesy" took command of the Flying Cloud and brought her safely home from China.
Read moreDescription
A NEW BIOGRAPHY OF THE FAMOUS SEAFARING COUPLE FROM MARBLEHEAD
This exciting new biography of Josiah Perkins Creesy and Eleanor Prentiss Creesy, fills
in the blanks of their life story before and after the record-breaking voyages of the
Clipper Ship Flying Cloud.
An in-depth look into their private lives from rare journals, letters and memoirs, provides
an entirely different perspective on their marriage and personalities. A prestigious
ancestral lineage in the fishing and seafaring trades, provided them with privileged
educations and strict religious upbringings during the early Temperance Movement. This
was sufficient motivation for an adventurous escape from Marblehead, but not without
grief and drama from the sudden death of family members, scandals, and a shocking
exposé that nearly destroyed Josiah's career. Eleanor kept her own list of secrets,
including a traumatic miscarriage in 1851. She was a skilled navigator in the privacy of
her cabin, entertained passengers, and cared for the sick and injured, but was often
challenged by her husband's stern discipline while bearing witness to racism, slavery,
and the barbaric "Coolie Trade" with unimaginable consequences.
The couple later retired to a sprawling country estate in Wenham in 1857, until the
Civil War recruited Josiah into the Supplemental Navy. His brief service as a Volunteer
Lieutenant Commander of the USS Ino, created an "international crisis" that ended with
a Court Martial and dismissal from the Navy. Enraged from the humiliation, he
abandoned his wife and country and assumed command of the Clipper Ship Archer to
restore his reputation in the China Trade. An inflated ego and relentless drive snuffed
out his life by age 57. Eleanor remained a widow and lived out her days in Salem until
she died in 1900. Decades later, her unassuming role as navigator became a national
sensation during the height of the Women's Suffrage Movement when the grandson
of an "old guard shipmaster" informed the press that "Mrs. Creesy" took command
of the Flying Cloud and brought her safely home from China.
Anna Jacke presents a heartwarming and compelling biography that fully explores the
reasons why the names of Josiah Perkins Creesy and Eleanor Prentiss Creesy are
deeply etched in the annals of American history.
Read more