“The Maritime Careers and Connections of Twenty-Three Children and Grandchildren of Ebenezer and Charity Peirce of Farmingdale, Maine”

W. H. Bunting, Maritime Historian 

The history of the descendants of Ebenezer and Charity Peirce illustrates the great depth of the maritime culture of the Kennebec Valley and its connections throughout New England, particularly with the maritime industries of southeastern Massachusetts. Among these two generations are nationally prominent shipbuilders, merchant shipmasters and officers, whalers, shipwrights, inventors, and the wives and families whose lives were shaped by maritime trades. Their careers, experiences, and writings reflect both the opportunities and hardships of a seafaring world and reveal the lasting influence of Kennebec Valley people on maritime history and literature.  

Readings from the writings of Capt. John H. Drew, the subject of Bunting's latest book, will explore family tragedy, the ending of shipbuilding on the upper Kennebec, and the emotional and physical toll experienced by those who went to sea and those who awaited their return. 

W. H. Bunting is an award-winning maritime historian and author. Best known for his  visual historiographies, Bunting possesses a rare talent for extracting overlooked details that reveal broader truths about working-class life and maritime commerce. His published works include Live Yankees: The Sewalls and Their Ships; Sea Struck; and Portrait of a Port: Boston, 1852–1914, among other titles. His newest release is Captain Drew's World: Dispatches from the Age of Global Sail.