Scope and Content Note
The correspondence of James Henry Sherman (1844- ) consists of letters he wrote to his wife, Phebe A. G. Sherman of New Bedford, Massachusetts, while serving as the first mate aboard the New Bedford whaleship Milton on a voyage to the Pacific Ocean from October 1873 to October 1876. Sherman wrote most of the letters from whaling grounds in the vicinity of New Zealand. Most individual items contain several separately dated entries spanning weeks and even months. In addition to describing activities and events during the voyage of the Milton and providing details about whaling in general, Sherman's letters include professions of love and comments reflecting the strong religious faith of Sherman and his wife.