The Schooner Florence — Outfitting in New York
The busy East River waterfront of New York in the mid-nineteenth century. Along streets such as South Street and Jackson Street, ship chandlers, grocers, and dock laborers provisioned vessels bound for ports across the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. It was in this maritime district that Captain James Woodhouse prepared the schooner Florence for her voyage to the Rio Grande in February 1856.
February 28–29, 1856
Preparing the Florence for the Rio Grande Voyage
New York, February 1856
In the closing days of February 1856 the schooner Florence, commanded by Captain James Woodhouse, was preparing to leave the busy wharves of South Street in New York for the long voyage to the mouth of the Rio Grande.
The surviving receipts from the Stillman papers allow us to watch the vessel’s final preparations almost step by step. Though small and routine in appearance, these slips of paper record the essential work that turned an empty hull into a working ship ready for the Gulf trade.
South Street in the 1850s was one of the busiest maritime districts in the world. Nearly every building along the waterfront catered to ships: chandlers, grocers, sailmakers, ropewalks, and provisioning houses. Captains and agents moved from shop to shop gathering the supplies needed for voyages that might last weeks or months.
On February 28, 1856, one of the principal provisioning stops was the store of Bayles & Titus, grocers and suppliers of “ship and cabin stores” at 197 South Street. Their invoice shows a typical assortment of food and provisions purchased for the voyage:
a barrel of mackerel
dried codfish
smoked ham
Irish potatoes and beans
brown sugar and coffee
raisins and apples
mustard, catsup, pepper, and ginger
lamp and sperm oil for lighting
The bill totaled $110.91, a substantial sum for provisions in the mid-nineteenth century.
Other receipts show the bustle surrounding the vessel at the dock. Wharf laborers were paid $70 for loading cargo aboard the schooner. Another bill of $16.20 covered cartage and dock work—likely the movement of supplies and freight from warehouses to the pier.
On February 29, 1856, the final day of preparation—remarkably a leap-year day—additional supplies were purchased from Harry R. Miller, a wholesale grocer also located on South Street. The purchases included extra buckwheat and other provisions for the voyage.
Taken together, these receipts show the Florence in the final stage before departure: food stowed below deck, lamps filled with oil, cargo loaded by stevedores, and accounts settled with the merchants of South Street.
Within days the schooner would clear New York Harbor, pass Sandy Hook, and begin the long run southward toward the Gulf of Mexico and Brazos Santiago, the gateway to the Rio Grande frontier and the trading empire of Charles Stillman.
What appears at first glance to be a handful of grocery bills is in fact a rare snapshot of the practical machinery that kept the Rio Grande trade moving—ships being stocked, crews preparing for sea, and the maritime economy of New York feeding the commerce of the Texas frontier.
Estimating the Crew Size of the Florence
The provisioning list also offers clues about the size of the ship’s crew.
Typical Crew of a Rio Grande Trading Schooner
A schooner of the type used in the Stillman trade generally carried:
1 Captain
1 Mate
4–6 Seamen
sometimes 1 cook or cabin boy
Typical crew size:
6–8 men
This matches well with the type of provisions purchased.
Food Quantity Clues
From the Bayles & Titus invoice we see staples typical for crew rations:
barrel of fish
dried codfish
beans
potatoes
sugar
coffee
preserved foods
These foods were standard maritime provisions because they stored well and could feed a crew for weeks.
Example: Coffee
The invoice appears to include about 10 pounds of coffee.
A sailor typically consumed:
~1 ounce per day
10 pounds = 160 ounces
160 crew-days of coffee supply.
If the voyage lasted about 20–25 days, that amount supports roughly:
6–8 men
Example: Beans and Potatoes
Shipboard diets relied heavily on:
beans
salt fish
potatoes
preserved meats
The quantities listed also align with provisions sufficient for a small crew rather than a large cargo vessel.
Voyage Length
Typical sailing time:
New York → Brazos Santiago
Approximately:
20–35 days, depending on winds and weather.
Provisions would usually cover at least 30–40 days to allow for delays.
What This Means Historically
These receipts reveal something important:
The Rio Grande trade was not carried by large oceanic ships but by small, efficient schooners with compact crews.
These vessels could:
navigate shallow Gulf waters
enter the Brazos Santiago Pass
handle coastal trade efficiently
Ships like the Florence were the logistical backbone of the commercial system that connected:
New York financiers → Gulf shipping → the Rio Grande frontier.
The following receipts capture a small but vivid moment in the Stillman shipping system: the Florence being provisioned and loaded in New York’s South Street maritime district, the heart of the American coastal trade.
The documents show multiple vendors supplying the ship within a 24–48 hour period, suggesting the vessel was about to sail.
1. Bayles & Titus — Ship Stores and Groceries
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Vendor:
Bayles & Titus
Grocers, Ship and Cabin Stores
197 South Street
This is the largest invoice in the set.
Selected items purchased for the voyage
Food staples typical for ship crews and long voyages:
Fish and preserved foods
1 barrel No.1 mackerel
25 lbs dried codfish
Oils and lighting
sperm oil
lamp oil
Meat
smoked ham
Beans and vegetables
Irish potatoes
beans
Sugar
brown sugar
Coffee
ground coffee
Fruit
apples
Baking supplies
raisins
Condiments
mustard
catsup
pepper
ginger
Canned or preserved items
canned preserves
preserved meats
Total bill
$110.91
Less payment:
$1.50
Balance recorded:
$109.41
This matches the notation on the reverse sheet:
“N Taylor Due — $109.41 — Feb 28 ’56”
Likely N. Taylor, probably a bookkeeper or agent.
2. Loading Charges — Pier Labor
28 February 1856
Receipt reads:
Sch Florence — Captain Jas Woodhouse
For loading the vessel fragment
$70
Signed:
R. D. Raymond
This is a wharf labor / stevedore charge for loading cargo onto the ship.
3. Wharf Labor / Cargo Handling
Another receipt:
Sch Florence & owners
4 load back wood — $10.00
30 boarders — $4.70
Total: $16.20
Signed:
E. A. Smith
Likely payment for:
cartage of cargo
dockside labor
The reverse shows:
“Bill paid — $16.20”
4. Additional Small Receipt
Back notation:
H. Dusle — $1.88 — Feb 29 ’56
This matches the small purchase recorded on the Miller invoice.
5. Harry R. Miller — Ship Provisions
29 February 1856 (Leap year day — nice historical detail)
Vendor:
Harry R. Miller
Wholesale Grocer & Ship Stores
179 South Street
Items:
2 bags extra buckwheat
10 apples
1 cake fresh milk
Total:
$8.00
Another sheet shows:
2 bags extra buckwheat @ 4½
Total $1.88
These appear to be two related small purchases, possibly one for the ship and one for immediate crew use.
What This Set Reveals
These receipts together illustrate the final logistical phase of a voyage.
In just two days we see:
1. Ship provisioning
Food for crew and voyage:
fish
potatoes
beans
coffee
sugar
preserved meats
spices
2. Lighting supplies
sperm oil
lamp oil
3. Cargo handling
stevedores
cartage
wharf labor
4. New York maritime geography
Every vendor is located on:
South Street — Manhattan’s historic waterfront
In the 1850s this was the largest concentration of ship suppliers in the United States.
Historical Significance for the Stillman Papers
This is not just a grocery bill.
It documents the physical preparation of a vessel in the Stillman trade network.
Sequence likely looked like this:
Ship arrives in New York
Cargo assembled
Ship outfitted with provisions
Dock labor loads vessel
Vessel departs for Brazos Santiago / Rio Grande trade
These receipts are a rare surviving operational snapshot of that system.
Small but Fascinating Details
Leap year document
February 29, 1856
That date appears on one receipt — a nice archival curiosity.
Captain identified
The vessel master appears as:
Captain James Woodhouse
One of the regular captains tied to Stillman shipping.
Total known expenses in this batch
Approximate combined cost:
Bayles & Titus: $110.91
Wharf labor: $70.00
Smith labor: $16.20
Miller provisions: $8.00
Misc: $1.88
Total documented: ~ $206
For context:
That is roughly $7,500–$8,500 in modern value.
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