“My dear cousin Marian Smith,
What a pleasure it was to reread your letters from your whaling days in 1904…”
Mystic Seaport invited everyone who sailed on the Morgan during the Voyage to record their thoughts and experiences on journal pages. Participants could express themselves in whatever medium they chose, from prose and artwork to scientific data. Read all journal entries »
Lafferty grew up on stories of New England, whaling, and her family’s ties to it. While aboard the Charles W. Morgan, she channeled her ancestor Marian Smith, navigator, photographer, and correspondent who sailed on numerous ships throughout the world at the turn of the 20th century with her whaling captain husband, Horace P. Smith. As a student at the George Washington University, Lafferty studied and wrote about the economics of the whaling industry and efforts to stop whaling on an international scale. Today, she is a self-employed editor and proofreader, handling projects ranging from environmental science and policy to U.S. history and geography.
Eighty-five individuals from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds sailed aboard the ship and participated in an unprecedented public-history project, using their own perspectives and talents to document their experiences. Meet the Voyagers »