SARAH PHILLIPS NITCHIE HOWLAND
Sarah Phillips Nitchie was born December 21st 1819 in New York City.
Her parents were John Nitchie (1783-1838) and Margaret Evertson (1783-1841).
John Nitchie was a very well educated man, graduating from Columbia College in 1801, then Rutgers College in 1813 and becoming a Colonel in the US Army in 1814, during the War of 1812.
Rutgers College was originally established as a private institution affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church, of which the Nitchie family were members.
Her father practiced law and was also an Alderman.
He served as General Agent and Treasurer of the American Bible Society, which was founded in New York City in 1816.
He was highly esteemed, extremely pious and a devoted father and husband.
The family lived at 38 Broad Street, New York City, which is now in the financial district.
We don’t know much about Sarah’s early life except for what she reveals in her journal.
Sarah had several siblings
- Julia Elizabeth (Cobb) (1806-1896)
- Elizabeth Margaret (Denison) (1808-1890)
- Margaret Sarah (1809-1835)
- John Evertson (1811-1857)
- Sophia Lewis (Cobb) (1813-1893)
- George Horatio (1816-1885)
- Henry Abeel (1817-1870) were the elder ones
- Mary Louisa (1822) the youngest
Read Sarah’s words about her siblings…
At least 5 family members suffered from some degree of hearing loss
Sadly, one of her sisters Margarette died October 2nd 1835 at just 26 years of age
Sarah and especially her son Willie seem to have been very close to her younger sister, Mary Louisa
Well educated and well read, Sarah had a love of travel, even at a young age.
Unfortunately, like many of her siblings,
Sarah suffers from hearing loss as well.
She laments of it often, since it affects her ability to socialize, especially in large gatherings.
TO READ ABOUT SARAH’S AFFLICTIONSarah’s parents died when she was a young adult –
her father in 1838,
followed by her mother in 1840.
Her mother was a loving caregiver to her father.
TO READ ABOUT JOHN NITCHIE’S LAST HOURSWe do not have any details as to how Sarah and Williams met.
He was a ship captain, having commanded several vessels, probably out of New York Harbor,
but his roots were from the New Bedford, Massachusetts area.
Williams had been a widower for about 4 years before they married on October 3, 1849 in Brooklyn, NY.
Sarah was 30 years old and Williams was almost 45.
Williams had two living children from his first marriage –
Horatia Anna born 7/23/1839 and Francis Hathaway born 5/12/1842.
Sarah would like to be a “mother” to them as well, but it is difficult while living a seafaring life.
TO READ ABOUT SARAH’SRELATIONSHIP WITH HER STEPCHILDREN
Williams and Sarah took a 3 month honeymoon,
traveling from New Hampshire to Niagara Falls, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Washington, DC,
visiting friends and enjoying many beautiful sights in the peak of autumn.
Their first child, Willie, was born just a year later on October 24th1850 in Portsmouth NH.
A month later when Willie was just 4 weeks old,
Sarah and Willie met up with Williams in New York
and together they embarked on their first journey
on the newly-built Sea Serpent.
This is now their third journey around the world on that same vessel
and Sarah has decided to write a journal.
She does keep up the journal,
and we are fortunate to be able to see the world (literally) through her eyes.
What was Sarah like?
Sarah seems to be unique for a woman of the Victorian age.
As most women of that time period, she is a devoted wife and mother
but she also has strong opinions
which she expresses to “us” through her journal.
Sarah is Inquisitive
During the voyage, Sarah reads about 50 books, but not just any books.
They are mostly biographies, historical accounts, travel journals, or spiritual in nature.
She seems to be striving to learn about the entire world – Europe, China, Japan, India…
the geography, the history, their different cultures and the people who reside there.
She is not afraid to speak her mind and has long conversations
with her husband and other gentlemen regarding these topics.
She has a Love of Nature
Sunrises, Sunsets, The Moon, The Stars, The Planets
Sarah is fascinated with them all
and describes them so beautifully that we feel like we can see them too!
Sarah’s Spirituality
Sarah’s father was extremely pious.
Sarah has religious beliefs but they seem to be more spiritual rather than traditional.
She also feels that others should be able to worship as they choose,
which was a novel concept in her day!
“Table Moving” as a method of contacting “spirits” was a popular notion in 1853.
Sarah’s Relationship with her Husband
Sarah is a devoted wife, as would be expected in the Victorian Age.
She writes often of her admiration for Williams and her desire for his good health and wellbeing.
She also feels his anxiety whenever there is an issue with the ship or with others onboard.
While at sea they have pleasant times together.
They both seem to enjoy long walks on deck in the evenings,
admiring the beautiful scenery and talking.
Some of their most enjoyable times are when Williams reads aloud to Sarah.
And life at sea has the advantage of raising their son together,
something that probably did not occur in many Victorian-era families.
In several of Sarah’s Journal entries
she mentions how Williams criticizes her style of conversation
and corrects her quite frequently.
She does not seem to mind that he does this, as she thinks this is for her own good,
but she does despair over it, berates herself for not meeting his expectations,
and is determined to work on her faults.
While this must seem cruel today,
it was probably typical in a marriage of that time period.
Sarah’s Relationship with her Child
Sarah and her son Willie have an extremely close relationship.
This is their third trip around the world together on the Sea Serpent.
They have spent more time at sea than on land!
While Willie does have a nurse to tend to his daily needs,
he and his mother spend a lot of time together.
She admires his intelligence and his affectionate nature
and always endeavors to teach him to be a good person.
She writes a lot about finding the best way to build Wille’s character.
Sarah’s Thoughts on Childrearing
Childrearing is especially difficult onboard a ship.
While the “rod” was a common method of punishment at that time,
Sarah prefers to teach Willie right from wrong by
what would seem to be more “modern” methods.
Here are some of the techniques she uses instead…
But what Sarah really longs for…
is to be done with this “sea life”
and have a home of their own.
