Captain Joseph Howland

Biographical Note

Joseph Howland, the son of Gideon Howland of Dartmouth, Massachusetts, was born in 1762. He engaged in the West Indies trade from Boston and New Bedford, Mass., acting as merchant, managing owner, and captain for such vessels as the Franklin (Sloop) and the Emigrant (Schooner). Two merchant firms were formed by Howland. The first, called Joseph Howland & Company, seems to have included his uncle, Cornelius Grinnell, and was active in New Bedford from about 1798-1802. The second firm, Joseph Howland & Son, in which his son, Francis Howland (1787-1834), was most probably the partner, was also active in New Bedford, from about 1804-1820. Joseph Howland lived and worked for a number of years in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., before returning to Dartmouth, Mass., where he died in 1839. His brother, John Hicks Howland, was born in Dartmouth in 1774. He commanded merchant vessels, many for his brother, Joseph, before starting his own business in 1798. In 1810 he moved to New York City, N.Y., where he became a prominent shipping merchant, residing there until his death in 1849.

Source: "New Bedford Whaling Museum"