Mary White Wilkins

Biography

Mary White Morris, d June 14, 1838, was the daughter of Anna Shoemaker & Robert Morris III.

Most likely on board the steamer, Pulaski which sank on June 14, 1838 Off New River (Outer Banks) loss of life: 100

The following statement was gathered from the first mate, Mr. Hibbert, who had charge of the Pulas- ki at the time. He states, that at about 10 o'clock at night he was called to the command of the boat, and that he was pacing the promenade deck in front of the steerage-house ; that he found himself, shortly after, upon the main deck, lying between the mast and side of the boat ; that^ upon the return of con- sciousness, he had a confused idea of having heard an explosion, something like that of gunpowder, im- mediately before he discovered himself in his then situation. He was induced, therefore, to rise and walk aft, when he discovered that the boat midships was blown entirely to pieces ; that the head of the starboard boiler was blown out, and the top torn open ; that the timbers and plank on the starboard side were forced asunder, and that the boat took in water when- ever she rolled in that direction.

He became immediately aware of the horrors of their situation, and the danger of letting the passen- gers know that the boat \^s sinking, before lowering the small boats. He proceeded, therefore, to do this. Upon dropping the boat, he was asked his object, and he replied it was to pass round the steamer to ascertain her condition. Before doing this, however, he took in a couple of men. He ordered the other boats to be lowered, and two were shortly put into the water, but they leaked so much in consequence of their long ex- posure to the sun, that one of them sunk, after a fruit- less attempt to bail her. He had, in the meantime, taken several from the water, until the number made ten. In the other boat afloat there were eleven. While they were making a fruitless attempt to bail the boat, the Pulaski went down with a dreadful crash, in about forty-five minutes after the explosion.

Origins

The children of Anna Shoemaker and Robert Morris (d. 1805) were:

1. Robert, b. 24 March 1797, bp. 24 March 1797, died young
2. Elizabeth Anna, b. 18 November 1798, bp 5 November 1815, d Dec 24, 1870. Married 1) Sylvester Malsan, 7 Jun 1821 2) John Cosgrove of Albany, NY Elizabeth Anna Cosgrove
3. Mary White, b. 28 November 1800, bp 5 November 1815, d June 14, 1838 Mary White Wilkins
4. Robert, b. 2 December 1802, bp 5 November 1815, m cousin Caroline Nixon May 27, 1836, who died within a year; m 2nd, cousin Lucy P. Marshall, June 1, 1854 Dr. Robert Morris
5. Benjamin Shoemaker, b. Birth Date,8 Jan 1804, bp 5 November 1815. Died 28 January 1840, unmarried.

Anna married second Francis Bloodgood November 3, 1823, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[4] Anna died March 5, 1865 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[5]

References

• Date: November 5, 1815. Church Records. Norristown, Pennsylvania: Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. < AncestrySharing >. (document attached). 4 children of Robert & Anna Morris baptized: Elizabeth Anna, Mary White, Robert, Benjamin Shoemaker.
• http://www.sunkenshipsouterbanks.com/ships_1827_1846.html
• http://txgenelady.com/LamarFamily/Pulaski.html
• http://www.archive.org/stream/steamboatdisaste00howl/steamboatdisas...
• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Jan 18 2023, 0:28:21 UTC
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2469703&...

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