This 126-page letter book contains retained drafts of 20 letters that William L. Hudson wrote to his wife (10 letters), children (7 letters), and acquaintances (3 letters) while serving onboard the U.S.S. Vincennes along South America's Pacific Coast and in San Francisco Bay between April 1850 and April 1851. Hudson's letter book (13"x8") is bound with a canvas cover (15"x9").
Hudson's letters to his wife are often religious and philosophical, and he frequently considered the impact that his career and frequent separation from his family had on his marriage and family life. He also commented on financial affairs. In letters to his children, he offered advice on education, courtship, and careers. During his time on the Vincennes, Hudson wrote from Valparaiso, Chile; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Panama; and San Francisco, California. He described aspects of the local cultures in these areas, including women's lives in Guayaquil, the cost of living in Valparaiso, and political developments in Ecuador. Hudson's letters to acquaintances pertain to business affairs.
One incomplete letter to "my dear Henry," dated April 22, 1863, was laid into this volume. The anonymous author wrote from the U.S.S. Commodore Hull, off Hill's Point, Pamlico River, and described the 18-day Confederate siege of Washington, North Carolina (beginning March 30). The relationship between this Civil War letter and the Hudson letter book is unknown.
William Leverreth Hudson was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 11, 1794. He joined the United States Navy in 1815, and served onboard the Alert and Ontario in the Mediterranean Sea until 1817. He was later stationed off the coasts of Africa and South America, and at the New York Navy Yard. In 1838, Hudson commanded the Peacock as part of the Charles Wilkes Exploring Expedition, and in 1842, he received a promotion to commander. From 1849 to 1852, he commanded the Vincennes on voyages around the Pacific Ocean, and in 1855 he was commissioned as captain. Between 1856 and 1858, Hudson commanded the Niagara during two attempts to lay a transatlantic telegraph cable, and, in August 1858, he assumed command of the Boston Navy Yard, a position he held until 1862. William L. Hudson died in Brooklyn on October 15, 1862. He and his wife Elizabeth married around 1819 and had twelve children, of whom ten survived: Ann Elisa, Jane, Nell, Sarah, Susan, Nancy, William, James, Stephen, and Jack.