Sea Stories in Stone

Isaac Weston Linch (1823-1853)
Maple Grove, Bath -

Shipwright

Isaac Weston Linch was a skilled carpenter whose mastery of ship construction and labor management elevated him to shipyard boss by the time he was 27 years old. As boss he supervised and paid 30 laborers during the construction of the 463 ton ship Mazatlan in 1850. He also oversaw workers during the building of the Alfred Gibbs, the Benjamin Adams, and the Monsoon. All four vessel would rise from the shipyard of James Drummond and Gilbert C. Trufant.

A reader, like many shipyard workers, even though ten hours a day in the yard left little time or energy for relaxation, Linch subscribed [to at least three newspapers.]...By the time of his death...his probated accounts show considerable assets in cash, bank stock, and interest in [five vessles]:

• 1/16th share, Lisbon, ship of 476 tons (1852, Bath)
• 1/8th, Sagadahoc, ship of 575 tons (1852, Bath)
• 1/16th, Lucinda, bark of 299 tons (1847, Phippsburg)
• 1/4th, Ingomar, schooner of 265 tons (1853, Bath)
• 1/16th, Indian Queen, bark of 411 tons (1849, Bath)

He also owned pew no. 40, worth $100, in the Beacon Street United Methodist Church.

Isaac was only 30 years old when he died. His estate was valued at nearly $15,000.

Sources:Quoted from Bud Warren's two page summary of manuscript material in the Maine Maritime Museum archives. Baker, probate records

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