Lost and Never Heard From: Francis Flitner Jr., William Flitner, and the Schooner Warsaw
Abstract
In 1835, when Francis Flitner Jr. was 28 years old, he became captain and part-owner of the schooner Warsaw built that same year in Gardiner, Maine, across the Kennebec River from his home in Pittston. Among his crew of six were five local men between the ages of 16 and 21, including his cousins Samuel Cutts Flitner and Oliver Colburn Jr. The Warsaw’s first documented voyage, from New Haven, Connecticut, to Barbados, began on November 19, 1835. Thereafter, the Warsaw was engaged primarily in transporting cargo, passengers, and the U.S. mail between New York and St. Marks, West Florida. In late August 1838, the Warsaw sailed from New York for St. Marks but encountered a hurricane before reaching Key West. Francis’s cousins had left the Warsaw by that time, but his brother William, age 20, had joined the Warsaw’s crew as mate.
The article provides many facts about the life and times of Francis Flitner Jr. as well as the construction, ownership, and voyages of the Warsaw. The article also includes references to these relatives: Thomas Agry Sr., Zacharias Flitner, Lucy Flitner, Samuel Oakman Sr., Francis Flitner Sr., Elizabeth Flitner, Samuel Oakman Flitner, Zachariah Flitner, David Neal Flitner, Joseph Flitner Jr., William Ladd Flitner, Samuel Cutts Flitner, Oliver Colburn Jr., Joseph Oakman, Francis W. Flitner, and Susan E. Flitner.
Article revised: July 6, 2019