Benjamin Briggs
| Benjamin Briggs | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
April 24, 1835 Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | Unknown, probably November 1872 (aged 37) Atlantic Ocean |
| Occupation | Seaman, master mariner, |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Elizabeth Briggs (1862-1872) |
| Children | Arthur Briggs Sophia Briggs |
Benjamin Spooner Briggs (April 24, 1835 – probably November 1872) was an experienced United States seaman and master mariner. He is famous today for being the Captain of the merchant ship Mary Celeste when she was discovered unmanned and drifting in the Atlantic Ocean near the Straits of Gibraltar, on December 4, 1872. The lifeboat was missing, yet the Mary Celeste herself was still under sail and there were signs of a sudden and unexplained abandonment. Benjamin Briggs, his wife Sarah and two-year-old daughter Sophia Matilda, along with the crew of the Mary Celeste, the lifeboat and sextant, were never found and presumed lost.
The Briggs family of Massachusetts had a long maritime connection, and Benjamin Briggs himself spent most of his life at sea. He was an experienced, hardy and able seaman. He reportedly was respected by those who served under him because of his fairness and ability. He worked his way to eventually become a master mariner. Briggs captained the brigantine Sea Foam, and in 1862 became master of the three-masted schooner Forest King. When he took command of the bark Arthur in 1865, he turned over command of the Forest King to his brother, Oliver Briggs. Oliver Briggs was a frequent business partner and sailor with his brother.
Benjamin Briggs was devoutly religious and a believer in abstinence. In 1862, he married Sarah Elizabeth Cobb, daughter of the Reverend Leander Cobb. The newlyweds sailed to Europe in Benjamin's schooner Forest King. Their son, Arthur S. Briggs, was born in 1865 at the family home at Rose Cottage, Marion, Massachusetts. The following year, the family travelled to Marseilles, France, returning in time for their daughter, Sophia Matilda Briggs, to be born on October 31, 1870 at Rose Cottage.
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