William McCorkell & the McCorkell Ship Line 1778 - 1897
The following quoted essay was copied from
the Google cache of a defunct Web Page. Since this essay was copied
from a Google cache, the website has been restored by John McCorkell as
"McCorkell Line 1778 - 1897".
The essay is interesting because the "Three
McCorkell Brothers" legend is retold. I have been asked about
this legend by more than a few people. Most ask me if I know the names
of the two unnamed brothers. The answer is no. My experience has taught
me that most legends contain at least a grain of truth, but it is very
hard for me to understand why the names of William's brothers are not
known. I would guess that they didn't live long and their names were
soon forgotten. At any rate, the McCorkles were in America some thirty
years before the three brothers escaped Scotland. What's more, there
were documented McCorkles in Ireland in the 1630s, so I would surmise
that the brothers were not the first McCorkles to leave Scotland for
Ireland and that the two unknown brothers were not among the first
American immigrants. However, they could have immigrated to America at
a latter time, as did James McCorkle of Montgomery County, Virginia
(See the "James & William McCorkle of
Ireland and Montgomery Co., Virginia, c. 1770" link on the Home
page). Or the two brothers could have gone to Australia or elsewhere.
The original web site also contained many images of beautiful McCorkell Line sailing ships. Unfortunately, I was not able to recover these images, but I have found some of them at other sites.
"Wm. McCorkell Ltd. operated the McCorkell Line from 1778, principally carrying passengers from Ireland, Scotland and England to the Americas.
Many thousands of people were carried
on some of the most famous sailing ships in the Western Ocean.
From the unique collection of oil paintings held by the McCorkell
family, the opportunity exists to purchase articles of great heritage
and memorabilia depicting the ships which carried many of your
ancestors to a new life.
The McCorkell
family arrived in Ireland after the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie
following the rebellion in 1745. Three brothers named McCorquodale, who
were supporters of the Prince had to escape and rowed in a open boat
from the west coast of Scotland and landed on the Antrim coast. Wishing
to cover their tracks on arriving in Ireland they assumed the name
McCorkell. One of the brothers William, who was born in 1728, was the
founder of the shipping line in 1778.
The McCorkell Line was operated and owned by
William McCorkell & Co. Ltd. from Londonderry with the principal
purpose of carrying passengers to the Americas. The port was one of the
main points for emigration to Canada and America with passengers
travelling from Scotland, England and Ireland. From 1778, the company
operated as Agents for ships sailing to and from Londonderry. In 1800
William and Archibald, sons of the founder started to expand with
American owned ships, they traded from Canada in the North to the West
Indies in the South. The " MARCUS HILL" was the first vessel bought in
1815 at the conclusion of the American War and she continued to cross
the Atlantic until 1827. In 1824 the "PRESIDENT" was added although
ships were chartered from other owners to meet the growing demand for
passage to America. With the purchase of the "CAROLINE" in 1834 and the
"ERIN" in 1836, the commencement of the McCorkell Line art collection
began. Many other vessels were under the flag but not all were painted
so records are not complete. In 1851 the "MOHONGO",
built in Canada, commenced her long service to the Atlantic trade. In
her twenty years under the McCorkell flag, she completed more than 100
crossings with emigrants without any serious mishap.
From that date McCorkell ships were familiar in all ports carrying
passengers to Quebec, St Johns, Philadelphia, New York and New Orleans.
By 1860, speed was becoming more important, so Bartholomew (Barry)
McCorkell commissioned a new ship to be built in Canada. The "MINNEHAHA" cost $72,000 and was able to cross
the Atlantic in all weathers and during the winter months with
passengers. Until this time all emigrants were carried in spring and
summer when conditions allowed. She was the most famous ship owned by
the McCorkell's and was known as the "Green Yacht from Derry". The
"MINNEHAHA" had been named after the William Longfellow poem "The Song
of Hiawatha". Six more ships were to named from the same poem over the
next thirty years. The "MINNEHAHA" was one of the few ships to trade in
New York to the Federal side during the American Civil War. She carried
many emigrants during the war as well as much needed supplies. After
the war, Philadelphia became a regular port of call along with New
York. Records in Philadelphia show, that 5,164 passengers were carried
whose passage had been paid by relations in America to Robert Taylor
& Co., the McCorkell agent at the port. Original tickets for these
crossings still exist today as part of the family archive. From 1873,
steam liners were overtaking the famous sailing ships and although the
McCorkell Line continued to carry passengers until 1897, the main
activity now became cargo. The "MINNEHAHA" was converted to a barque in
1880 to reduce the number of crew by the removal of one set of
mainsails. She served thirty-five years with the company until she was
sold in 1895. Other famous ships were the "VILLAGE BELLE" with
twenty-five years service, the "OWEENEE", the
"OSSEO" and the "HIAWATHA". The " HIAWATHA" completed twenty-one years
and was the last vessel owned when sold in 1897. She was later sunk by
enemy action in 1916. This must be a credit to the wooden ships and the
men who sailed them. The family have continued to serve Londonderry
throughout the twentieth century, Dudley McCorkell was Mayor of the
City from 1930 to 1933 and attended the Ottawa Conference on Trade in
1933. Dudley, along with his nephew Michael who succeeded him, served
as Harbour Board Commissioners and as Chairmen of Wm. McCorkell.
Michael's son John was the driving force for the relocation of the port
of Derry from the City to Lisahally in 1990."
Revised Dec 9, 2009