Zephaniah is quickly becoming one of my favorite people.
In my never-ending thirst for knowledge when it comes to the city of New Bedford and it’s history, his works continue to be an asset when attempting to fill in the blanks in the course of my research.
Zephaniah Walter Pease was born on August 1, 1860, in New Bedford, Massachusetts. His parents were Peleg Pease and Joanna Morton (Thomas) Pease.
For 53 years, he worked as editor of the New Bedford Mercury [newspaper]. He was also an historian, and there are a number of articles, publications and books on local history that he either wrote, and/or edited.
For example:
- The Diary of Samuel Rodman 1821-1859 (Edited by Zephaniah Pease, Circa 1927)
- Life in New Bedford A Hundred Years Ago (Diary of Joseph Anthony, Edited by Z.P)
- History of New Bedford (circa 1918)
- Catulpa
Side note: It’s fascinating where the “rabbit hole” of researching takes you once you get started. We recently purchased and sold “42 Bay St” in New Bedford. In my research of that property, I noticed a link to Captain Anthony with reference to the Catulpa Expedition. I may have to dig deeper into that & update further.
Where he lived
1910: 182 Fourth St. New BedfordÂ
1930: 20 Fort St. Fairhaven
*Sources: US Federal Census;Â
My guess is he recognized the importance of documenting and retaining our history. He died in Fairhaven, in 1933.
I’ve enjoyed his works, and wanted to share it with you too.Â
As I find more info, I will continue to update this page accordingly.Â
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