Narrative History
Note: This narrative was written by an automated research assist, based on source materials which are generally not available to web search and normal AI processes. These include documents and photos collected into local archives, and results from digital catalogs of maritime museums and periodicals shown in the tables below. Send your questions and comments to editor@sailingworkboats.es.
Virginia L Johnson was a sloop built in 1884 at Madison, Maryland, by Joseph W. Brooks. The surviving selected newspaper notices place her in active use in the opening years of the twentieth century and connect her with Captain Andrew J. Dunn.
The clearest early newspaper evidence concerns routine hazards and movements of a working Chesapeake vessel. In 1900, the sloop appeared in a storm-damage notice among small boats upset or driven loose. In 1905, she was reported in ice and in trouble, with provisions supplied and an apparent need to reach clear water.
The later selected notices are chiefly vessel-property items. They show the sloop still appearing in public records in 1908 and 1915, including notices that associate her with Andrew J. Dunn and stated values of $500 and $600. The record remains fragmentary, but it is enough to show that the vessel remained visible in regional newspapers for at least three decades after construction.
Timeline
Timeline content is generated by the automated research assistant. It may be truncated, fragmentary, or incomplete, and may require further evaluation.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Friday, August 21, 1914 | The sloop Virginia L. Johnson was identified as belonging to Captain Andrew J. Dunn. |
| Saturday, October 30, 1915 | A vessel-property transfer notice listed the sloop Virginia L. Johnson with Andrew J. Dunn and a $500 value. |
| Thursday, February 2, 1905 | The Virginia L. Johnson appeared in a winter notice concerning ice, fuel, towing, or movement to clear water. |
| Thursday, July 10, 1902 | The Virginia L. Johnson appeared in a shipping-list notice among vessels associated with wheat cargoes. |
| Saturday, October 10, 1908 | The sloop Virginia L. Johnson appeared in a vessel-property notice with a $600 value near the target entry. |
| Monday, August 20, 1900 | The sloop Virginia L. Johnson was named in a storm-damage notice among small vessels upset or driven loose. |
| Sunday, October 31, 1915 | The Evening Star repeated the transfer notice for the sloop Virginia L. Johnson, Andrew J. Dunn, and a $500 value. |
| Friday, February 3, 1905 | The sloop Virginia L. Johnson was reported found in ice and in trouble; provisions were supplied and the vessel needed to reach clear water. |
Curated Newspapers
| State | Newspaper | Date | Location | Full-page PDF | Thumbnail | Article Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | The Daily Banner | Friday, August 21, 1914 | Cambridge, Maryland | Open PDF |  | The notice identifies the sloop Virginia L. Johnson as belonging to Captain Andrew J. Dunn. The visible heading suggests the item concerned a drowning at Oxford, but the thumbnail does not preserve enough context to say more safely. |
| Maryland | The Baltimore Sun | Saturday, October 30, 1915 | Baltimore, Maryland | Open PDF |  | A vessel-property transfer notice lists the sloop Virginia L. Johnson, associated with Andrew J. Dunn, with a stated value of $500. |
| Maryland | The Baltimore Sun | Thursday, February 2, 1905 | Baltimore, Maryland | Open PDF |  | The visible newspaper fragment refers to the Virginia L. Johnson in a winter/ice context, with nearby text mentioning fuel, towing, and getting to clear water. The thumbnail does not preserve the complete sentence. |
| Maryland | The Baltimore Sun | Thursday, July 10, 1902 | Baltimore, Maryland | Open PDF |  | The row is a shipping-list fragment. The Virginia L. Johnson appears among nearby vessel entries that mention wheat cargoes, but the target vessel's complete cargo line is not fully readable in the thumbnail. |
| Maryland | The Baltimore Sun | Saturday, October 10, 1908 | Baltimore, Maryland | Open PDF |  | The notice lists the sloop Virginia L. Johnson in a vessel-property item, with named parties and a $600 value visible near the target line. |
| Maryland | The Baltimore Sun | Monday, August 20, 1900 | Baltimore, Maryland | Open PDF |  | A storm-damage notice places the sloop Virginia L. Johnson among small boats that were upset, driven loose, or otherwise damaged, alongside other named Chesapeake vessels. |
| District of Columbia | Evening star | Sunday, October 31, 1915 | Washington, District of Columbia | Open PDF |  | This Washington paper repeats the vessel-property transfer notice for the sloop Virginia L. Johnson, naming Andrew J. Dunn and showing a $500 value. |
| District of Columbia | Evening star | Friday, February 3, 1905 | Washington, District of Columbia | Open PDF |  | The notice states that the sloop Virginia L. Johnson was found in ice and in trouble, with provisions supplied and an apparent need to get into clear water. |