In 1848, the Marblehead Seamen's Charitable Society erected a monument on the top of Old Burial Hill, in memory of its deceased members, fourteen of whom were lost in the September gale of 1846. The monument is of white marble fifteen feet high, and stands upon the highest point of ground on the hill, being visible from ten to fifteen miles at sea.

The year 1846 marks a memorable period of distress in the annals of the town. On the 19th of September of that year, one of the most terrible gales ever known took place on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, and ten vessels belonging in Marblehead, containing sixty-five * men and boys, were lost. Forty-three of these unfortunate seamen were heads of families, leaving forty-three widows and one hundred and fifty-five fatherless children. This great calamity may be said to have given the death-blow to the fishing interests of the town.("The History and Traditions of Marblehead", Samuel Roads, Jr., 1880)

The following pages list the names found on the inscriptions on the monument, with links to further information. Included is an alphabetical list of the names of the other men and boys aboard ships from Marblehead which were lost in the Great Gale of 1846, with genealogical notes.

* I have found the names of 66 men and boys lost in this storm in the Marblehead vital records. Ten vessels were lost: "Clinton", "Liberty", "Minerva", "Pacific", "Sabine", "Salus", "Senator", "Trio", "Warrior", and "Zela".