Samuel grew up in Beverly, Massachusetts, and became a ship captain and merchant. His earliest experiences at sea would most likely have been as a crewman on one of the many merchant ships sailing out of Beverly or Salem. According to ship registers for the Ports of Salem and Beverly he was the master of the schooner Hawke and the schooner Nancy, both registered in Beverly.
Samuel was part owner and master of Two Brothers, 97 tons, registered 10 December 1805 in Beverly and cleared for sailing on the 13th. The ship was sold in May 1809. Samuel's co-owner of Two Brothers was prominent Boston merchant William Gray
Between early 1812 and mid-1815, nothing has been found to connect Samuel with any ship, either as owner or master. It may not be coincidence that the War of 1812 also happened at that time. The war was terribly disruptive to American shipping. Samuel's connection to William Gray picks up again when he chose Samuel to captain the ship Rubicon, but Samuel is not listed as co-owner
Samuel Haskell took Rubicon to St. Petersburg for the last time about 9 April 1817. He intended to leave Kronstadt for Boston at the first good wind on 15 July. There was a stop at Helsignor and the ship was back in Boston on 4 September with tallow, sail cloth, iron, ravens duck, flems, sheetings, feathers, bristles and more. At this point Samuel apparently retired from his life at sea. He was 38, had undoubtedly made good money in the St. Petersburg trade and continued to do so as a ship-owner. Although the details of his relationship with his wife Peggy aren't known, it's easy to imagine her pleasure in Samuel retiring. He went to sea several weeks after their daughter Mary Anne died of epilepsy in 1815 and their son Samuel had died while his father was most recently at Kronstadt. They had three surviving children aged 9, 8 and 1 year.
Samuel was owner of the brig William, 200 tons, registered in Beverly on 26 November 1816 and was reported in Fort Royal, Martinique, the following April. Nathaniel Haskell, probably his brother, was the master. Their father owned at least of share of a ship with this name. Samuel apparently was still a co-owner in 1822, when a shipping notice says that it arrived with "hemp, iron, tallow and manufactures."
The latest record found of Samuel's maritime activity is connected with the brig Rajah, registered in Beverly on 1 August 1818. He was one of six owners. Rajah was about 90 feet long and 25 feet wide. It was reregistered at Beverly on 16 September 1822.
Samuel is called a merchant in his obituary and his estate papers and he made a very good living probably from the income from the shipping trade. More can certainly be said of the lucrative pepper trade, but it isn't known yet specifically what the nature was of Samuel's mercantile activities. An inventory of his household belongings shows a family that enjoyed moderate wealth. By 1818 he starts to appear in municipal records, first as part jury pools, which continued occasionally to 1827. He evidently had become prominent enough in town affairs to be chosen to replace a selectman-elect who declined the position in March 1825. He was on the South District school committee in 1826, 1828 and 1829. He again replaced a selectman on 1 April 1827. The next month he was voted a "vice selectman."
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Obituary
Capt. Samuel Haskell, aged 53 - Captain Haskell was one of the most active and enterprising merchants; and, as such, was of great importance to the town of Beverly. He was always remarkable for decision of character and inflexible perseverance. Whatever he undertook he followed up to its completion, neither turned aside by difficulties, nor disheartened by ill success. He was a warm friend of general education, and for many years has devoted much of his time to improvement of the common schools in Beverly. The loss of such a man leaves a vacant place in our society not easily or soon to be supplied.
_His estate inventory included a 3/10 share of a schoolhouse on Washington St., Beverly, a share in the #2 social library and 4 pews in "Reverend Mr. Oliphant's meeting house." This was the Dane Street Congregational Church. Peggy's death is recorded in the records of that church. The baptism and death of their first daughter named Mary Anne are found in the First Parish Unitarian (Congregational) Church records.
The epitaph on his gravestone is taken from the last verse of Isaac Watts' hymn 40 and a verse in "How Are Thy Servants Blessed, O Lord" by Joseph Addison. It is carved on a white marble stone that has weathered to a point where those inscriptions are difficult to read. His and Peggy's stones were surely in the old Hale St. portion of Central Cemetery with two of their children. They were moved to or next to the Ellingwood plot in a later section of the cemetery.
The above is an extract of a larger work provided courtesy of Doug Sinclair which I recommend you view on the Website listed below.
Reference to the Website: Doug Sincair's Archive
http://dougsinclairsarchives.com/index.htm
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Captain Haskell was a seafairing man and made many voyages to the West Indies and occasionally to New Orleans. He also served in the War of 1812.He was a private in Captain N. Lamson's company, Lieutenant Colonel L. Dodge's regiment. Served 3 to 17 days for different periods from June 21 to August 22, 1814, service at Beverly.
Reference
Colonial and Revolutionary Lineages of America
The American Historical Company Inc., New York, 1941
The Vital Records of Beverly has the wrong mother for Ellen: "Ellen Augusta d. Joseph and Hepzibah, bp. Oct. 1, 1832. CR3".