Christian Bergh (April 30, 1763June 24, 1843), was the oldest and one of the first American

shipbuilder Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

s in New York. He was known for not allowing drinking and was the first shipbuilder to employ African Americans at his shipyard. He contributed to the advances in the design and speed of 19th century sailing vessels.

Early life

Christian Bergh was born on April 30, 1763, in Rhinebeck,

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later or ...

. He married Elizabeth Ivers in 1800 in Stonington,

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

. They had three children, Edwin (1802-1876), Jane (1812-1869), and Henry (1813-1888). His ancestors came to America from Germany.

Career

Bergh began shipbuilding in 1798 before the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

. He was appointed by the US government, with naval constructor William Doughty, to construct the 44-gun frigate ''President'', which was completed in April 1800 at the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...

. Bergh established a shipyard at

Corlears Hook The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal Street (Manhattan), Canal to Houston Stre ...

along the

East River The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Que ...

in the early 1800s. It was called Christian Bergh & Co. He built the following ships: ''North America'' (1804), ''Gypsey'' (1805), ''Galloway'' (1807), ''Canton'' (1809), ''Don Quixotte'' (1823), ''Ed Quesnel'' (1824), ''Paris'' (1824), and ''El Bonaffee'' (1824). In July 1808, he and Henry Eckford were sent to

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

to build ships for the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. They built the 14-gun US Navy

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

at Oswego, New York, on Lake Ontario. When he returned to New York, he continued with his shipyard at the foot of Scammel Street in the East River. There he built the frigate ''Hellas'' and the ''Antarctic''.

Jacob Aaron Westervelt Jacob Aaron Westervelt (January 20, 1800 – February 21, 1879) was a renowned and prolific shipbuilder who constructed 247 vessels''Ships and Shipping of Old New York (1915)'' by the Bank of the Manhattan Company, page 48. of all descripti ...

was an apprentice for Christian Bergh in 1817 for five years. In 1822, Westervelt formed a partnership with Robert Carnley and Bergh under the name of C. Bergh & Co. Some of the ships built by Bergh and Westervelt were the ''Hope'' (1825), ''Henry IV'' (1826), ''Charlemagne'' (1828), ''Albany'' (1831), ''Philadelphia'' (1832), ''Utica'' (1833), ''Distress'' (1834), ''Westminster'' (1835), and ''Toronto'' (1835). Bergh's son, Henry Bergh joined his father in 1835 at the C. Bergh & Co., shipbuilding business. He was later the founder of the

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. Based in New York City since its inception in 1866, the organization's mission is "to provide effective ...

(ASPCA) in April, 1866. Christian Bergh retired in 1837 having contributed to the advances in the design and speed of ships and a wealthy man. In 1837, Henry and his brother Edwin reorganized the business as Bergh & Co. Edwin continued the business until his father's death in 1843, when the shipyard was closed.

Death

Christian Bergh died on June 24, 1843, at age 81, in New York City. He is buried at the

St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery is a parish of the Episcopal Church located at 131 East 10th Street, at the intersection of Stuyvesant Street and Second Avenue in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The property has been ...

Churchyard, in New York City.

Philip Hone Philip Hone (October 25, 1780 – May 5, 1851) was Mayor of New York City from 1826 to 1827.Minutes of the Common Council of the City of New York, 1784-1831. Volume XV, November 10, 1825 to December 25, 1826'. New York: City of New York, 1917. p. ...

, a New York Mayor and celebrated diarist, wrote the following upon his death:

Legacy

The pilot-boat ''Christian Bergh,'' was most likely named in honor of Bergh as it was built by Westervelt in 1851.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergh, Christian 1763 births 1843 deaths American shipbuilders