Piers said that ship chandlers make ship chests. The children of my ggg were born in NYC. One moved to Cleveland and became the first ship chandler and sail maker. I had looked up about what ship chandlers do on Wikipedia but had seen nothing about them making these chests. Captain Swain was about 30 when he moved to NYC. So now this presents an interesting situation. Did the Captain's trunks come from Nantucket with him before he moved to NYC as Piers suggested, or would his son have made them for him, or even studied ship chandlery under his father?. Is this really something that they all do? I didn't realize that he was nearly 30 when he is first found in NYC directories. I have looked at his son's ads in Cleveland city directories, and he advertises a bit differently each time. Not all city directories are available but there is quite a bit about cordage and sails, and other supplies being available. In one he even says that they supply the ships that go with their supplies. Since I found pages on Google that said he owned some ships I am not sure what exactly was going on. If anyone has some insight or thoughts on the subject, let me know. Sue