NEWBURYPORT — A Newburyport story will take its place on an international stage this fall when Museum of Old Newbury Executive Director Bethany Groff Dorau travels to The National Archives in Kew, England, to present at The Prize Papers of the American War of Independence, a workshop scheduled for Oct. 8-9.
The two-day gathering brings together scholars, archivists, curators and historians from the United States, United Kingdom and Europe to explore one of the richest surviving archives of the Revolutionary era. Dorau will present “Taken by 64 Guns: A Case Study of Dalton Marine Captain Offin Boardman” during the session “Loyalty, Deception and Survival at Sea.”
Dorau’s research centers on the Newburyport privateer Dalton, captured by the British warship HMS Raisonable on Christmas Eve 1776. Boardman, a prominent Newburyport merchant and Revolutionary patriot, served as captain of marines aboard Dalton.
The vessel’s surviving records are preserved in the Prize Papers collection at The National Archives and place a familiar local figure within a much larger story of warfare, commerce, allegiance and captivity in the Atlantic world.
The Dalton story has recently drawn international attention for another extraordinary reason.
In 2026, The National Archives announced the discovery of a rare July 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence among records connected to the British captain who captured the Newburyport privateer.
Only 11 copies of that printing are known to survive, and this is the only known copy outside the United States. Dorau first traveled to The National Archives in 2024 to research the Dalton Prize Papers, helping to develop an ongoing relationship between the Museum of Old Newbury and the British archive.
“It is my privilege to represent Newburyport’s Revolutionary story in an international context. Our ships and sailors were part of a global conflict, and the Prize Papers allow us to follow their experiences across the Atlantic in remarkable detail. It is an extraordinary honor to bring Offin Boardman and the Dalton into this international conversation and to represent the Museum of Old Newbury and our community at The National Archives,” Dorau aid.
The conference is organized by the Prize Papers Project, The National Archives, the University of Oldenburg, the German Maritime Museum, and the German Historical Institute London. Historian Nathan Perl-Rosenthal will deliver the keynote address, “Empires of Privateering: 1780 Around the Globe.”
On Oct. 8, the Prize Papers Project will also release an initial group of records from approximately 150 captured vessels through its open-access digital portal, opening a major new body of Revolutionary War evidence to researchers around the world.
The workshop accompanies Revolution 250: America’s Independence Story 1763–1783, The National Archives exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence and drawing in part on the Prize Papers.
Dorau’s participation is the latest chapter in a growing international partnership, supported by strong local partnerships and a two-year MA250 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.
In March, Dr. Amanda Bevan, head of The National Archives Prize Papers Project, joined the Museum’s Revolutionary Privateers at Sea Symposium in Newburyport. In October, the exchange travels in the other direction, carrying Newburyport’s maritime history to London and placing the people of Old Newbury within an international reconsideration of the American Revolution.
The Oct. 8 sessions will be available online, giving Newburyport audiences an opportunity to watch Dorau’s presentation from home. Register for the online stream: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-prize-papers-of-the-american-war-of-independence-online-tickets-2000900092038.