Sealers
Research notes from Bev Willson, reproduced here with permission.
Sources with the author.
Allen James, an Irishman was recorded as living with two women he called Long'un on
Kangaroo Island in 1831. (Drane.tun.ne.min.ne.ner) and (Lar.roon.er.) Said to have tied the
latter to a tree at American Wharf Lagoon and made deep incisions in her buttocks with a
sealing knife because she had absconded after a disagreement with another native woman. One
of them had a child called Nanny Allen.
Anderson John (Abyssinia Jack), was a free man on arrival in the colony aboard the Archduke
Charles in 1815 A man of colour, spent several years on KI and was here in 1826. It is said that
he was particularly cruel and the suspicion is that he met his end by being murdered by his crew
on an island in Western Australia (WN Clark Perth Gazette Oct 7th 1842) He had two mainland
wives Emma and Poll. He bought Emma for seven pounds from her Aboriginal husband. With
Emma he had ten children. He later gave her to Robinson, but kept Poll. They don't appear to
have had children.
Antonio John coloured man Considered a very good sailor and a daring ruffian However he
would “blab” after a pannicin of grog which was not appreciated by other sealers He met his end
on an island near King Georgr Sound after climbing down a cliff face to kill seals the men pulling
him up cut the rope because of his loose talk. Arrived on KI from the Brig Endeavour in
1816/17 same crew as William Mansell.
William Mansell . Member of the crew of the Endeavour 1809 and 1816
Baker , a coloured man is said to have captured three women of North Bruny Island in October
1829 and taken them to Kangaroo Island . Tru.ger.nan.ner (Trucanini ) claimed that one was her
sister Moorina and that she remained on KI with Everett The names are given in another
account are Lore.we.nun.he and Maake.ker.lede.de or Big sal or Bumble Foot .and Kit
(Mur.rer.ning.he) who lived with Baker, all siblings of Trucanni. - Does this mean true sisters or
tribal sisters?
Bales, William after whom Bales Bay on the South Coast is said to be named because he
camped there with other sealers.
Bates George (Fireball ) deserted from the Nereus in 1824 at
the mouth of American River. In 1831 he had Woor.rart.te.yer, a Tasmanian woman living with
him He is recorded by Captain Hart as living at Antechamber Bay in 1831 and about 36 years
old, and as going with Wallen and "Sally" to look for Captain Barker. Is said to have broken
across his knee, the arm of a 10 year old New Holland boy as punishment because he ran away.
He persuaded an old Aboriginal man, Kondoy and his son from Cape Jervis to come to Hog
Bay. After the son died, Bates went back to Cape Jervis with Kondoy in 1830 When the son
died, Bates went back to Cape Jervis with Kondoy with the promise that he would be made a
chief and looked after . However, he became ill and was neglected by his "tribe". His fellow
sealers found him and took Kondoy, a young girl named Sal and a boy named Friday back to the
island as punishment. Fireball died in Adelaide at the Destitute Asylum and his body was
brought back to Penneshaw for burial, accompanied an old friend, former Cape Willoughby
Light Keeper, Mr. Carter. The burial took place at 3pm on Thursday September 12th 1895 and
the Dudley Council waived all fees.
Brien Thomas Irishman Possibly deserted from the Fly on KI in 1814 Didn’t appear to
stay long Had a son Bill Brien.
Brown John (Jack) once married to Duke Crew member of
the Samuel which visited KI 1824 Sal, the native woman who had belonged to Meredith
lived with him after Meredith's death
Bathhurst John an American Black arrived on KI
from Thistle Island with Anderson 1834 settled at Western River with George Meredith and
Jacob Seaman where they lived several years.
Clark Thomas a puller on the Thistle 1834
Mentioned as being a Headsman with William Walker at the Encounter Bay FisheryCooper
William was living with Big Sal (Makae.ker.lede.de) Sal on Kangaroo Island in 1831 when
he was aged about 40 and lived at Pt Marsden. He acted as a guide and interpreter to
Colonel Light in 1837. At that time, both Sal and Doughboy were living with him and he
had a son about eight at the time from Doughboy. He was free by certificate and probably
left on KI in 1823 by the Aligator as part of a sealing gang , but also listed as in the crew of
the Nereus 1824
Day William , a partner of Wallen's in sealing aged about 50 in 1831 and living at Pelican Lagoon
Dutton William Born in Sydney 1811 made his first voyage to
Kangaroo Island in the Mediera Packet in 1828 He cut a respectable figure in history as
compared to most sealers. Had a daughter named Sophia in about 1830 born on Kangaroo
Island to an Adelaide woman Sarah. He brought Tuery from Tasmania and was listed as
living with her on KI In 1831. He obtained Sarah from William Johnson who, with James
Allen, had abducted her from the Port Lincoln area. Married Mary Saggers 27th Oct 1841
Certainly some contradictions here Check this as there were several Duttons Fred John, William Dutton John, Chief Headsman of the group of whalers at Granite Island for the
South Australia Co 1839
Everett James arrived with Nat Thomas from Tasmania
Fifer George Member of the crew of the Elizabeth Mary (or Campbell Macquarie) which
sailed for KI in Feb 1813
Forbes on KI 1828
Gilks captured at Western River by Tolmer 1844
Hepthernet lived on KI with Kit Jacobs had been at Pt Morrison for 17 years in 1844 Is
this Jacob Seaman??
Jack the whaler lived at Jack’s Creek Hog Bay
James William , a convict, about 50 in 1831 and living at Pelican Lagoon
Johnson William (Peter??
about 70 in 1831) Living at Pt Marsden Peter crew member of the Perserverance which
visited KI in 1823
Jones John Visited KI in 1823 in the Minerva which left Sydney with a crew of 25
and returned with 22
Kirby James landed on KI with his Tasmanian Aboriginal wife, who
was probably Dinah in 1824. They left with Randall to join a sealing gang at King George
Sound two years later. In 1827, Kirby and Dinah were taken to Sydney.
Meredith George,
Son of a wealthy settler in Van Diemans Land dispatched by his father in small boat to catch
seals. It was wrecked on Gabo Island and Meredith escaped in a boat with a Dutchman
Jacob Seaman took Suke from Tasmania in a whaleboat and lived at Western River He is
also said to have had Bumble Foot Sal with him at Western River, also two native boys
Later they moved to Yankalilla. Meredith was murdered , possibly by Big Sal , Suke and
others at Yankalilla in about 1827. Jacobs asked Wallen Thomas and Walker to go with
him to look for him and they found his decaying body. Said to have planted his dollars at
Western River
Monsell or Mansell William Left on KI with Murrell ?1810 . Member of
crew of the Endeavour which visited in 1816
Murrell Joseph master of two Kable and
Underwood vessels since 1803 one the Surprise decided to leave for KI apparently as an
employee of Isaac Nicholas After two unfortunate misadventures he left for KI and in 1809
he was collected by the Elisa with two others out of a group of seven who had been there
three years. Died about 1816.
Newman Robert Probably arrived on the Spring and left on
the Minerva. Spent from 1814 to 1824 on KI Listed as a crew member of the Belinda
1824.* Randall John arrived at Pellican Lagoon with Fireball Bates in 1824*Seaman Jacob
was a Dutchman was with Meredith when his boat was wrecked on Gabo Island Lived with
him at Western River. Was this the Jacobs that lived at Pt Morrison?
Smith Harry
lived with Little Sal at Smith's Bay. She was regarded as being mad by some . She reportedly
once had a child , but it was claimed by Big Sal that they knocked the piccanny's brains out
against a gum tree , as it was a nuisance while they were travelling.
Stokes John started operations at Stokes Bay in 1817
(?) Thisby
Thomas Nat Left Sydney as crew on the
Water Mole in 1824 arrived with James (Bill) Everett in an open boat from Tasmania in
1827 with , Betsy and Sal, two Tasmanian Aboriginal women. Nat and Betty had three
children, Mary, Hannah and Lorne. Said to have cut the ears of a 7 year old native boy so
close to his head that part of his cheeks were removed and he died after lingering for several
weeks.(Emmas son) Mary Thomas, a passenger on the Africaine describes the woman with
Nat as having straight hair and being about 25 years of age of age. This does not equate with
the woman being Betty who, as a Tasmanian would have had woolly hair. May have had
Nellie Raminyemmerin with him for a while, is recorded as having Long'un (Lar.roon.er)
living with him in 1852 and in 1877 Suke was living with him. Betty died in 1878 and in
1879, he married an English woman, Sophia Newcombe.
Thompson a Portugese, had been on the island for 7 years in about 1834.
Possibly Nicolas Thompson who was a member of
the crew of the Fly that left Syney in November 1813 Thompson arrived 1835 on the cutter
William under Captain Wright and joined ??
Walker William arrived about 1820. Jones
reported him as living at Nepean Bay in 1833/4 with Wm Day and in 1835, with William
Thompson at American River His headstone in the Penneshaw cemetery reads:
Sacred to the memory of William Walker died August 1 st 1880 aged 68
Afflicted sore long time he bore
Physicians were in vain.
Till God did please to give him rest.
And free him from his pain.
This means he was only about eight in 1820. He seems to have been confused with Wallen in
some documents which may account for the suggestion that he was here in 1820. By 1833 he
would have been 21. There is an old document in the Museum of pencil writing on brown paper
that says he lived at Walkers Beach, presumably American Beach I have seen early records of all
of the beaches from Strawbridge Point to the bottom of American Beach Hill as “The American
Beaches”. The document also claimed he was a Headsman with Thomas Clark at Encounter
Bay. Sarah whose Aboriginal name was Kalinga lived with him at Hog Bay. She seems to have
come from the Lower Murray region and it is unclear whether she and Sally Walker are the
same person. Descendants of William call her Sarah, and their daughter Sally They had three
children It is said that , when returning from the mainland with Sally, another man and a boy,
his boat capsized and he managed to cling to the upturned boat. When he got back to the Island
he found Sally washed up on the beach, apparently drowned. He lit a fire, heated stones and put
in the bottom of the hole and buried Sally in hot sand and ashes. She revived , but there is no
mention of the others. William was the first sheep owner in the Dudley District He traded a
bushel of wheat for each sheep with Michael Calnan one of the first official settlers at Kingscote
and later sold 500 sheep to Thomas Willson for 1,200 pounds . Willson also took over some of
his leases in the American Beach area. In 1844 he operated a trading cutter which he had built in
Partnership with Wilkins at “the eastern end of American Beach” – Walker’s Beach ? The
William was wrecked off the reef. At Christmas Cove in 1847 William married a European
woman.. His headstone is in a wrought iron surrounded double grave with nothing on the other.
Winnis Rudiger claims Sophia remarried after William’s death, from dropsy . A man named
Owens, so not likely she is in the plot. This may be able to be traced through the old Dudley
Cemetery records. I have not checked the Education Dept records which apparently say he
chaired the first meeting to get a State school in Penneshaw. There had been a private one
previously which Hartley’s Great aunt, Lucy, taught at.
Wallen Henry , arrived 1820 in the Brig Sophia. He is also said to have brought Betty from
Tasmania and lived with her and "Puss".
He later lived with Martha from Port Lincoln and had two children, Henry Jr. and Ellen He sent
Henry Wallen Jr. to Hobart to be educated . Henry Jr died as a result of a shipwreck on
Macquarie Island as part of a sealing expedition. In about 1831 Captain Hart reported Henry
Wallen as being about 50 years old and living at Pelican Lagoon. Does this add weight to the
“summer coast, winter inland” theory of the sealers lifestyle? Warley already on the island with
Kirby & Everett when Bates arrived in 1823 They had deserted a ship at Hog Bay a few weeks
earlier.
West James an American, was living on KI in 1831 with Towser, an Aboriginal woman
from Launceston
Wilkins John (sometimes written as Wilkinson) is said to be a Devonshire
man who arrived via Tasmania and also said to be a Russian Finnish sealer and whaler . He had
ten children by Martha and more by Nellie Raminyemmerin from the Adelaide Plains area.
Local folklore has it that he lived above Frenchman's Rock at Hog Bay and died after going to a
shipwreck and was buried a few hundred metres up the hill. He is also supposed to be the
partner of William Walker in Building the cutter "William". Could it be that we are talking
about two different men?
Williams Black Jack was on KI in 1831 and lived with
Tea.kool.ter.me. He later drowned Williams Norfolk Island Jack (John) Crew of the Governor
Sorrel 1824 and visited KI arrived on KI with Fan (Fanny) Mit.te.yer She was eleven years old
in 1820. He also lived with Kit (Mur.rer.ning.he) Wilson a whaler on KI had four children with
Fanny an Aboriginal woman from the CoorongWooton or Wolton at Shoal Bay 1828
Worland ( Wallen?) 27 years in 1844
Wright William It was reported in the Hobart Town Gazette that in
1824 the following vessels were sealing near KI Nereus, Samuel, Eclipse Liberty, Governor
Brisbane and the Perserverance .
In December 1831 John Hart was 22 and given the command of
the Elizabeth, a new schooner owned by Griffiths of Launceston and sailed for the NW islands .
Hart had served under Captain Philip Sleeman in the Juliana and the Britannia. Captain
Sleeman wrote to his brother George saying of Hart, "He posesses good temper and disposition
and posesses improvable material for a good master to work upon" . Hart anchored in Nepean
Bay on the 20th Dec and procured 5 tons salt and bought 150 seal skins and 12,000 wallaby
skins from the islanders For the next few years played a large part in the life of Kangaroo
Islanders collecting skins oil and salt at regular intervals. We have the legacy of Cape Hart on
the South Coast and, in earlier times, By 1839 Hart was droving a herd of 500 cattle belonging
to him and John Hack overland from Portland Bay. Later that year he was master of the Rapid
sailing from Launceston to Encounter Bay. Other Captains to feature in KI sealing were William
Dutton and Joseph Murrell.
Copyright Bev Willson, Penneshaw 2018