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