Abraham Samuel
Encyclopedia
Abraham Samuel, also known as "Tolinar Rex," born in Martinique
(or possibly in Anosy
, Madagascar), was a mulatto
pirate of the Indian Ocean
in the days of the Pirate Round
in the late-1690s. Being shipwrecked on his way back to New York, he briefly led a combined pirate-Antanosy kingdom from Fort Dauphin (see Tolanaro
), Madagascar, from 1697 until he died there in 1705.
(the elder), the Mayor of New York from 1739 till his death in 1744), while he was "a mere youth" he was appointed as Supercargo
under Captain (see Captain (nautical)
) Appel of the Prophet Daniel, to buy slaves for what was by then a regular "slaver" (slave ship
) out of New York. It was bound for Madagascar
on what would be its last voyage. Of that fateful trip, during which Cruger met and very unsuccessfully sought to do business with Abraham Samuel in Fort Dauphin, he wrote:
According to Butel et al. (2000), at this point in time New York shipped provisions including gunpowder and guns to Madagascar, which were then traded for slaves, who were primarily prisoners of war, which were then shipped back to New York. These authors also note that Cruger had so antagonized the crew on the front end of the journey, including one New Yorker of African origins, that by the time they reached Sao Tome, the Captain indicated they would mutiny if not paid at least some of their wages. As noted above, Cruger sold some of the ship's rigging to pay for this.
For more information on Abraham Samuel, see
below from http://alternatehistory.com:
- Drury indicated "Deaan Tuley-Noro, king of Antenosa" [Antanosy], had marched into "Anterndroea" (Androy), demanding satisfaction from the Antandroy king for the murder of several white men. Drury also indicated quite a few sailors he knew at that time had been freely living in "Port Dauphine" for 2.5 years, waiting for a ship to stop by which they could leave on (p. 94).
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
(or possibly in Anosy
Anosy
-Introduction:Anosy is a region in southeastern Madagascar. It borders Androy region in west, Atsimo-Andrefana in north-west, Ihorombe in north and Atsimo-Atsinanana in north-east. This region runs from approximately Manantenina in the northeast corner of the region, west to Ranomafana, west to...
, Madagascar), was a mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
pirate of the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
in the days of the Pirate Round
Pirate Round
The Pirate Round was a sailing route followed by certain Anglo-American pirates, mainly during the late 17th century. The course led from the western Atlantic, around the southern tip of Africa, stopping at Madagascar, then on to targets such as the coast of Yemen and India. The Pirate Round was...
in the late-1690s. Being shipwrecked on his way back to New York, he briefly led a combined pirate-Antanosy kingdom from Fort Dauphin (see Tolanaro
Tôlanaro
Tôlanaro or Tolagnaro is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital of Anosy Region and of Tôlanaro District. It has a port of local importance, and a new port has been built at Ehoala...
), Madagascar, from 1697 until he died there in 1705.
Life
One of the incidents during Samuel's rule of the Fort Dauphin area was the following. In 1698, early in the career of John CrugerJohn Cruger
John Cruger was an immigrant to colonial New York with an uncertain place of birth, but his family was originally Danish. In New York from at least 1696, he became a prosperous merchant and established a successful family as well...
(the elder), the Mayor of New York from 1739 till his death in 1744), while he was "a mere youth" he was appointed as Supercargo
Supercargo
Supercargo is a term in maritime law that refers to a person employed on board a vessel by the owner of cargo carried on the ship...
under Captain (see Captain (nautical)
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
) Appel of the Prophet Daniel, to buy slaves for what was by then a regular "slaver" (slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
) out of New York. It was bound for Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
on what would be its last voyage. Of that fateful trip, during which Cruger met and very unsuccessfully sought to do business with Abraham Samuel in Fort Dauphin, he wrote:
" New York, Friday, 15th July, 1698, we weighed anchor bound for the island of Don Mascowrena; 3d October, found ourselves under the ... St. Thomas IslandSt. Thomas IslandSt. Thomas Island or Snake Island is a Bulgarian island in the Black Sea, 15 km south of Sozopol. It has an area of 0,012 square kilometres and is the only place in Bulgaria where wild cacti grow, brought from Bratislava, Slovakia and planted on the orders of Tsar Boris III in 1933. They...
, went in to water and clean the ship ; ... 7th October, sailed from St. Thomas; 20th February, 1699, Captain and Master judged themselves to leeward of the island Don Mascowrena; Sunday, 13th July, we arrived at Mattatana, (whither we had been compelled to turn our course,) and I went on shore to trade for negroes, but the harbor proving bad we were forced to remove from that place — I having purchased 50 slaves at St. Mattatana; 24th August, arrived at Fort Dolphin; 27th do..
I acquainted Mr. Abraham Samuel, the king of that place, of my arrival, and came with him to a trade; 12th September, I went with Mr. Samuel twenty-five miles up in the country, and on the 14th in the morning, I got the miserable news that our ship was taken by a vessel that came into the harbour the night before. Whereupon I made all the haste down I could, when we got some of the subjects of Mr. Samuel to assist, us, and we fired upon said pirate for two days, but could do no good. Then I hired two men to swim off in the night to cut their cables, but Mr. Samuel charged them not to meddle with them, (as I was informed, said Samuel having got a letter from on board the said pirates, in which I suppose they made great promises, so that he forbid us upon our lives not to meddle with any of said pirates).
When said ship came in at an anchor they desired our boat to give them a cast on shore, they having lost their boats, and pretended to be a merchant ship, and had about 50 negroes on board. At night, said Captain of said ship desired that our boat might give him a cast on board of his ship, which was done, and coming on board he desired the men to drink with him, and when said men were going on board of our ship again they stopped them by violence, and at about 9 at night, they manned the boat and took our ship, and presently carried away all the money that was on board, rigging, and other things that they had occasion for, and then gave the ship and negroes, and other things that were on board to said Mr. Samuel. The Captain's name of the pirate was Evan Jones... [and crew] from Westchester, New York, and others.
Mr. Abraham Samuel took likewise away from me 22 casks of powder and 49 small arms, likewise all the sails belonging to the Prophet which were on shore, and then sold the ship again to Isaac Ruff, Thomas Welles, Edmd. Conklin and Edward Woodman, as it was reported, for 1,400 pieces of eight. The purchasers designed to go from Fort Dolphin to the island of Don Mascowrena, and thence to Mattatana, upon Madagascar, and so for America. Captain Henry Appel ... [and two others] went along with them;
" [S]ome days after there arrived at Fort Dolphin a small pinke, called the Vine, Thomas Warrent, master, from London, which took in slaves from said place, and bound for Barbadoes, in which I took my passage, and was forced to pay for the same 66 pieces of eightPieces of EightPieces of Eight is the eighth studio album and second concept album by Styx, released September 1, 1978.The album was the band's follow-up to their Triple Platinum selling The Grand Illusion album....
and two slaves.
" Saturday, 18th November, 1699, I departed from Fort Dolphin with four of the people more that belonged to the ship Prophet Daniel, in the aforesaid pinke Vine, for Barbadoes, leaving on shore, of the ship's company, only a mulatto boy, called Gabriel; ... 24th March,arrived at Barbadoes; 17th April, 1700 departed from Barbadoes in the pinke Blossom, Robert Darkins, commander, bound for New York ; llth May, 1700,1 arrived at New York, and because I may not be censured an ill man, and that it may be thought that I have saved any thing that belongs to the owners of said ship, I do declare that I have not, directly nor indirectly, saved any thing that belongs to them, nor wronged them of the value of a farthing, but contrary, I have done all possible to serve their interest that I could.
"JOHN CRUGER."
According to Butel et al. (2000), at this point in time New York shipped provisions including gunpowder and guns to Madagascar, which were then traded for slaves, who were primarily prisoners of war, which were then shipped back to New York. These authors also note that Cruger had so antagonized the crew on the front end of the journey, including one New Yorker of African origins, that by the time they reached Sao Tome, the Captain indicated they would mutiny if not paid at least some of their wages. As noted above, Cruger sold some of the ship's rigging to pay for this.
For more information on Abraham Samuel, see
External links
- Buccaneer Software. (2009?). "Pirate Roster" at Pirate's hold: Pirate history and beyond
- cleanmix.com (n.d.). The legend of pirates.
- [Kinkor, Kenneth J. (1995). From the seas! Black men under the black flag. American Visions, 10.]
- Onica, V'le. (2008). "Captain John Hoar" at Pirate Cove.
- Rogozinski, Jan. (2000). Honor among thieves: Captain Kidd, Henry Every, and the Pirate Democracy in the Indian Ocean.
- Tynnin. (2004). Pirate Madagascar.
- Vallar, Cindy. (2007). "Black Pirates" at Pirates & Privateers: The history of maritime piracy
Timeline
- 1642-73 - First French colonial settlement (or Factory (trading post)Factory (trading post)Factory was the English term for the trading posts system originally established by Europeans in foreign territories, first within different states of medieval Europe, and later in their colonial possessions...
) in AnosyAnosy-Introduction:Anosy is a region in southeastern Madagascar. It borders Androy region in west, Atsimo-Andrefana in north-west, Ihorombe in north and Atsimo-Atsinanana in north-east. This region runs from approximately Manantenina in the northeast corner of the region, west to Ranomafana, west to...
briefly established by the French East India CompanyFrench East India CompanyThe French East India Company was a commercial enterprise, founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India companies in colonial India....
at Manafiafy, 40 km. northeast of Tolagnaro, but then moved to what became Fort Dauphin in 1643. Several different Governors of Fort Dauphin sought to conquer Anosy, pillaging and then burning hundreds of Antanosy and MahafalyMahafalyThe Mahafaly are an ethnic group of Madagascar that inhabit the plains of the Betioky-Ampamihy area. Their name means either "those who make taboos" or "those who make happy", although the former is considered more likely by linguists...
villages, killing thousands of Malagasy, enslaving others and stealing tens of thousands of cattle. During this time the French living there also fought for several of the Antanosy kings. - 1674 - Fort Dauphin evacuated and fort and settlement closed after over half of the French residents were killed. A young boy, the son of a Frenchman and an Antanosy wife, is taken from Fort Dauphin when the site is abandoned by the French [While Butel et al. (2000) argue this person then sold the boy as a slave on Martinque, this is hard to believe if he was actually his son.]
- 1694 - Captain John Hoar, of Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, with a privateerPrivateerA privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
license issued by the English authority in JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, captures a 200 ton, 14 gun French ship which he brings back to Rhode Island. Abraham Samuel, the mulattoMulattoMulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
son of a French planter and a slave, having fled MartiniqueMartiniqueMartinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, joined the crew at some point. The Admiralty CourtAdmiralty courtAdmiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries and offences.- Admiralty Courts in England and Wales :...
awards the ship to Captain Hoar who renames it the John and Rebecca. Having received a privateering commission from the Governor of New York, he fitted her out as a privateer. - 1695 - Captain Hoar sails from BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
for the Indian Ocean in December with 114 crew on board, two of whom were the brothers Otto and Aert van TuylVan TuylVan Tuyl is the surname of the family from which many Dutch Van Tuyls and most North American Van Tuyls, Van Tuyles and Van Tyles are descended. The family name derives from the ancient village of Tuil , located on the River Waal in Gelderland, The Netherlands. The family's earliest proven ancestor...
, both ship carpenters by trade, which is what Aert was for the ship, while Otto was the ship's doctor (for more information on their trip, seeVan TuylVan TuylVan Tuyl is the surname of the family from which many Dutch Van Tuyls and most North American Van Tuyls, Van Tuyles and Van Tyles are descended. The family name derives from the ancient village of Tuil , located on the River Waal in Gelderland, The Netherlands. The family's earliest proven ancestor...
). At some point on this journey Abraham Samuel was elected quartermaster by the crew. - 1696 - April stopover at St. Mary's island (Île Sainte-MarieÎle Sainte-MarieÎle Sainte-Marie, known as Nosy Boraha , is an island off the east coast of Madagascar. The main town is Ambodifotatra. The city covers an area of 222 km2, and had a population estimated at 16,325 in 2001.- City :...
), Madagascar, a major pirate center at that time, from which additional crew members could always be recruited. Captain Hoar then sailed with the Dutch pirate Dirk ChiversDirk ChiversDirk Chivers was a Dutch pirate active in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean during the 1690s.-Early career:Dirk Chivers is first recorded as a crew member of the Portsmouth Adventure, a privateering ship bound for the Red Sea, under Captain Joseph Farrell in early 1694...
and in the Red SeaRed SeaThe Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
they seized several Indian and European ships, one of which was the Rouparelle. Captain Hoar then sailed on alone to the Persian GulfPersian GulfThe Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
where he captured a large Indian ship laden with cloth near SuratSuratSurat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
. - 1697 - Captain Hoar returned to Saint Mary's Island, anchoring at Port Mission in February. While there, however, the Malagasy living there rebelled against Adam BaldridgeAdam BaldridgeAdam Baldridge was an English pirate and one of the early founders of the pirate settlements in Madagascar.Fleeing from Jamaica after being charged with murder, Baldridge sailed to Madagascar and, by 1685, had established a base of operations on the island of St. Mary's. By the following year,...
, the retired pirate who was the middleman between the pirates who stopped there and the New York merchants who shipped them gunpowder, guns and other supplies, and in turn bought the booty and slaves they sold. A number of Samuel's fellow pirates, including Captain Hoar, died in this revolt, but now Captain Samuel and other of his pirate colleagues escaped on the John and Rebecca, which by then was in a sorry state.
below from http://alternatehistory.com:
- 1697: Abraham Samuel arrives in Port Mission aboard the brig Nouveau Roi (born to a slave mother and the Governor of Martinique for a father, Abraham marauded through the Caribbean but after hearing of the pirate colony on Madagascar he made sail for Africa.) It was clear that Abraham wanted to set himself up as king. He began verbally challenging Avery right after his arrival. Henry however was not looking for a new enemy among the denizens of Port Mission. There was a brief and uneventful show of force at Avery’s tavern where Abraham recognized Henry as the stronger and Henry recognized Abraham as a fierce and independent pirate captain. They became fast allies though by far Henry got more out of the deal. Abraham Samuel was everything a pirate king could want in an ally – here was a fierce, fearless killer who loved carnage and had an axe to grind.
- 1697 - In May Henry Avery sends Abraham Samuel to Fort Dauphin to capture the settlement and if possible the Victoire as well. While the ship is not in port, along with most of the defenders of the colony, there are only about 90 men and women to defend the fort and they are soon overwhelmed by the Nouveau Roi and its crew of 200. [For a very different version of events in Samuel's life from March, 1697 till his death in 1700, most of which it is said he lived at Port Mission, see alternatehistory.com]
- 1697 - Captain Samuel and his fellow survivors sail down the east coast of Madagascar on their way home to New York. However, their ship is wrecked (washed ashore when a storm cut the cables or sank after hitting a reef somewhere near what had been the French settlement at Fort Dauphin), so he and those with him occupy the abandoned fort. Not long after this the wife of a deceased Antanosy king who was ruling the area saw the shipwrecked men bathing in the ocean and markings on Captain Samuel’s body which she felt were identical to those of her own son, who had been taken away in 1674 by his French dad when the fort was abandoned. She declared Samuel her long-lost son and declared him heir to the Antanosy kingdom in that area. While not true, Samuel accepts this claim and together with at least 45 other shipwrecked pirates, 20 who served as his bodyguards, and with the help of some Antanosy, Samuel subdued the local Antanosy ruler and begins to conduct piracy of ships stopping in the harbor. He also engages in warfare with a neighboring Antanosy kingdom after claiming rule over the old heartland of the Zafiraminy which appeared to have been abandoned. The settlement of Fort Dauphin rivals St. Mary as a trading center for at least a short period of time. While Samuel traded slaves and stolen goods with slavers and pirates alike, he kept close connections with his pirate brethren, authorizing and helping them in the plunder of ships which came to the Anosy region.
- 1699 - 25 additional pirates who were on their way back to America find Fort Dauphin to be such that they choose to join King Samuel.
- - In August John CrugerJohn CrugerJohn Cruger was an immigrant to colonial New York with an uncertain place of birth, but his family was originally Danish. In New York from at least 1696, he became a prosperous merchant and established a successful family as well...
(senior), who later became Mayor of New York city in the mid-18th century, was seeking slaves for the Prophet Daniel's trip back to New York from Madagascar stopped in Fort Dauphin. He accompanied King Samuel on a journey 25 miles inland from Fort Dauphin to Samuel's country residence where he stayed for two days, all in order to obtain 100 slaves. While he was away, Pirate Evan Jones, Captain of the Beckford Galley dropped anchor in Fort Dauphin alongside Cruger's slaver, the Prophet Daniel. Jones had the crew of the slaver take him ashore where he got them drunk, then continuing the party aboard his own ship. However at 9 pm that evening he and his crew assaulted the crew of the slaver and then captured and looted their ship, taking its money, rigging and anything else the pirates wanted. John Cruger, having rushed back to Fort Dauphin after hearing his ship had been captured by pirates, first had several of King Samuel's soldiers shoot at both ships with their muskets. With no results after two days of this, he then asked for two soldiers to swim out and cut the anchor cables of both ships so they would drift ashore. However Samuel at this point ordered his 300 warriors and 15 war canoes to not meddle in this disagreement between these two New Yorkers, in part because he had been promised a "pourboire" (reward) for his protection of them. This was the ship the Prophet Daniel along with 55 slaves and 49 small arms. Samuel in turn sold this ship to four other pirates for 1,400 pieces of eight, signing the document which detailed their purchase as “King of Fort Dauphin, Tollannare, Farrawe, Fanquest, and Fownzahíra.” When John Cruger protested this, Samuel confiscated the property he had brought to shore which included 22 casks of gunpowder and a set of sails. At this point the captain of the Prophet Daniel and two of his crewman also decided to become pirates (Zacks, 2002). This was one of 3 ships taken by surprise when they stopped in port during this time, all of which were looted "down to the keel" (p. 413). Not surprisingly, very few ships stopped at Fort Dauphin for several years after this happened. These captured ships brought in silver and other goods from overseas, including iron cooking pots which appear to have replaced the traditional ceramic pots which the Antanosy had made up to this time. - - In November Samuel assessed an American slaver which passed through Fort Dauphin £100 for a trading license.
- 1700 - Captain Littleton, of the English Royal Navy, invited King Samuel and two of his wives to dine with him aboard his ship. Littleton reported Samuel was much loved by the Malagasy.
- 1701 - Robert Drury (sailor)Robert Drury (sailor)Robert Drury was an English sailor on the Degrave who was shipwrecked at the age of 17 on the island of Madagascar. He would be trapped there for fifteen years. Upon returning to England a book allegedly recounting his memoirs would be published in his name in 1729...
indicated the Captain of the sinking ship he was on chose not to anchor at "Port Dauphine" as one of his sailors who "knew the land" said "the king of that part of the island ["King Samuel"] was at enmity with all white men, and treated all the Europeans he met with very barbarously" (Defoe et al., 1891, p. 44). (Drury later indicated it was only French the Malagasy considered enemies,as they had done some kind of "injury" to him.) (p. 45)
- Drury indicated "Deaan Tuley-Noro, king of Antenosa" [Antanosy], had marched into "Anterndroea" (Androy), demanding satisfaction from the Antandroy king for the murder of several white men. Drury also indicated quite a few sailors he knew at that time had been freely living in "Port Dauphine" for 2.5 years, waiting for a ship to stop by which they could leave on (p. 94).
- 1705 - In latter part of this year, in spite of being in poor health, King Samuel led his troops into battle against a neighboring petty kingdom. He died two months later and his kingdom ends with his death. The remaining pirates vanish soon thereafter, their fate unknown.
- 1706 - A Dutch slave ship anchored in Fort Dauphin in December to find Abraham Samuel no longer there and the new Antanosy king of the area unwilling to discuss what had happened to him.