Beachcombers in Chuuk

George Barrows Chuuk, Kapingamarangi (1880-1882)

George Barrows was an American who spent some time in Samoa, and from there went to the Kingsmill Islands (Kiribati) in 1878. After a couple of years there, he went to Kapingamarangi for a few weeks in 1879 or 1880 and then went on to Namoluk as a trader. He spent a year there (1880-1881) but his business did badly, so he moved back to Kapingamarangi to work as an independent trader. He brought two people from the Kingsmills with him. Just five months after his arrival, he was drowned by the people of that island, seemingly at the instigation of a trading rival, John Rees. The people also killed the two Kingsmill Islanders at Rees' urging.

Sources: LeHunte 1883a: investigation into death of Barrows, 16, 42-43, 48; Westwood 1905: 119-20, 135-9.

John Brown Chuuk, Kosrae, Ngatik, Mokil, Pohnpei (1852)

Captain John Brown was the master of "Genii" who left it at Kosrae in late 1852 "to try to form a settlement at the South Harbor." Driven off Kosrae by order of the paramount chief, Brown put to sea in a whaleboat with 27 people on board, "including a good lot of Strong's Island girls." He sailed to Ngatik, touching at Mokil on the way, arriving just before "Sarah Mooers" was wrecked there in December 1853. Brown was said to have killed one of his men on Ngatik. He left in a small boat, which he christened "Pretoria," with four of the stranded crew of "Sarah Mooers" to get assistance in Pohnpei, but they were carried off by a heavy wind and strong sea to an island south of Oroluk, perhaps Nama or Losap, where Brown was killed by the people there.

Sources: The Friend (Nov 1860), 82-84

Adolph Capelle Ebon, Jaluit, Likiep, Chuuk (1859-c1911)

Adolph Capelle was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1838. He first came to the Marshalls on the "Pfeil," owned by Hoffschlaeger & Stapenhorst. He arrived on Ebon in 1859 at the age of 21. Capelle lived on the island for a time trading in coconut oil. In 1864, with the newly arrived Anton DeBrum as a partner, Capelle established his own trading company, A, Capelle & Co.

He married a woman from Ebon, Sophia.

In 1873, after living on Ebon for more than a decade, Capelle moved to Jaluit, which was becoming the center of commerce. With their fleet of several small ships, Capelle & Co. expanded trading operations throughout the Marshalls and even into the eastern Carolines. Capelle was in Chuuk for several months in 1879 while setting buildings for a trade station there. Capelle & Co. sold their copra to one of the larger trade vessels belonging to one of the major firms in the Pacific. For a time, Godeffroy & Son was the firm they served. The company had a large store on Jaluit. Capelle was the consular agent for the US during the years he was based on Jaluit.

James Lyle Young, an agent for another firm in the Marshalls, was unsparing of Capelle in his diary. Young writes that Capelle, once a lay preacher for the church, has backslidden. He claims that Capelle has a tendency to see everything from one point of view--"dollars and cents."

Capelle and DeBrum purchased the island of Likiep for about twelve hundred dollars worth of trade in 1878. Thereafter Capelle and DeBrum used this as a copra plantation and a homestead. With their sons, Capelle and DeBrum began building small ships and started a variety of other businesses. Thereafter, Likiep became their base of operations.

Capelle died about 1911.

Sources: Young 1878: 8 July 1876; LeHunte 1883a: judicial proceedings, 2; Moore 1872: 16; Hezel 1983: 210-226, 252-254, 267-268, 302-304; ABCFM: R. Logan's letter of 1879.

James Curry Chuuk, Pohnpei, Mortlocks, Nukuoro (1881-1887)

James Curry was an American (Irishman) trader who came to the Mortlocks as a trader in June 1881. He lived there for a year, until 1882, at which time he moved to Pohnpei to trade there.

He was in Nukuoro from June 1880 to June 1881. He was in Nukuoro when "Belle Brandon" put in during the summer of 1880. His son later lived in Samoa. He went to the Mortlocks the following year.

He was in Pohnpei from 1880-1883 and he was still there in 1887. He signed a statement against Rev Edward Doane.

Sources: LeHunte 1883a: statement of James Curry to the murder of George Barrows; Thurston 1885; Hambruch 1932: 193; Dana 1935: 100; PNA leg 13, exp 42

Thomas Davis Pohnpei, Ulul, Pingelap (1880-1881)

Thomas Davis arrived on Pingelap, aboard the "Beatrice," as a trader for Capelle & Co. in November 1880. After six months there, he was brought to Ulul as a trader in May 1881 by "Caroline."

Sources: Young 1881

Jack Ehlers (Hallers) Chuuk, Pohnpei, Mortlocks (1880-?)

Jack Ehlers (now spelled Hallers) was a German trader who was living on Pohnpei in November 1880. He later moved to the Mortlocks where he traded for years before coming to Chuuk. He was living on Lukunor at the arrival of the German warship "Arkona" in 1885(?). He owned a boat and was doing copra trading. Eventually his family was established in Sapore, Fefan.

Sources: Young 1881: Nov 1880; Kramer 1932: 14

Dominique Etscheit Marshalls, Ulul, Pohnpei (1884-1919)

Dominique Etscheit was born in Ehrenbreitstein, Rhineland. Dominique's father was a lawyer who worked for a title, landed family. He left Germany in 1871 for England to learn English. Sailing by way of Australia, he first arrived in the Pacific in 1884 to work as a trader. He lived in the Marshalls at first, supporting himself by trade. There he took a Marshallese woman as his wife, but she died in Manila not long afterwards. In 1886, according to a German deed, he bought Ulul Island in Chuuk and attempted to set up a plantation there. When this failed, he moved to Pohnpei to settle there permanently. By this time he had married a Belgian woman by the name of Florence Caymont, who became the manager of his estate when he died. In 1899 Etscheit purchased Jan Kubary's landholdings on Pohnpei, a few years after the death of the latter. Two of his children, Leo and Carlos, adopted their mother's Belgian citzenship and remained on Pohnpei until their death, while another son, Robert, and a daughter, Ella, returned to Europe.

Sources: AHN 5863, ff 238-239; letter of Alan Hughes, 22 Nov 1993; interview with Carlos Etscheit, 16 Nov. 1981

William Floyd Chuuk (Murilo) (1827-1828)

William Floyd was a British seaman who was left on Murilo, an atoll north of Chuuk, by the whaleship "Prudent" in the summer 1827. He was taken off the island after eighteen months by the Russian naval captain Lutke aboard the "Senyavin" in december 1828. Floyd learned some of the language and was used as an informant by the Russians.

Sources: Lutke 1835: vol 2, 151-2; Mertens 1830: 95-188

Charles Gierow Mortlocks, Chuuk (1876-1907)

Charles Gierow (originally spelled Karl Gerau) was a German who deserted the German army about 1876. He lived for a time in Samoa before coming to the Mortlocks. His arrival in the Mortlocks is not dated, but it probably occurred not long after 1876. He moved to Chuuk about 1888 and traded there for one of the large firms. About 1896 he "got religion"

Sources: ABCFM: ? to Dr. Clark, 12 June 1886, Snelling to Judson Smith, 18 June 1896; Kramer 1932: 16-18

Continued Chuuk Beachcombers, Page 2