James Magee (sea captain) facts for kids

James Magee (1750–1801) was an important early American businessman. He was one of the first Americans to take part in the Old China Trade and the Maritime Fur Trade. These were big trading routes across the oceans. James was born in County Down, Ireland. He and his brother Bernard moved to New England before the American Revolutionary War. People described him as a "friendly, kind-hearted Irishman." He married Margaret Elliot in 1783. She was the sister of a famous merchant, Thomas Handasyd Perkins. Magee lived in Roxbury, which is now part of Boston. He even bought a famous house called the Shirley–Eustis House in 1798. His brother, Bernard Magee, was also a sea captain involved in the fur trade.

Serving in the American Revolution

During the American Revolutionary War, James Magee was a captain of several ships. In 1777, he commanded a privateer ship called the Independence. A privateer was a private ship allowed to attack enemy ships during wartime. His ship was captured by the British in Boston Harbor.

Later, in 1778, he briefly led the Ann. Then he took charge of the General Arnold. This ship had 20 guns and was given special permission to attack British ships. Sadly, the General Arnold was wrecked in Plymouth Bay. From 1779 to 1783, Magee commanded three more ships: the Amsterdam, Hermione, and Gustavus. In 1781, the Amsterdam was captured by a British warship.

Trading with China

James Magee became captain of one of the first American ships to sail to Guangzhou (Canton), China. This ship was named the Hope, and its voyage was from 1786 to 1787. The Hope left New York City in February 1786. It sailed around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. In April, it reached Batavia (now Jakarta), becoming the first American ship to visit that port.

After returning to Boston, James Magee became captain of the Astrea. This was one of four ships owned by Elias Hasket Derby. These ships sailed from New England to Canton in the late 1780s. Magee's brother-in-law, Thomas Handasyd Perkins, was the supercargo on the Astrea. A supercargo was an officer on a merchant ship who managed the cargo and sales.

The Astrea sailed in 1789 with a cargo that included ginseng, money, beeswax, and other goods. It returned to Salem in June 1790 with tea and silk. In Canton, Magee met Captain Robert Gray and John Kendrick. They inspired Magee and Perkins to join the maritime fur trade. This led to the voyages of two more ships: the Hope (captained by Joseph Ingraham) and the Margaret (captained by James Magee).

Building a Trading Business

After the Astrea voyage, Thomas Handasyd Perkins and his brother James Perkins started a company. It was called J. and T.H. Perkins. This company became one of the biggest American businesses in the China and maritime fur trade.

James Magee owned parts of several ships in the fur trade. He was a part-owner of the Hope, a small ship built in 1789. This Hope sailed to the Pacific Northwest Coast and China from 1790 to 1792.

He also owned a share of the Eliza. This ship sailed to the Northwest Coast and China in 1799–1800. A 15-year-old named William F. Sturgis was on board this trip. Magee also owned a share of the Hazard, which made several voyages to the Northwest Coast and China. After James Magee passed away, his wife Margaret inherited his share. She was one of the few women in Boston known to own part of a fur trade ship.

The Voyage of the Margaret

James Magee was the captain of the ship Margaret. This ship was on the Pacific Northwest Coast in 1792. Magee was also a part-owner of the Margaret. The ship was built in Boston, weighed 161 tons, and had a crew of 25. The crew included a "historian" named Jonathan Howell. He and Magee collected many interesting items from the Pacific Northwest Coast and Hawaii. These items were later given to the Massachusetts Historical Society.

On October 24, 1791, the Margaret sailed from Boston. It went around Cape Horn and arrived at Houston Stewart Channel in Haida Gwaii in April 1792. James Magee had become ill, so the first mate, David Lamb, took command. In May, the Margaret met Captain Robert Gray's ship, the Columbia Rediviva. Magee found that the local indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast were not as interested in the trade goods he had brought. He wrote in the ship's log that they mostly wanted muskets, copper, and files.

Robert Haswell, from the Columbia Rediviva, said the Margaret was a "fine vessel" and "exceeding well fitted for the voyage." The Margaret and Columbia met again in July 1792. They sailed together down the coast of Vancouver Island. The leader of the Tla-o-qui-aht Nuu-chah-nulth people, Chief Wickaninnish, visited the Margaret. Robert Gray, who was also on board, convinced Wickaninnish to visit the Columbia. Wickaninnish was not happy about Gray's actions from earlier that year.

In late July, the Margaret sailed to the Columbia River to trade for furs, but without much luck. On August 8, 1792, the Margaret anchored at Yuquot in Nootka Sound. The Hope (captained by Joseph Ingraham) was also there. When the Spanish commander, Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra, heard Magee was ill, he offered him a place to stay on shore. On August 12, the Margaret sailed with the Hope to find more fur trading spots. Magee stayed at Nootka Sound.

When George Vancouver arrived on August 28, he noted that Captain Magee was living on shore. While there, James Magee and others witnessed an important statement by the Mowachaht Nuu-chah-nulth Chief Maquinna. This statement was about a disagreement over land claims. Captain Magee also told Vancouver that some British captains had acted unfairly towards the local people, even using their weapons, which he believed was wrong.

The Margaret returned to Nootka Sound in September 1792. During that season, the Margaret had collected about 1,200 sea otter pelts. At one point, the Margaret hit a rock near Haida Gwaii. This rock is now known as "Margaret Rock." Magee had planned for the Margaret to stay the winter in Nootka Sound. He also wanted to build a small schooner (a type of boat) to help with trading in 1793. The furs collected by the Margaret were supposed to go to China on the Hope. Instead, both the Margaret and Hope sailed together for China, stopping at the Hawaiian Islands first. They arrived in Hawaii in November 1792.

In November, the Margaret and Hope met another ship, the Halcyon. The three ships sailed together to Waikiki, Oahu, to get water. Then they went to Kauai. The Halcyon left for China, and the Margaret followed on November 21. It arrived in Macau in January 1793. While in China, David Lamb and John Howell left the ship.

The Margaret left China in late January 1793 and arrived back on the Pacific Northwest Coast in April. The schooner that Magee had planned was finished months before the Margaret arrived. This schooner had already collected over a thousand sea otter skins.

While trading near Ninstints, Haida Gwaii, Magee found that the Haida people would only trade for "Moose skins," which they called "Clemmons." These were hides from moose, elk, or caribou. The Tlingit and Haida used them for things like armor. Magee sailed south and got some clemmons. He then returned north and traded them for sea otter skins.

Between the Margaret and the schooner, over 3,000 sea otter pelts were collected in 1793. This was a great achievement, especially since many other ships were also trading there. At the end of 1793, the Margaret sailed to China via Hawaii, arriving in Canton in December. The schooner's fate is unknown. From Canton, the Margaret returned to Boston, arriving on August 17, 1794.

When he returned, James Magee gave the Massachusetts Historical Society his ship's logs and a large collection of "curiosities." Most of these items are now at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. The Margaret's voyage was very successful. It encouraged many other people from New England to join the maritime fur trade.

Later Life and Legacy

The voyage of the Margaret was James Magee's last as a captain. He was now wealthy and successful. He settled down in Roxbury. He continued to invest in trading ventures but did not captain ships himself again. In 1798, he bought the large home of a former governor, William Shirley. Later, in 1819, his wife Margaret sold the house to Governor William Eustis. That is why today it is called the Shirley–Eustis House.

During his voyages, James Magee had collected many interesting items. He gave these to Harvard University, the Massachusetts Historical Society, and the Boston Marine Society. He was a member of the Boston Marine Society and the Charitable Irish Society of Boston.

In 1795, James Magee and some partners bought a British ship called the Fairy. They renamed it the Sea Otter. This ship sailed to the Northwest Coast and China from 1795 to 1798. Sadly, during one trip, the captain and some crew members of the Sea Otter were killed by the Haida near Cumshewa. This happened because of a previous bad event caused by another ship's crew. The Sea Otter continued its voyage and returned to Boston in July 1798. The owners made a huge profit from this trip.

In 1800–1801, James Magee's brother, Bernard, captained the Globe on another voyage. The Globe was owned by James and Bernard Magee and the Perkins company. Sadly, Bernard Magee was killed in 1801 at Skidegate, Haida Gwaii, during an attack by the Haida. This attack was related to earlier conflicts between traders and the Haida people.

By 1800, James Magee's health was not good. He died on February 2, 1801, at his home in Roxbury. He was likely buried in the Central Burying Ground in Boston Common. James and Margaret Magee had nine children, but sadly, most of them died young. Only one daughter, Mary Magee, lived a long life.

See also

• List of historical ships in British Columbia