Samson Dyer facts for kids

Samson Gabriel Dyer (born September 9, 1773 – died 1843), also known as Sampson Dyers, was an African-American man. He became famous for his connection to Dyer Island. This island is located off the Cape Agulhas coast in South Africa.

Who Was Samson Dyer?

Samson Dyer was born in Newport, Rhode Island. When he was young, he moved to Nantucket. There, he found a job as a boatsteerer on a whaleboat. This was a small boat used for hunting whales.

Dyer's Journey to South Africa

In 1806, Samson Dyer boarded a ship called the "President." This ship was headed for Cape Town, South Africa. Once he arrived in Cape Town, he started working for a company. This company was called Cloete, Reitz and Anderson. His job was to be a harpooner in the whaling industry. He worked in False Bay, helping to hunt whales.

Working on Dyer Island

Later, his company sent him to an island that did not have a name yet. His task was to prepare sealskins for the company. He also collected guano there. Guano is the droppings of seabirds and bats. It is a very good natural fertilizer. Samson sold this guano to farmers in the nearby Overberg area.

What Makes Dyer Island Special?

Dyer Island is very close to another place called Geyser Rock. Geyser Rock is home to a large group of Cape fur seals. Because of this, the area between the two islands is a popular hunting spot for great white sharks. This channel is even known as Shark Alley.

Guano and Penguins on the Island

In the 1800s, guano became very valuable. People regularly collected guano from Dyer Island until the 1980s. Before this, African penguins used to dig holes in the guano to make their nests. After the guano was removed, the penguins had to nest on open ground. This made their nests easy targets for predators like the kelp gull.

Protecting Island Wildlife

In the late 1800s, penguin eggs were seen as a special food. Too many eggs were collected, which hurt the penguin population. For example, in 1902 alone, 16,400 penguin eggs were taken from Dyer Island. Great white pelicans also used to breed on the island. However, people collecting too many eggs destroyed their breeding areas.

Today, Dyer Island is a special nature reserve. It protects marine birds and penguins. There are about 7,000 penguins living there now. Geyser Rock has a colony of about 40,000 fur seals.

Samson Dyer's Later Life

Six years after arriving in South Africa, Samson Dyer asked to become a British citizen. He told the governor, Sir John Cradock, that he had been working permanently. He had prepared the skins of about 24,000 seals over four seasons.

Family and Success

In 1813, Samson married Margaretha Engel. She was from Elim and was 18 years younger than him. They had four children together, two boys and two girls. Samson Dyer was baptized in Caledon when he was 70 years old. The exact date and place of his death are not known.

Samson Dyer was a very smart businessman. He became a rich and respected man in the Overberg area. Alexander Johnstone Jardine, a librarian from Cape Town, met Dyer in 1824. He wrote that Samson Dyer was "a most extraordinary man of uncommon industry, honesty and sobriety."

Dyer's Legacy

The island that was once unnamed is now known as Dyer Island. In the 1830s, it was famous for its sealskins, seal oil, penguin eggs, and guano. Samson Dyer used his money to buy several farms. These included Platterug and Goedvertrouw, where he raised sheep. He also owned land in Hawston and had shares in a farm called Zandfontein.