Simon Metcalfe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Simon Metcalfe
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| Born | 1741 London, England
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| Died | 1794 |
| Occupation | Maritime fur trader |
| Spouse(s) | Catherine Humphrey |
| Parent(s) | George and Anne Metcalfe |
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Simon Metcalfe (also spelled Metcalf) (c. 1741 – 1794) was an American explorer and one of the first American maritime fur traders to visit the Pacific Northwest coast. He was born in Britain.
In 1789, Metcalfe and his son Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe visited the Hawaiian Islands. They accidentally helped King Kamehameha I get Western weapons and advisors. This happened when two of their men, a ship, and its weapons were captured. These items helped Kamehameha win important battles and unite the Hawaiian Islands. Simon's son Thomas and most of his crew were killed by Hawaiian warriors around 1789-1790. Simon Metcalfe never learned about his son's death.
Simon Metcalfe later returned to the Pacific Northwest. In 1794, he and almost all of his crew were killed. This happened during an attack by Haida warriors. The attack took place in what was then called the Queen Charlotte Islands. This area is now known as Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada.
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Early Life and Family
Simon Metcalfe was born in London, England, on April 23, 1741. His parents were George and Anne Metcalfe. They had recently moved to London from Yorkshire. Simon was baptized when he was nine days old.
When he was young, Simon trained to work at sea with the East India Company. On May 12, 1763, he married Catherine Humphrey in Yorkshire. Simon said he was a merchant living in London at that time.
Simon and Catherine Humphrey had at least nine children. Around 1765, Simon, Catherine, and their baby Elizabeth moved to the Province of New York. They left their son George in Yorkshire to get an education. The Metcalfe family first settled in New York City, a big port.
Working as a Surveyor
Metcalfe found work as a surveyor. He helped survey the Fort Stanwix Treaty line around 1769. This was in the western part of New York province. By 1770, he was promoted to Deputy Surveyor.
In 1771, Governor Dunmore of New York gave Simon and his wife a large piece of land. It was about 30,000 acres (120 km2) and was called Prattsburgh. Today, this land is part of Swanton and Highgate in Vermont. Metcalfe settled his family there. He also set up a fur trading post at the mouth of the Missisquoi River.
During the American Revolutionary War
During the American Revolutionary War, Metcalfe supported the American side. The British captured him and held him in Montreal. His wife went with him, and three of their children were born in Montreal between 1777 and 1781. In August 1781, their son George arrived from England. Soon after, Simon and Thomas escaped.
In 1783, after the war, the British released Catherine Metcalfe and eight children. Metcalfe's property on Lake Champlain was destroyed during the war. After the war, Metcalfe moved his family to Albany, the capital of New York.
Adventures in Fur Trading
In the 1780s, Metcalfe took a shipment of seal furs from the Falkland Islands. These furs were stored in New York City for trading. In 1787, he bought a ship called the Eleanora. In September 1787, he sailed to China on the Eleanora with furs to trade. He continued to be a maritime fur trader for the next seven years. He likely did not return to New York after leaving in 1787.
Metcalfe might have been the first American to sail to the Pacific Northwest coast for fur trading. He may have been on the Northwest Coast in 1787 or 1788. This could have been before other American captains like Robert Gray and John Kendrick arrived in 1788.
The Nootka Crisis
In 1789, both Simon Metcalfe and his son Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe were involved in the Nootka Crisis. This happened at Nootka Sound, near present-day Vancouver Island. Major European countries and the new United States were all trying to control trade in this area.
A Spanish naval officer named Esteban José Martínez seized Thomas Metcalfe's small ship, the Fair American. Simon Metcalfe's ship, the Eleanora, was almost captured too, but he escaped. The Fair American and its crew were taken to a Spanish naval base. They were quickly released.
The Metcalfes had planned to spend the winter in the Hawaiian Islands. After being released, Thomas Metcalfe sailed the Fair American to Hawaii. He hoped to meet his father there.
The Olowalu Attack
The Eleanora, led by Simon Metcalfe, arrived in the Hawaiian Islands first. In Kohala on the island of Hawaiʻi, Metcalfe met a local chief named Kameʻeiamoku. Metcalfe had the chief punished harshly for a small mistake. The captain was known for being quick to punish and for being harsh.
Metcalfe then sailed to the island of Maui to trade. There, a boat and a sailor from his ship went missing. It was found that the boat had been stolen and the sailor killed. Metcalfe's response became known as the Olowalu Massacre.
He sailed to Olowalu, the village where the thieves were thought to be. He pretended to be friendly and invited the villagers to the Eleanora to trade. Many canoes gathered at his ship. Metcalfe told them to come to one side. He had loaded his cannon with cannonballs and smaller metal pieces. He ordered a broadside (all cannons firing at once) at close range. This destroyed the canoes. About 100 Native Hawaiians were killed, and hundreds more were hurt.
Olowalu was a special place for Hawaiians, a place of refuge. This attack deeply affected the area's culture. After the attack, Metcalfe left and returned to the island of Hawai'i. At Kealakekua Bay, he started what seemed like friendly trading for supplies.
The Fair American is Captured
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Meanwhile, Simon's 19-year-old son, Thomas Humphrey Metcalfe, arrived near Kawaihae Bay in the Fair American. By chance, the Fair American was the next ship to visit the area of Chief Kameʻeiamoku. The chief was still seeking revenge for Metcalfe's earlier actions.
The Fair American had only four sailors and its young captain. The Hawaiians easily captured it. They killed Thomas Metcalfe and most of his small crew. The only survivor was Isaac Davis. He was badly hurt but saved by Chief Kameʻeiamoku. The chief took the ship, its guns, ammunition, and other valuable goods, as well as Davis. At the time, the Hawaiians did not know that the captain of the Fair American was Simon Metcalfe's son. Simon's ship, the Eleanora, was anchored about 30 miles (48 km) away. The chief later gave the Fair American and Davis to King Kamehameha I.
When Kamehameha learned about the capture of the Fair American, he stopped contact between his people and the Eleanora. Simon Metcalfe sent his boatswain (a ship's officer) John Young ashore to find out what was happening. Young was captured by the Hawaiians. Metcalfe was confused by the sudden silence. He waited two days for Young to return, firing guns to guide him back. Finally, feeling danger or frustration, Metcalfe left for China. He never knew that his son had been killed nearby. He never learned about the attack on the Fair American or that his son had died.
These events were a major turning point in Hawaiian history. John Young and Isaac Davis, the two Americans, helped Kamehameha. They shared their knowledge and the weapons from the Fair American for his military plans. Kamehameha eventually conquered and united the Hawaiian Islands under his rule. Young and Davis became respected translators and military advisors for Kamehameha. Their skill with guns and the cannon from the Fair American helped Kamehameha win many battles. He won the Battle of Kepaniwai in 1790, defeating the forces of Maui. Both men married into the royal family, raised families in Hawaii, and received valuable land.
Death of Simon Metcalfe
Simon Metcalfe continued to trade around the Pacific and Indian Oceans for another four years. He was in Macao in 1791. In 1792, he bought a small French ship called the Ino in Mauritius. He planned for it to sail with the Eleanora. His younger son Robert was put in charge of the Ino. When the Eleanora sank in the Indian Ocean in September 1792, Metcalfe took command of the Ino.
In 1794, Metcalfe visited Houston Stewart Channel at the southern end of Haida Gwaii. He anchored in Coyah's Sound, in what is now British Columbia. He started friendly trading with the local Haida natives, led by Chief Koyah. Metcalfe allowed many Haida people to come aboard the Ino.
The Haida took advantage of their large numbers and attacked. In just a few minutes, they killed almost every man on board, including Simon Metcalfe. Only one man escaped into the ship's ropes. The Haida ordered him down and kept him as a slave for about a year.
Eventually, that man was bought back by a visiting European ship. Its captain dropped him off in Hawaii. There, he told his story to John Young, who then shared it with other captains visiting the Pacific islands. In 1794, the Haida also captured another ship, the Resolution. Those warriors were led by Chief Cumshewa. Like with the Ino, they killed all but one of the crew.
