WAR 1812 ANTARCTIC EXPLORER CAPE HORN SEA CAPTAIN PALMER LAND AUTOGRAPH SIGNED !

Description

Here’s a Rare Autograph of American Explorer
NATHANIEL BROWN PALMER
(1799 – 1877)
AMERICAN ANTARCTIC EXPLORER
,CAPE HORN SEA CAPTAIN, and SEAL HUNTER
– GIVING HIS NAME TO “
PALMER LAND, ANTARCTICA
,”
A STRETCH OF WESTERN ANTARCTIC COAST and ISLANDS
WHICH HE EXPLORED ON HIS SLOOP “
HERO
” IN 1820 – THE
1
st
PERSON TO VIEW ANTARCTICA,
DISCOVERED THE GERLACHE STRAIT and ORLEANS CHANNEL IN ANTARCTICA and THE SOUTH ORKNEY ISLANDS,
SHIP
DESIGNER
-
BUILDING ‘PACKETS’ (PASSENGER BOATS), PLEASURE YACHTS, and CLIPPER SHIPS.
-&-
WAR OF 1812 US NAVY BLOCKADE RUNNER
!
From 1822 to 1826 he engaged in trade on the
Spanish Main
and helped to transport troops and supplies to
Simón Bolívar
during the war of South American independence
!
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HERE IS PALMER’S AUTOGRAPH ON A 19
th
CENTURY AUTOGRAPH ALBUM LEAF, SIGNED and DATED:
“~N. B. Palmer
May 1, 1863~~”
The document measures 5” x 7½” and is in VERY FINE CONDITION – BOLDLY EXECUTED BY PAMER.
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BIOGRAPHY OF N. B. PALMER
Nathaniel Brown Palmer
(August 8, 1799 – June 21, 1877) was an American
seal hunter
, explorer, sailing captain, and ship designer. He gave his name to
Palmer Land
,
Antarctica
, which he explored in 1820 on his
sloop
Hero
. He was born in
Stonington, Connecticut
, and was a descendant of
Walter Palmer
, one of the town's founders.
Sealing career and Antarctic exploration
During the 1810s the hides of
Antarctic Ocean
seals were highly valued as items for trade with
China
. Palmer served as second mate on board
Hersilia
'
s first voyage, during which she became the first American vessel known to reach the
South Shetland Islands
. As a skilled and fearless seal hunter, Palmer achieved his first command at the early age of 21. His vessel, a diminutive
sloop
named
Hero
, was only 47 feet (14 m) in length. Palmer steered southward in
Hero
at the beginning of the Antarctic summer of 1820–1821. Aggressively searching for new
seal
rookeries
south of
Cape Horn
, on November 17, 1820, Palmer and his men became the first Americans and the third group of people to discover the
Antarctic Peninsula
. Larger ships skippered by
Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen
and
Edward Bransfield
had reported sighting land earlier in 1820. Along with English sealer
George Powell
, Palmer also co-discovered the nearby
South Orkney Islands
archipelago.
Merchant marine career and development of the clipper ships
After concluding a successful sealing career, Palmer, still in the prime of life, switched his attention to the captaining of fast sailing ships for the transportation of express freight. In 1843, Captain Palmer took command of
Paul Jones
on her maiden voyage from
Boston
to
Hong Kong
, arriving in 111 days. In this new role, the Connecticut captain traveled many of the world's principal sailing routes. Observing the strengths and weaknesses of the ocean-going sailing ships of his time, Palmer suggested and designed improvements to their
hulls
and
rigging
. The improvements made Palmer a co-developer of the mid-19th century
clipper ship
.
Capt. Palmer purchased the Capt. Loper house in 1836, in Stonington, Connecticut. The Loper family were primarily whalers out of East Hampton, Long Island. Capt. Jacob Loper had four sons who brought whaling to Nantucket, Massachusetts; the Delaware Bay, southern New Jersey; and, Stonington, Connecticut. The composite character of Ismael in
Moby Dick
is based on events in the life of one of his children, who was the only survivor of an 1835 sinking off Japan, in which all were lost but young James Loper, who floated upon a coffin for a week. In the Capt. Loper House library Capt. Palmer found many old maps, including two of the coastline of Antarctica, made by the Lopers while working with The
Dutch East India Company
. The Loper family invented "
All Found
", which meant that berth and food were not deducted from sailors' pay, insuring eager crews for Capt. James Loper. Escaping slaves likewise signed on as each sailor was paid the same rate. All African-Americans with the last name of "Loper" can trace their lineage back to this time, taking their last name from the Dutch Loper family. Between 1852 and 1854 Capt. Palmer built his home in Stonington which is today known as the
Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer House
. The house is of a transitional style combining elements of the
Greek revival
and Victorian
Italianate
styles. It was designated a
National Historic Landmark
in 1996 and is now the headquarters of the
Stonington Historical Society
.
Palmer closed his sailing career and established himself in his hometown of Stonington as a successful owner of clipper ships sailed by others. He died in San Francisco June 21, 1877, at the age of 77.
Legacy in the Antarctic and beyond
Palmer Land
, part of the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as the
Palmer Archipelago
, were named in his honor.
The Antarctic science and research program operated by the
U.S. government
continues to recall Palmer's role in the exploration of the Antarctic area.
Palmer Station
, located in the seal islands that Palmer explored, the clipper ship
N.B. Palmer
(built by
Jacob Aaron Westervelt
) and the Antarctic icebreaker
RV
Nathaniel B. Palmer
are named after Captain Palmer.
Hero Bay
, in the South Shetland Islands, is named for Captain Palmer's sloop
Hero
, one of the vessels of the Pendleton sealing fleet from Stonington which visited the islands in 1820–21.
Also named after Palmer's sloop
Hero
is
Hero Rupes
, an
escarpment
which was discovered in the southern hemisphere of the planet Mercury in 1973.
On September 14, 1988, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Nathaniel Palmer.
Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer House
, Stonington, Connecticut
Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer House, rear view with
widow's walk
(the lookout on the roof)
His home in Stonington, the
Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer House
, was declared a
National Historic Landmark
in 1996. According to the records of the Grand Lodge AF&AM of Connecticut, he was initiated in 1826 by the Loper family. His record of membership ends in the year of his death and was reported at a special meeting of Asylum Lodge of Masons in Stonington, CT No. 57 on June 29, 1877, a Seafarer's Lodge. The Masonic Service Association of North America published a Short Talk Bulletin in March 2007 that is Vol. 85 No. 3 which details his history and attests to his membership in the Masonic Fraternity.
Notes
Howgego, Raymond
(2004).
Encyclopedia of Exploration (Part 2: 1800 to 1850)
. Potts Point, NSW, Australia: Hordern House.
See also
History of Antarctica
Houqua
, innovative early
clipper ship
which Capt. Nat helped design
Paul Jones
, ship which N.B. Palmer sailed on its maiden voyage
N.B. Palmer
(clipper)
, named after Capt. Palmer
Capt. Nathaniel B. Palmer House
Further reading
Spears, John Randolph
(1922).
Captain Nathaniel Brown Palmer: an old-time sailor of the sea
. New York: The Macmillan Co.
I am a proud member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club (UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Society & the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: John Lissandrello). I subscribe to each organizations' code of ethics and authenticity is guaranteed. ~Providing quality service & historical memorabilia online for over twenty years.~
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