John Watson (abt. 1834 - 1912)

Born about 8 May 1834 in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Leask) Watson — married 1855 in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 31 Dec 1912 at about age 78 in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Hananui Watson [send private message] and Chris Watson [send private message]

Biography

Early Life

John was born in 1834 at Peterhead to John Watson and Isabella Boyd, and baptised in that town on 8 May 1834.^[1] He was recorded present with his parents and siblings on census night in 1841 when he was aged seven years. The family lived with Isabella's father Garden Boyd, Mary Ann Davidson aged 15, William Currie's family, and John Clark with his wife, all on the eastern side of Rose Street.^[2]

John said he was educated at the local parish school and Peterhead Academy,^[3] the latter which was built in 1846.^[4] With schooling done, John worked for two years with the Inland Revenue Department before being issued a Mariner's Register "Ticket" on 9 March 1848^[5] and going to sea as a 13-year old apprentice aboard the whaler Victor under Captain Robert Martin^[3] headed for eastern Greenland.^[6] John's Certificate of Competency as Only Mate was issued 13 January 1853.^[7]

Marriage and Arctic Achievements

John joined the Gypsy (spelled Gipsey in his notebook) at Peterhead on 12 February 1855 under Captain F. Henry on a voyage to the grounds along eastern Greenland,^[8] and returned there later that year as master of the Perseverance.^[9] Also in that year he married Elizabeth Leask in the Peterhead Burgh,^[10] their eldest child born there in March 1856.^[11] On 15 August that year John's Certificate of Competency as First Mate was issued.^[12]

In May 1857 John reached latitude 82 1⁄2 north, working as chief officer of the aforementioned Gypsy again under Captain F. Henry headed to the Davis Strait whaling ground. The ship was lost on 11 July to encroaching icefloes 50 miles north of a mountain on Kullorsuaq Island referred to as Devil's Thumb, in Qimusseriarsuaq (Melville Bay).^[13] The crew were rescued by the barque Emma, and stayed in the Arctic for four months aboard various other whaling vessels before returning to Aberdeenshire.^[3]

The next year John worked aboard the Eclipse and reached the same latitude as the year previously. This ship and another, Heroine, were crushed in the icefloes as well on 14 June.^[14] The crews camped for some days and were rescued by a steamer, taken to the small settlement of Upernavik where they resided for a few months with the indigenous Kalaallit who Captain John remembered fondly.^[3] He arrived home to the sight of his second baby son Garden Watson, born 15 August.

By "reason of his great experience" he was appointed 'ice master' of the yacht Dolphin, 216 tons, fitted for the purpose of exploiting mineral deposits believed to exist within the Arctic circle. This trip, although it had a rough start in the Irish Channel with rough winds, was successful and brought samples of copper, tin, graphite (plumbago), and cryolite to London.^[3]

In 1860 John joined the Camperdown (of Dundee^[15]) as chief officer, again experiencing dangerous icefloes and losing a whale to extreme gales and darkness. He briefly joined the ships Alibi and Queen, in 1861,^[16] as chief officer.^[3] His Certificate of Competency as Master was issued on 23 January 1862^[17] and not long after his third child, Eliza, was born 5 August.

Southern Hemisphere

Captain Watson was in Southampton when he accepted a position as second officer aboard the SS Alhambra bound for Melbourne, Colony of Victoria.^[3] His son John recalled the family having a dinner party on the Sunday before the Captain left—present there also were his father John and grandfather John.^[18] In the Captain's notebook are found the receipt of wages on that ship beginning in December 1862.^[19]

Watson's final receipt records with SS Alhambra end in July 1864 right as his family, Elizabeth and three children, arrived aboard the Andrew Jackson to Port Chalmers, New Zealand on 13 July.^[18] Afterwards he took a position as chief officer of the SS Lady Darling in 1864,^[20] and mastered several sailing vessels engaged in the Mulubinba (Newcastle) coal trade.^[3] Their fourth child was born to them on 28 August 1866 in Sandridge, Colony of Victoria. Captain Watson was also released as Mate from the barque Collingwood on 2 April 1868, having worked with it since 2 October the previous year transporting between Naarm (Melbourne) and New Zealand.^[21]

About July 1868 Captain Watson was instructed to travel in Collingwood to Rēkohu (the Chatham Islands) and return nearly 200 Māori to Taranaki, two weeks after Te Kooti's escape from those islands.^[3]

He and his family settled in Port Chalmers, himself serving as coastal pilot and assistant pilot along Muaūpoko (the Otago Peninsula) before retiring from the sea and taking on positions as secretary for the Otago Dock Trust for 18 years, and dockmaster for 18 months. In his old age he took to horticulture and bowling,^[3] and is found living on Bernecia Street in several electoral rolls.^[22][23]

In his final years he visited Peterhead on return from which his health began to fail. He died in Port Chalmers on 31 December 1912, and his life story as was found in 1908 newspapers was republished in his obituary which described him as "a most genial man, and possessed a kindly disposition that made him a prince of good fellows, and his death leaves a big gap in the ranks of the old sailing ship skippers of a past generation."^[24] He is buried in the new cemetery at block DB, plot 65.^[25]

Sources

Acknowledgement

Something of a biography was already composed by Graeme Martyn, which is copied widely across the web today^[26] including the photo that is shown at the top of this profile and that of Elizabeth's; Captain John Watson, a Peterhead Whaler, 1834 - 1912 (North East Folklore Archive Sept 2001). Graeme has further identified several references which have been used to correctly place most events described in this biography.

Autosomal DNA

Paternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between Gregory Watson and Carlough, fourth cousins once removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are John Watson and Flora McKinnon. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 3rd cousins, based on sharing 38 cM across 2 segments; Confidence: 30%.

Maternal relationship is confirmed by an AncestryDNA test match between Graeme Martyn and Tytler, fourth cousins once removed. Their most-recent common ancestors are Garden Boyd and Brodie. Predicted relationship from AncestryDNA: 3rd cousin 1x removed, based on sharing 26 cM across 1 segments; Confidence: 27%.

Footnotes

1. ↑ "Church of Scotland: Old Parish Registers - Births and baptisms" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 12 Aug 2023), John Watson, parent: John Watson, 8 May 1834, Peterhead; citing Parish Number 232, Reference Number: 40 26; Ancestry Record 60143 #21878269
2. ↑ Scotland Census, 1841: County: Aberdeen, District: Peterhead, John Watson, Reference: 232/ 3/ 35; National Records of Scotland, 3 West Register Street, New Register House, Edinburgh, EH1 3YT. Ancestry Record 1004 #1450719
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9} Otago Daily Times (10 Jan 1908). THE CALL OF THE ICE. Issue 14107, page 5. Copied by Otago Witness issue 2809 (15 Jan 1908) on page 15.
4. ↑ Anonymous Wikipedia contributor (31 Jan 2019), User:Garuda3 (19 Jul 2021). Specific contributions by aforementioned to "Peterhead Academy" on Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia (accessed 16 Aug 2023).
5. ↑ No. 129,369. Via Graeme Martyn's Where They Lived & When (23 Apr 2023) version 5.
6. ↑ New Bedford Whaling Museum and Mystic Seaport Museum. Victor : 1848. Whaling History.
7. ↑ Jan 1853. By The Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Certificate of Competency as Only Mate, to John Watson. Whereas it has been reported to us that you have been found duly qualified to fulfil the duties of Only Mate in the Merchant Service we do hereby in the Pursuance of the Mercantile Marine Act 1850, grant you this Certificate of Competency. [Etc.] Image
8. ↑ Arctic Notebook. Via Graeme Martyn's Where They Lived & When (23 Apr 2023) version 5.
9. ↑ New Bedford Whaling Museum and Mystic Seaport Museum. Perseverance : 1855. Whaling History.
10. ↑ "Statutory registers - Marriages" database, National Records of Scotland, ScotlandsPeople (accessed 16 Aug 2023), John Watson and Eliza Leask, Peterhead Burgh; citing Reference Number: 232 / 1 / 34.
11. ↑ John Watson's birth, Peterhead. Ancestry Record 60143 #312627
12. ↑ Aug 1856. By The Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Certificate of Competency as First Mate, to John Watson. [Etc.] Image
13. ↑ New Bedford Whaling Museum and Mystic Seaport Museum. Gypsy : 1857. Whaling History.
14. ↑ New Bedford Whaling Museum and Mystic Seaport Museum. Eclipse : 1858. Whaling History.
15. ↑ New Bedford Whaling Museum and Mystic Seaport Museum. Camperdown : 1860. Whaling History.
16. ↑ New Bedford Whaling Museum and Mystic Seaport Museum. Queen : 1861. Whaling History.
17. ↑ Jan 1862. By The Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Certificate of Competency as Master, to John Watson. [Etc.] Image
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Watson, John (1942). Letter to Winifred.
19. ↑ Via Graeme Martyn's Where They Lived & When (23 Apr 2023) version 5.
20. ↑ New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage: Lady Darling
21. ↑ New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Seamen, 1859-1936: Image
22. ↑ New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1894, Otago, Chalmers. Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.: Image
23. ↑ New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1897, Otago, Waikouaiti. Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.: Image
24. ↑ Otago Daily Times (2 Jan 1913). OBITUARY. Issue 15651, page 7. Abbreviated by Press Volume XIIX, issue 14553 (2 Jan 1913) on page 8.
25. ↑ Dunein City Council. Cemeteries search. Last updated: 23 May 2023, accessed 21 Aug 2023; Find A Grave: Memorial #201052179 ; New Zealand, Cemetery Records, 1800-2007: Image
26. ↑ Geni profile for John Watson. Managed by Bernard Golder. Last Updated: 26 Jun 2023. Accessed 20 Aug 2023.

See also:

• FamilySearch Person: G4ZR-XG6
• Newspaper
• Rotted link: Rootsweb