We pay tribute to two brave individuals who not only passed away far too soon but also enlightened us on unique terminology of their time. John W. Samson, son of Captain John D. and Rachel H. Samson boarded the Magnolia at the young age of fifteen. Interestingly enough, John’s father Captain John D., was not the master of the ship Magnolia but according to the 1845 city directory, was the master of the Charles W. Morgan. In any case, John W. Samson ventured from the port of New Bedford and traveled the Atlantic Ocean on a whaling voyage for three years until April of 1848 when he suddenly became ill. It was only after he turned eighteen years old that John W. Samson tragically passed away due to consumption, or what we currently call tuberculosis today. As horrible as John’s passing was, the Magnolia and her crew mourned his loss and endured on. On July 8th, 1847, a Canadian boatsteerer from Oswego Kingston named Charles E. Fitzgerald was aiding the crew in hunting a whale in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Sadly the whale was too much for Charles and was drowned at the age of 28. Though no cenotaph or memorial can replace the loss of life, we can still acknowledge these brave souls who embarked on treacherous voyages where coming home was never a certainty.
John W Samson and Charles E Fitzgerald
