KABLOONAS

KABLOONAS
Burial of John Franklin. Author: me

KABLOONAS

Kabloonas is the way in which the Inuit who live in the north part of Canada call those who haven´t their same ascendency.

The first time i read this word was in the book "Fatal Passage" by Ken McGoogan, when, as the result of the conversations between John Rae and some inuit, and trying to find any evidence of the ill-fated Sir John Franklin Expedition, some of then mentioned that they watched how some kabloonas walked to die in the proximities of the river Great Fish.

I wish to publish this blog to order and share all those anecdotes that I´ve been finding in the arctic literature about arctic expeditions. My interest began more than 15 years ago reading a little book of my brother about north and south pole expeditions. I began reading almost all the bibliography about Antarctic expeditions and the superknown expeditions of Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton, etc. After I was captured by the Nansen, Nobile and Engineer Andree. But the most disturbing thing in that little book, full of pictures, was the two pages dedicated to the last Franklin expedition of the S.XIX, on that moment I thought that given the time on which this and others expeditions happened, few or any additional information could be obtained about it. I couldn´t imagine that after those two pages It would be a huge iceberg full of stories, unresolved misteries, anecdotes, etc. I believe that this iceberg, on the contrary than others, would continue growing instead melting.



lunes, 7 de mayo de 2012

JOHN HEPBURN EL COMPAÑERO INSEPARABLE DE JOHN FRANKLIN/JOHN HEPBURN THE INSEPARABLE MATE OF JOHN FRANKLIN

John Hepburn fué uno de los marineros que acompañó a John Franklin en su expedición a la desembocadura del rio Coppermine de 1819.  Sobre el no hay mucha información salvo una pequeña biografia en el Diccionario de Biografías Candiense, en algunas reseñas sueltas de los diferentes diarios de viaje en los que participó y en el libro "To the arctic by canoe" basado en los diarios de Robert Hood donde hay un retrato de él (la única imagen que he conseguido).

Su presencia en la expedición resultó ser vital para que esta no acabase en tragedia, tal y como el mismo John franklin reconoce en la introducción del libro "Narrative of a Journey to the shores of the polar sea: 1819-1820-1821-1922" (cuya lectura sin duda recomiendo) diciendo que: "se me debe permitir rendir tributo, debido a la fidelidad, esfuerzo y constante buena conducta en las peores situaciones, a John Hepburn, un marinero inglés y nuestro único asistente a quien en la última parte del viaje debemos,  gracias a la divina providencia, la conservación de las vidas de algunos miembros la partida." El agradecimiento al ejemplar comportamiento de este hombre fué tal que incluso una de las islas situadas en la desmbocadura del rio Coppermine lleva su nombre, lo que representaba un gran honor para aquella época.

Entre otras cosas John Hepburn alimentó a los oficiales recogiendo "tripe de roche"  (alguna especie de musgo local), cortando leña y cazando cuando estos apenas podían tenerse en pie debido a la debilidad provocada por el hambre y el agotamiento.

En la misma expedición de 1819 Hepburn estuvo a punto de morir en varias ocasiones. La primera a causa de un incendio provocado en la tienda en la cual dormía. Hepburn lanzó fuera de la tienda la polvora que estaba junto a él antes de que esta llegase a prender y que le habría matado o causado graves quemaduras y evitó además que se quemara el equipaje que había en su interior. En una segunda ocasión se perdió en la niebla cuando salió a cazar  y pasó dos dias perdido en el bosque. Finalmente lo localizaron unos cazadores indios. La única preocupación de Hepburn era que su desaparición retrasase la expedición o que estos partieran sin él. Finalmente, cuando transcurrián los momentos más dramáticos de la expedición cuando llevaban varios días sin comer, se ofreció al Dr. Richardson para acabar con el Canadiense Michel que previamente había asesinado a Robert Hood a sangre fría, cosa que el Doctor no consintió, acabando el mismo con él.

Este hombre nació en Escocia en la localidad de Whitekirk,  comenzó como granjero en el estuario del rio Forth (firth of forth) pasó a ser grumete en 1810. Posteriormente fue capturado en America tras sufrir un naufragio en sus costas y tenido preso durante un tiempo. Participó también en la expedición de Buchan a las Spitsbergen y probablemente fuese en esta expedición donde John Franklin apreciase las aptitudes de este hombre, que según parece eran notables no solo en cuanto a capacidad física y destreza sino también como persona valiente, trabajadora, humilde y bien dispuesta.

John Hepburn fué recompensado con un puesto como segundo de a bordo en un pequeño barco de aprovisionamiento de la marina. Posteriormente acompañó a John Franklin a la tierra de Van Diemen Land donde fué superintendente de la casa del governador y posteriormente de la prisión para menores de Point Puer.
Por último participó en la expedición en busca del desaparecido John Franklin de William Kenedy y Joseph Rene Bellot en el Prince Albert en 1851 deseando dirigir una de las partidas de búsqueda en trineo aunque su estado físico no se lo permitió.

Las referencias dadas por los comandantes fueron tan buenas como las que en su momento produjeron John Franklin y el Dr. Richardson. Parece que realmente nos encontramos con un hombre que poseía unas cualidades humanas fuera de lo normal y con un sentido de la fidelidad y del cumplimiento del deber realmente asombrosos.

Trás la última expedición con William Kenedy su salud se resintió profundamente y acabó muriendo en 1864 en Port Elizabeth, Sudafrica.

John Hepburn was one of the seaman that accompanied John Franklin in his expedition to the mouth of the Coppermine river at 1819. About him there isn’t much information except a little biography in the Canadian Byography Dictionary, in some references in travel journals and in the book “To the arctic by canoe” based on the journals of Robert Hood where there is a portrait of him (the only picture I´ve can obtain).
His presence in the expedition resulted of vital importance to avoid a tragedy, such as the very same John Franklin recognize in the introduction of his book:  "Narrative of a Journey to the shores of the polar sea: 1819-1820-1821-1922"  (which I recommend reading) sayng that: “ I must be permitted to pay the tribute, which is due to the fidelity, exertion, and uniform good conduct in the most trying situations, of John Hepburn, an English seaman, and our only attendant, to whom in the latter part of our journey we owe, under Divine Providence, the preservation of the lives of some of the party”.
The acknowledgement to such exemplary behavior of this man was of such magnitude that even one of the islands in the mouth of the Coppermine river has his name, which supposed a big honour for that time.
Among other things John Hepburn feed the officers recollecting “tripe de roche” (some kind of local moss), cutting wood and hunting when they hardly could stand up because the debility provoked by the hungry and the exhaustion.
In the same expedition of 1819 Hepburn was near to die on different occasions. The first because a fire which begun on the tent on which he was sleeping. Hepburn threw off the tent the powder which was near him before it exploded and which, without any doubt had kill him or caused him great  burns, he also avoided that the baggage get fired. The second time he get lost in the fog when he went out to hunt and spent two days outside lost in the forest. Finally he was located by some indian hunters. The only worry of Hepburn was that his disappearance delayed the expedition or that his companions depart without him. Finally, when the most trying moments of the expedition happened, when they were without eating nothing during several days, he offers himself at Dr. Richardson  to kill the Canadian Michel, who previously had killed at Robert Hood, thing that the Doctor didn´t agree, killing him himself.
This man born in Scotland in Whitekirk, he worked as a cowherd in the (firth of forth) and after he becames a seaman apprentice in 1810. After he was taken prisoner in America after a wreckship  on that shore and he was held on prisoner several years. He participated also in the Buchan Expedition to the Spitzsbergen and probably was in that expedition where Franklin appreciated the skills of this man, which were very high as a physical strength, dexterity and as brave, hard worker, and a well-disposed man.
John Hepburn was awarded with a job as a second in command of a little ship to supply the navy. After he accompanied John Franklin to the Van Diemen land where he was superintendent of the governor house and after of the kid´s prison Point Puer.
At last, he accompanied at the expedition to locate the lost John Franklin of William Kenedy and Joseph Rene Bellot in the Prince Albert at 1851 wishing leading one of the sledges party, though his bad health discourage him.
The references given by the commanders were as good as those who John Franklin and the Dr. Richardson produced. It seems that we are really in front of a man which had uncommon human qualities and with an amazing sense of duty and fidelity.
After the last expedition with William Kenedy his health worsened and died at 1864 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

8 comentarios:

  1. Hi Andres.

    I have just found your blog and think it's great.

    I am trying to find out about John Hepburn and have just sent off for the book you mentioned with the picture of him. You said that his father was a shareholder in the Hudson Bay company which makes me think that you have discovered something about his immediate family which is what I am trying and failing to do.
    John Hepburn b.31st Jan 1794 and baptised 11th Feb in Whitekirk was my great great grandfather's cousin, his parents were John Hepburn and Jean Sanderson. On Family Search, Ancestry and Scotland's People there was only one John Hepburn born in Whitekirk in that year and so I am presuming that he is also the Arctic explorer. The trouble is that I am working on an assumption not facts, I can't find any proof about who John Hepburn, the Arctic explorer's parents were and without knowing that I can't find out if they are the same person.

    Do you know any sources that might help me find out if it was the John Hepburn in my family who went to the Arctic? This part of my Hepburn family were intrepid travellers and if he is part of our family then another of his cousins went to Victoria Australia and was an overlander and still has a county named after him. He arrived in 1833 in Van Diemens land so there might be a connection.
    Alison

    ResponderEliminar
    Respuestas
    1. Hello Alison

      I am afraid that I am not going to be able to throw much more light about who could have been his parents than the information I found time ago in the "Memoirs of Joseph René Bellot" in the pages 161 and 162. You can find the book available for free in Google books here:


      http://books.google.es/books?id=0Skt2xg29B8C&printsec=frontcover&hl=es&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

      Apart of this reference there is some extra information about John Hepburn in the trilogy of C.H.Houston which dissects the Coppermine expedition of 1819 on which John participated. The one you already have and two others called "Arctic Ordeal" and "Arctic Artist" one is based in the journals of Dr Richardson and the other based on the journals of George Back. I will look on the three of them to search more references about him and if I find something new I will share it with you.

      In the book written by F.W. Beechey about the David Buchan´s expedition towards the North Pole in 1818 there is no reference at all about him. I wonder if the Captain Buchan had something to do with the Hepburn family. It exists a Baronetcy which links the two surnames. It is located in Haddington, not far from Whitekirk. That could explain why John Hepurn participated in the Buchan´s expedition:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchan-Hepburn_baronets


      The better way to learn something else about his parents and descendants would be having access to the letters which John Hepburn could have writen to them (if he wrote any).If there are letters, then, surely he shared with them some information which could be of some help.

      By "reductio ad absurdum" it seems obvious that the man who was born in Whitekirk in 1794 surely was the explorer so he should be your Great Great father´s cousin, if that is true then Congratulations!!! How I would like having a Polar explorer ancestor!

      The only connection with Australia I know is that John Hepburn accompanied John Franklin to Van Diemen land when Franklin was put in charge of the Tasmanian colony, but that happened in 1836 not in 1833. He ruled the young prison there. Perhaps some of his relatives accompanied him to Australia.

      I will try to get some help from some historians I know. Surely they could help you much better than I could.

      Eliminar
  2. Hi
    Thank you for the reply. I looked into your idea that he wrote letters and you are right! There are 4 letters in a library in Tasmania which I am going to get copies of. I think that I have also tracked down his will but if I have it will take a month to get a copy. Yesterday I found that he married a woman called Margaret Watts, at least that is the information that a contact in Whitekirk has told me. I am still looking into it but if this contact is right then I will get the details of his marriage and a census for him and his family living in Whitekirk.

    I think that you are also right about the Buchan bit too. My great great grandfather James Hepburn (cousin to John) was factor on Sir Buchan-Hepburn's estate from about 1830-1888 and then his son took over. James's father Thomas Hepburn lived almost next door to the Arctic explorer John Hepburn (his nephew) in Whitekirk and he was a Royal Naval Captain in the Napoleanic War although I haven't found any proof to back that up.
    Another of John Hepburn's cousins John Stuart Hepburn was a naval captain and he went to Victoria, Australia and was a pioneer, he was one of the first to explore the main bit of Victoria and he set up one of the first homes there, there are still monuments to him and a county named after him. His younger brother Benjamin joined him in Australia and they made large fortunes, John used his wisely but Benjamin was a rogue.

    What an incredible family but I am not convinced about the uncle being an Earl and John's father who was also called John was a farmer and agricultural labourer so I am not sure about his connection to the Hudson Bay Company.
    There is still a lot to find out but if I find anything interesting I will tell you.Thank you for all of the information that I have got from your blog.
    Alison

    ResponderEliminar
    Respuestas
    1. Hi

      This is becoming more exciting, I finally contacted Glenn Stein, a well known Polar historian, he thinks you may well be related to John Hepburn. He recomends to contact Whitekirk churches, and see if their records have information on Hepburn’s parents.

      This is the link St. Mary's Parish Church (www.scotlandschurchestrust.org.uk/church/st-marys-parish-church-whitekirk), and other churches are listed on its website.

      I guess the letters you are refering to are these ones:
      http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/default.aspx?detail=1&type=S&id=NS3016

      It seems that Lady Franklin invited John to participate in the expedition in search of Franklin together with Joseph René Bellot, I am sure that between Hepburn and Lady Franklin should be some correspondence. There must be references to him in her journals.

      I have found this other short biography about him, at the end of which there are pointed out some others sources of information you could explore. It seems that in "Haddingtonshire Courier" there are three references to the death of John Hepburn: a brief mention of his death in the edition of 7 June 1861; a longer article commemorating his career on 5 July 1861 and another long piece about him on 22 August 1913. The link to this biography:

      http://www.johngraycentre.org/people/adventurers-and-explorers/john-hepburn-arctic-explorer-1794-1861-or-1864/

      I still have to check the three books of C.H. Houston to see if there are other references to letters written by him. I hope to be able to do it this week. You could be right, perhaps his origins were badly tracked, in my opinion there was something strange in that humble beginning.

      Andrés



      Eliminar
  3. Alison, check this paper:

    http://www.elh.info/site/media/East%20Linton%20Heritage/The%20two%20Smeatons.pdf

    ResponderEliminar
  4. Hi Andres
    I will try the church and today I spoke to the John Gray Centre that you mentioned, they are going to look into it for me and said that I am not the first one researching him so there may be more information coming out.

    The probate for John Hepburn said that he died in the Cape of Good Hope 5th April 1861 and probate went to his brother Richard Hepburn of Tynninghame who was the brother of my John so it is looking clearer that they are the same person.
    You are right about the letters, they are the ones in Tasmania and I was thinking of getting copies. They aren't cheap so I may get the will and copies of his obituaries first to see if they are the same one. Do you know anything about the letters?
    In 1851 he was living with his wife Margaret and three children Margaret N born 1847 in Haddingtonshire, Richard b.1848 in Haddingtonshire and John b.1850 in Haddingtonshire. This fits nicely in between his trips but the odd thing is that there is no trace of his children's birth anywhere that I can find in Scotland or any other country. I am hoping that his obituary will help clear that up.
    A friend has put a notice on a South Africa genealogy site to ask where he is buried and for any other information but nothing has come up yet.
    I am in contact with the writer of the article that you sent me, in fact I gave David some of the information in it about my great great grandparents James and Isabella. David and I met up in Prestonkirk last year to look at Hepburn graves but at the time I hadn't started looking at John. I am due to talk to him soon and will see if he has discovered any more.
    I will tell you if I find anything out, i hope that I will get some information from the John Gray Centre and the will.
    Alison

    ResponderEliminar
  5. Hi. I have got the obituary and he is definitely my ancestor, i will send you a copy if you tell me where to send it.
    I was wrong about his wife, the John Gray Centre said that his wife was called Marion and there don't appear to be any children but I am still waiting for the will and I am also chasing up his time at the Haslar hospital.
    Alison

    ResponderEliminar
  6. Congratulations ALison! I was sure about it.

    I have asked about the Hepburn letters to a facebook group specialised in the last Franklin expedition but I have not received any answer. I guess than they don´t have acces to them. Sorry.

    I am sure you know that an engraving of the portrait of John Hepburn is available in the National Portrait Gallery in London:

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/93048512@N07/14154299595/

    I wonder where will be the original painting by Robert Hood.-

    You are very kind offering me to see his obituary, I wouldn´t mind to take a look to it. My e-mail address is: aparedessal@yahoo.es

    I didn´t find any reference to more letters of Hepburn reading the bibliography of the C.S.Houston books. Anyway I will keep searching for further information.

    Congratulations again Alison!!

    ResponderEliminar