author

John Rodgers Jewitt

1783–1821

Best known for a gripping captivity memoir, this English armourer left one of the most vivid firsthand accounts of life on the Pacific Northwest coast in the early 1800s. His story combines survival, cultural observation, and the dangers of the maritime fur trade.

1 Audiobook

The Adventures of John Jewitt Only Survivor of the Crew of the Ship Boston During a Captivity of Nearly Three Years Among the Indians of Nootka Sound in Vancouver Island

The Adventures of John Jewitt Only Survivor of the Crew of the Ship Boston During a Captivity of Nearly Three Years Among the Indians of Nootka Sound in Vancouver Island

by John Rodgers Jewitt

About the author

Born in Boston, Lincolnshire, on 21 May 1783, John Rodgers Jewitt trained as a blacksmith and armourer. He later sailed aboard the American trading ship Boston, a voyage that changed his life and eventually made him a notable figure in travel and captivity writing.

In 1803, after the Boston was attacked at Nootka Sound, Jewitt was among the very few survivors. He spent about 28 months in captivity under Maquinna of the Nuu-chah-nulth and was kept alive in part because of his metalworking skills. After his release, he published accounts of his experience that brought him lasting attention.

Jewitt died on 7 January 1821. His memoirs remain important not only as a dramatic survival story, but also as a rare early eyewitness account of Nuu-chah-nulth life and of the violent world of the Pacific maritime fur trade.