Pyrrhus Concer
Encyclopedia
Pyrrhus Concer was a former slave from Southampton, New York
who was aboard the ship the Manhattan that was the first American ship to visit Tokyo
in 1845.
Concer belonged to the Pyrrhus family and worked as a farmhand until 1832 (slavery in New York formally ended in 1827) when he worked on whaleships out of Sag Harbor, New York
.
In 1845 he was aboard the ship captained by Mercator Cooper
that picked up shipwrecked Japanese sailors in the Bonin Islands. The American boat was allowed to enter Tokyo Harbor under escort to return the sailors and Concer became an object of curiosity and is depicted in Japanese drawings of the event.
In 1849 he joined many of the people from the East End in the California Gold Rush
. Afterwards he returned to Southampton where he operated a small boat on Lake Agwam. A monument to him is by the lake on the northwest corner by Pond Lane. He is buried in the North End Cemetery in Southampton with his wife (across the Cooper's home). His tombstone says:
Southampton (town), New York
The Town of Southampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, U.S., partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town had a total population of 54,712...
who was aboard the ship the Manhattan that was the first American ship to visit Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in 1845.
Concer belonged to the Pyrrhus family and worked as a farmhand until 1832 (slavery in New York formally ended in 1827) when he worked on whaleships out of Sag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor, New York
Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, with parts in both the Towns of East Hampton and Southampton. The population was 2,313 at the 2000 census....
.
In 1845 he was aboard the ship captained by Mercator Cooper
Mercator Cooper
Mercator Cooper was a ship's captain who is credited with the first formal American visit to Tokyo, Japan and the first formal landing on the mainland East Antarctica....
that picked up shipwrecked Japanese sailors in the Bonin Islands. The American boat was allowed to enter Tokyo Harbor under escort to return the sailors and Concer became an object of curiosity and is depicted in Japanese drawings of the event.
In 1849 he joined many of the people from the East End in the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. Afterwards he returned to Southampton where he operated a small boat on Lake Agwam. A monument to him is by the lake on the northwest corner by Pond Lane. He is buried in the North End Cemetery in Southampton with his wife (across the Cooper's home). His tombstone says:
- THOUGH BORN A SLAVE
- HE POSSESSED THOSE
- VIRTUES, WITHOUT WHICH,
- KINGS ARE BUT
- SLAVES.