Captain George Pollard, III

1791 - 1870  (78 years)  Submit Photo / Document

• Name	George Pollard
  Title	Captain
  Suffix	III
  Born	18 Jul 1791	Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	George was the captain of the whaling ships Essex and Two Brothers. The Essex in November 20th of 1820 was attacked by a Sperm Whale and sunk.The survivors were stuck in row boats used in the hunts which were not suited for ocean travel. The only supplies they had were what they could salvage from the wreckage. Before they were rescued the crew had to resort to cannibalism. The incident was the inspiration for Herman Melville's "Moby Dick". Pollard was then given command of the whaling ship, "Two Brothers". This ended in disaster when the ship ran into rocks on an atoll in the northwestern part of the Hawaiian Islands. This ended Pollard's whaling career. He made a single voyage in a merchant vessel and then spent the rest of his life as a night watchman on Nantucket.
  		SS Essex. The whaling ship Essex being attacked by a Sperm Whale. The drawing as made by Thomas Nickerson, cabin boy and, a survivor of the wreck of the Essex.
  		Thar She Blows! (11) While many cultures and countries engaged in whaling this page is concerned with the history of the New England whaling industry. In no way should this be seen to justify modern whaling. Commercial whaling in the United States began in the 17th century in New England. The industry peaked in 1846–1852 when the availability of petrochemicals and over-hunting made the practice increasingly impractical. At one time whale oil was absolutely necessary. It's main uses were for household lighting and lubrication of machinery. There were alternatives to whale oil, but they were inferior in performance and cleanliness of burn. While the oil was the primary driver there were secondary products. The baleen some whales used to strain food from the sea were a secondary harvest. They were used in applications that would be accomplished in the modern world with plastic or steel. Simply put whale hunting allowed civilization to grow and prosper.
  Died	7 Jan 1870	Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts
  Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
  Person ID	I61821	Nagel
  Last Modified	25 Nov 2021

  
  

  Father	George Pollard, Jr,   b. 26 Apr 1762, Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts ,   d. 25 Sep 1843, Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts  (Age 81 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Tamar Bunker,   b. 12 Nov 1764, Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts ,   d. 19 Aug 1840, Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts  (Age 75 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Married	9 Feb 1783	Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts
  Family ID	F18761	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 18 Jul 1791 - Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts Died - 7 Jan 1870 - Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts  = Link to Google Earth
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