Ned Myers Explained

Ned Myers (born c. 1793) was an American sailor. Born in Lower Canada as a British subject, Myers grew up in Halifax after being abandoned by his father. He moved to New York City at the age of eleven, cherishing the dream of becoming a sailor. Two years later, while serving aboard the merchant ship Sterling, Myers would meet James Fenimore Cooper, who would later write a biography of him titled Ned Myers, or, a Life Before the Mast (1843).[1] Myers rejected his status as a British subject and became an American citizen, something that would cause him trouble when he was captured by a Royal Navy warship in the summer of 1812.[2] He was a survivor of the sinking of . However, Myers would live through the War of 1812, meeting with Cooper in 1843 for the authoring of his biography.[3]

Sources

. Alan Taylor (historian). The Civil War of 1812. 978-1-4000-4265-4. 2010. Alfred A. Knopf. New York.

Further reading

. Ned Myers; or, a Life Before the Mast. James Fenimore Cooper. Richard Bentley. 1843. 1-4280-2232-5.

Notes and References

  1. Taylor, p.106
  2. Taylor, pp. 3-4
  3. Keese