Capt. Nathaniel Brown Palmer, IV

DENISON GENEALOGY, ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS OF CAPTAIN GEORGE DENISON, Of Stonington Connecticut, by John Denison Baldwin and William Clift, Worcester, MA, 1881, p 13

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A full biography can be read at the following link: http://books.google.com/books?id=LPwlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA82&lpg=PA82&dq=%...

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As a young sea captain in 1820, while searching for new seal rookeries south of Cape Horn, Nathaniel Brown Palmer became the first American to discover Antarctica. Palmer Land, on the Antarctic Peninsula, and the Palmer Archipelago are named in his honor. Later, Palmer helped develop the clipper ship and became a successful ship owner. A biography of “Captain Nat”, titled Captain Nathaniel Brown Palmer, An Old-Time Sailor of the Sea, by John R. Spears, was published in 1922. An icebreaking research ship, named the Nathaniel B. Palmer, was launched in 1992. Palmer’s 1852 Italian Villa style mansion, located on Palmer Street in Stonington, overlooks the upper section of Stonington Harbor and is one of four stately homes built in the area of Lambert’s Cove in the 1850s. The house was acquired by the Stonington Historical Society in 1994 and is now open to visitors as a house museum.

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Nathaniel Palmer, born in 1799, and his brother Alexander, born seven years later, went to sea at an early age. Nathaniel became a ship's master before his 19th birthday as did Alexander by the time he was 21. They were young men who ventured into the most desolate regions of the world in search of profits from sealing and whaling.

During a voyage to the South Atlantic in 1820-21, Nathaniel, captain of the 47-foot sloop Hero, pressed southward in search of new seal rookeries. On November 17, 1820 he sighted "land not yet laid down on my chart." He had discovered a place which would later become known as Palmer Land on the continent of Antarctica.

For the next twenty years the two brothers distinguished themselves as career captains sailing packet and clipper ships to Europe and the Orient. In 1840 Alexander was presented with a gold medal by Queen Victoria for rescuing the crew of the shipwrecked Eugenie. After his retirement from the sea, Alexander served as a representative and senator in the Connecticut Legislature. He died in 1894.

Nathaniel, known around the globe as "Captain Nat," turned his talents to ship design and building, and during the 1840s and 50s owned shares in some of the fastest and largest clipper ships. Nathaniel died June 21, 1877 in San Francisco and was brought home for burial in the family plot.

Nathaniel Brown Palmer (8 Aug 1799–21 Jun 1877) was Am seal hunter, explorer, sailing captain, & ship designer. He b in Stonington, CT. During 1810s skins of Antarctic Ocean seals were highly valued as items for trade w/China. As skilled & fearless seal hunter, Palmer achieved his 1st command at early age of 21. His vessel, diminutive sloop named Hero, was only 47 ft (14 m) in length. Palmer steered southward in Hero at beginning of Antarctic summer of 1820–1821. Aggressively searching for new seal rookeries south of Cape Horn, on 17 Nov 1820, young "Capt Nat" & his men became 1st Ams to discover Antarctic Peninsula at age 22. Aft much larger ships skippered by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen & Edward Bransfield reported sighting land earlier in 1820, Palmer was capt of 3rd vessel, Hero, to sight continent of Antarctica, & actually set foot on land. Palmer also helped discover nearby So Orkney Islands archipelago. Aft concluding successful sealing career, Palmer, still in prime of life, switched attention to captaining of fast sailing ships for transport of express freight. In this new role, CT capt traveled many of world's principal sailing routes. Observing strengths & weaknesses of ocean-going sailing ships of his time, Palmer suggested & designed improvements to their hulls & rigging. Improvements made Palmer co-developer of mid-1800s clipper ship. Palmer closed his sailing career & established himself in hometown of Stonington as successful owner of clipper ships sailed by others. He d 1877, age 78. Palmer Land, part of Antarctic Peninsula, as well as Palmer Archipelago, were named in his honor. Antarctic science & research program operated by US govt continues to recall Palmer's role in exploration of Antarctic area. Palmer Station, located in seal islands that Palmer explored, clipper ship NB Palmer (built by Jacob Aaron Westervelt) & Antarctic icebreaker RV Nathaniel B Palmer are named aft Capt Palmer. His home in Stonington, Capt Nathaniel B Palmer House, was declared Natl Historic Landmark in 1996.

From http://www.answers.com/topic/nathaniel-palmer:

Nathaniel Brown Palmer (1799-1877), Am sea capt, sighted part of Antarctic Peninsula that came to be known as Palmer Land. In later life he engaged in designing & sailing clipper ships for China trade. Nathaniel Palmer b Aug 8 1799 Stonington, CT, son of shipyard owner. At age 14 he became seaman on blockade-runner in War of 1812. Aft captaining small coastal vessels, he signed on in 1818 as 2nd mate of sealing brig that hunted in newly discovered So Shetland Islands. July 1820 Palmer, commanding 47-ft sloop Hero, joined sealing fleet of 5 vessels under command of Benjamin Pendleton. Expedition reached So Shetlands in Nov, & Palmer left Deception Island Nov 17 to search for seal rookeries seen to south. He sighted extensive land at 63°S but no seal rookeries. This coastal area was portion of Antarctic Peninsula sighted & charted Jan 1820 by British capt Edward Bransfield & named Trinity Land. In Jan 1821 Palmer encountered Russian exploring expedition & boarded its flagship, Vostok. Palmer then returned to Stonington, where new expedition was outfitted; it departed Jul 1821 w/Palmer commanding sloop James Monroe. Reaching Deception Island in Nov, he joined British capt George Powell in searching for new sealing grnds. Together they discovered So Orkney Islands Dec 6 1821. Powell charted them w/name Powell Islands & identified part of Antarctic Peninsula as Palmer Land. Palmer spent several yrs as capt of vessels sailing to West Indies & So Am. In 1829 he again sailed to Antarctic as part of Fanning expedition. 2 scientists accompanied this expedition. Sealing was poor in So Shetlands, & his ship returned via Pacific Ocean, where it was boarded at Juan Fernández Islands by convicts who forced Palmer to land them in Chile. In 1830s Palmer became packet ship capt & sailed bet NY & New Orleans, & NY & Liverpool. He grew rich & later became involved in clipper ship trade w/China. He designed prototype clipper ship, Houqua (completed in 1844), & other true clipper ships, all of which he captained at times. Aft retirement, he became active in pleasure yachting. He d in San Francisco Jun 21 1877 aft returning from Oriental voyage.