Thomas Dermer
Encyclopedia
Thomas Dermer was a 17th century navigator
and explorer.
Dermer went first to New England
with Captain John Smith
, who was sent out in 1614 by London
merchant
s to lay the foundations of a new plantation and to trade with the Indian
s there. Dermer was to have accompanied Smith on his 1615 voyage to New England but the ship, after encountering pirates and the French
, finally made its way back to Plymouth with great difficulty.
Dermer spent some time in Newfoundland, 1616–18, with his friend and associate, Governor John Mason, at Cuper’s Cove
(now Cupids), where he was possibly engaged in the fishing
business but more likely involved in explorations of the island’s natural resources. He wrote a letter, dated September 1616, from Cuper’s Cove, in which he describes in flattering terms the fertility of the soil, abundance of wildlife
, and mineral
potentialities, an evidence of his interest in the commercial possibilities of the area.
It was during this stay in Newfoundland that Dermer met Tisquantum (or Squanto
), the New England Indian, who, with others, had been seized by Capt. Thomas Hunt in 1614 to be sold into slavery
in Spain
. Tisquantum eventually escaped and reached Cuper’s Cove. Finding him very intelligent and with the ability to speak English and knowing that there was need for an interpreter
between the New England colonizers and the Indians, Dermer had no difficulty in persuading Tisquantum to assume this role. Accompanied by Tisquantum, Dermer returned to England to confer with Sir Ferdinando Gorges
, who was at that time attempting to colonize New England. Gorges, who favored co-operation with the Indians as a matter of policy, was delighted with Dermer’s plan to make Tisquantum an interpreter, in order to promote better understanding between the settlers and the Indians. He commissioned Dermer as commander of his 1619 expedition to New England. Tisquantum was a member of the expedition, was restored to his own people, and his work among them as interpreter amply fulfilled the expectations of Gorges and Dermer.
Dermer did not return to Newfoundland but remained in New England as Gorges’s employee. Here he made extensive explorations along the coast from Cape Cod
to Virginia, which he reached in November 1619; he then returned to New England where he spent the next year. He established that Long Island was an island (hitherto it was thought to be a part of the mainland). He prospected for gold and other minerals in the vicinity of Cape Cod, sending back samples of the earth to England. In 1621 he went again to Virginia, where he died of wounds inflicted by the Indians.
Navigator
A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...
and explorer.
Dermer went first to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
with Captain John Smith
John Smith of Jamestown
Captain John Smith Admiral of New England was an English soldier, explorer, and author. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Bathory, Prince of Transylvania and friend Mózes Székely...
, who was sent out in 1614 by London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s to lay the foundations of a new plantation and to trade with the Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s there. Dermer was to have accompanied Smith on his 1615 voyage to New England but the ship, after encountering pirates and the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, finally made its way back to Plymouth with great difficulty.
Dermer spent some time in Newfoundland, 1616–18, with his friend and associate, Governor John Mason, at Cuper’s Cove
Cuper's Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador
Cuper's Cove, on the southwest shore of Conception Bay on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula was an early English settlement in the New World, and the second one after the Jamestown Settlement to endure for longer than a year...
(now Cupids), where he was possibly engaged in the fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
business but more likely involved in explorations of the island’s natural resources. He wrote a letter, dated September 1616, from Cuper’s Cove, in which he describes in flattering terms the fertility of the soil, abundance of wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
, and mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
potentialities, an evidence of his interest in the commercial possibilities of the area.
It was during this stay in Newfoundland that Dermer met Tisquantum (or Squanto
Squanto
Tisquantum was a Patuxet. He was the Native American who assisted the Pilgrims after their first winter in the New World and was integral to their survival. The Patuxet tribe was a tributary of the Wampanoag Confederacy.-Biography:Squanto's exact date of birth is unknown but many historians...
), the New England Indian, who, with others, had been seized by Capt. Thomas Hunt in 1614 to be sold into slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Tisquantum eventually escaped and reached Cuper’s Cove. Finding him very intelligent and with the ability to speak English and knowing that there was need for an interpreter
Interpreting
Language interpretation is the facilitating of oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages...
between the New England colonizers and the Indians, Dermer had no difficulty in persuading Tisquantum to assume this role. Accompanied by Tisquantum, Dermer returned to England to confer with Sir Ferdinando Gorges
Ferdinando Gorges
Sir Ferdinando Gorges , the "Father of English Colonization in North America", was an early English colonial entrepreneur and founder of the Province of Maine in 1622, although Gorges himself never set foot in the New World.-Biography:...
, who was at that time attempting to colonize New England. Gorges, who favored co-operation with the Indians as a matter of policy, was delighted with Dermer’s plan to make Tisquantum an interpreter, in order to promote better understanding between the settlers and the Indians. He commissioned Dermer as commander of his 1619 expedition to New England. Tisquantum was a member of the expedition, was restored to his own people, and his work among them as interpreter amply fulfilled the expectations of Gorges and Dermer.
Dermer did not return to Newfoundland but remained in New England as Gorges’s employee. Here he made extensive explorations along the coast from Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
to Virginia, which he reached in November 1619; he then returned to New England where he spent the next year. He established that Long Island was an island (hitherto it was thought to be a part of the mainland). He prospected for gold and other minerals in the vicinity of Cape Cod, sending back samples of the earth to England. In 1621 he went again to Virginia, where he died of wounds inflicted by the Indians.