Mikey, I have some good news for you! According to the records, Samuel Evans did not die on the voyage home, he returned to London and signed on with HMS Strombolo - a fireship. He is said to have died in Bristol in 1800. Unfortunately the records do not show where he was born, so I cannot comment on the possibility of him being related to John Evans. Biographical notes on Samuel Evans can be found on this website at the following address -
https://www.captaincooksociety.com/Portals/ccs/Files/Crew/Evans%2C%20Samuel.pdf

Samuel Evans recently promoted by Cook ,died on the way home after their Batavia stopover.
Have you any further information on Samuel Evans as I believe that my ancestor John Evans crew on whaleship Cyrus 1817-23 is a Nephew of Samuel.
WHaleship Cyrus went to discover the Scatchley Islands named after their Captain ,which is still being fought over today .
Any info would be appreciated.

Pauline, it is thought that several of the crew may have taken boys on board to act as their servants. As evidence for this, consider the case of Nicholas Young a boy who suddenly appears on Endeavour's muster book in April 1769, shortly after the ship had arrived at Tahiti. Where had he been before being entered in the muster book? He must already have been on board and acting as somebody's servant. He is thought to have been about 12 years old when he sailed from the UK. It was Nicholas Young who was the first person to sight land as the ship was approaching New Zealand.

Joanne, aplogies for the delay in responding to your enquiry. John Plimmer was born in England in 1812. This was several decades after Captain James Cook last visited New Zealand in 1777. Cook was a relatively common name and it is possible that Plimmer arrived in New Zealand on a merchant ship commanded by a different Captain Cook?

My 9 year old grandson came home from school today to tell me that he had been learning about Csptain Cook and his voyage to Australia in the Endeavour. Apparently the class had been talking about the make up of the ship's crew and whether or not any children would have been on board. I speculated that the only child likely to have been on board during this voyage would have been a cabin boy. Are you able to offer me any further information regarding this matter.

Hi, we are trying to trace a Maori link and a Plimmer who travelled with (paid passage??) Cook to New Zealand. We cannot trace a link from the well-known John Plimmer for definite but we need info from further back. Any help appreciated.
Best,
Joanne

Philip, you will find a complete list of the crew of Adventure on this website, go to
https://www.captaincooksociety.com/Portals/ccs/Files/Musters/3adventuremuster1.pdf
The table lists where members of the crew were born, but there are few known Devonians.
Furneaux brought with him many crew of his previous ship Torbay. So when somebody is mentioned as being "from Torbay", it usually means that he transferred from that ship to Adventure, and not that he was from the town of that name.

Stephen, you have kindly provided numerous facts about your pocket watch, but I cannot relate any of them to Captain James Cook R.N. He never sailed on a ship called Discovery, although a ship of that name was his companion vessel on his 3rd voyage (1776-1780). The date of 22 October 1780 is significant, as that was when Resolution and Discovery anchored at Stromness, Orkney on their way back to the Thames. There has never been a seaman amongst Cook's crews called Sandison. You mention Discovery, the ship which Capt. Vancouver commanded on his exploration of the NW coast of N America. But the dates of that voyage are 1791-1795, which do not correspond to your watch. I would be interested to know if the internal mechanism of your watch bears the name of the maker.

John, regarding William Widdall, virtually nothing is known about him or his family. One website which says that he came from Southampton, although I do not know the basis of that claim. Certainly there were Widdalls in that area, so it may be wortth having a look. Please post a message here is you are able to trace him. Good Luck.

Liz, apologies for the delay in posting a reply to your enquiry. On all of Cook's voyages there was only one seaman called Morgan, and he was not a proper member of the voyage. Peter Morgan enlisted on the Endeavour in November 1770, at Batavia on the ship's voyage home. He was a sick man when he came on board, and he died 5 months later in late February 1771, as the ship was crossing the Indian Ocean.