Schrödinger's Pilot; Who was James A. Clubb, Pilot & Lighthouse Keeper?

By Amy Lyn Hedrick
09 March 2022

It has recently come to light that maybe, just maybe, historians have attributed events that happened in 1858-59 to the wrong man. Right now, I have not found anything definitive that identifies which man piloted the slave ship Wanderer through Coastal Georgia waterways on the early morning of the 29 November 1858 nor which man later became the lighthouse keeper on Little Cumberland Island in Camden County, Georgia in 1859.

Many of you may not be familiar with the concept of Schrödinger's Cat, put simply, a cat is in a box and it is both alive and dead until you “open the box”, that action of opening the box would be a random subatomic event that may or may not happen. Thus, both James A. Clubb, SENIOR and JUNIOR are the pilot and lighthouse keeper until the source can be found definitively stating one over the other. The “subatomic event” would be that document or primary source proving one over the other or both.

They are either the same man, or, one event is attached to one man and one event to the other. Which man, father or son, was the lighthouse keeper, and, which man, father or son, piloted the Wanderer?

For over twenty years I have made it my hobby to research the families of Coastal Georgia and their connections to each other and historical events of the time. In 2004 I started a website for genealogy and history research in Glynn County and part of this research was to transcribe and photograph cemeteries. I went around the county visiting all of the small private cemeteries first and saved the large city-maintained cemeteries for last. By the time I had started my website in 2004, I was ready to inventory and photograph Historic Oak Grove Cemetery.

Buried in this cemetery, in a plot that appears to only have one burial, is the tombstone of James Alexander Clubb, JUNIOR. A military tombstone marks the final resting place of a C.S.A. soldier of the 4^th GA Cavalry. Once I started researching this cemetery, I learned that this man is not, in fact, buried all by himself, he is surrounded by family, and also buried in the cemetery are at least three more of the key players in the Wanderer events, Horatio H.H. Harris, who is buried in the plot next to JUNIOR and a brother-in-law; Capt. Richardson F. Akin/Aiken (I have found his name spelled both ways), who doesn’t have a direct connection to either man, but, distantly, could be considered a cousin as also could Charles Augustus Lafayette Lamar who is related by marriages to Clubb and Harris through the duBignon family. The third person buried in this cemetery who was involved in the Wanderer tragedy would be Henry Charles duBignon, the brother of John Couper duBignon (who could also be buried in this cemetery but there is no proof of his burial here or even on Jekyll Island).

Please visit my family tree located at Ancestry.com to view all of these families, as well as attached documents and web links to other source materials. The tree is public, however, you must have a subscription to the website in order to view the tree.

After years of extracting and transcribing local court records and news articles, I started looking online for other records and family trees. I found tree after family tree that did not have this man who was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery attached to the Clubb family as a son to James Alexander Clubb, SENIOR; researchers suggested this was SENIOR and because this tombstone didn’t have any dates, and due to it being a military tombstone, it was attributed to the elder man who really did die around or before 1865. Through diligent research with the help of a Peerson descendant, I was able to separate the men into father and son and determine it was the son that is buried in Oak Grove and that he died in 1889 and the father died sometime before December 1865. As years have gone by, online researchers have since repaired their family trees; yet many still have some glaring errors concerning the Clubb father and son regarding their dates and parents.

These men, Clubb, Harris, Akin, and duBignon opened up my research into the Wanderer event and due to these men being of the same age and similar occupation (harbor pilots or mariners of some sort, except for the duBignon brothers), led me to believe that James Alexander Clubb, JUNIOR was the man who piloted the Wanderer through these coastal waterways in 1858; later, when I started looking for obituaries for those buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, I found JUNIOR’s obituary, which stated he was both the lighthouse keeper on Little Cumberland Island in Camden County and the pilot of the Wanderer. I am not as concerned with identifying the lighthouse keeper but they go hand-in-had as there are many published statements that say they are the same man, regardless of it being the father or the son.

Yet numerous Clubb family researchers, and Wanderer researchers, tell me that I am wrong, that it was SENIOR and that I should check “this source” or “that source” for proof. The main sources in question are three books written about the events of that 1858-59 era which I will discuss here and show why they don't prove either man's identity.

Those who have written about the Wanderer tragedy in the past didn’t have the luxuries we have today with the internet and all that has now been put online with the digital content of original documents. They did a tremendous amount of on-the-ground research which has made my search for source materials a breeze. However, nothing found online is new to the past research, everything that existed then is still available today and vice versa.

The earliest published statement that alludes to an identity for James Clubb found so far was made in 1967 by Tom Henderson Wells in his book “The Slave Ship Wanderer” which was repeated in 1989 by Ken Thomas who was listed as the preparer for the National Historic Register of Places application for the lighthouse on Little Cumberland Island located in Camden County, Georgia.

This application was not a study on the Clubb family, it is about the lighthouse on Little Cumberland Island, however, Mr.  Thomas makes that one statement about Clubb on this application and from this statement we now have a second officially recorded description of a man but no source documentation to support this description and dozens of historians have published the same statement and over the years, authors and researchers have slowly built up a physical description of an elderly man.

QUOTE: “The lighthouse keeper, James Clubb, a retired pilot, guided the "Wanderer" through St. Andrew Sound on November 29, 1858.”

It is the word “retired” that has been questioned by me but given as proof by others; I was curious if there was a primary source document that helped to identify Clubb by age as this word, today, suggests someone of advanced age. When asked, Mr. Ken Thomas, the preparer of the NHRP application, could not give his source for the word because it was so long ago but that he had to have had a source or he wouldn’t have used the word and that I would need to pull the file. I am currently awaiting said documents but NARA Atlanta recently closed due to COVID (03/13/2022).

On page 26 of Mr. Wells’ book, we find the same word being used, almost the exact same statement, in part:

“He said [Horatio Harris] that the regular lighthouse keeper, James Clubb, was a retired pilot and was over at Jekyll Island on a visit.”

It is possible that Mr. Thomas’ source may have been Mr. Wells’ book as I’ve never seen the word used other than in Wells’ book and in the NHRP application for the Little Cumberland Island lighthouse. Thankfully, Mr. Wells sourced his use of the word retired and it turns out, it was a newspaper article that transcribed the testimony given by James Clubb during the Wanderer trials where he stated that he was “formerly a pilot”.

The source for this testimony was The Savannah Daily Morning News published 18 November 1859.

Clubb’s testimony is on the second page, his name is spelled “James C. Chubb” in this paragraph and Horatio is listed as Elisha, and, another small clue to Clubb’s identity was that while all this was happening on Jekyll, Horatio left and went to Clubb’s house. Still doesn’t tell us which man, the younger man lived between St Simons Island and off the Satilla River, both locations in Glynn County while the father lived on Cumberland Island. Clubb’s testimony:

                “JAMES C. CHUBBS, sworn.—Have seen the larger man (Brown) somewhere before. Couldn’t say where or when. Might have seen him on Jekyl [sic] Island, or on board the Wanderer. Could not conceive where else he could have seen him. Capt. Cole came to witness at Jekyl Beach Lighthouse and wanted him to pilot the Wanderer in. Insisted upon witness going out that night, as he was out of water and provisions. – Went on board the next morning between five and six o’clock, and piloted the Wanderer up the Little Satilla River. Was informed by Capt. Cole that there were 413 negroes on board. Saw one dead body thrown overboard about daylight in the morning. The majority of the negroes were naked, although many of them had on garments of different styles, and others had blankets and pieces of cloth tied about their persons. Did not go below until the cargo had been landed. Saw some forty on the after-part of the vessel, and although several appeared sick, the majority seemed well; had free access to all parts of the vessel, and were not manacled or tied. The vessel was very dirty and smelt very bad. Had very little conversation with Capt. Cole, (Corrie) until after the negroes were landed, as he remained in, down in the cabin, but afterwards appeared to have gas enough. Could not recognize any of the crew of the Wanderer, or any other person on board except Corrie and Brooks, and John DuBignon, the latter of whom came out to the Wanderer in a small boat. Brooks said that they had lost 60, 70, or 80 negroes on the voyage. The negroes were landed by the boats belonging to the Wanderer, and one supposed to have been owned by Mr. John DuBignon, who went ashore in her, which was the last witness saw of him.
                In reply to a question from Judge Wayne, witness stated that he was lighthouse keeper at Little Cumberland Island at the time of the arrival of the Wanderer; that he had formerly been a pilot, and at the urgent request of Captain Cole, who represented his vessel as in distress, consented as an act of kindness, and in consideration of a promise to be paid $500 for his services to pilot the Wanderer in. Charged $500 because he considered it a money-making piece of business, and thought he had a right to come in for a share. Mr. Trowbridge objected to the price and said it was too much, but the Messrs. DuBignons said they would be responsible for the amount, and gave their notes in payment thereof. The usual price for such services is from 15 to 19 dollars. Went on board about 4 or 6 A.M., and left her at 5 or 6 o’clock P.M., at the mouth of the Little Satilla river. I believed them to be African negroes, but was entirely ignorant that there was any violation of the laws of the United States. Harris came on board half an hour after the negroes were landed. Had no communication with any person on Jekyl Island before the negroes were landed. First heard that the Wanderer’s cargo was in violation of the law two or three days after, when witness thought he ought to be well paid for his services.”

We now have a clue as to where Messrs. Wells & Thomas may have inferred the word “retired” because Clubb testified that he was “formerly” a pilot. Still, this is not Clubb saying he was retired and this still does not give us an age. Unfortunately, we cannot ask Mr. Wells why he used this word; however, now that I've had time to view Brunswick's Pilotage Commission Minutes, I see that JUNIOR wasn't really a pilot in the 1860's, hew was a steam tug operator, he towed boats while others piloted. JUNIOR making the statement of "formerly" being a pilot, would fit just as easily as if SENIOR was saying it because he was now a farmer/lighthouse keeper.

None of the news articles published at the time ever used the word “retired” nor did they ever change the wording of Clubb’s testimony and none have ever identified the age or a physical description of James Clubb. Over time, authors and researchers have built upon events with their own descriptors and opinions as to Clubb’s identity until we have the picture of an elderly man.

Mr. Wells mentions James Clubb on pages 26, 27, 31, 34, 39, 53, 55, 58, and 66; on pages 26 and 27 is his narrative of events surrounding the Wanderer and it is based upon newspaper articles of the time according to the sources the author listed for these pages. The same process each successive author has gone through in their writings. No primary sources were used because none could be found. On page 28 he describes Dr. Hazlehurst attending the Africans, which is sourced: “6. Ibid., Nov. 21, 1859; Wanderer Folder.”

“Ibid” is the Savannah Daily Morning News; do they have a “Wanderer folder”? This statement was published in that particular newspaper on that date, but what is this “folder”? I am currently awaiting a response from the newspaper, which is still in operation today. I’m hoping it’s not just a folder of past clippings [03/09/2022].

Hazlehurst’s testimony identifies the two enslaved men that helped with speaking to the Africans, one was Polydore who Hazlehurst said he believed was enslaved by duBignon and the other was Jack who was enslaved by the doctor. He further stated that he was asked to go to Jekyll under a professional capacity and that he went to John duBignon’s home; and while this doesn’t really have anything to do with Clubb, I want to extract this information for future researchers who may claim one of these enslaved men as an ancestor:

“… in the middle of the island, on Jekyl creek. The house belonged to Col. DuBignon, but was occupied by Mr. John DuB. The camp of the negroes was in sight of Mr. DuB.’s house, and on his plantation. Does not know whether either of the Messrs. DuBignon, one or both, went with him to the negro camp. Examined the sick negroes, and talked with them through the interpreters. Supposes that these interpreters were Africans.—They spoke in a strange language. Witness’ negro, Jack, has lived on Jekyl Island for years, with Mr. John DuBignon. Was not exactly hired by Mr. DuB., but was in his employment. Did not remember how long Jack had been on the island. Mr. DuB. has charge of all the negroes on the island, and it is the custom, after the crop is made, to divide the proceeds with his brother, Mr. Henry DuBignon, and witness’ wife, who is a sister of the Messrs. DuB.”

This is an interesting “first person” narrative of the business dealings on Jekyll Island and it does identify that Dr. Robert Hazlehurst was being interviewed, which was the man born 21 April 1823, another contemporary of James A. Clubb JUNIOR who was born in 1827 and Hazlehurst was the spouse of Catherine duBignon, sister to the "duBignon brothers" mentioned in the trials and news articles.

On page 31 of Wells’ book, nothing was written that would identify Clubb, just statements about the number of Africans who were landed on Jekyll Island and the different sources that gave differing numbers, including Clubb’s testimony of how many he was told. Page 34 mentions who should be subpoenaed, Clubb was one of several, and page 39 highlights the argument about the illegality of transporting Africans on the Atlantic Ocean for enslavement and whether or not Clubb could be charged with this crime, hence part of the reason why he refused to answer the court when asked his occupation.

Page 53 gives us a wonderful and useful statement regarding the existence, or rather the lack, of official records:

“THE HISTORY of the Wanderer trials is incomplete. Verbatim records of evidence were not kept. Newspaper accounts are subject to deliberate or unintentional errors and omissions. The Civil War came during a time when much of the legal review and recording would normally have taken place; after the war was over, slave-trade precedents were of academic, not practical, interest. Unquestionably, material dangerous to participants in the Wanderer venture was removed in order to prevent postwar prosecution and harassment. The account that follows, although incomplete and frequently supported only by newspaper stories, is probably as complete as is possible at the present time.”

Thankfully, Wells did not identify James A. Clubb, he didn’t even use the middle initial and while he seems to be the one who started the “retired pilot” statement, again, this didn’t identify Clubb by age nor by physical appearance.

Therefore, researchers who tell me Wells’ book identifies which Clubb piloted the Wanderer and which was the lighthouse keeper, is unfounded.

Our next source is the book “The Wanderer; The Last American Slave Ship and the Conspiracy That Set Its Sails,” by Erik Calonius. According to the index of the first edition published in 2006, James Clubb is mentioned on pages 111-13, 132-33, 135-38, 142-43, 157, 197, 208-10, and 217.

On page 111 the author starts building a story around information found in various news articles. It is stated that Horatio Harris was conversing with the captain of the Wanderer:

“Regaining some of his composure, the young man, who introduced himself as Horatio Harris, explained that he was not a pilot himself, just the assistant lighthouse keeper. There was a pilot, James Clubb—he was the full-time lighthouse keeper as well—who could certainly help them. But Clubb wasn’t on Cumberland at the moment. He was tending the light over at Jekyll Island.”

Nowhere in this statement does the author identify the age of James Clubb but on page 112 we get our first descriptor of Clubb:

“By eight that night they found Clubb, sitting in a shack next to the Jekyll Island light. Corrie tried the same story he had used on Harris, but as soon as he mentioned the Wanderer, Clubb’s eyes lit up. He had heard the rumors. ‘A damned slaver, don’t’ pull the wool over my eyes,’ said Clubb gruffly, turning his meaty face away.”

His “meaty face”? Again, no sources for any of the content on this entire page. How did the author know Clubb’s face was “meaty”? Page 113 goes on to describe Clubb rowing out to the ship, all of which can be found in news articles published at the time and which the author, again, adds descriptors that are not mentioned anywhere in these sources.

A speaking engagement from 2012 featuring Mr. Calonius and his book can be found online and he tells us that he had to rush and get his book in print due to another work that might get published before his book because he had been working tirelessly at gathering source materials and it’s possible this other person could be a faster writer and further ahead of him. He states that:

“I just came in one day and said I’m just going to start writing, and if you notice, I think the first chapter says ‘It’s a sunny day in Savannah and Gazaway Lamar…’ The one thing I could tell, the rest of the book is true, I don’t know if there was a sunny day but I knew I had to start somewhere and I was going to start with a sunny day. And that’s what I did and I just started writing like a mad man.”

Another quote from this interview:

“…you have to make your own statement, and when things are inconsistent, you know, how do you decided what is right and you know because they just, you know their, their whole points of view are just not, not meshing and I thought in my case that, and this is an aside that, that when I would finish my manuscript, umm, that the publisher, being St. Martin’s Press, one of the best you know publishers, but then would then farm that out to different academics and all these people and they would comment on it and I would get it back, and uh, and then I would adjust things and apologize and then it would be published.”

But that didn’t happen, it just got published without being handed out for review by historians and experts in the field. He goes on to say that he was very nervous about this because “I was saying a lot of things based on, you know, my half-assed interpretation. I didn’t know if it was right.” He says that he was able to send the manuscript to a lot of top scholars and that nobody found a mistake in the writing but then Mr. Calonius says one academic did find some errors and that he, Mr. Calonius, is hoping there will be another edition of his book so that he can address these issues and he would “fix them”.

On pages 132 and 133, nothing is stated that cannot be found in the newspaper articles; the author just explains the case that is being built against Charles Lamar and the evidence and witnesses that are being collected, Clubb being one of said witnesses and his testimony to be submitted as evidence.

Page 135 gives us the first detailed physical description of James Clubb:

“Clubb, the lighthouse keeper on Cumberland Island, rose and walked slowly to the witness stand. Clubb was in his sixties, a burly man with deep-set blue eyes and a lock of white hair that fell over his forehead.”

There it is, a firm statement that it is James Alexander Clubb, SENIOR who is being described because the son was in his thirties. I turn to the source listings and not a single source for this description of Clubb.

Going back to the speaking engagement mentioned above, this last quote might answer why Mr. Calonius described Clubb as an elderly man; he states that he wrote this book to the Wall Street Journal standards, which is that what you write has to be true, “except in a few places where I had to put in some, creative, creativity…” and that when the publisher commented that they really liked these creative places, Mr. Calonius explained “that those were places where I had to just use different, umm, circumstantial evidence to try to build this.” As an example of this creativity, he mentions the portions about the trial and that he didn’t have any evidence that the lawyer stood up and walked around the courtroom, but he had to build a scene so he had the lawyer stand up and walk around gesturing.

While this source DOES describe SENIOR as the pilot and lighthouse keeper, it cannot be used as proof of identity because it is quite possible this description was part of the "creativity" that went into Calonius' book; we won't know until we get an answer from the publisher or Mr. Calonius himself [03/10/2022].

Our last source (that has been presented to me as proof of Clubb’s identity) is “The Slave-Trader’s Letter-Book; Charles Lamar, THE WANDERER, and Other Tales of the African Slave Trade”, by Jim Jordan published in 2018. Mr. Jordan lists James Clubb on pages 81, 91, 116, 117, 129, 206, and 207 note 9 of the first edition. We find more detailed facts in this publication and better sources with explanations. Mr. Jordan explains in Note #2 for Chapter 10 on page 287 that:

“Most of what is known about the arrival of the Wanderer at Jekyll Island—the encounters among the various individuals, negotiating for a pilot, the landing of the Africans, and the first four days there—is obtained from the testimony of pilot Horatio Harris and lighthouse keeper James Clubb. Their courtroom examinations were recorded by reporters…”

Not only does he confirm Wells’ statement from 1967 about the lack of primary sources, Calonius too addresses this issue during the speaking engagement abovementioned; he suggests that due to Charles Lamar’s involvement that these records were destroyed. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say there was a conspiracy of this sort, I do believe the records were most likely lost or destroyed because of the Civil War and not because of who was involved.

Jordan’s book brings forth “new” information in the rediscovery of Charles Lamar’s letter book that was found in 2009. This letter book was present at trial in 1858, it was mentioned in the newspaper articles, as were ships logs and charts, however, like the court records, they went missing only to be found once again.

Unfortunately, these letters do not identify Clubb by age either. You will notice in this next passage that Jordan refers to Horatio as a pilot and Clubb as only a lighthouse keeper yet we know from these newspaper articles that Horatio never claimed to be a pilot, only an assistant lighthouse keeper. On page 80, Jordan states that the Wanderer crewmen met Horatio on Cumberland as he was on his way to Fernandina from Brunswick and again refers to him as a pilot. Capt. Corrie tried to engage Harris to pilot the ship but Harris says “…he would go if the ship were not a slaver…”

Jordan goes on to quote Harris on page 81:

“Harris then told Corrie that James Clubb, the regular Cumberland Island lighthouse keeper who was more experienced with Saint Andrews [sic] Sound, might bring in the ship. When they found Clubb, Corrie, still calling himself Cook, asked him to pilot the yacht that night as he was out of water and provisions. Clubb offered to do it the next morning. Corie had no choice but to accept. From there the men went to the Dubignon house and met the Dubignon brothers and Nelson Trowbridge. Corrie then revealed to Clubb that the ship was the Wanderer and there were Africans on board—first calling them slaves and then referring to them as African apprentices. Clubb immediately backed out of the job. Corrie begged him, as without Clubb’s help he would be forced to go to Port Royal, South Carolina, or Cuba. Clubb reconsidered, but the asked for $500 for the service, which normally cost $15. Trowbridge objected, but the Dubignons approved the charge.”

This paragraph is sourced with note #2 which explained how these facts were put together via newspaper articles reporting the testimony in court; no primary sources. Jordan changes the wording a bit by saying Clubb was “more experienced” which some researchers have taken out of context when quoting the line to me as a source and proof of Clubb’s age. Being more experienced does not suggest a person’s age; and, it wasn’t that Clubb was more experienced in general as a pilot, he was just more experienced at navigating St. Andrew Sound.

Pages 91, 116, 117, and 129 cover more of the testimony already given, but on page 206 is a letter written by Lamar to Capt. Brown informing him that they will try to bribe Clubb and Harris with $5000 “…not to testify, but the gov’mt is also trying to buy them.” And the mention of Clubb in Note #9 on page 207 is just to state that he gave testimony, was the pilot, and saw the people unloaded from the Wanderer.

Thankfully, nowhere in this book does Mr. Jordan assume the physical description, nor the age, of Clubb. This third source that researchers say is proof of Clubb’s identity, like the two before, does not in any way prove how old Clubb was in 1858-59.

This leaves us with trying to find a primary source document, and, unfortunately, there aren’t any that identify the age of Clubb as well as his occupation other than census records but they are not in context with the Wanderer tragedy so they cannot be considered as supporting evidence because there is no law that says the lighthouse keeper had to be a resident of the county in which the lighthouse is located.

Since we have established that newspaper articles provided the most information concerning the events that occurred after the Wanderer was “discovered’ by authorities, let’s start with 22 December 1858, page one column one. We find our first mention of a possible identification of Clubb in the testimony of Capt. G.W. Stockwell (another contemporary of Clubb’s and the husband of Clubb’s first cousin, and a near-neighbor of his father's on Cumberland Island) who stated:

“Capt. G.W. Stocwell [sic], sworn—Had seen no negroes that he supposed were recently imported Africans. Had seen a person who called himself Capt. Corrie, of the schooner Wanderer. This was the latter part of November or the first part of December. Boarded the Wanderer in St. Andrew’s Sound, at the mouth of Satilla river, about two miles from Jekyl Island, where she had been lying for two or three days; found a lame man on board, and a Mr. Clubb, who lives in that neighborhood…”

Stockwell states that the Mr. Clubb found aboard the Wanderer was a man who lived in the "that neighborhood" at the mouth of the Satilla River about two miles from Jekyll Island.

The 1911 Ballard map pieced together Glynn County, Georgia properties and plantations owned by families prior to 1911. This map shows James Clubb owning land on the Little Satilla River and Fancy Bluff Creek (as well as another property in western Glynn County as a near-neighbor to the duBignon brothers' uncle, Bernard Nicolau), which was close to Jekyll Island. He purchased this plot of land on 4 October 1867 with his brother-in-law, Lewis W. Harris, the brother of Horatio.

On 9 August 1850, the Glynn County, Georgia census enumerates a newly married James A. Clubb, JUNIOR as living in the home of Barbara (Beck) Harris, the mother of Lewis and Horatio, the latter was also in the home. The Harris property is somewhere along the Satilla River judging by the other people enumerated before and after their listing whose property locations I have confirmed and it sounds as if Clubb and Lewis Harris are buying more land that may be near the original Harris tract. This piece of land that they purchased contained five islands and was bounded on the south by the “St. Illa River”, known as Satilla River, on the east by Jekyll Island, on the west by Jointer River, and on the north by the Turtle River and last known as Latham's Hammock, once owned by Amos Latham.

This piece of property puts JUNIOR in that “neighborhood” as this land is between Jekyll Island and Little Cumberland Island; a very easy place for a pilot to island hop between lighthouses at Jekyll Island and Little Cumberland Island. While he didn’t purchase the land until 1867, we know from the 1850 census that he was already living in this general vicinity.

Does this prove JUNIOR was the pilot of the Wanderer and the lighthouse keeper on Little Cumberland Island? No, but it puts him in a better geographic position than his father. Also, JUNIOR is a peer to the men involved in the Wanderer tragedy; they were all born within a ten-year span from 1817 to 1827, a few were born in the 1830’s. This doesn't prove it is the son either, but it's something to take into cosideration.

In 1858, SENIOR would have been 69-years-old.

In 1858, JUNIOR would have been 31-years-old.

SENIOR presumably died sometime between 30 May 1860 when he wrote his will and 4 December 1865 when his will was probated. Due to the Civil War, we cannot assume that his will was probated at the time of his death; many courthouses in the south were closed during the war years from 1861 to 1865, some for a few years after 1865; plus, he named both his sons as executors and both men were active-duty during a war. Elias was presumably discharged in 1862 from the 13^th GA but other records say he served in the 4^th GA, which means he reenlisted at some point. It is not know at this time when the two brothers returned to this area after the war.

According to a news article from 1891, SENIOR killed himself while insane and his daughter Emily also committed suicide many years later as she lived a life of depression, always fearing she would go insane like her father per the news article seen to the left. Unfortunately, this news article doesn’t tell us when SENIOR died, however, it does allude to some instability in SENIOR’s health at the end of his life and this "insanity" could've just been dementia or what we call Alzheimer's today.

AGES OF LITTLE CUMBERLAND ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS

Per the website LighthouseFriends.com, the following men were keepers of the light on Little Cumberland Island; this is not my list. However, someone pointed out that all of the keepers were older men in their sixties or seventies and I disagreed. They suggested there was a pattern to these keepers and the keepers were all of this advanced age and wouldn't it be "odd" for a man in his thirties to be a keeper when it was always a man in his sixties or seventies and I disagreed with that too.

It was also said that the men were all residents of Cumberland Island or Camden County; I have found this too is not accurate; several of the men did not live in Georgia and one was even from Virginia; another from Scotland.

I could not identify several of the men because they were not residents of this area which makes it harder to identify the man if they could've lived anywhere.

The "hire" and "end" years are from the above website and are presumably the years of service. I will list the age of this person in the year they were appointed. I was unable to identify all of the men, but of the men I could identify, the average age was 39.6 years of age if we count JUNIOR as the keeper of the 15 men identified and 44.3 years of age if we count SENIOR as the keeper.

Obviously, the average age will change once the remaining men can be identified.

Actually, it seems more "out of pattern" for SENIOR to have been the keeper as most of the men were 61 years of age or younger and SENIOR was 70 years of age in 1858 with the currently known birth year.

NAME	HIRE	END	BIRTH	AGE
THOMPSON David	1838	1849	1777	61
KELLEY William F.	1849	1853	1789	60
LITTLEPAGE William B.	1853	1854
SPAULDING William H.	1854	1857	1824	30
COLLIER John	1857	1859	1823	34
CLUBB James A. Sr.*	1859	1861	1789	70
CLUBB James A. Jr.*	1859	1861	1827	32
McCARL Samuel W.	1867	1868	1834	33
STOCKWELL George W.	1868	0	1810	58
BUNKLEY William	1868	1871	1825	43
GREEN Joseph	1871
HUNTER J.S.	1871	1872
THOMPSON Myles J.	1873
SWAN Henry	1873	0	1836	37
REED H. William	1873
GAGE Henry	1873	1874
SWAN Henry	1874	1884	1836	38
AMES John William	1884	1896	1846	38
GILLEN Peter	1896	1898	1840	56
AMES George W.	1898	1900	1877	21
SWAN Charles N.	1900	1903	1874	26
THELNING Victor E.	1903	1905	1875	28
ROBERTSON John	1906	1915

William B. Littlepage was presumably a Civil War CSA veteran from Virgnia who served in the Navy.

There were three William Bunkley men who could've served in 1868, I picked the oldest man who was also a harbor pilot.

Without seeing the original lighthouse records, I wonder if Henry Gage was really Henry Googe and if H. William Reed was really Hiram J. Read who was married to Horatio Harris' sister, Ann Harris.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS SURROUNDING THE CLUBB MEN
(work in progress)

These events occurred shortly before and after the Wanderer tragedy.

09 August 1850 – James Alexander Clubb, JUNIOR was living in Glynn County in the home of B.L. Harris, female, age 56 of Maryland with $325 worth of real estate. B.L. Harris was the mother of Horatio H.H. Harris (remember him?), she was formerly Barbara L. Beck before she married Henry Allen Harris. Her home was the 23^rd visited and she was the head of household with Horatio, 21 of Georgia, a Sawyer; Hiram Reed, age 7 of Georgia; James A. Clubb, age 23 of Georgia, a carpenter; and Matilda Club age 17 of Georgia.

This document puts JUNIOR together with Horatio Harris and it is not clear exactly where they are living, but, in home 19 was Martin Palmer, Jr. whose wife was Elizabeth Miller and he presumably inherited his father’s plantation which was along the Satilla River in the area known as Brookman Community today but named Glencoe at that time.

23 September 1850 – James Alexander Club, SENIOR was enumerated in District 9, Camden County, Georgia, as the head of household for the 254^th dwelling and family number. He was 60 years of age, a planter, with $1000 of real estate, born in Georgia. Also in the home was Rebecca, 52 of Georgia; Emily, 18 of Georgia; Elias, 17 of Georgia; Marrion (as spelled), 13 of Georgia; and Elizabeth Clubb, 10 of Georgia.

The people living around him would suggest he was on Cumberland Island as the fourth person listed after him was Robert Stafford who has been confirmed to have only ever lived on Cumberland Island.

28 November 1858 – The Wanderer lands at Little Cumberland Island and the crew ask Horatio Harris to take them through St. Andrew sound. We have found two different sources for his occupation; one says he was assistant lighthouse keeper (his testimony printed in newspaper of the time) and another says he was a pilot (Jim Jordan book). Regardless, they find a man named James Clubb on Jekyll Island at the lighthouse and according to Stockwell’s testimony, Clubb lives in the neighborhood of the Satilla River.

29 December 1858 – James Clubb imprisoned in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia for contempt of court per jail records in Savannah. Unfortunately, this record gives us neither age nor a suffix to tell us whether or not it was the elder or the younger.

30 May 1860 – SENIOR writes his will and it is brought for probate in Glynn County on 4 December 1865, suggesting SENIOR was deceased by this time. In it he divides his estate into six shares for JUNIOR, Elias, Emily, Elizabeth, Isabella, and the children of his daughter Sarah who was deceased by this time.

05 June 1860 – Horatio Harris was still living with his mother, he was 30 years of age, a lumber sawyer, and his mother was still head of household in Glynn County, dwelling and family #63, post office Brunswick.

06 July 1860 – SENIOR was the head of household in Clarke’s District, Camden County, for home #207 and family #194 post office St. Mary's; he was 71 years of age, a farmer with $900 of real estate and $7915 of personal estate, born in Glynn County (as stated on the census). Other members of the home were R. Club, female, 63 born in Glynn County; Elias, 24, mechanic, born in Camden County; E. (presumably Emily), female age 23 born in Camden County; Elizabeth, 19 born in Camden County, E. Frohock (presumably Emily, a granddaughter born of Sarah Clubb), female age 14 born in McIntosh County; and Jack Hart, age 78, carpenter, born in Camden County. Here again, the people listed before and after this family would suggest that they are on Cumberland Island.

JUNIOR has never been found in the 1860 census, nor has anyone in his immediate family.

05 October 1860 – Elias Clubb is issued a pilot’s license in St. Mary's, Camden County; he was a long-time resident of Cumberland Island, remaining long after his father’s death; one newspaper article in later years stated that he operated the "Oriental House" on Cumberland, a hotel and gathering place that his father originally started.

1861-1865 – No exact date on this document from the Civil War era; it is a list of married and unmarried men who are eligible for service and JUNIOR is listed as married and noted to the side of his name is “steam boat service”, his brother Elias is listed as unmarried. One of the men on the married list was married in May 1861 so it's possible this list was made by that date and shortly before Elias enlisted in September 1861.

30 August 1861 – Horatio is paid by the C.S.A for services rendered in aid of fortifying the Georgia Coast by using his steamer Chatham that carried three assistant engineers and three laborers. Many researchers have him as a member of the 4^th GA Calvary and the local UDC group had his grave marked with a military tombstone; however, at this point in time, he was a civilian according to this record.

01 September 1861 – Elias A. Clubb enlists into the 26^th GA Infantry Co. B on Little Cumberland Island; he is also listed by occupation as a pilot.

08 November 1861 – Elias is detailed to act as clerk of boat during his military service; this information can be viewed at Fold3.com on his muster cards.

1862 – Land on Cumberland Island acquired by U.S. Forces in 1862, state land was abandoned at that time. SENIOR's land consisted of 500 acres, 200a woodland and 300a cleared and was still abandoned by this listing date of 31 October 1865.

25 February 1862 – Elias received a disability discharged from the 13^th GA Volunteers Co. B for a “long protracted case of gonorrhea and rheumatism”. This information can be viewed at Fold3.com.

10 December 1862 – JUNIOR enlists in the 4^th GA Calvary at Camp Clinch in Waynesville, Wayne County, Georgia and is stationed on a gunboat at Doctortown which suggests he was on the Altamaha River until 30 April 1863 according to muster cards which can be viewed at Fold3.com for a subscription.

04 June 1863 – Elias Clubb enlisting in the 4^th GA Calvary Co. B at Camp Walker under Capt. Hazzard according to muster cards which can be viewed at Fold3.com for a subscription.

01 March 1864 – A newspaper article mentioning "Yankee Outrages" (page one column 6) mentions a Mr. E. Clubb at Fancy Bluff in Glynn County who was beaten up and his two young daughters taken. There is no "E. Clubb" who was a resident of this area who was also considered an "old gentleman". Is it possible this is SENIOR? He would've been at JUNIOR's home which was near Fancy Bluff and he had two young daughters whereas the sons did not at this time.

1865 (no date) – SENIOR’s land on Cumberland Island is listed as “abandoned” according to document in Freedman’s Bureau records; he had 500 acres total. His land was near St. Andrew Sound on the north end of Cumberland. This document lends an explanation as to why his estate was probated in Glynn County. The way some of the statements read in this document, he most likely wasn’t allowed to return to Cumberland Island because the land was considered “confiscated” under Sherman’s order.

06 July 1865 – Per writings of Mary Bullard, A Thatched Cabin on Cumberland Island, 01 September 2010, published in African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter, Vol. 13 Issue 3, September 2010:

"Mr. James Clubb in company with Lewis Harris took one of the Negroes formerly belonging to Mr. Clubb -- tied him to a tree, piled wood around the Negro of James Clubb, named Cato and set fire to the wood and burnt the Negro to death. During this time the parties laughed and made sport of his agony..." [Source: NA, Provost Marshal Field Organizations (Civil War), Post of Fernandina Records, E-1600, “Miscellaneous Records of the Provost Marshal, 1863-1865,” Vol. 2. Affidavit attested July 6, 1865.]

31 October 1865 – While this record was dated in 1865, it tells us that the James A. Clubb land on Cumberland Island was "abandoned" by 1862 when Union forces "gained" the land. This record is located at Ancestry.com and you must have a subscription to view the document.

04 December 1865 – The will of James Alexander Clubb SENIOR was submitted for probate in Glynn County by Gustavus Friedlander, one of the witnesses to said will.

18 January 1867 – Elias Clubb submits a petition to the Glynn County court in re his father’s estate, stating his father was “late of this county”, suggesting SENIOR died in Glynn County.

13 February 1867 – James A. Clubb is mentioned, as a captain, for the first time in the Pilot Commission Minutes for the Port of Brunswick, he is already a pilot by this date as he was giving testimony regarding a ship that was grounded by another pilot. We know this to be JUNIOR because SENIOR's estate was brought for probate in 1865. JUNIOR's testimony was not specified, but the information given in this record mirrors a newspaper article dated 26 October 1888 where he told a reporter that the sunken “torpedo” near the railroad docks in Brunswick was actually a buoy that he used many times as a pilot starting in 1858 until just at war’s end in 1865. This case brought before the pilot commission was about a pilot who grounded a vessel in an area that was not marked by buoys and that the experienced pilots all knew to mark this waterway with their own temporary buoys when piloting vessels. This pilot ignored the advice of his partner who told him to put out buoys, thus causing the pilot to lose his license and his partner to be reprimanded. Another pilot got the vessel out to sea without the aid of steam. Clubb was the captain of the steam tug used during this incident.

08 May 1867 – Steam Tug Hope catches fire while at her wharf in Darien (page 3 column 2) she was entirely destroyed. The boat was owned, or financed, by Carl Epping, Esq. and was used for towing between Darien and Brunswick. JUNIOR was the captain of this tug, as proven above in a primary source document as well as by the date. Her value was $10,000 and she was not insured.

21 May 1867 – Elias A. Clubb presented a certificate from the pilot commission in St. Marys so that he would be able to pilot vessels on St. Andrew’s Bar and the Great “St. Illa” River, dated 5 October 1860. This “refiling” had to be done because an act passed in the legislature on 21 December 1866 placed St. Andrew’s Sound and Bar, and the mouths of the Great and Little Satilla Rivers under the jurisdiction of the Port of Brunswick, not Camden County. Elias was already a harbor pilot, per his license dated in 1860, but in order to pilot in these areas, which were close to his home on Cumberland, he had to register in Glynn County too per the Pilot Commission regulations. The board asked that a list of Camden County pilots be submitted but one was never mentioned as being received in the minutes book for Brunswick. His brother-in-law, Lewis W. Harris, was one of the sureties.

04 October 1867 – JUNIOR buys a piece of property with his brother-in-law, Lewis W. Harris, which is located in southeast Glynn County overlooking Jekyll Island and Little Cumberland Island. Click here to see a map of Glynn County from 1868.

03 August 1868 – JUNIOR files a petition in the Glynn County courthouse for his father’s estate and states that his father was “deceased, late of this county” suggesting his father died in Glynn County and not Camden. This petition was to sell 104 acres on Cumberland Island to pay the estate’s debts.

18 May 1869 – Jas. A. Clubb files application for a branch to pilot on the Brunswick Bar, giving B.M. Cargyle and James S. Blain as securities; his application was laid over to the next meeting of the  Commissioners of Pilotage for the Port of Brunswick, page 55 but was never mentioned again. This does not necessarily mean he was requesting to just now become a pilot; existing pilots had to request areas to pilot, they could not just go out an pilot wherever whenever.

15 June 1869 – James A. Clubb's application for a branch that was applied for in May 1869 was postponed until the next pilot commission.

20 July 1869 – JUNIOR's petition was still postponed, the reason given this time was so that a full board meeting could be held; the next meeting was held 1 March 1870 at which, Clubb was never mentioned, nor was the other held over business.

15 July 1870 – Elias Clubb was granted leave from his branch that he pilots in order to attend court. Bar pilots were not allowed to just take time off; the had to petition the board of commissioners of pilotage and request time off or they would be considered AWOL.

20 June 1871 – Robert Farmer applies for a branch to pilot on St. Andrew's Bar which was granted for 18 months upon his securing a bond; he was examined by pilots Elias Clubb and Samuel A. Brockinton [this surname was later spelled Brockington].

27 February 1872 – James A. Clubb requests a branch to pilot on St. Andrew's Bar which was approved on this date per Brunswick Pilot Commission Minutes.

16 August 1872 – The Board of Commissioners of Pilotage for the Port of Brunswick revoked James A. Clubb's branch and requested that he return the same; no reason given in the minutes of this date.

06 December 1872 – Robert Farmer's permanent license to pilot was granted; his previous license was only for 18 months granted in June of the previous year and this license covers the areas recently revoked from his father-in-law.

10 March 1875 – The marriage between Robert Farmer and Algenora Clubb occurs; she was the daughter of James Alexander Clubb, Jr. and Farmer family stories suggest that Robert came directly to the coast of Georgia from Australia, possibly during the Civil War or just after and that he met Algenora through his occupation as a harbor pilot. This license would lend a little proof towards this family story, especially since Elias Clubb was the man who examined Farmer's seamanship.

16 January 1883 – Capt. Elias A. Clubb, brother of James Alexander Clubb, JUNIOR, changes his surname to Peerson, presumably his maternal grandmother’s surname. This document was recorded in Glynn County Superior Court Minutes Vol. 8 pgs. 137-39. His reason for changing his surname was due to the surname becoming the “subject of the idle talker, the hinting and surmising professional gossip, until a story, enlarged at every repetition has passed to the full grown, yet impossible scandalmonger and the Repeater of scandal who, true to their instincts, have made the name odious a barrier to social intercourse and a burden to bear.”

If we read local newspapers from this time, more and more stories are making the columns, originating from James A. Clubb, JUNIOR. Could it be his regaling of family tales, both good and bad, that causes Elias to change his surname? It seems rather unusualy for Elias changing his surname so late in life.

20 May 1884 – The Savannah Morning News gives us this little gem found on page one column two under the heading of “Methodism in Brunswick”, there is a paragraph simply titled “CAPT. JAS. A. CLUBB”:

“…who when quite a young man many years ago became noted for his romantic connection as pilot with the celebrated slaver yacht Wanderer, and who is one of our most respected citizens and a bar pilot, has recently made a lucky find—a veritable iron mine (railroad iron, at that).
                During the war a large flat containing about 450 tons of railroad iron, being conveyed to Fernandina for the purpose of being used in the construction of a fort, and sent from Savannah, was sunk in St Simon’s Sound, near Jekyl Island. No one could ever find the spot again, though many fruitless days were spent in searching and grappling. One wrecking and diving company from Wilmington tried in vain to find it, and left in disgust.
                A short time since, however, Capt. Clubb, while “heaving short” on the anchor of a bark which had been lying in the roads at anchor, the crew found the cable had fouled, and after some effort and the moving around of the ship the chain began to rattle and grate against some metallic substance, and, coming up a little more, it was found that the chain had gotten under a tier of railroad iron bars, and brought them up nearly upright, when they all dropped off the chain again back to their twenty years’ resting place. The Captain took his bearings and marked the spot, and if the vessels would quit coming so he could rest awhile he would go to work to recover the long lost iron, which experts say is comparatively uninjured.

26 October 1888 – This newspaper mentions “This Torpedo” underwater at the B&W Docks in Brunswick who many had speculated it was a torpedo used at Port royal in 1863, however, Capt. James Clubb comes forward with this:

“…Capt. James Clubb informs us that this object which has so suddenly come into notice is an old bell buoy that used to be anchored on Doboy bar in 1858, ’59 and ’60. In ’61 it broke from its moorings during a fearful northeast gale, and was washed up on St. Simons beach, and later on was towed up to Brunswick and left where it now lies. The Captain informs us that it has guided him to sea with at least 150 vessels that he has towed out from the port of Darien and Doboy.”

JUNIOR is telling the readers that he was a pilot between the years 1858 and 1861, that he towed at least 150 vessels from Darien and Doboy Island.

08 November 1888 – This newspaper article reads as if the author is currently speaking to JUNIOR about the past events. Events are summarized, keeping to the form of years gone by in the news, however, present tense words are used when speaking about statements Clubb made during the trials.

“…Of the 500 slaves captured by the Wanderer only 350 reached America and of those Capt. Clubb informs us, 14 died the first not on the island.”

Does this mean that he is informing the author in 1888 or are they referencing his testimony and in a way that suggests that at the time in 1858 he “informs us”, the readers of 1858-59? There are several instances that refer to Capt. Clubb in the present tense and, I’ve never found SENIOR with a title, I haven’t even found a record that uses the prefix “Sr.” after his name.

The editors and proprietors of this paper were T.G. Stacy and his sons; Stacy was also a contemporary of JUNIOR’s, being just a decade younger.

06 July 1891 – Luther Martin, the spouse of Emily Clubb who was the daughter of SENIOR, decided to end his life as he figured he had lived his entire life with care and it was time to go. While talking to the couple he was living with, he discussed his wife's suicide by drowning "ten years ago" and said that he could die that way as well as any. He dressed in his "Sunday best" and waded out into the waters right in front of swimmers who had no clue what they were witnessing. This news article goes on to state that Emily was frequently depressed after her marriage at a young age and after years of trying to get her to talk, she tells Luther about her father's death, "he having killed himself while insane. The memory of this act and the fear that reason would also leave her, grew in her mind, and the insane asylum with all its horrors was constantly in her mind." Her body was found by Mrs. Peckan who lived on Cumberland Island at the time and with whom Luther was currently living on St. Simons Island.

Sources & Reference Materials:

“The Slave-Trader’s Letter-Book; Charles Lamar, THE WANDERER, and Other Tales of the African Slave Trade”, by Jim Jordan, University of Georgia Press ©2018

“The Wanderer; The Last American Slave Ship and the Conspiracy That Set Its Sails,” by Erik Calonius, published by St. Martin’s Press, New York ©2006

“The Slave Ship Wanderer”, by Tom Henderson Wells, University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia, 300602 ©1967

“The Lighthouses of Georgia”, by Buddy Sullivan, edited by Patricia Morris, published in cooperation with the Coastal Georgia Historical Society ©1996

Here is are some links to several newspaper articles that were used by the above authors:

https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn85038505/1858-12-30/ed-1/seq-2/

https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn87090234/1859-01-01/ed-1/seq-1

https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn82014211/1859-03-10/ed-1/seq-2