Joseph William Torrey

Col. Joseph William Torrey , Rajah of Ambong and Marudu, (born April 22, 1828 , Bath (Maine) , United States , † June 22, 1885 in Boston , United States) was an American businessman, President of the American Trading Company of Borneo and co-founder of the American colony "Ellena" on the island of Borneo. He was known as the "Yankee Rajah " and served as the US Vice Consul in Siam .

Life

Harris and Torrey

Joseph William Torrey was born on April 22, 1828 in the North American town of Bath, Maine. He was the son of Joseph Gendall Torrey and Emily Houghton. His father was a printer, and in that capacity was also the founder of the Maine Gazette , Bath's first newspaper.

In 1834 the family moved to Roxbury, a borough of Boston . Joseph William graduated from Boston High School under Rev. Dr. Leach. At first he also learned the printing trade and worked for a few years in his father's company, through which he came into contact with the satirical magazine Carpet Bag by Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber.

Torrey served in several companies and was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston . The authenticity of his military grade "Colonel" is questioned.

In 1853 he left Boston and went to Melbourne , Australia , where he worked as an employee at the trading house Caldwell, Train & Co., Commission Merchants and Steam Packet Agents . He was also a partner in Torrey & Foodrich and Company, Discharging Clerks . In addition to his work in the trading house, he began studying law; however, he is not known to have an academic degree. In Melbourne he joined the Masonic Lodge and later became its Grand Master. In 1860 he moved to Hong Kong , where he initially became editor of China Mail , the first British daily newspaper in Hong Kong. He later took over the editing of the Hong Kong Times . In 1862 he joined Montgomery & Parker as a ship broker and commission agent . He bought his own ship, which he named Ellen - probably after his youngest daughter.

On September 22, 1854, while in Australia, he married his first wife, Eliza Lydia Ewer, in Victoria. The couple had two children, Emiline Eliza (born 1856) and Cordelia Grace (born 1858). One year after the birth of the second child, Eliza died after a short illness at the age of only 27. Torrey sent the two children back to Roxbury in 1860, where they grew up with their grandparents. In 1863 Torrey married again. His second wife, Charlotte Ann "Lemon" Mills, who was only fifteen years old, gave birth to a son Joseph Gendall (born September 16, 1864) and later a daughter named Elena Charlotte (born 1867).

Foundation of the Ellena colony

In August 1865, the American consul Charles Lee Moses had signed a 10-year lease with the Sultan of Brunei Abdul Mumin and with his heir to the throne Pengiran Temenggung, which guaranteed him land rights in various areas in northern Borneo . After signing the lease, the consul sought buyers for his concessions immediately after signing the lease. Moses' offer aroused the interest of his compatriots Joseph William Torrey and Thomas Bradley Harris . Blinded by exuberant reports about a country rich in gold, diamonds, precious woods, spices and treasures that were just waiting to be brought to the markets of Hong Kong and China, they bought Moses' concessions on Nov. September 1865.

Page 2 of Torrey's concession with his appointment as Rajah

In October 1865, Torrey and Harris founded the American Trading Company of Borneo together with Chinese donors Lee Assing and Pong Ampong - Wo Hang left the company soon after the contract was signed - and decided to establish a colony in the area of what is now Kimanis build up. Seeing that the acquisition of the concession from Moses would also be recognized by the Sultan of Brunei, Torrey had a new concession letter drawn up, which was negotiated on November 24, 1865 in the Palace of Brunei and affixed with the seals of the Sultan and three of his ministers. The deed confirmed his acquisition of a license and not only raised Torrey to ruler of life and death, but also gave him the title of "Rajah of Ambong and Marudu".

In December 1865 Torrey founded the colony "Ellena" with 12 Americans and 60 Chinese and made himself its governor. Harris was appointed lieutenant governor. The melodious title did not protect Torrey from the failure of his colonial plans. The plan to make Ellena attractive to other settlers by growing sugar cane, tobacco and rice failed after a short time. The unfortunate choice of Ellena's location in the mouth of the sluggishly flowing Sungai Kimanis favored the outbreak of malaria and other diseases. The colony also lacked a solid financial base, so that Torrey was forced to leave the construction of the colony to his deputy Harris and to look for donors in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

While Torrey was desperately trying to raise further capital for his colony in Hong Kong, his friend Harris died of malaria on May 22, 1866 at the age of 40 . Torrey had his business partner buried on the top of a nearby hill, now known as the Governor's Hill . Torrey had the following inscription stamped on his tombstone:

In memory of Thomas Bradley Harris, Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Ambong and Marudu, a natural born citizen of the United States. Died May 22, 1866 at the age of 40. Erected by the Rajah with honorable respect to an old, loyal and valued friend. "After life's capricious fever, he now sleeps well".

As early as 1866, the American colony was abandoned due to a lack of capital, a shortage of labor, revolts among the workers and serious illnesses. The end of Ellena left a destitute Torrey. Driven on the one hand by the predominantly Chinese investors, on the other hand by Charles Lee Moses, who was still waiting for the purchase price to be paid, he tried to sell his rights on at a profit. However, only nine years later - shortly before the expiry of the ten-year concession - Torrey succeeded in January 1876 in Hong Kong in selling all rights to the German-born Baron von Overbeck . The purchase price of 15,000 Straits dollars was tied to the condition that the ruler of Brunei had to obtain an extension of the concessions within nine months.

Diplomatic service

From 1877 to 1880 he was Vice Consul in the US Consulate in Siam , now Thailand. In his capacity as Vice Consul, he was also part of the American delegation that accompanied ex-President Ulysses S. Grant during his visit to Chulalongkorn , King of Siam. It seems, however, that his presence was not well liked by everyone, as he could not come to terms with his superior. After his replacement as Vice Consul, he remained as a member of the American legation in Bangkok.

Homecoming and death

Torrey returned to America in 1883. A few days before his death he received word from the King of Siam that he should be appointed as his chief adviser. Before he had decided whether or not to accept the office, Torrey died on Monday June 22, 1885 at his home on Wabon Street in Roxbury . Even in death he represented his lost kingdom: he was laid out in the uniform of a high oriental dignitary for three days before his black walnut coffin was brought to St. James Episcopal Church . A large crown of flowers in the colors of Ellena's flag - yellow and red - formed the central eye-catcher, in it a crescent moon with thirteen stripes on a blue background and thirteen stars, which testified to the American origin of the Rajah. He was buried in the Torreys family grave in Forest Hills Cemetery and Crematory .

Others

Torrey, "the only American Raja" also featured on the cover of the January issue of Ripley's Believe It or Not! in 1950.

literature

Frederic Crosby Torrey: The Torrey families and their children in America (PDF; 56.7 MB), Lakehurst NJ 1924
Joseph William Torrey: American Trading Company of Borneo Organized Under Special Concession from His Highness the Sultan of Borneo, and the General Laws of the State of New York . 1868
HG Keith: The United States Consul and the Yankee Raja . Brunei Museum Journal, Volume 1980, No. 4; monograph

Remarks

↑ The very detailed genealogy of the Torrey family, which by the way provides very precise evidence of the military careers of the family members, also leaves the question of military grade open.
↑ The name Claude Lee Moses is also found in the literature; however, in the contract with the Sultan Abdul Mumin , notarized by Moses , he himself uses the first name Charles .
↑ The crucial section on page 2 of his concession document reads: and do hereby nominate and appoint Joseph William Torrey Supreme Ruler and Governor of the above named territory with the title of Rajah of Ambong and Maloodoo with power of life and death over the inhabitants with all the rights of property vested in us over the productions of the country wether mineral (with the exception of coal at Benoni and Kimanis only) vegetable or animal - with the rights of making laws, coining money, creating an army and navy for their own protection, or for the suppression of piracy in their area or adjacent waters and commissioning the officers thereof, levying custom rates on foreign vessels or people and other dues on the inhabitants as to him may seem good and expedient, together with all other forces and rights usually and exercised by, and belonging to Sovereign Rulers: - and we call upon all foreign nations with whom we have formed friendly treaties and alliances to acknowledge e the said Rajah as ourself in the above territories and to respect this authority therein - and in case of the death or retirement from office of this said Rajah then his successor in the office of President of the above Company shall succeed.
^ Original in English: In Memory of Thomas Bradley Harris, Hon. Chief Secretary of the Colony of Ambong and Maroodu. By Birth a Citizen of the USA Died 22nd May, 1866. Aged 40 Years. Erected by the Rajah. A Tribute of Respect to the Memory of An Old, Faithful and Esteemed Friend. "After Life's Fitful Fever, He Sleeps Well."

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Frederic Crosby Torrey: The Torrey families and their children in America , p. 81

^ ^A ^b ^c Death of Colonel Joseph William Torrey . In: Boston Evening Transcript , June 23, 1885

^ ^A ^b Tatu Frank: The United States Consul, the Yankee Raja, Ellena and the Constitution: A Historical Vignette. In: Archipelago . Volume 40, 1990. p. 88; Accessed July 24, 2013

↑ AVM Horton: A Biographical Dictionary of Negara Brunei Darussalam: (1841-1998) . 4th edition. Bordesley 1999, 2 volumes, pp. 411-413

^ The History of Matt Genealogical Page of the Ewer Family; Retrieved July 25, 2013

^ Entry by Charlotte Ann Mills on ancestry.com; Retrieved July 25, 2013

^ DS Ranjit Singh: The Making Of Sabah 1865-1941 - The Dynamics of Indigenous Society. 3rd edition, Kota Kinabalu 2011, pp. 113-115.

↑ BA Hussainmiya: Brunei - Revival of 1906 ( Memento of the original from September 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 1.7 MB), p. 8, Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, Bandar Seri Begawan, 2006, ISBN 99917-32-15-2 @1@ 2
↑ KG Tregonning: A History of Modern Sabah (North Borneo 1881-1963) , 2nd Edition. University of Malaya Press, Kuala Lumpur 1965, Reprint 1967, p. 7
↑ KG Tregonning: North Borneo , Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1960, page 23-27
^ List of the members of the diplomatic corps in Bangkok. ( Memento of the original from February 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Straits Times Overland Journal , Nov. 2, 1877, p. 4 @1@ 2
↑ General Grant in Bangkok . ( Memento of the original from February 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Straits Times Overland Journal , April 29, 1879, p. 2, Topics of the day @1@ 2
^ Benjamin A. Batson: American Diplomats In Southeast Asia In The Nineteenth Century: The Case Of Siam . (PDF; 3.4 MB) In: Journal of the Siam Society , vol. 64, no. 2, 1976
↑ Col. Brine's Journey overland from Tavoy to Bangkok . ( Memento of the original from February 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Straits Times Weekly Issue , Feb.26, 1883, p. 4 @1@ 2
^ Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922): Funeral of Joseph W. Torrey. , June 26, 1885, p. 8
↑ Torrey's tombstone on findagrave.com ; Retrieved July 24, 2013
↑ Obituary . In: New York Times , June 23, 1885; Retrieved July 24, 2013

personal data
SURNAME	Torrey, Joseph William
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Rajah from Ambong and Marudu, Yankee Rajah
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Merchant and co-founder of the American colony of Ellena
DATE OF BIRTH	April 22, 1828
PLACE OF BIRTH	Bath (Maine) , United States of America
DATE OF DEATH	June 22, 1885
Place of death	Boston , United States of America

[4] The very detailed genealogy of the Torrey family, which by the way provides very precise evidence of the military careers of the family members, also leaves the question of military grade open.

[8] The name Claude Lee Moses is also found in the literature; however, in the contract with the Sultan Abdul Mumin , notarized by Moses , he himself uses the first name Charles .

[11] The crucial section on page 2 of his concession document reads: and do hereby nominate and appoint Joseph William Torrey Supreme Ruler and Governor of the above named territory with the title of Rajah of Ambong and Maloodoo with power of life and death over the inhabitants with all the rights of property vested in us over the productions of the country wether mineral (with the exception of coal at Benoni and Kimanis only) vegetable or animal - with the rights of making laws, coining money, creating an army and navy for their own protection, or for the suppression of piracy in their area or adjacent waters and commissioning the officers thereof, levying custom rates on foreign vessels or people and other dues on the inhabitants as to him may seem good and expedient, together with all other forces and rights usually and exercised by, and belonging to Sovereign Rulers: - and we call upon all foreign nations with whom we have formed friendly treaties and alliances to acknowledge e the said Rajah as ourself in the above territories and to respect this authority therein - and in case of the death or retirement from office of this said Rajah then his successor in the office of President of the above Company shall succeed.

[13] Original in English: In Memory of Thomas Bradley Harris, Hon. Chief Secretary of the Colony of Ambong and Maroodu. By Birth a Citizen of the USA Died 22nd May, 1866. Aged 40 Years. Erected by the Rajah. A Tribute of Respect to the Memory of An Old, Faithful and Esteemed Friend. "After Life's Fitful Fever, He Sleeps Well."

[FredericCrosbyTorrey-1] Frederic Crosby Torrey: The Torrey families and their children in America , p. 81

[BET-2] A ^b ^c Death of Colonel Joseph William Torrey . In: Boston Evening Transcript , June 23, 1885

[Tatu-3] A ^b Tatu Frank: The United States Consul, the Yankee Raja, Ellena and the Constitution: A Historical Vignette. In: Archipelago . Volume 40, 1990. p. 88; Accessed July 24, 2013

[Horton-5] AVM Horton: A Biographical Dictionary of Negara Brunei Darussalam: (1841-1998) . 4th edition. Bordesley 1999, 2 volumes, pp. 411-413

[6] The History of Matt Genealogical Page of the Ewer Family; Retrieved July 25, 2013

[7] Entry by Charlotte Ann Mills on ancestry.com; Retrieved July 25, 2013

[9] DS Ranjit Singh: The Making Of Sabah 1865-1941 - The Dynamics of Indigenous Society. 3rd edition, Kota Kinabalu 2011, pp. 113-115.