Thomas Bradley Harris

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Thomas Bradley Harris (about 1862)
Harris and Torrey
Harris's grave on Governor's Hill near Kimanis

Thomas Bradley Harris (born October 29, 1826 , New York City , United States , † May 22, 1866 in Ellena, Borneo ) was an American merchant and co-founder of the American colony "Ellena" on the island of Borneo.

Life in New York City

Thomas Bradley Harris was born in New York on October 29, 1826. By profession he ran a ship equipment trade on the corner of South Street and Maiden Lane, first alone, later with his business partner Nathan Gilette Pond. His father had already opened the business premises in 1805. Among other things, Harris & Pond exported large quantities of butter to Hong Kong . This export business was so successful that the trademark was soon copied by other exporters and pasted onto their own goods. Harris left New York in 1862 to set up his own branch in Hong Kong and put an end to unfair competition. His wife Sarah Louisa b. He left Seymour and his children in Walton , where his father James Harris had already retired after leaving the company in 1857.

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. In October Torrey and Harris founded with the Chinese financiers Lee Assing and Pong Ampong - Where slope was soon excreted from the company after the completion of the contract - the American Trading Company of Borneo and decided to establish a colony in the area of today Kimanis build . In December 1865 Torrey founded the settlement "Ellena" with 12 Americans and 60 Chinese. Torrey was made ruler and governor and was given the title of "Rajah of Ambong and Marudu," while Harris was made lieutenant governor. The plan to make the colony attractive to other settlers through the cultivation of sugar cane, tobacco and rice, however, failed after a short time. As early as 1866, Ellena was given up again due to a lack of capital, lack of labor, revolts among the workers and serious illnesses.

Harris' grave in Kimanis

Harris died on May 22, 1866 at the age of 40 after an adventurous journey through the jungle over the then unknown Crocker Mountain Range to Keningau of a fever - a common expression for malaria at the time . His friend and business associate, Torrey, had him buried on the top of a nearby hill, now known as Governor's Hill . Harris had built his house on the slopes of the hill and made a path down to the river dock. A mighty block of granite, which is said to have taken six water buffaloes to get from the quarry to the grave in a two-day effort, marks his final resting place. Torrey had the following inscription stamped on this tombstone:

In Memory of
Thomas
Bradley Harris
Hon. Chief Secretary of
the Colony of
Ambong and Maroodu.
By Birth
a Citizen of the United States
Died 22 nd 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."

The coffin with the remains were exhumed a short time later and brought to the USA.

Web links

Commons : Thomas Bradley Harris  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ S. Whitney Phoenix: The Whitney Family of Connecticut . New York, 1878, p. 407
  2. ^ S. Whitney Phoenix: The Whitney Family of Connecticut . New York, 1878, p. 408
  3. ↑ Lois Fonseca: Biography of Thomas Bradley Harris , University of Hawaii
  4. ↑ KG Tregonning: North Borneo , Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London, 1960, page 23-27
  5. ^ DS Ranjit Singh: The Making Of Sabah 1865-1941 - The Dynamics of Indigenous Society. 3rd edition, Kota Kinabalu 2011, pp. 113-115.
  6. ↑ KG Tregonning: A History of Modern Sabah (North Borneo 1881-1963) . 2nd edition. University of Malaya Press, Kuala Lumpur 1965, Reprint 1967, p. 7
  7. ^ Owen Rutter: British North Borneo . Constable & Company, London 1922, p. 118
  8. ↑ American's Lonely Grave on Jungle Hilltop . ( Memento of the original from December 30, 2013 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: The Straits Times , Dec. 1, 1909, p. 8 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / newspapers.nl.sg
  9. ^ British North Borneo Herald , November 2, 1910, p. 191
  10. Jump up ↑ Ellena - America's Lost Colony in Kimanis of North Borneo on northborneohistory.com

Remarks

  1. ↑ The name Claude Lee Moses is also found in the literature, but in the contract with the Sultan Abdul Mumin , notarized by Moses , he uses the first name Charles .
  2. ^ Translation: In memory of Thomas Bradley Harris, Lieutenant Governor of the Colony of Ambong and Marudu, a citizen of the United States by birth. 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".
personal data
SURNAME Harris, Thomas Bradley
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Merchant and co-founder of the American colony of Ellena
DATE OF BIRTH October 29, 1826
PLACE OF BIRTH New York City , United States of America
DATE OF DEATH May 22, 1866
Place of death Ellena, Borneo