William (1809 – 1892) “The Whaler” – my fourth cousin ( my great, great, great grandfather’s brother’s son) is buried at St Nicholas church cemetery, Aberdeen.
Generally referred to as “The Whaler” but more accurately “The Discoverer and Whaler”. He went to sea at an early age with his father, William (born 1775), who was a whaler skipper.
“The Whaler” played a major part in the search for Sir John Franklin and the crews of Erebus and Terror who were lost during an attempt to discover the Northwest Passage. Much has been written about my 4th cousin and many fellow Pennys seeking our roots have discovered our relationship to him and, as such, to one another.
This is where he fits into my family tree.
Nowadays aircraft fly over the areas where he and others were “sailing” – overview here in Penny Strait and Flight Paths. Download this page to see how the Sea Ice Extent has varied.
Norman J Penny - Family 