Description This is the story of Diana McGurk’s great-great-grandfather, Captain Samuel Phipps. Samuel was born in Mitcham, Surry in the UK and was destined to work in the local copper works as had his father, uncles and brothers. However fate changed Samuel’s life forever when his father died and he was indentured with the merchant navy, and so began his life at sea. Captain Samuel Phipps spent most of his life working on boats and through the help of his descendants, we have been able to find precious documents showing many of his journeys, and details of the life of his wife Alice and their children. We also get a glimpse of Onehunga, which was a busy port at the time and home to many people plying their trades, including local shopkeepers, ship traders, and mariners.
