Random People Who Disappeared Mysteriously Before 1800 (14 items)

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  (#3) David Thomson, The Founder Of New Hampshire, Vanished From History

  They say timing is everything. In 1622, David Thomson received a land grant from the New England Council. His family would the be the first non-natives to establish themselves in the territory. Thomson built a settlement called Pannaway and traded successfully with the local Piscataqua natives. He also fished extensively in the waters surrounding his settlement, and he and his wife spent three winters as the first white settlers of the territory.

  Then, in 1626, Thomson suddenly left Pannaway and moved to an island in Boston Harbor. He established himself to the extent that today this island is still known as Thomson Island. What happened to him subsequently is unknown, but it is believed that he died in 1627 or 1628. 
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  (#4) Jean-Francois de Galaup Sailed Around The World But Got Lost Somewhere Between Australia And France

  Jean-Francois de Galaup was born in Albi, in southern France, in 1741. De Galaup served in the French Navy the American Revolution. After this, de Galaup had achieved great military success and was promoted to the rank of Commodore. In 1785, Louis XVI appointed him to lead a global French naval expedition around the world, similar to voyages being attempted by Great Britain.

  Two ships, the Astrolabe and the Boussole, were fitted for the voyage, which departed in August of 1785. He managed to pass through Cape Horn, made a stop at Easter Island, and stepped foot on the island of Maui. From here, LaPerouse's remarkably long journey would proceed to Alaska, south to California, Macao, the Philippines, Korea, and Eastern Russia. The expedition then headed to present-day Sydney, Australia. En route, more than ten of his crew members, including the commander of the Astrolabe, were slain in Samoa. 

  LaPerouse arrived in Botany Bay, Australia, in January of 1788. He would remain in Australia for six weeks, before returning for France. Unfortunately, neither LaPerouse nor his men were ever seen again. More than two hundred years later, wreckage found on the island of Vanikolo in the Solomon group was historically verified as that of the Astrolabe and the Boussole. While many theories persist, the disappearance of LaPerouse and his men was never fully explained.
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  (#2) Spartacus

  • Dec. at 38 (108 BC-70 BC)

  Spartacus was a first-century Roman slave of Thracian (present day southeastern Europe) descent who lead a lengthy rebellion against ancient Rome. Because accounts of his life and exploits come primarily from ancient Roman historians, his biography is vague and unsubstantiated. He is believed to have been enslaved by Roman legions and confined to a school for gladiators, where he helped lead a successful revolt in 73 B.C. His original group of slaves captured wagons and military equipment, recruited other slaves into their ranks, and plundered the Capua region, near present-day Naples, Italy. 

  Because much of the Roman military was involved in foreign expeditions, Spartacus easily defeated the initial attempts to subdue his revolt and his forces swelled to over 70,000 men. Responsibility for destroying Spartacus was now turned over to the wealthiest man in Rome, Marcus Licinius Crassus, who would lead eight Roman legions of over 40,000 men into battle. 

  Over an extended period, Crassus was able to push Spartacus southward until the rebel force was bottled up in the toe of present-day Italy. Plans to flee to Sicily failed and Spartacus and his rebel force were decisively defeated and decimated in a battle near Senerchia. Although six thousand captives were subsequently crucified by Crassus, Spartacus's body was never found and the exact circumstances of his death are unknown.        
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  (#14) Miguel Corte-Real

  • Dec. at 54 (1448-1502)

  Ever loyal, Miguel Corte-Real returned to the New World in search of his missing brother in 1502.  He became separated from his flotilla of three ships and disappeared. While the other two ships made it back to Portugal, Miguel never returned.

   
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  (#6) John Cabot

  John Cabot (AKA Giovanni Caboto) was born in Genoa around 1450. He spent his early adult years in Venice getting involved in maritime commerce throughout the eastern Mediterranean. He began to search for backers for a planned voyage to the New World, successfully obtaining both financing and official permission in England. 

  Little is known of Cabot's first couple of voyages. Nevertheless, Cabot returned to England amidst great fanfare. Within a year he would attempt another voyage, this time hoping to sail west from Europe to Japan, departing in 1498 with two hundred men and around five ships. The fate of Cabot, his men and even the voyage itself remain historically vague, and any record of Cabot's end is nonexistent.
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  (#12) Thomas Lynch, Jr.

  • Dec. at 30 (1749-1779)

  By 1779, Thomas Lynch, Jr., had accomplished a great deal. Born in South Carolina in 1749,  he graduated with honors from Cambridge and studied law in London, returning home a few years before the American Revolution. Commissioned a Company Commander in the South Carolina Regiment, he resigned when he was elected to the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence. Lynch's health went into a steep decline after this momentous event and, at the end of 1776, in an attempt to recover, he and his wife sailed to the West Indies. Unfortunately, bad weather met their ship mid-voyage, and neither Lynch nor his wife was ever seen again. 

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