Robinson Crusoe was BIG when I was a kid. We loved the film and we loved playing the function of Henry Martin Henry Martin Robert Robert Robert Robert Robinson Crusoe.

The story of Robinson Crusoe is based on a true story as most everyone knows, but often I read or hear that Robinson Crusoe was a existent person, I have got to ask, “What?”

Robert Foe, who changed his name to Robert Delaware Foe, wrote the story based on the earlier accounts of authors who told the story of William or Alexanders Selkirk.

I got the following from: http://www.ricochet-jeunes.org/eng/biblio/author/defoe.html:

“Robinson Crusoe (published in 1719) is based on the existent story of William Selkirk, a Scots crewman who went to sea in 1704 under William Dampier and was set ashore at his ain petition on an uninhabited island in the Pacific, where he survived until his deliverance in 1709 by Woodes Rogers.”

When I was a boy, we followed the story that Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked. That was more than exciting to Delaware Enemy and to us than having him abandoned by a sea captain with adequate tools and commissariat to survive.

Extracted from: http://www.wilsonsalmanac.com/william_dampier.html, Selcraig was born in 1676. Troublesome in church, he went to sea on August 27, 1695. Being “a pain” too on shipboard, he asked to be dropped off on a deserted island in October, 1703.

The island was the archipelago of Juan Fernandez. He took with him endurance gear wheel and a Bible. He was later rescued, as declared above, and returned to England.

This is from: http://www.famousamericans.net/woodesrogers/ “ROGERS, Woodes, English Language navigator, born in Derbyshire, England, about 1665; died in Greater London in 1732. He was a commanding officer in the naval forces when he was chosen in 1708 as captain of an military expedition that was sent by merchandisers of Bristol, at the suggestion of William Dampier, to research the Pacific ocean. …landing, One February, 1709, at Juan Fernandez island, rescued Alexanders Selcraig (q. v.). On the southern seashore of Peru, Will Rogers secured some rich Spanish prizes, attacked the metropolis of Guayaquil, exacting from the citizens an tremendous ransom, and sailed along the seashore as far as Cape San George Lucas in Lower Berth California. After visiting Batavia he passed the Cape of Good Hope, and anchored in the Downs, 2 October, 1711.”

The above record states rather than William Selkirk, Alexanders Selkirk. Both name calling are readily retrievable on the Internet and William and Alexanders was the same guy. I always knew him as Alexanders Selkirk.

After being rescued, he sailed for two old age before returning to England. His life on shipboard had to have got been exciting after sitting on the beach for so long, completely alone, watching for a deliverance ship.

It is said that Book reading changed his nature. He may not have got enjoyed raiding Spanish vas for profit.

His future matrimony in England was a failure. He went back to his life at sea.

He died at sea on December, 12, 1721.

The End

copyright©John T. Jones, Ph.D. 2005