Nathaniel Savory (1794 - 1874) was one of the first American

colonists A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

who is said to have settled on the

Ogasawara Islands The Bonin Islands, also known as the , are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan and northwest of Guam. The name "Bonin Islands" comes from the Japanese word ''bunin'' (an archaic readi ...

. He eventually became governor, and played an active role in government before and during the colonization by Japan.

Life

Nathaniel Savory was born in Bradford, Massachusetts and eventually relocated to

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. In 1830 he headed out for an adventure expedition, led by Matteo Mazzaro (of

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descent), and accompanied by a small group of Americans, British, and Hawaiians who all eventually settled in Ōgiura,

Chichi-jima , formerly known as Peel Island, is the largest island in the Ogasawara Islands, Ogasawara archipelago. Chichijima is about north of Iwo Jima. The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara, Tokyo, Ogasawara Village, Ogasawara Subpref ...

. After a shift in power and the death of Matteo Mazzaro, Savory became governor of the islanders. In April 1853, Admiral

Matthew Perry Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is an American-Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004). As well as starring in the short-lived television series ''Stud ...

made a stop at the island on the way to Japan established a colonial government plan, and chose Savory as the leader of the immigrants. In December 1861, when Tadakuni Mizuno and others landed on the island, the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese began taking control. In 1862 the islands were claimed by Japan, but Savory was left in charge of the islanders.

In literature

Nathaniel Savory is a prominent character in the 1943 novel ''Bonin'' by Robert Standish.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savory, Nathaniel Bonin Islands American emigrants to Japan People from Bradford, Massachusetts 1794 births 1874 deaths