Henry Hudson

Some reports state that Henry Hudson was married to a lady named Katherine and had three sons.

The shallop in which Hudson and the other castaways were set adrift was never seen again. It is generally believed that the castaways died after a few days.

The Hudson River in New York and New Jersey, Hudson County in New Jersey, the Henry Hudson Bridge, the Henry Hudson Parkway, and the town of Hudson, New York are all named in the honor of this great explorer.

Nothing regarding his birth or early life is known with certainty. Some sources state that he was born around 1565 while others date his birth to around 1570. Nothing is known about his parents or family either.

It is believed that he worked as a cabin boy while young and acquired years of experience at sea.

Hudson probably became an experienced and skilled sailor by the beginning of the 17th century. The Muscovy Company of England hired Hudson in 1607 to find a northerly route to the Pacific coast of Asia. During this period, several companies in different countries were vying with each other to find the Northwest Passage to Asia.

Hudson along with his son, John, and ten companions set forth on the 80-ton Hopewell on 1 May 1607. They started northward and reached the east coast of Greenland in June. On reaching the edge of the polar ice pack, he followed it east until he reached the Svalbard (Spitsbergen) archipelago. Due to the icy conditions, the expedition could not continue and returned to England in September.

The next year, in 1608, he was sent again by East India and Muscovy Companies on another attempt to find the passage. The expedition started from London in April and travelled almost 2,500 miles up to Novava Zemlya, well above the Arctic Circle, in July. It was summer, but still the ice was impenetrable and the voyagers were forced to turn back.

In 1609, Hudson joined the Dutch East India Company as a commander and was assigned to undertake a third northeast voyage. He started from Amsterdam in April abroad the Dutch ship Halve Maen (Half Moon). This time he was told to discover a northern route to Asia by heading north of Russia.

The sailors could not explore the specified route due to unfavorable climatic conditions and decided instead to try to seek a westerly passage through North America.

In 1609, while on a voyage to search for the Northwest Passage, Henry Hudson came across a river near the region of modern day New York in North America. He explored the areas around the river and claimed the territory as the first Dutch settlement in North America. The river was eventually named in his honor.