Pirates of America List – Legends of America (original) (raw)
Pirates by Jean Leon Ferris
Peter Alston (??-1804) – A late 18th Century and early 19th Century counterfeiter, horse thief, highwayman, and river pirate, believed to be the associate of the serial killer Little Harpe and partner in the murder of notorious outlaw leader Samuel Mason in 1803.
Alexander Amand (??-1718) – From Jamaica, Amand was part of Major Stede Bonnet’s crew in the Royal James. He was hanged on November 8, 1718, at White Point, Charleston, South Carolina, and buried in the marsh below the low watermark.
John Rose Archer – He served in the crew of Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge. Later, he became an honest fisherman but turned pirate again.
Job Baily (??-1718) – Originally from London, England, Baily sailed with Stede Bonnet. He was hanged on November 8, 1718, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Captain Charles Bellamy – Bellamy began his career in the West Indies before capturing and plundering numerous vessels off the Carolina and New England coasts. He was noted as an orator, sometimes entertaining his prisoners with flowery speeches. His pirate fleet wrecked on the Massachusetts coast in 1726, and only Bellamy and seven crew members were saved. They were tried, condemned, and hanged in Boston that same year.
James Blake (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, Blake was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Major Stede Bonnet
Major Stede Bonnet, aka Captain Thomas, Edwards (??-1718) – Known as “The Gentleman Pirate,” Bonnet was born into wealth and owned a plantation in Barbados but threw it away to become a pirate. After Bonnet retired from the army with the rank of major, he began a piratical career on the island of Barbados. He captured prizes off the Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Carolina coasts in the Revenge.
Anne Bonny (or Bonney) (1700-1782) – A female pirate, Bonny was born in County Cork, Ireland. She was the daughter of a lawyer who migrated to “Carolina” and became the owner of a prosperous plantation. Anne fell in love with a handsome young sailor and ran away to the West Indies with him. Leaving her husband, Anne sailed on Captain “Calico Jack” Rackham’s ship, gaining fame as a bloodthirsty pirate.
Technically, John Boon was not a pirate but was expelled from the Council of Governor James Colleton in 1687 “for holding correspondence with pirates.”
Samuel Booth (??-1718) – From Charleston, South Carolina, Booth was a Stede Bonnet crew member. He was hanged on November 8, 1718, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Robert Boyd (??-1718) – From Bath, North Carolina, Boyd was a Stede Bonnet crew member. He was hanged on November 8, 1718, in Charleston, South Carolina.
John Brierly, aka Timberhea (??-1718) – From Bath, North Carolina, Boyd was a Stede Bonnet’s crew member. He was hanged on November 8, 1718, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Joseph Brooks, Sr. (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was killed on November 22, 1718, at Ocracoke Inlet in the fight with Lieutenant Maynard’s crew.
Joseph Brooks, Jr. (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was taken prisoner by Lieutenant Maynard’s crew at Ocracoke Inlet. He was then taken to Williamsburg, Virginia, where he was hanged in 1718.
Pirates
Dixie Bull (or Dixey Bull) – An English sea captain and the first pirate known to prey on shipping off the New England coast, especially Maine. A native of London, he came to Boston in 1631 and started sailing the Maine coast with a small vessel, trading with the Indians.
Captain Samuel Burgess – Captain Samuel Burgess was a member of Captain William Kidd’s crew in 1690 when the Blessed William was seized.
Caesar – A black member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was much liked and trusted by Blackbeard and was entrusted with blowing up the Adventure if Lieutenant Maynard’s crew defeated the pirates. He attempted to carry out this order but was prevented by two of the frightened pirates. Caesar was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Thomas Carman – From Maidstone in Kent, England. A member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was hanged on November 8, 1718, in Charleston, South Carolina.
John Carnes – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Thomas Child – A member of Captain Edward Low’s crew. At 15, he was tried for piracy at Newport, Rhode Island, in 1723 and found not guilty.
John Churchill – A member of Captain George Lowther’s crew, Churchhill, was captured in the West Indies and hanged on March 11, 1722, on the island of St. Kitts.
Jonathan Clarke – From Charleston, South Carolina, he was a Stede Bonnet crew member. He was tried for piracy at Charleston in 1718 but was acquitted.
Edward Coates – A colonial American privateer in English service during the King William’s War and later a pirate operating in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean during the mid-1690s.
Samuel Cole – A member of William Fly’s crew, he was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 12, 1726.
George Condick – A cook with the crew of William Fly, he was convicted in a trial in Boston, Massachusetts, but later was pardoned.
Patsy Conroy
Patrick Conway (1846-??) – Commonly known by his alias Patsy or Patsy Conroy, was an American burglar and river pirate. He founded and led the Patsy Conroy Gang, a gang of river pirates active on the New York waterfront in the old Fourth Ward and Corlears’ Hook districts during the post-American Civil War era.
Stephen James De Cossey – He was tried and hanged for piracy at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1717.
Joseph Curtice (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was killed on November 22, 1718, at Ocracoke Inlet during the fight with Lieutenant Maynard’s crew.
Stephen Daniel (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Captain Robert Deal (??-1718) – A one-time shipmate of Captain Charles Vane, he was later placed in command of a small sloop. After taking many prizes off the Carolina and New England coasts, he was captured in the West Indies and hanged in Jamaica in 1718.
Jonathan Delve (??-1722) – A member of Captain George Lowther’s crew on the Happy Delivery, he was hanged at St. Kitts in 1722.
George Dunkin (??-1718) – Of Glasgow, Scotland, he was a member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
William Eddy (??-1718) – Of Aberdeen, Scotland, he was a Stede Bonnet’s crew member. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Emanuel Ernados (??-1717) – A Carolina pirate hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1717.
![Sadie "The Goat" Farrell](https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/SadieFarrell2.jpg "Sadie "The Goat" Farrell")
Sadie “The Goat” Farrell
Sadie “The Goat” Farrell – Flourishing in the late 1860s, Sadie was a gang leader and river pirate known under the pseudonym Sadie the Goat. She first came to prominence as a vicious street mugger in New York’s “Bloody” Fourth Ward before leading the Charlton Street Gang into piracy.
Captain William Fly (??-1726) – Fly was also an ex‑prizefighter from Jamaica. After heading a successful mutiny and killing the officers, Fly was elected captain of the Elizabeth. The next prize was the John and Hannah captured off the Carolina coast. His budding career as a pirate lasted just one month. He was hanged in Boston on July 17, 1726.
James Ford (1775-1833) – A civic leader and business owner in western Kentucky and southern Illinois in the late 1790s and mid-1830s. Despite his clean public image as a “Pillar of the Community,” Ford was secretly a river pirate and the gang leader which would come to be known as the “Ford’s Ferry Gang.” His gang was the river equivalent of highway robbers; they would hijack flatboats and Ford’s “own river ferry” for tradable goods from local farms coming down the Ohio River.
Treasure Chest
Matthew Freebarn (??-1722) – A Captain George Lowther’s crew member, he was hanged at St. Kitts on March 11, 1722.
Thomas Gates (??-1718). A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Joseph Gayles (1844-1873) – Also known as Socco the Bracer, he was one of the Patsy Conroy Gang’s leaders, which plagued the New York City waterfront dockyards during the 1860s and 1870s. The New York police described him as one of the most vicious criminals on the docks.
Thomas Gerrard – From the Island of Antigua, he was a member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was tried for piracy at Charleston, South Carolina, in 1718 but was acquitted.
Garrat Gibbens (??-1718). Boatswain on board Blackbeard’s Adventure. Killed at Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718, in the fight with Lieutenant Maynard’s crew.
Charles Gibbs (1798–1831) – An American pirate named James D. Jeffers was one of the last active pirates in the Caribbean during the early 19th century. He was among the last executed for piracy by the United States.
John Gills (??-1718). A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Roger Grange – A member of Captain George Lowther’s crew on the Happy Delivery, he was tried for piracy at St. Kitts in 1722 and acquitted.
Richard Greensail (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Henry Greenville (??-1726) – A member of William Fly’s crew, he was hanged in Boston, Massachusetts, on July 12, 1726.
John Halsey (??-1708) – A colonial American privateer and a later pirate active in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans during the early 18th century.
Israel Hands, aka Basilica Hands – Sailing master for Blackbeard. After the death of Blackbeard, Hands was captured in Bath, North Carolina. He was tried for piracy in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718 and was convicted but later pardoned. When he was last heard of, he was begging on the streets of London.
Notorious Harpe Brothers.
Harpe Brothers – Serial killers, murderers, highwaymen, and river pirates operated in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Mississippi in the late 18th century. The Harpes’ crimes appear to have been motivated more by blood lust than financial gain.
David Herriot (??-1718) – Master of the Adventure of Jamaica, which Stede Bonnet captured. He then joined Bonnet’s crew as a sailing master. He turned King’s evidence against former shipmates and escaped with Bonnet. He was killed on Sullivan’s Island when Bonnet was recaptured.
William (or Hewet or Hewit) Hewett (??-1718) – From the island of Jamaica, he was a member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Albert W. Hicks (1820-1860) – Also known as William Johnson, John Hicks, and ‘Pirate Hicks,’ he was a triple murderer and the last person executed for piracy in the United States.
Dr. John Hincher – Of Edinburgh, Scotland, he graduated from the University of Edinburgh. At 22, he was tried for piracy in Newport, Rhode Island, in July 1723. He was acquitted when he proved that he was taken off a prize by Captain Edward Low and forced against his will to act as the ship’s surgeon.
Hook Gang – An American street gang and later river pirates active in New York City during the late 19th century. The gang made up some of the most notorious criminals and thugs on the New York waterfront and were a major force in the old Fourth Ward and Corlears’ Hook districts during the post-Civil War era.
Andrew Hunter – A member of Captain George Lowther’s crew, he was hanged at St. Kitts on March 11, 1722.
John Husk (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was killed at Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718, in the fight with Lieutenant Maynard’s crew.
Nathaniel Jackson (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was killed at Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718, in the fight with Lieutenant Maynard’s crew.
Bill Johnston (1782-1870) – A Canadian-American smuggler, river pirate, and War of 1812 privateer. Born in Canada, Johnston was accused of spying in 1812, and he joined the American side of the war and lived the rest of his life in the United States.
Captain William Kidd
William Kidd (1654-1701) – Captain William Kidd was a 17th-century Scottish sailor who became one of the best-known privateers of his time. He began his career as a legitimate English Privateer before being tried and executed for piracy in 1701.
James Killing – A member of Stede Bonnet’s crew, he gave evidence against him when Bonnet was tried in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1718.
Matthew King (??-1718) – From Jamaica, King was a Stede Bonnet’s crew member. He was hanged on November 8, 1718, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Jean Lafitte (1780-1823) – A French-American pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century.
Pierre Lafitte (1770–1821) – A privateer in the Gulf of Mexico and smuggler in the early 19th century. He also ran a blacksmith shop in New Orleans, Louisiana, which was his legitimate business. Pierre was the historically less well-known older brother of Jean Lafitte.
George “Snatchem” Leese – An American criminal, pirate, and a leader of the Slaughter House Gang, known for pickpocketing and river pirating and also for being a prominent personality at illegal bare-knuckle prizefighting held in New York City’s infamous Forth Ward and Five Points dive bars during the 1840s and 50s.
Sam Levercott (??-1722) – A member of Captain George Lowther’s crew, he was hanged with the rest of Lowther’s crew on the island of St. Kitts on March 11, 1722.
John Levit (??-1718) – From North Carolina, Levit was a Stede Bonnet’s crew member. He was hanged on November 8, 1718, in Charleston, South Carolina.
Nicholas Lewis (??-1722) – A member of Captain George Lowther’s crew, he was hanged on the island of St. Kitts on March 11, 1722.
Captain William Lewis – Lewis lasted longer than most pirates; his career lasted from at least 1717 to 1726. In his Morning Star, he captured several vessels off the Carolina coast. He was murdered in his sleep by his superstitious crew because they felt he was too intimate with the devil.
William “Elvis” Livers (??-1718). A member of Stede Bonnet’s crew, he was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Zachariah Long (??-1718). From Holland, he was a member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
John Lopez (??-1718). From Oporto, Portugal, this pirate was hanged with the rest of Stede Bonnet’s crew at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Captain Edward “Ned” Low – From London, England, he began life as an honest seaman, sailing out of Boston. Turned pirate, he stole a ship and sailed with the infamous Captain George Lowther. Low treated his prisoners with great brutality, especially those from New England. It is believed that he was insane towards the end of his career. His end is unknown as he simply disappears from the pages of history after 1724.
Captain George Lowther – From London, England, Lowther sailed as second mate on the Gambia Castle renamed Happy Delivery after a successful mutiny led by Lowther. Afterward, he captured prizes all along the North American coast and, for a while, commanded a small pirate fleet, one of the ships being commanded by Captain Edward Low. Off the coast of South Carolina, he attacked an English ship that handled him so roughly that he ran his ship ashore. In a later skirmish, he fled ashore once again. Later, he was found lying dead, with a pistol by his side.
Edward Mackdonald – One of Captain George Lowther’s crew on the Happy Delivery, he was hanged on the island of St. Kitts on March 11, 1722.
John Martin (??-1718). A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Samuel Mason
Samuel Mason (1739–1803) – A Virginia militia captain on the western American frontier during the Revolutionary War, who became the leader of a gang of river pirates and highwaymen on the lower Ohio River and the Mississippi River in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Thomas Miller (??-1718) – Quartermaster in Blackbeard’s crew, he was killed at Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718, in the fight with Lieutenant Maynard’s crew.
Francis de Mont (??-1717) – Captured in South Carolina in 1717. Tried in Charleston, South Carolina, and was convicted of taking the ship Turtle Dove and other vessels off the Carolina coast the previous July. He was hanged in July 1717.
Captain Christopher Moody (??-1722) – This notorious pirate was very active off the coast of Carolina in 1717, with two ships under his command. He was only 23 years old at the time. In 1722, he was captured off West Africa and hanged in chains at Cape Coast Castle.
William Morrison (??-1718). From Jamaica, William was a member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Philip Morton – (??-1718). Gunner in Blackbeard’s crew. Killed on November 22, 1718, at Ocracoke Inlet during the fight with Lieutenant Maynard’s crew.
James (alias Millet) Mullet – (??-1718). From London, England. A member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Thomas (alias Nicholas) Nicholls – From London, England, he was a member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was tried for piracy in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1718 and acquitted.
Samuel Odell – He was taken prisoner by Blackbeard on November 21, 1718, but retaken by Lieutenant Maynard the next day. In the fight, Odell received at least 70 wounds but recovered. He stood trial for piracy in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718 and was acquitted.
Peter Painter – A Carolina pirate who retired to live in Charleston, South Carolina. He became a respected citizen of the town. However, when he was recommended for the position of public powder-receiver, the Assembly turned him down because “Mr. Painter having committed Piracy, and not having His Majesties Pardon for the same, its resolved he is not fit for that Trust.”
Neal Patterson (??-1718) – Hailing from Aberdeen, Scotland, Patterson was a Stede Bonnet crew member. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Ignatius Pel – A boatswain of Stede Bonnet’s crew on the Royal James. After his capture, he saved his hide by turning King’s evidence and giving testimony against his former comrades.
Daniel Perry (??-1718) – From Guernsey, England, he was a member of Stede Bonnet’s crew and was hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Joseph Phillips – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, Phillips was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Colonel Plug (1700s?-1820?) – Also known as Colonel Fluger and “The Last of the Boat-Wreckers,” existed sometime between the 1790s and 1820; he was the legendary river pirate who ran a criminal gang on the Ohio River in a cypress swamp, near the mouth of the Cache River. The outlaw camp of Colonel Plug was supposedly below the river pirate hideout of Cave-In-Rock and the U.S. Army post at Fort Massac, which monitored and policed frontier river traffic just above the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
Thomas Price (??-1718) – Of Bristol, England, he was a member of Stede Bonnet’s crew and hanged in Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Calico Jack Rackham, Pirate
Captain John “Calico Jack” Rackham (1682-1720) – Serving as quartermaster in the crew of Captain Charles Vane, he became captain after Vane was marooned by his crew. Anne Bonny and Mary Read sailed with him. Rackham was hanged at Gallows Point, Port Royal, Jamaica, in November 1720. On the morning of his execution, he was allowed to visit Anne Bonny, but all the comfort he got from her was “that she was sorry to see him there, but if he had fought like a man, he need not have been hanged like a Dog.”
Captain Rayner – Although there is no evidence that Rayner ever sailed the Carolina coast, he did sail with Captain Kidd. In a letter dated Philadelphia, February 28, 1701, William Penn wrote to the Lords of Trade in England, mentioning that several of Kidd’s men had settled as planters in Carolina with Rayner as their captain.
Mary Read (1690?–1721) – Also known as Mark Read, Mary was an English pirate. She and Anne Bonny are two of the most famed female pirates of all time and are the only two women known to have been convicted of piracy during the early 18th century.
Lieutenant Richards – Second-in‑command to Blackbeard, Richards commanded Stede Bonnet’s Revenge when Blackbeard took over that ship. He was not with Blackbeard when Lieutenant Maynard killed the captain.
John Ridge (??-1718) – Of London, England, he was a Stede Bonnet’s crew member. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Pirate
James Robbins (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Owen Roberts (??-1718) – From Wales. Carpenter in Blackbeard’s crew. He was killed at Ocracoke Inlet on November 22, 1718, in a fight with Lieutenant Maynard’s crew.
Robinson, Edward (??-1718) – From Newcastle-upon‑Tyne, England, Robinson was a Stede Bonnet crew member. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
George Ross (or Rose) (??-1718) – Of Glasgow, Scotland. A member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Francis Rossoe (??-1717) – Convicted of piracy in June 1717 at Charleston, South Carolina, he was executed shortly afterward.
Edward Salter – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
William Scott (??-1718) – A Stede Bonnet’s crew member, he was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Dan Seavey, also known as “Roaring” Dan Seavey, (1865-1949) – A sailor, fisherman, farmer, saloonkeeper, prospector, U.S. marshal, thief, poacher, smuggler, hijacker, human trafficker, and notorious “Timber Pirate,” “Lake Pirate,” and “Great Lakes Pirate,” in Wisconsin and Michigan, on the Great Lakes, in the late 19th-early 20th century.
Joseph A. Shanahan – Also known as Kid Shanahan or Thomas Lynch, he was a New York City criminal, river pirate, and member of the Patsy Conroy Gang.
Rowland Sharp – Of Bath, North Carolina, he was a member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was tried for piracy in Charleston, South Carolina, in November 1718 and acquitted.
John Shaw (??-1718) – A member of George Lowther’s crew, he was hanged at St. Kitts on March 11, 1722.
John-William Smith – (??-1718) – A member of Stede Bonnet’s crew, he was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Captain Francis Farrington Spriggs – Spriggs served his apprenticeship under Captain George Lowther and later became the quartermaster in the crew of Captain Edward Low. In 1720, he became captain of his own ship, the Delight, and acquired a reputation as a cruelest and bloodthirsty pirate. While plundering the shore of the Bay of Honduras, Spriggs and his crew were surprised by a British warship. The Delight was run aground, and Spriggs and his ruffians escaped to shore. There is no further record of them.
Richard Stiles (??-1718) – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Blackbeard, the Pirate
Captain Edward Teach, or Thatch, Thach, or Drummond, aka Blackbeard (??-1718) – From Bristol, England, Blackbeard was daring, crafty, and frightful looking, with his long black beard, which he twisted and tied into tails, gave him the name “Blackbeard.” After a privateering career out of Jamaica, he began pirating, first sailing with Captain Benjamin Hornigold until he acquired his own ship, which he named the Queen Anne’s Revenge. He gained fame by driving off a British man-of‑war in battle. He then joined forces with Major Stede Bonnet. After cheating his crew, Blackbeard married and supposedly settled down in North Carolina. However, once his money was gone, he returned to sea on the “Adventure.” On November 22, 1718, he was killed at Ocracoke Inlet by Lieutenant Robert Maynard.
Thomas Tew – Also known as the Rhode Island Pirate, was a 17th-century English privateer-turned-pirate. He embarked on two major piratical voyages and met a bloody death on the second journey, and he pioneered the route known as the Pirate Round.
John Thomas (??-1718) – From Jamaica. A member of Stede Bonnet’s crew. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Matthew Tryer – A Carolina pirate, he was accused and acquitted of having captured a sloop belonging to Samuel Salters of Bermuda in 1699.
Robert Tucker (??-1718) – From Jamaica, Tucker was a Stede Bonnet crew member. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Captain Charles Vane (??-1721) – Vane gained fame by first plundering Spanish ships and later for his ravages along the North American coast from New York to Florida. He was especially active off the Carolina coast. He was known to have been a skilled and cunning man who would cheat his men of their share of the booty and torture the crews of captured ships. When he refused to battle with a French man-of‑war, his crew was so angered by his cowardice that they voted him out of office and set him adrift in a small sloop. However, Vane quickly acquired another ship and crew and continued plundering. A sudden hurricane wrecked his ship, and Vane was the only one saved, being washed up on a small uninhabited island off the Honduras coast. A passing ship picked him up, recognized him as a pirate, and turned him over to the authorities. He was hanged in 1721.
Henry Virgin (??-1718) – Of Bristol, England, he was a Stede Bonnet’s crew member. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Rachel Wall (1760-1789) – An American female pirate and the last woman hanged in Massachusetts. She may also have been the first American-born woman to become a pirate.
Captain Want – A Carolina pirate who commanded a ship named the Dolphin. Most of his piratical activities seem to have been confined to the Red Sea in 1695‑1996.
Henry Watson (??-1722) – A member of Captain George Lowther’s crew, he was hanged at St. Kitts on March 11, 1722.
Richard West (??-1722) – A member of Captain George Lowther’s crew, he was hanged at St. Kitts on March 11, 1722.
Walking the Plank
James White – A member of Blackbeard’s crew, he was hanged in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1718.
Robert White (??-1722) – A member of Captain George Lowther’s crew, he was hanged at St. Kitts on March 11, 1722.
Captain Paul Williams – A Carolina pirate who began his career as a buccaneer in the West Indies. Accepted the King’s pardon at New Providence in 1718 but soon returned to piracy. Was hanged a short time later at Eastman, Massachusetts.
Robert Willis – A Captain George Lowther’s crew member, was tried for piracy at St. Kitts in March 1722 and acquitted.
James Wilson – (??-1718) – Of Dublin, Ireland, he was a Stede Bonnet’s crew member. He was hanged at Charleston, South Carolina, on November 8, 1718.
Thomas Winthrop – A member of William Fly’s crew.
Captain Richard Worley – Starting from New York in 1718 with eight companions, his career lasted only six months. They set sail in a small open boat with a few provisions and a few old muskets. Within a short time, they had worked up to a suitable ship of six guns, manned by a crew of 25 men. Captured by a fleet commanded by Governor Robert Johnston of South Carolina, Worley was hanged at Charleston.
Captain Yeates commanded a sloop from South Carolina that supplied the pirate Charles Vane in 1718. Little more than an amateur pirate, his career was short-lived as he soon offered to surrender to the governor of South Carolina. This was granted on the condition that he return his stolen booty.
Now and then, we had a hope that if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates.
– Mark Twain
French ship under attack by pirates.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated February 2024.
Also See:
Pirates – Renegades of the Sea
Sources:
Carolina History
Rankin, Hugh F., The Pirates of Colonial North Carolina, North Carolina
Department of Cultural Resources, 1960
Visit North Carolina
Wikipedia