I found out this weekend that my wife is a fourteenth generation Mulford. The Mulfords were original settlers of Long Island. One of her progenitors, whaler Samuel “Fishhooks” Mulford, played a role in the “no taxation without representation” campaign of the American colonies.

You can read about Emilie’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather here.

Here is a taste:

It wasn’t long before the government got involved in the all too profitable whaling industry. Robert Hunter, the Royal Governor of New York, passed a tax on half the oil and bone from all drift whales. Th King of England called the whale the “Royal fish” and asked officials to license all takers of the “bigfish”. There were no cries from the citizens of Kingston, Syracuse, Albany or Utica, but the people of Long Island and those of East Hampton became incensed at the tax. To surrender 50% of the catch after all the effort, labor and even the potential loss of life was unthinkable.

Samuel Mulford was a 70 year old member of the General Assembly of New York and an East Hamptonite who was not going to take this governmentabuse. He first took action against the governor, but when authorities led him through a legal maze of English law, the homespun whaler went over thegovernor’s head, way over his head. Samuel Mulford boarded a ship for London to take his case right to the top - King George I. In England, this country whaler was truly a fish out of water. His informal dress, new world language,and unsophisticated air gave him little chance with the aristocrats inLondon. Day after day Mulford worked his way through the crowded London streets, across the common to petition the government just to hear him. Each time he failed and each time his pockets were picked. No matter how careful he was the precious little money he had was quickly draining away. Mulford could not afford the losses any longer. He went back to his rented flat and sewed fishhooks into the lining of his pockets. The next day as he began his pilgrimage once more through London an unsuspecting “Oliver” attempted to separate Samuel from his money. But to the thief’s dismay he became firmly and painfully attached to the old man’s trousers. The authorities had their pickpocket and a rather amusing story. Word spread quickly among the London thieves about an old man with a gimpy walk whose pockets had nothing but fishhooks. Soon almost everyone in London seemed to resemble Samuel Mulford. Pickpockets took a holiday rather than mess with the man from the colonies. Mulford became an instant celebrity, the man who had single-handedly fooled the London thieves.

So quickly did his notoriety spread that he not only got to address the members of the House of Common, but he met with King George, himself. Within a year the whale tax was revoked. Governor Hunter was furious at Mulford for his impetus behavior. The governor had him expelled from theNew York Assembly, whereupon, East Hampton reelected him again the following year. Samuel Mulford died at the age of 80 in 1725. His tombstone reads “Honest Sam Mulford” but his legend reads Fishhooks Mulford. The East Hampton whaler had defended the principle of “No taxation without representation”almost 50 years before the revolution.

I can’t believe I have married into a family that can trace its lineage back to the colonial period.

We Smallholders can only trace ourselves back to the German ‘48ers.

I’ll have to start wearing a tie to family dinners.