I'm researching members of the Etches family who were entrepreneurs in the 18th Century. They sent ships to the Northwest Coast of America to trade in sea otter furs. In a family document I came across the following: " John Etches lost an arm and a leg during a violent Pacific storm when the mast of the Princess Rose fell on him. So he decided to return to England aboard the Prince of Wales".
I would like to find some corroborating evidence before accepting this as true but have no idea where to start to look. The Princess Rose was a small ship of 65 tons which sailed from Deptford on 23rd September 1786. It sailed around Tierra del Fuego in January 1787 and encountered some violent storms there. This may be where the accident occurred. It then sailed up to Vancouver Island to trade. John Etches was the supercargo and he sailed back to London in January 1789. I'd be very pleased if anybody could direct me to where I might find any proof that the accident had indeed occurred.
