Whaling captains, who had strict authority over their vessels at sea, answered to the owners in port. Captain Jernegan rose to his command position in the same way as most other whaling captains from the region. He came from a well-connected, white Massachusetts family and went to sea as a young teenager, quickly learning the skills of "working a ship."
Jump to People:
Jared Jernegan
Illustration by Juliet Jacobson