1896 Off Stage Births

DATE:  July 28, 1895                                                                                                                    EVENT:  Tarzan and the Porter party set sail from Greystoke cabin. The events of The Return Of Tarzan end.                                                                                                                            SOURCE:  The sailing date is not provided by ERB, but is my working date. In ERB-APA #73 I show how I came to this conclusion.                                               

John Buscima

DATE:  April 28, 1896                                                                                                                  EVENT:  John Clayton lll/Jack/Korak is born offstage.                                                                  SOURCE:  Tarzan and Jane get married on July 27, 1895. ERB does not provide this data, but it is my working date based on several factors. 

1. The first and foremost is to allow enough time for all of the events of The Son Of Tarzan to occur in a time frame exactly as ERB described them. For this to happen all dates need to occur as rapidly as possible.
2. ERB never provides or hints at Jack Clayton/Korak's birth date. His story occurrences do, however. 
3. Any number of dates will theoretically fit ERB's description. The main thing is not to choose a date that differs from the author's presented information.
4. To form a working date I theorized Jane becomes pregnant early after marriage.
5. Nine months later on May 28, 1896, she delivered a healthy son which they named John Clayton lll in family tradition. The family called him Jack.
6. Despite this conservative approach, no one particular date could be deduced. In other words, Jack/Korak could have been born on several days in April or May and still be compliant with ERB's provided info. So, how does a researcher produce a birth date that is acceptable to readers with such a vague description?
7. I decided to follow in the footsteps of the author himself. In my articles Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Narrator, Beyond The Narrator, Comparing Narrator Notes, and Edgar Rice Burroughs: Master Trickster  I showed it was ERB's constant habit to insert true life family names, dates, and places into his fiction stories. Following his example when I come across a cornerstone date that is not provided, I refer to the Burroughs family genealogy.
8. A researcher can find the Burroughs Genealogy Notes in an insert in Memoirs Of A War Bride, written by ERB's mother Mary Evaline Burroughs. The family history was handwritten in Chicago on June 23, 1914. 
9. Checking to see if any noteworthy occasions occurred in April or May, we discover George Rice married Elizabeth Blake on April 16,1829. Until a more researched date for Jack Clayton/Korak birthdate is revealed I will use April 16, 1896, as a working date.

Tarzan, Jane & Jack

DATE:  August 16, 1896

EVENT:  Jeanne Jacot/Meriem born offstage.                                                                              SOURCE:  The seven-year-old Meriem was kidnapped on or around August 18, 1903. Although ERB doesn't provide her birth date you can subtract seven from 1903 and you come up on or around August 18, 1896. Most importantly, it is important to use the earliest date possible because of the time needed for all of The Son Of Tarzan events to occur as described by ERB.  

Chat: This is a significant undated event and to form a chronology, we must produce an acceptable calendar working date to continue. Since we have no ERB-provided date to work with, we must provide one that fans will accept. 

    I formed a working chronology based as closely as humanly possible on the descriptions provided by ERB in the book series. My research concluded that Jeanne Jacot/Meriem's birth date occurred on or around August 18, 1896. Despite this conservative approach, no one particular date could be deduced. In other words, Jeanne Jacot/Meriem could have been born on multiple days in August and still be compliant with ERB's provided info. So, how does a researcher provide a birth date that is acceptable to readers with such a vague description?

    I decided to follow in the footsteps of the author himself. In my articles Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Narrator, Beyond The Narrator, Comparing Narrator Notes, and Edgar Rice Burroughs: Master Trickster  I showed it was ERB's constant habit to insert true life family names, dates, and places into his fiction stories. Following his example when I come across a cornerstone date that is not provided, I refer to the Burroughs family genealogy.

    A researcher can find the Burroughs Genealogy Notes in an insert in Memoirs Of A War Bride, written by ERB's mother Mary Evaline Burroughs. The family history was handwritten in Chicago on June 23, 1914. Checking to see if any noteworthy occasions occurred in the middle of August we discover Mary Coleman, the daughter of John McCulloch Coleman was born on August 16, 1816. Until a more researched date for Meriem's birthdate is revealed I will use August 16, 1896, as a working date.

J. Allen St. John

DATE:  October 29, 1896, through  December 29, 1896  

EVENT:  Tarzan and family leave Uziri and arrive in England and the events of The Beasts Of Tarzan begin. 

SOURCE:  This is a working date only and is not provided by ERB. The date was based around the Uziri rainy season and provided in ERB-APA #77.

CHAT:  Sailing ships in the late 19th century were primarily made of wood and powered by wind. Their speed varied depending on wind conditions, hull design, and cargo load.

    The route from Luanda to Dover follows the west coast of Africa, then across the Atlantic Ocean to the south of Ireland, and finally up the English Channel to Dover. The prevailing winds of the Atlantic Ocean during this time are generally westerly, which would favor the eastward journey.

    Sailing ships in the 19th century typically averaged around 8-10 knots (nautical miles per hour} in favorable conditions. Assuming an average speed of 10 knots, the journey from Luanda to Dover would take approximately 45-50 days. However this is just a rough estimate and the actual time could be longer or shorter depending on wind conditions, currents, and other factors. The ship may have made stopovers in other ports along the way, which would also affect the total journey time.

    Given the uncertainties involved, it is difficult to provide a precise answer on the exact arrival date in Dover. However, based on the information available, we can estimate that the journey would have taken approximately 45-50 days, with a possible range of 40-50 days. The arrival date could be earlier or later depending on various factors, including weather conditions, and stopovers. To be conservative, this chronology will use two months (60 days) as a working date, allowing adjustability.

Greystokes Arrive In England

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Over the past forty-five years, Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines. He also manages an unauthorized Tarzan blog titled Greystoke Chronologist: James Michael Moody. There, the researcher chronologies the Tarzan books starting in May 1872 (known as the pushback theory) instead of the more accepted date, May 1888.

James Michael Moody also authorizes the action-packed Sci-Fi fantasy adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, published December 31, 2019, Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022, and Swordsman On Unium, published on July 15, 2024.