Tarzan's Family

What does the Tarzan book series reveal about the ape-man's family? We disccover from Tarzan Of The Apes when the jungle lord's parents disappear in Portuguese Angola and are presumed dead, John Clayton I's title passes to the line of his younger brother, then to his brother's son William Cecil Clayton. William Cecil was the Greystoke titleholder when he was marooned with the Porters in Portuguese Angola. William Cecil develops a love interest in Jane and actively seeks her hand in marriage.

Clinton Pettee

In The Return Of Tarzan, William Cecil found the ape-man's discarded cable gram from Paul D'Arnot laying on the floor at the Wisconsin train station. After reading the telegraph, William Cecil learned his long-lost cousin was the true Greystoke inheritor. Afraid the information would cost him his relationship with Jane, William Cecil decided not to reveal his finding. Later, while sailing up the west coast of Africa on Lord Tennington's yacht, the Lady Alice, it sank. The survivors, in different groups, found themselves marooned once more at the Greystoke cabin located at 10 degrees south latitude in Portuguese Angola. Before being rescued William Cecil caught a jungle fever and died. 

N.C. Wyeth

Another interesting figure in The Return Of Tarzan to take a look at is Lord Tennington. He was from England and the owner of the yacht, Lady Alice. What relationship he had with William Cecil is not explained, but it was close enough to be invited to the party welcoming Jane to London. The two were also close enough, that at that party Lord Tennington would invite William Cecil and the Porter party on a year-long cruise around the African content.

Joe Jusko

While rounding the horn of Africa the Lady Alice ported in Cape Town, South Africa, for a week. While there Hazel Strong runs into Jane. Changing plans, the Strongs and Monsieur Thuran (Rockoff) join the Porter party to cruise up the coastline of West Africa on their way back to England. In The Return Of Tarzan, Lord Tennington is described simply as a friend. Nothing is mentioned that would imply Lord Tennington was a family member. If that is the case, why would the Englishman name his yacht, Lady Alice, which is the name of Tarzan's mother? Alice is a popular British name, so it could just be coincidental. If the Tenningtons were members of the House of Lords, you would think they would be related to the Greystoke's somewhere down the genealogy line. My research could turn up nothing on the Tennington family of London or England.

John Coleman Burroughs

Burroughs begin writing The Eternal Lover, in November 1913 but it wasn't published for the first time until October 1925, and was run serially in two parts by All-Story Weekly. We find ourselves at the Greystoke plantation in British East Africa, which became Kenya in 1920. We are introduced to a child around one year old, by description, named Dakie. Most everyone in the know in the ERB world treats Dakie as a misspelling of the name Jackie. Born as John Clayton III, Tarzan, and Jane's son was called Jack. In all normalcy, no one has the name Dakie. In an 1888 chronology, Jackie would be Tarzan's son aka Korak. The only problem with this is, an 1888 timeline does not allow time for Teeka's son Gazan to age and develop properly in Jungle Tales Of Tarzan. Nor could there be a lunar eclipse where Tarzan rescues the moon. Also, Korak does not have time to grow up in The Son Of Tarzan and be old enough to fight in W.W. I. 

J. Allen St. John

Because of these long time dating issues, many ERB researchers have come to accept what is nicknamed the "Pushback Theory." Developed by John Harwood in the Burroughs Bulletin #10, this theory proposes that ERB, the author, is protecting the Greystokes' true identity. Therefore, he has purposely changed the characters' names and dates. Using John Harwood's "Pushback Theory" I developed several alternative timelines for the Greystoke's sailing date. After years of research, I have concluded that the Claytons' actually sailed from Dover in May 1872.

Artist Unknown

This allows time for a normal birth for the jungle lord in Tarzan Of The Apes. This allows time for Gazan to grow and develop as ERB described in Jungle Tales Of Tarzan. The lunar eclipse occurs on December 4, 1892, and the ape-man is age 20 as described by ERB. All the events of The Son Of Tarzan have time to occur as ERB described, and Korak is old enough to fight in W.W. I. Pushing the sailing date backward 16 years changes the positioning of The Eternal Lover in the Tarzan series. Instead of taking place after The Return Of Tarzan, The Eternal Lover now occurs after the Son Of Tarzan. Dackie/Jackie is no longer John Clayton III Tarzan and Jane's son, but has now become John Clayton IV Tarzan and Jane's grandson.

Frank Frazetta

ERB wrote The Man-Eater, in May 1915 and it was first published from November 15-20, 1915, as a serial in the New York Evening World newspaper. The Man-Eater was not published in book form during ERB's lifetime. In 1955 Loyd Arthur Eshbach's Fantasy Press fanzine gets credit for the first book publication. 

Robert Kline

We are introduced to Mrs. Clayton and Charlotte in chapter one. On July 10, _, the two are visiting the Scott residence in Scottsville, Virginia, USA. There is nothing openly written in the storyline that implies, or suggests, that this mentioned Mrs. Clayton is Jane Porter Clayton, Tarzan's wife from Baltimore, Maryland. 

The Man-Eater

With that said, let us take a look at the circumstantial evidence that indeed indicates this could be Jane Porter Clayton. The best way to approach this investigation is by applying the 5-W method. Who, What, When, Where, and Why. (Please keep in mind this is my speculation only, not that of ERB, Inc.")

1. Who? Why would ERB randomly name a minor supporting character Mrs, Clayton, when that name is already used and well-known in a co-starring role in a major book series? He wouldn't. Just the use of the Clayton name hints that it is indeed Jane Porter Clayton, Tarzan's wife.
2. When? The events of The Man-Eater, according to Ruth Morton Scott's letter, occur on July 10. 19_, just after The Son Of Tarzan and before Beyond Thirty.
3. What? If this is indeed Jane Porter Clayton how is she connected to the Scott family? Jane's original connection could be through her father Archimedes Q. Porter. We learn at the end of The Return Of Tarzan that the old professor was also an ordained Methodist minister. We learn in The Man-Eater that Reverand Sangaman Morton was an American Methodist missionary to the Belgian Congo. Maybe these two were connected in younger days which promoted family bonding. A second option was that Tarzan and Jane met the Scotts through Reverand Sangaman while he was missioning in the Belgian Congo. Tarzan and Jane had been searching for their missing son John Clayton III, aka Jack Clayton or Korak, for years. Perhaps the British couple's search throughout the Belgian Congo led to their family tie.
4. Where and when? From Ruth Morton Scott's letter, it is revealed this visit occurs on July 10, _. in Scottsville, Virginia. Notice the blank year data provided by the author. We do know this visit did not occur on July 10, 1915, because ERB begin writing the story in May 1915. That would mean the manuscript was written before the events occurred. That leaves the dates of 1913 or 1914. I can't see the year being 1913 either. Early spring 1913 is the year Dakie/Jackie was introduced in The Eternal Lover. There was no Charlotte or a mention of her. July 10, 1914, would still allow Jane time to get Charlotte back to Mom and Dad in England or France, then make her way back to British East Africa by the fall of 1914 and the beginning of Tarzan The Untamed.
5. Why? What was Jane's purpose in being there at that point in time when her main residence was in London, England for six months, and six months during the dry season at their African plantation near Lake Victoria in British East Africa. We know this visit was not about the funeral of Jefferson Scott Sr., because the disbursement of his property was the theme of the lady's discussion. It is not recorded by ERB, but Jane could be visiting her father in Baltimore. Or worse, attending Professor Porter's funeral. While visiting the city of her birth Jane and Charlotte rode her car to Scottsville to visit Virginia and Ruth Morton Scott. (I have also long believed the Carter plantation is located in the Scottsville area.) 

So, who is Charlotte? The name, Charlotte, is a favorite of British descendants. The fact that the Scottsville visit occurs on July 10, 1914, just after the events of The Son Of Tarzan, strongly hints Charlotte is Korak and Mierm's daughter, and secondborn. First granddaughter of Tarzan and Jane. Most probable, is that Jane takes granddaughter Charlotte to introduce her for the first time to great-grandpaw Porter in Baltimore, MD. USA. Professor Porter who has been living in America off stage since the end of The Return Of Tarzan has fallen to bad health, or worse even death. Jane could be visiting to take care of her terminally ill father, or there for his funeral and inheritance affairs.

J. Allen St. John

About The Author

James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines, over a span of forty-five years. 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 excepted date May 1888.

James Michael Moody is also the author of the action-packed Sci-Fi fantasy adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, published December 31, 2019, and Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022. Swordsman On Unium is going through the publishing process.