Stephen Pappin c.1788 to 1845

What amazing lives some people lead!

In his latest article for Historycal Roots John Ellis follows the extraordinary life of Stephen Pappin.

He was born in about 1788 in the French colony of St Domingue on the island of Hispaniola (as it was then known) in the Caribbean. This was a tumultuous period in the history of the island. The French, Spanish and British were all vying for a piece of the action but the enslaved black population had their own ideas. Their inspirational leader, Toussaint Louverture, led the efforts that eventually led to the creation of the first black independent nation state outside of Africa in 1804 (although Toussaint Louverture had died at the hands of the French the previous year).^[1]The book ‘Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture’ by Sudhir Hazareesingh  tells the full, complex story Stephen Pappin, a ‘man of colour’ may have been just old enough to play a part in the fighting.

What we do know is that by 1807 he was serving in the French Army of Napoleon Bonaparte. I won’t ‘spoil’ John’s story here but suffice to say it includes time spent as a Prisoner of War, 24 years of service in the British Army (including front line service during the Peninsular War), marriage to a French woman, the birth of ten children in three different countries, retirement from the Army on a pension,  a move to New South Wales where he became a farmer (of 100 acres of land) and time spent playing the bugle and drums at the Royal Victorian Theatre, Sydney.

Phew!

You can read the full story of Stephen Pappin’s remarkable life here: https://www.historycalroots.com/a-well-conducted-man-corporal-stephen-estiphania-pappin-of-st-domingo-and-the-39th-dorsetshire-foot-1788-1845/