North Pole Legacy by S. Allen Counter

Author:S. Allen Counter
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781510726383
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2018-01-30T05:00:00+00:00

When I arrived in Cambridge, an autumn snow had given the old Harvard Yard a picture-postcard beauty. The branches of the huge elm trees strained from the thick, cottonlike snow, and large icicles hung from the roofs of the gracefully aging red-brick buildings.

In my University Hall office, I found stacks of letters inquiring about Anaukaq and Kali. Many of the letters were from Matthew Henson’s relatives all over the country. They had read the stories in newspapers and journals about my encounter with their Amer-Eskimo kin, and they wanted to meet them too. I was reminded of the statement Matthew Henson made in 1947, following the appearance of a series of articles highlighting his life. He said that he heard from relatives he didn’t even know he had.

I contacted each of the family members and explained my hopes of arranging a visit to the United States for Anaukaq and Kali the following fall. All the American Hensons I spoke with expressed a strong desire to receive their Eskimo kin and to be a part of a general reunion. Some lived in Boston, some in New York, some in Maryland, others in Washington D.C., the Midwest, even California. I later learned that Matthew Henson’s eighty-three-year-old niece, Virginia Carter Brannum, the last living offspring of his closest sister, Eliza Carter, was living in Washington, D.C. A delightful woman of great poise and remarkable memory, she told me how her Uncle Matthew used to send her money to help take care of her mother. When I met and interviewed her, she shared with me her personal letters and other memorabilia from Henson.

In the meantime, following up on my conversations in Thule, I contacted the U.S. offices of the Danish government about possible support for my plans. The Danish officials with whom I spoke expressed complete surprise to learn of Anaukaq’s and Kali’s existence. I was told that my request would be considered by the proper authorities, who would contact me when a decision was reached.

I also wrote to the U.S. Air Force and the Department of Defense and requested permission to fly Anaukaq, Kali, and their families to America free of charge aboard one of the regularly scheduled C-141 transports. This kind of project, I was told, was unprecedented and would require special consideration.

Anaukaq and Kali had essentially defined an itinerary for their trip when they said that they wanted to visit their fathers’ grave sites and meet their American relatives. Matthew Henson was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. He had lived mainly in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., the Maryland area, and, for a brief time, Boston. Most of his closest relatives were in those cities. Robert Peary was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, just outside Washington, D.C. His surviving descendants lived for the most part in Maine, New York City, the Washington, D.C. area, and Maryland.

Though I hadn’t heard from any of the American Pearys since my return, I still hoped that eventually they would agree to meet with their Amer-Eskimo relatives.

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