Joel Root was supercargo on the sealing ship Huron and author of a journal of his voyage around the world (1802-1806) on that ship. The port of New Haven from which he sailed was a frequent point of departure for sealing voyages. The first mariner to make a trip to sealing grounds in the Southern Pacific was Captain Daniel Greene of New Haven in 1790. One version of Joel Root's journey dated 1838 was dictated to Dr. Emile Gardette, his granddaughter's husband, while he was visiting in Philadelphia for several months under the care of a Dr. McClellan. While this account was interesting, it was written in the 3rd person, and lacked the immediacy of Root's own memoir.