Sir Wade Jermyn is the ancestor of the Jermyn family who mated with a white ape princess.
Biography[]
Sir Wade Jermyn was an 18th century English explorer, one of the first Europeans to traverse the more distant parts of the Congo region, and authored books about the people, animals and things that he saw there. One of his books, Observations on the Several Parts of Africa, was met with ridicule by the scientific community, who refused to believe in Sir Wade's ideas about a prehistoric civilization in Congo.
Sir Wade was an erudite man with few friends, and infamous for the "wild stories" he told about his travels, which were often met with skepticism. He kept a large collection of unusual trophies and specimens from his voyages. During his second and longest expedition, he discovered the White Apes and their city, married their princess and had a son, Philip Jermyn. When he returned to the Jermyn House, he kept his wife hidden from the public and told others that she was the daughter of a Portuguese merchant, unaccustomed to English culture. He was very dedicated to her and to their son, and took care of all of their needs. Finally, seeing that his wife wouldn't adapt to life in England, Sir Wade returned with her to Africa, leaving young Philip under the care of a Guinean woman.
Sir Wade and Lady Jermyn lived among the White Apes and were worshiped as gods until Lady Jermyn's death, after which her husband arranged for her body to be mummified and kept in a stone temple where she would continue to be remembered and venerated. It was only after the death of his wife that Sir Wade returned home and assumed tutorship of his son.
At some point, Sir Wade's eccentricities gave way to signs of severe mental unrest. In 1765, he was confined to a mental institution where he died three years later. (HPL: "Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family")