John Quincy Myers is a resident of the backcountry of North Carolina. He befriends Claire and Jamie Fraser soon after their arrival in America.
Personal History[]
John Quincy has apparently been a "mountain man" all his life. He has said that his mother "did admire a hairy man," that it was a comfort on a cold night.[3]
Events of the Novels[]
Drums of Autumn[]
Myers meets the Frasers in Wilmington, and upon discovering that Claire Fraser is a wisewoman and a healer, he seeks her medical opinion on what turns out to be an inguinal hernia. Some weeks later, having followed the Frasers to their kinswoman's plantation at River Run, Myers shows up during a dinner party, stinking drunk, and requests that Claire perform the surgery she has previously described, just before he passes out. Claire does perform the surgery – with an avid audience of party guests.
When the Frasers decide to help a slave woman named Pollyanne escape to the backcountry where she might be adopted by an Indian tribe, Myers escorts them into the mountains to the west. Along the way, he and Pollyanne develop a mutual attraction.
A couple of months later, after the Frasers have made a foothold in the wilderness, Myers returns with Duncan Innes and provisions from Cross Creek. He stays long enough to help the Frasers bless their hearth.
A few years later, Myers sees the Frasers once again at the great Gathering at Mount Helicon, bearing a letter from Young Ian.
The Fiery Cross[]
At the Gathering, Myers summons Jamie on behalf of Robin McGillivray, whose son is in some kind of trouble with a thief-taker.
Personality[]
Jovial and unselfconscious.
Physical Appearance[]
Myers is several inches taller than Jamie, and lanky and rawboned. He has a wild, bushy beard and a snub nose, though his hazel eyes are wide and gentle.
Relationships[]
Name[]
- John is the English form of Iohannes, the Latin form of the Greek name Ιωαννης (Ioannes), itself derived from the Hebrew name יוֹחָנָן (Yochanan) meaning "YAHWEH is gracious".[4]
- Quincy comes from a surname which was derived from the given name Quintus, which was a Roman praenomen, or given name, meaning "fifth" in Latin.[5][6]
- Myers is a patronymic form of Mayer, which was an occupational name for a mayor, from Middle English mair.[7][8]
Trivia[]
TV Series[]
Welsh actor Kyle Rees portrays John Quincy Myers in the Outlander television adaptation.
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Approximate height. According to Claire, his leather belt, fastened around his midriff, is level with her chest.
- ↑ In the TV adaptation, Myers is not taller than Jamie, but he does still liken his hairiness to that of a bear.
- ↑ Drums of Autumn, chapter 13.
- ↑ Behind the Name: John. Accessed 19 June 2014.
- ↑ Behind the Name: Quincy. Accessed 25 August 2016.
- ↑ Quintus. Accessed 25 August 2016.
- ↑ Behind the Name Surnames: Myers. Accessed 25 August 2016.
- ↑ Behind the Name Surnames: Mayer. Accessed 25 August 2016.