Marcus Gross

Friends and Family
William Gross - Free Trader

Brother to Marcus, he grew up very jealous of Marcus after he was adopted into William's family. William vowed he would make his fortune and show to his family that he was the best son. He became a Free Trader in pursuit of his goal and is seen here and here around the Caribbean trying to sell everything he can. They still talk and are cordial to each other in public but you can still sense a barrier between the two even after all these years.

Record of Achievement

 * 1719 - Exploratory Service, Antigua
 * 1719 - Entered service with Royal Red of Antigua
 * 1720 - Formation of The Brass Drakes
 * 1720 - Dissolution of the Royal Red and formation of The Drakes
 * January 1st 1722 - Enlisted in the squadron

Commissions
Current Commands:


 * HMS Texas, Poseidon 4th-Rate Frigate, 72 guns
 * HMS Maine, Minerva MC Frigate, 53 guns
 * HMS Dakota, Hercules Sleek Frigate, 52 guns
 * HMS Montana, Hercules Heavy Frigate, 52 guns
 * HMS Tiger, Raa MC Frigate, 42 guns

Background Story
In late 1707, Marcus was captured by the British Navy after his fathers ship was boarded in combat. His father was a member of the Rats and was raising his son to be apart of his crew. Marcus was found loading the cannon in the last attempt to sink the British vessel. He was restrained and taken to prison. In London a women was walking by as the group of prisoners were being led to the gallows. She spotted Marcus, a young boy couldn't be more than 11 at the time, and felt sorry for the lad. She spoke with the guard who quickly obliged and allowed Marcus to be taken by the women. Marcus was beaten badly and was in no form to try and run, he walked with her to a carriage and fell asleep as they rode away. He awoke to a gently touch and a soft voice "We are here" she said. Marcus was then adopted into their family and brought up by the Gross family. His new father was a noble man and served in the Royal Navy as an intelligence manager. Following in the new footsteps Marcus became apart of the Royal Navy at the age of 20 and worked as an informant for them about what he knew dealing with the Rats he and his old father had served with. With his intel he rose above others and showed that he was ready to lead. He was commissioned as Captain Gross of the HMS Dakota and has been sailing into battles ever since.

Family Name History
References for the German surname Gross can be found in documents dating back to the twelfth century, which make it one of the earliest recorded German surnames. The name itself is of nickname origin, deriving from a personal or physical characteristic of the original bearer. In this instance, the surname derives from the Old High German "groz" meaning "large", here indicating a "tall" or "heavy" person. Research also shows that the term did not only apply to the body of a person it also is found as indicating the size of ones estate or his age. Alternatively, the surname Gross could be of toponymic origin, deriving from the name of the place, where the original bearer of the name once lived or held land. Here, the surname derives from on of the numerous villages and towns named Gross or with the element Gross. Someone who hailed from one of these places, but is now living someplace else, could have been named Gross, Grosser or Grossmann. Lists of Germans coming in America indicate a family named Gross, which consisted of Georg, age 29, Christina, age 32, Catharina, age 3, and Heinrich, age 1. They sailed on the ship named "Leila" from Rotterdam to New York, where it arrived in July of the year 1850.

The surname Gross and its variant forms of Gros, Grosse and Grosser can be found in old documents dating back to the year 1142 when one Sigwinus Mangus (Latin form of gross) was mentioned as a resident of Koln (Cologne). One Cuonradus der Grasse resided near the city of Freiburg, as documents for the year 1220 indicate. Reinhardus dictus Grosse was a knight in the village of Hofingen, which is located near Leanberg, in the year 1267. One Jobst Grosse was a potter and resident of the city of Jena in the year 1540. A family named Gross received the following coat of arms in the year 1562.

Blazon of Arms: Per fess; first or, issuing from the partition a griffin segreant gules, second sable.

Cresc: The griffin of the arms issuing.

Origin: Germany