The descendants of two Royal Navy lieutenants who embarked on a ground-breaking land, reef and seabed mapping survey in Bermuda from 1789 to 1797 have travelled to the island to celebrate the launch of a new book honouring their work. Family members of Thomas Hurd and Andrew Evans travelled from as far as Australia and Canada for the launch of Adrian Webb’s book — Thomas Hurd and His Hydrographic Survey of Bermuda, 1789 to 97 — which has been 17 years in the making.

The survey, charting and measuring the island’s reefs and seabeds, is one of the most important in Bermuda’s history and arguably led to the militarisation of the island with the identification of Grassy Bay as a naval facility.

The descendants gathered at the Bermuda National Gallery last night, many meeting for the first time.

The fourth great-grandson of Thomas Hurd, David Broughall hailing from Toronto, assisted Mr Webb with family research including material related to Hurd and his son Samuel, who was born in Bermuda. Then, three weeks ago, he received a call from chairman of the National Museum of Bermuda James Hallett, husband of Margaret, who is also a descendant of Hurd, asking if he would like an advance copy of the book and inviting him to the launch.

“It essentially dropped out of the sky,” Mr Broughall said with a smile.

“It was quite a surprise to say the least. The occasion magnifies the whole family reunion, if you will. Margaret Hallett seems especially taken with the idea that we all got together and that it was here in Bermuda that it happened.

“I think it is marvellous that this is getting wider recognition. For me it is most important for the history of the island.”

Another fourth generation descendant of Hurd, Geoffrey Vernon, also travelled from Toronto and got to meet Mr Broughall for the first time.

“I find it interesting that, strategically, Bermuda was so important to Britain after losing the American colonies,” he said.

“Britain had trade between Jamaica, Canada and the UK and they couldn’t have proper control of Bermuda waters without a survey so it was a strategic event. It is really important in the history of the US, Canada and Britain as well as Bermuda, of course.”

The descendants of Andrew Evans — Dr Anne Cameron, Alexandra Blundell, Stephany Steggall and Helen Neill — travelled all the way from Australia to mark the event.

Dr Cameron said she had been helping to research the role of Evans, who was the first commodore of the Ireland Island Dockyard and the first Naval commissioner in Bermuda. Evans married Jehoaddan Tucker, of Reef Court, and most of their children were born in Bermuda, including Dr Cameron’s great-great-grandfather Andrew Fitzherbert Evans Junior. He and his brother William Tucker eventually followed their cousin Sir Francis Forbes to Australia.

Dr Cameron said: “We are very strongly connected to Bermuda not just through Evans but through his wife.

“We came here especially for the launch because Dr Edward Harris [director at the National Museum of Bermuda] and Adrian Webb have been keeping us informed as to how it was going along.

“We have been talking to Adrian for years about this and he e-mailed me last June checking to see if there was a portrait of Evans for the book and it just so happened I had just one.

“When we come to Bermuda we always stay in St George’s, of course, because that is where the family lived. Andrew Fitzherbert Evans Junior — he was known as Herbert — and Jehoaddan lived at Lemon Grove.

“We like to stay near there. We like to see Reef Court and we like to see White Hall — that is where William Tucker’s son lived. We also love to go over to Ireland Island — we are going over there tomorrow.

“This is wonderful. It is the culmination of many years research.”