Minturn-RI

1 Jonas Minthorn, a farmer and butcher, owned and lived on a farm in Narragansett, Rhode Island in 1732. He married Penelope Browne, dau of Samuel Browne, and had three children: a daughter who never married, a son who died young, and Wiilliam. Sarah Batchelor, who descends from him, thinks it quite possible that Jonas came from Long Island as his nineteenth century descendants believed. She cites two lawsuits, one in 1734 and the other in 1737, where he was sued for damages for nonpayment of debts by Joseph Isaac of Oyster Bay, and Joseph Lewis of Huntington, both of Long Island.[1]

Jonas m2 Marcy (Mercy) Enos, dau of Joseph Enoss. In his will of 1762 Enoss mentioned his daughter Marcy Minthorn who was to be maintained for life, and grandchild John Minthorn. Jonas and Marcy had a dau Mary who married Philip Griffith in 1783 [2] Another daughter, Penelope, m Joshua Griffith in 1773 in Richmond.

11 William Minturn, b 18 Mar 1738 in RI, d 23 Aug 1799 in Newport, RI, m 24 Aug 1766 in South Kingston, RI to Penelope Greene 21 Aug 1746 – 6 Apr 1821, dau of Benjamin Greene and Niobe Paul and a cousin of General Nathaniel Greene.

Young William, the butcher’s son caught the eye of the Robinson shipping family in Newport, was taken into their service, and quickly rose because of his abilities. According to one account, frequently repeated, he made several voyages from Newport and soon became a ship’s mate. During the French War (1756-1763) his ship was captured and taken to a French port. The person who captured it offered to release it for a ransom but the ship’s Captain said that was impossible. William, however, volunteered to go to London and collect the money from the owners. He was allowed to do so, eventually appeared there in his ship clothes, and was so convincing that the owners gave him the money. He returned to the ship, ransomed it, and they sailed back to Newport. The owners were so impressed that they made William Captain. Soon he bought ships of his own and became a successful Newport merchant.

Whaling families from Nantucket became convinced, after the American Revolution, that the British would attempt to retake its former American Colonies. As Nantucket is located about 29 miles from the mainland, they felt particularly at risk. So, in 1783 the families empowered the Jenkins brothers, Thomas & Seth, to find a safer place to live and work. After considering several locations they decided on a 100-acre tract of land 100 miles up the Hudson known as Claverack Landing. In 1784 thirty families, many of them Quakers, moved to Claverack Landing from Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Newport and Providence. William Minturn later joined these families, sailing to Hudson with his family in one of his ships, taking 13 days for the voyage. In 1791 he moved on to New York City where the opportunities were greater and shipping lines would be shorter. Soon he became wealthy. He, his son, grandson and great grandson are listed in the Encyclopedia of American Wealth. In 1799, his health failing, William Minturn went back to Rhode Island to retire but he died within the month and was buried in Newport. When he died he owned 5 houses on Pearl Street in NYC, plus wharves and business premises, and left $1500 a year to his wife, among other bequests. His widow returned to New York where she lived among her sons on Pearl Street.[3]

111 Penelope Minturn, b ca 1767, m ca 1786 John T. Champlin. Champlin was from Rhode Island; his uncle John Thurston was one of the founders of Hudson. Champlin and Benjamin Minturn established the firm of Minturn and Champlin, which began by buying British manufactures and selling them in the interior of the State and nearby States. This was usually done on long credit and did not prove very profitable. Then they became shipping merchants and ship owners, beginning to operate in Northern Europe, then in Southern Europe and the Pacific and Asia. They were very successful at first but with Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and the American embargo prior to and during the War of 1812, their opportunities were greatly reduced and the business was finally shut down about 1815.[4] Champlin was a Director of the Bank of America in NYC in 1812. In 1815 he retired and took up farming. Children

112 Benjamin Minturn, 1771 - 1845, m ca 1788 or later, Mary Bowne, 1774 – 1852, dau of Robert Bowne and Elizabeth Hartshorne of Flushing. He was a descendant of John Bowne, a Quaker who settled in Flushing around 1652.[5] Robert Bowne founded Bowne and Company, was highly regarded as a philanthropist, and participated in many of the notable achievements of his day, including the founding of the Bank of New York, the Bank of America and the planning of the Erie Canal.[6] Benjamin and Mary had 11 children, of whom 3 had offspring.

1121 Sarah H. Minturn 1795 – 1879, m 1822 Joseph Budd Collins 1794 – 1867, son of Isaac and Rachel Budd Collins of Burlington, NJ. Joseph was President of the U. S. Life Insurance Co.

1122 William H. Minturn 1796 – 1853, m 1824 Carolyn Byrnes 1794 –1885, dau of Joseph and Rebecca Clarke Byrnes of Charleston, SC.

1129 Edward Minturn 1806 – 1879, successfully ran Woodhull and Minturn with his brother Charles and died a rich man.

1131 Charles Minturn 1814 – 1873. Worked with his brother in NY, then went to California in the Gold Rush and introduced the first steam ships plying between San Francisco and Sacramento.

114 William Minturn, 1776 - 1818, m 1800 Sarah Bowne, sister of Mary Bowne, above. In 1802 William Minturn, Robert H. Bowne and Elisha Whitehead, merchants of NYC, purchased two lots in Delaware County.[7] William was a well-known merchant shipper and was one of the founders of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of New York. According to his grandson Robert B. Minturn Jr., he spent several years in the China trade where there were enormous profits to be made. He was at various times in partnership with his brother Jonas and in the Minturn and Champlin firm. After the failure of the latter he became ill and died soon after.

1142 Sarah Minturn 1803 – 1881, m 1822 Henry Grinnell 1799 – 1874, son of Cornelius and Sylvia Howland Grinnell of New Bedford, MA.

1143 Robert Bowne Minturn 16 Nov 1805 – 9 Jan 1866, m 2 Jun 1835 Anna Wendell, dau of John Lansing Wendell, a partner in Grinnell, Minturn and Co. Due to the early death of his father, Robert had to leave school at the age of 14 and enter a counting house. He spent his leisure in study so that he gained an extensive acquaintance with literature. In 1825 he became a partner with Charles Green, whose clerk he had been, and in 1830 entered the firm of Fish and Grinnell, which afterward became Grinnell, Minturn and Co. He declined all public office except the post of commissioner of immigration. He was an active manager of many charitable associations and was a founder of St. Luke’s Hospital. He was the first president of the Union League Club. Robert Bowne Minturn became more famous that his father or grandfather as his clipper ships gave the era its name. The most famous of them was the Flying Cloud, launched in 1851 that broke many records including its voyage from New York around the Horn to San Francisco in 90 days. His son, Robert Bowne Minturn, Junior, born 21 Feb 1836, graduated from Columbia in 1856, wrote a book about his trip to India, New York to Delhi, 1858, and as Vice President of the railroad that founded the town of Minturn, Colorado, gave his name to that town.[8]

115 Jonas Minturn, ca 1787 - 1827, m 1800 at St. Georges, Flushing, Esther Robinson b ca 1774, dau of William T. Robinson of the NY mercantile firm of Franklin, Robinson and Co. Jonas was in the shipping business with his brother William.[9] He was also a very successful auctioneer. He built the first house of Bond Street. Children who survived:[10]

1151 Carolyn Minturn, 9 Jul 1806 – 9 Nov 1864, m David P. Hall 15 Jul 1798 – 22 Nov 1868.[11] Had several children.

1153 Thomas Robinson Minturn, ca 1808 - 1872, in 1850 was a merchant in Newtown, Queens.

1154 Frances Minturn, b ca 1813, m 12 Oct 1838 Thomas R. Hazard b 3 Jan 1797. He was a well-known writer, spiritualist and wealthy farmer in Newport, RI.^[12]

1155 Lloyd Minturn ca 1810 - 1873, m1 at Newport, Julia Virginia Randolph. She died and he m2 1848 Ann King Robinson and had children. Ann’s father, Rowland T. Robinson, was a first cousin of Esther Robinson and a leading anti-slavery campaigner.

1157 Jonas Minturn ca 1819 - 1882, m 1843 Abby West, b ca 1816. In 1850 he was a merchant in Bristol, RI, later moving to CA. Had children.

116 Mary Minturn, b 1781, d 26 Jul 1872 m 14 Jun 1806 Henry Post, Jr. 11 Jan 1774 – 30 Jan 1847, son of Henry Post and Mary Titus. Henry Post Jr. was in the shipping business in the partnership of Post and Russell. It was dissolved as a result of the Embargo and after his marriage he founded Post, Grinnell and Minturn, of which he was President. It is still flourishing as Grinnell, Minturn & Co. Henry was one of the Governors of the New York Hospital. For many years the Post family occupied the old Franklin House on Franklin Square, built in 1776 and previously the residence of George Washington and DeWitt Clinton. Col. Post was an intimate of Mayor/Gov. Dewitt Clinton and at times Clinton wrote to Post daily soliciting his advice or help. Twelve to fifteen hundred of his letters were in Post’s possession at his death.[13] Children:

1177 Elizabeth Abbatt, b ca 1818, m Henry Kip, b ca 1809, harbor master in NY in 1850.

118 Nathaniel Greene Minturn, b 14 Nov 1785, d 28 Oct 1840, m 20 Jun 1808 Lydia Coates. He was listed in the 1810 NYC directory as a merchant at 343 Pearl Street. His mother was living at 330 Pearl Street.

11(10) John Minturn, b 1791, d 1846 in New Orleans where he was a paving contractor, m1 Laura Macy, m2 1836 Lydia Clements, niece of Lydia Coates above.

[1] Descendants are listed on Greene Family Database on longislandgeneology.com and Marx and Related Families on RootsWeb WorldConnect. I have added to them with material collected from family members in the 1980s and filed in Box 2, folders 36 and 37, in the Edmund A. Stanley Jr. Collection in the NY Public Library, Humanities and Social Sciences Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division. The Edmund A. Stanley Jr. Collection Relating to Bowne & Co. Inc. and the Bowne Family, contains letters from Benjamin, Mary and Elizabeth Minturn to their parents and others, and genealogical notes and biographical sketches of the Minturn Family.

[2] Richmond Town Records describe her as Mary, daughter of Jonas. (Per Sarah Batchelor).

[3] “A Sketch of the Minturn Family by a person who has known the family since 1788” anonymous, and Biographical Encyclopedia, p 118, both in Edmund A. Stanley Collection, supra. Also Hudson in Columbia County on US GenWeb and Sarah Batchelor.

[4] “A Sketch of Minturn and Champlin by John G. Proud, long a confidential employee of the firm”, in Edmund A. Stanley Collection, supra.

[5] Benjamin Thompson, History of Long Island, 3d Edition by Charles J. Werner, NY 1918, Vol III, p 392.

[6] Edmund A. Stanley Jr. Collection, supra.

[7] Delaware County Deeds, Liber A, pp 281-5.

[8] From Appleton’s Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1887-1889 on http://famousamericans.net.

[9] The Hartshorne Family Papers, Collection #24 at the Monmouth County Historical Association contains correspondence referring to the shipping firms of Post, Grinnell and Minturn; Minturn and Champlin; and William and Jonas Minturn.

[10] Ca birthdates are from 1850 Census

[11] Buried in Pomfret Street Cemetery, Pomfret, CT. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Fields/4791/pomfretpomfretstreetcem.html

[12] See his Recollections of Olden Times, 1879.

[13] http://www.jacksonsweb.org/henrypost.htm