Benjamin Franklin Wood

My father was engaged when occasion required, which was often & for months at a time, during the whole of the Revolutionary War, in the Commissary?s department, as a wagon master, and from his ardent patriotism after having spent all that he had acquired in early life, in the struggle for Independence, at the close of the war had, for the sacrifices he had made in expense & labour 16 or 1700 dollars in Continental money, which was ascertained immediately after the war, to be valueless ? the country being inundated with counterfeit money by the British, the paper money issued by Congress depreciated rapidly down to nothing, when (my mother told me) my father made a bonfire of all he had, contrary to her wishes, saying mother, there are hundreds of tons of counterfeit bills, Congress cannot possibly distinguish their own from the spurious, we have got our Independence & I am satisfied.

His father - Ebenezer Wood;

A Revolutionary War veteran On attaining the age of 14 hears I began to be anxious about the future. I knew that my paternal patrimony must be very small in property, & came to the conclusion that I must learn a trade, that a good trade would be worth as much as a good farm, without a trade. I consulted with my mother on the subject, and gained her approbation and consent that I should go to New York and try my fortune; and now the subject was broached to my father, who readily acknowledged the propriety of the measure, but was unwilling for a time to let me go from home at so early an age, especially so far away as New York and amongst total strangers, where I might suffer perhaps from ill usage, or might be led astray by forming acquaintance with vicious or evil disposed boys, and be ruined without their counsel or protection, he however finally yielded a rather reluctant consent, & I now only waited a favorable opportunity when some of the family might go to N.Y. with me, my mother in the mean time preparing my clothes; when on the 16th of December 1794 my kind & tender hearted father (a married sister going to the City) rather unwillingly took my bundle of clothes on his horse and accompanied me, on foot, to the landing, distant between 4 & 5 miles, and the parental and affectionate counsel on that journey made an impression upon my heart (then very susceptible) that time has not, neither can it, obliterate, while reason continues, or memory lasts, and let all I leave behind, who bear my name remember also his last words to me on that occasions ? My son be a good boy and always remember your name is Wood.

After what was then thought a remarkable passage, we were in N.Y. the next morning, when I immediately inquired after and found a Mr. Dunn ? a Silver Smith, a trade I wished to learn, but was sadly disappointed when he told me he was about winding up his business & did not want an apprentice; but he told me a Mr. Alstyne 76 Maiden Lane might possibly want an apprentice. I immediately called upon him, he said he wanted an apprentice, but was afraid to take one, for he had had two, & was robbed by both of them, and but for the kind feeling he had for their parents, would have sent them both to prison. I told him with much assurance, I would never rob him, but would strive in every way to serve him faithfully; he asked me upon what terms I would serve him. I told him I would strive to earn my victuals & clothes, he told me he was much pleased with my apparent confident assurance, & that he would take me without further enquiry, that I might come immediately. On the next morning, being the 18th of December 1794 I commenced my apprenticeship, with an understanding that I was to be bound at the earliest opportunity to serve ?til I was 21.

My sister left the City for home on the 20th & called at our shop to know what message I had to send home. I told her, with all the courage I could summon on the occasion, that I should have kind treatment, that I could not be hired with a large sum to leave my place. I was now left along; and now began the sober second thought. I had never been from home before and was among total strangers, and the intercourse of our family with the City, at that time was of rare occurrence, sometimes but once in several months. I sometimes became a little despondent, but would rally my spirits under the consideration that in getting my trade I would gain an independence. My master and mistress were kind, I do not remember that I ever had an unkind word or look from either of them, but my master lacked energy, his father was wealthy, and his expectations large, he became indolent and neglected his business; his father in 1797 bought a farm in Westchester Co. and advised him to move with him there, and build a shop & continue his business there. He was not willing to part with me, and being bound I was obliged to go with him, our workshop on account of his want of energy, was a hear in building, and was not in order for work till late in season of 1798, the year of terrible scourge of yellow fever in N.Y. in which I lost my dear mother, a sister, & brother. My sister & brother lived in N.Y. and were sick with the fever, my mother on learning that they were sick, came to the City and state till they were both buried, went home, and in eight days, was also buried. My grief was so great that I also was taken sick, and confined to my bed for about two months, and did not recover strength to work for nearly a whole year, when I asked for my indentures, and obtained them. It is proper that I should relate some of my sufferings for the sake of obtaining my trade. I have before stated the kind words & looks of my master and his wife, but more is wanted than kind looks & gentle words to make life comfortable.

When the stock of clothing I brought from home was worn out, through the neglect of both master & mistress, I was almost naked. The fall & winter of 1796 I had no coat or jacket with sleeves, nor a hat with a crown in it, till the Christmas holidays, the feet worn out of my stockings, & dilapidated shoes, & no shirt to wear but some old ones of my master?s; and for fear of distressing my parents I made no complaint, consoling myself with the idea that my sufferings would be nothing when compared with the independence I should acquire by having a trade and in the month of January 1799 I bid farewell to my master & his family (see the effect of kind works & looks) without any enmity or ill will towards them. It is also proper that I should give some little of the history of the Alstyne family. They were of Dutch or Holland descent, my master, father & grandfather were both living when I commenced my apprenticeship. They had been members of the Dutch Ref. Church, but on the breaking out of the Revolutionary War, took sides with the King, left the Communion of the Dutch Church, and it is to be feared, left with it also their religion, and joined the English Church. The grandfather died while I was in the family, the father not ?till some time after, & since that time the history of the family has been really tragical. My master had an elder brother and two sisters, they were all married & had children, except my master. The elder brother committed suicide leaving a widow & six or seven children, the husband of the oldest sister became dissipated and wasted most of his own & also his wife?s estate and wandered off a reckless outcast, and died in South Carolina or Georgia, also leaving a widow & 6 or 7 children. My master, the next oldest of the family, addicted to intemperate drinking was some 3 or 4 miles from home with his wagon & not being able to manage his horses, they ran away with him, broke the wagon, and bruised him so badly that he died. The husband of the youngest sister, a wealthy farmer in King?s Co. by the name of Cortelyn, also became a suicide. I never had the courage to visit the widows, who I understood, shortly after the last melancholy death, lived together in Westchester County, and I know nothing about the family since. In fact I have lost sight of them altogether, almost as if they had never been.

And now for a little more of my personal narrative; My father came to Westchester for me & found me very feeble with apparently a broken constitution. He took me home, where I remained till the first of May 99, when after the best of nursing and medical attendance I had so far recovered my health, as to be able to go to N.Y. and endeavor to renew the all engrossing object which first took me from under my father?s roof, viz. a trade. The first shop I applied to was a Mr. Van Voorhis who was kind enough to give me work at spoons, at which with my very little practical knowledge of the business barely enabled me to pay my board and procure such articles of clothing as I stood in immediate need of, but the problem was now solved. I considered myself independent, for I could now earn my living, and with industry and close application I would soon become proficient in that branch of the trade, & I was not mistaken, for in the course of a year, or a little more, I was comfortably clothed, and considered a good spoon maker, but to acquire a knowledge of the business, in all its branches, I entered into an agreement with a plate worker to serve him for one year at a dollar a day for instruction in the business generally. My health had now become established, and I soon had the satisfaction of being pronounced a good workman, and proud of my independence, clothed myself like a gentleman, still aspiring, as I always had done, to lead, or at least be in the van, of the circle in which I moved, never forgetting that may name was Wood ? and was gratified to the utmost of my desires in the reception I met everywhere. Shortly before this time a Scotchman by the name of Wilson had established himself in Dey St., at the single branch of spoon making and from his particular method & skill in the business was turning out more work than could be made by any two other men in the city, and a progress (?) now became something of a further passion with me. I made up my mind if possible to acquire the same facility in the manufacturing of spoons, and offered myself as a journeyman, and was accepted, and commenced with a determination to obtain by close observation, his method, and tho I could never do quite as much work as he could in a day, yet I could do twice as much as any other spoonmaker in the City, and was earning from 12 to 15 dollars per week.

Catherine Cole, Benjamin?s wife

I now began to be able to feel myself able to maintain a family, and in the good providence of the Lord had made choice of one I though, & found to be of congenial spirit with myself, and to which choice I have always, & desire still to bless the Lord, for His mercy & grace in directing me. We (Catherine Cole) were married on the first day of November ensuing at 62 Dey St. with a bedroom for father, and one room for ourselves, which was bedroom, kitchen, and parlour. My father being entirely alone, had given up housekeeping two or three years before, and was living with my brother Joseph in Chambers Street. It was part of our agreement before marrying that he should feel the head of our family, that a family altar might be erected at the commencement of our new, or married, life. I had now good health, but our means were still small and we were barely able to get furniture and housekeeping articles sufficient to commence housekeeping with, but were contented and happy, and full of hope for the future, and our hope was never disappointed, for our barrel of meal was never empty, neither did our cruse of oil fail, or get dry, we were always comfortable and happy, for the Lord was always gracious in His dealings towards me. On the 1st of May 1807 we moved our quarters to 76 Beekman St., having the same accommodations we left in Dey St., when on the 4th of December following, we were blessed with a daughter, Catharine Ann, and with continued health & constant employment, we had all we craved of the world, and with the company of our pious & venerable father were happy. On the first of May 1808 we again changed our quarters to 104 Church St. adding to our accommodations another bed room. It is necessary to remark here, that a change had occurred about this time, or shortly before, in our business. Manufacturers had sold exclusively, at their own Establishments, their manufactures; but now establishments had been formed for the sale of silver ware, jewelry, watches, fine cutlery, & fancy articles of general merchandise, and as the raw material in our trade was cash, it required a considerable capital to carry on the business. The stores now agreed with the trade to advance the capital, and divide with us the profits, thus enabling me, as soon as I could obtain a sufficient sum to get tools to work with, to commence business for myself. Mr. J.W. Forbes, the person with whom I had worked a year for instruction in the business, had established himself at the corner of Maiden Lane and Gold St., generously offered me room in his work shop with the use of his tools at a moderate rent, and I now entered into an agreement with (??) J.A. Wolfe to make them spoons, at a stipulated price per dozen, which I thought would allow me a liberal return for my labour. And an incident now occurred which proved in all my after life of almost invaluable benefit to me. He weighed for me nearly 1000 Dolls worth of silver. I was then an entire stranger to him, as far as I knew. I told him I could give him no security, a reference to any one, for the faithful performance of contract & return of the capital entrusted to me. The senior partner of the firm raised his spectacles to his brow and in a friendly, but very impressive manner remarked that hew who had no confidence in himself could not expect others to have confidence in him. This brought out the man in me, that has never forsaken me, and has on many occasions given me a prominent station among my fellows; for notwithstanding my failures, and perhaps, or doubtless, errors, I never deliberately meant to do wrong. I must further add that, that was the greatest attainment & triumph I had ever made. I became better acquainted with myself, a foundation, a platform for future action was laid, and is as firm now as when laid, on that occasion. I now took an apprentice, went to work with industry, & prudence in my expenses, was able to enter my own workshop on the 1st of May 1810 at 43 Beaver St. with a sufficient stock of tools of my own to work with, and three apprentices, with comfortable quarters for my family, and from that time was able to earn something more than my current expenses, besides adding largely to my stock of tools. We had an addition to our family on the 13 day of September 1809 in the birth of a son Ebenezer, and were also afflicted, on the 11th of April ensuing in the loss by death of our very dear first born child Catharine. Oh the distress of that visitation, it was a long time before the Lord enabled me by His grace, willingly to submit to that sore dispensation of His providence, and immediately after burying our child, our dear old father, who had purposed a visit to the country, but had waited the issue of our child?s sickness, left us never to return, he was taken sick on the passage up and died on the 18th of the same month April 1810 at the house of my niece, his granddaughter, at the Landing, her husband owning the sloop in which he took passage up. And now with bright prospects in business for the future, we again moved, first of May 1811, to 96 Reade St., where we had more comfortable quarters for the family, and an excellent workshop, with plenty of work.

I was fortunate in having 3 excellent apprentices, and was by the close of this year able to turn out quite a large quantity of work, and of such a quality as to be able to select from those retailing our work, a choice amongst our employers. We now furnished our house with everything needful, to make it comfortable & respectable, and our shop with every implement in the tool line desirable, & I surely ought not to omit stating her too, that we had been brought to the knowledge & the acknowledgement, I trust of the important truth, that we needed something better than this world can give: That here we have no abiding place no continuing City. No matter what we might acquire of this worlds wealth, it would all perish with the using, constantly admonishing us to seek that City which hath foundations, whose builder & maker is God. We became convinced under the powerful preaching of the gospel by the Rev Father Bork of blessed memory, that we were sinners and by nature justly exposed to the wrath and displeasure of God, and that without an interest in the covenant of Life, we could not be saved. It pleased the Lord so far to enlighten our understandings, as to enable us to embrace the overtures of the gospel, and flee to the Lord Jesus Christ, for safety. We now offered ourselves as candidates, and were received into the communion & fellowship of the church, by a confession of our faith, on the third Wednesday of April 1811 ? the most memorable day of my life, and on the 22nd of August ensuing 1811 we were blessed in the birth of our son Jacob.

War of 1812: "Captain Wood"

Note: The following information is from Rev. David Cole D. D., (Pastor of the Reformed Church of Yonkers, N. Y) in his brief sketch of Captain Benjamin Franklin Wood about Benjamin's quote referring to the War of 1812:

Benjamin, "We now endeavored to adopt the Scripture rules, ' Owe no man anything,' and ' Be at peace with all men,' and with good health and plenty of work, and a selection of choice Christian friends, we knew little and cared little about the tumult and confusion of the world. But we learned before long that we were not only in the world, but of the world also." . . .

David Cole, "The reference of this last remark is to the war between the United States and Great Britain, which, breaking out in the year 1812, broke in upon the even life of Mr. and Mrs. Wood, changed their whole career for a time, and probably gave shape to their subsequent history as long as they lived. Patriotism with Benjamin Wood came in with the blood. I need not myself say a word about the causes of the war or its history. These are written in many forms, and accessible to all. The government offering a captain's commission to any one who would enlist a company for the service, Mr. Wood raised one hundred and twenty-one men (sixty-nine of whom he equipped at his own expense) for the defense of the city. He completed his company on the 30th of January, 1813, received his Captaincy, and entered the service. He was stationed first two months on Ellis' Island, then three months at New Utrecht ("The Narrows"), and afterwards nine months at Sandy Hook, making fourteen in all. He had enlisted for twelve months. On the 14th of April, 1814, he received unsolicited and at once accepted a Captain's commission in the 27th Regiment, U. S. Infantry, was stationed again at Sandy Hook, and served till June 15, 1815, when the army was disbanded. From this time to the end of his life he was known as "Captain Wood." Being boarding officer of the day when it arrived at Sandy Hook, he was the first American to receive the "Declaration of Peace." It was one of the incidents of his life, the date of which I cannot give, that he mounted and fired the first gun that was placed in Fort Lafayette at the "Narrows." He never resumed military life, but abandoned it forever at the close of the war."

On the 7th of October 1814 we had an addition to our family in the birth of our son Isaac, and towards the latter part of 1815, commerce being very brisk, I began to go ahead again in business, enlarged my shop, increased the number of my workmen, and for a time had a fair prospect of making up for lost time and expense in the service of my country. On the first of May 1816 we moved to 265 Greenwich St. and established a small sale shop, as well as manufacturing. On the 11th of Dec. of this year we again had an addition to our family in the birth of our son Benjamin. We remained in Greenwich St. from first of May 1816 to 1st of May 1818, when we returned to our old quarters at 96 Reade St.

We had prospered much in the last 2 years, but now we began to meet a revulsion in business, our country by this time had become flooded with foreign produce and merchandise of almost every description and kind. Our Exports not being equal to our Imports, we became largely in debt abroad, and besides the disparity between Exports and Imports ? during the War a large amt. of capital had been invested in manufactories & to break up, or put a stop to our manufacturing, Great Britain gave increased facilities, even premiums, to her manufacturers, and our capital invested became almost a total loss: for we could not at that time compete with them, and to add to the distress of the country the monster (as General Jackson properly called the U.S. Bank) became a powerful tool in the hands of the aristocracy, to change the administration of the country, or of the General Government, our local banks were but few at that time, and the U.S. Bank curtailing her discounts, completely paralyzed the circulation of money & consequently the business of the whole country, and there was soon, as an unavoidable necessity, or consequence, great distress throughout the whole country and the sound of hammer was scarcely heard in my workshop for nearly nine months. I now considered myself entitled to the consideration of Government, and I made application for an appointment in the Custom House. My claim was readily admitted, but I had to wait ?till a vacancy occurred (appointments were not then made for political but for honest motives) & on the 27th of May 1819 I was appointed an Inspector of the Customs. On the first of March, this year we had another addition to our family in the birth of our son Abraham Cole. I now left my shop to my apprentices, the two oldest as partners in the old establishment and to the youngest, being my nephew, I gave from my abundant stock of tools, enough to commence business with in the country. I have been much gratified with a knowledge of the success in business of them all. The eldest Timothy B. Herbert, lived but a few years to enjoy the advantages I conferred upon him. The second Benjamin Gurnee has retired from business with a competency for after life and the youngest my nephew Joseph Blauvelt, has earner himself a larger farm, has it well stocked, and under a good state of cultivation, & continues the business of spoonmaking still. We now moved to No. 174 Franklin St. (then called Provost St.) and I immediately commenced my services as an Inspector of the Customs, being as before stated on the 17th of May 1819. I was kept constantly in discharging vessels, & soon acquired such a knowledge of the operations of the Revenue Dept. as to be useful and so to commend myself, as when a vacancy occurred, to be offered the appointment of Boarding Officer at Quarantine, this considered a very desirable station, which I accepted and commenced the discharge of my duties there on the first of October 1821. On the 15th of Febr. Of this year we had another addition to our family in the birth of our son John H.

On arriving at the station, made vacant by the death of my predecessor, I found it entirely without organization, not a single Book, or Record of any kind, but it being near the end of the Quarantine season, and having the whole of the winter to systemize and arrange for the business of the coming year, I was so prepared in time with a set of Books and blanks, as to be able to discharge understandingly, & satisfactorily the duties of Boarding Officer not only to myself, but so as to receive great commendation from both the Collector & Surveyor, who had been much annoyed by complaints from merchants & masters of vessels.

I was the Boarding Officer from the 1st of October 1821 to the 1st of May 1841. Many incidents, or occurrences of importance, must necessarily have happened during so long a time, and there certainly did, but there was one only in the discharge of my duties that gave me a moments anxiety ? I will mention it. Mr. Alfred P. Edwards, an India Merchant, in the course of his travels, arrived at Quarantine a passenger in a British Frigate. The Frigate with the officers and passengers was quarantined, having arrived from a sickly port, I do not remember the port, perhaps Vera Cruz, with a quantity of specie to be landed here. The Captain of the ship refused to comply with the Quarantine regulations & proceeded to New York ? taking Edwards & other passengers with him in his ?gig?. Dr. Harrison the Health Officer sent a communication to the Resident Physician N.Y. immediately, who had them all arrested, for a breach of the Health Laws. It created a great hubbub in the City, in which Mr. Edwards took a conspicuous part, the matter through the interference in British Consul, Merchants, & others was finally settled with the Health Dept., after which Mr. Edwards came to my office, and told me he was going to bring the bags of the passengers on shore. I asked him if he had a Permit from the Custom House he said no, neither did he mean to get one, he asked me what I would do if he landed the baggage. I told him I had no other alternative but must seize it, he became very much excited, cursed the health officer, Collector, & all his officers, when I told him his language was more like that of a blackguard than of a gentleman. I had now capped the climax and he left in a rage ? and not many days after I received from the Collector a copy of charges made against me, to the Secretary of the Treasury demanding my immediate discharge from public employ, to which I was required to reply, which I did to the entire satisfaction of the Secretary of the Treasury, as I was afterward informed by the Collector. There has nothing occurred since the close of the above narrative worthy of note, or that my family have not perfect knowledge of; and now I will further remark, that I have attained to a great age, and though my health at present is good, and my constitution seemingly unimpaired, yet according to the common course of nature, the time of my departure cannot be far in the advance, I will add too, that I have much comfort in the reflection that I am not aware that I leave any taint, either moral or physical, upon my family; and that I do not reproach any one of them, of any want of care, or affection for me, either morally or physically. Nay my children, I have much consolation in the belief that we all sustain an honorable station amongst our fellows, and the favorable regard of all our acquaintance; I can hardly expect any of you to enter fully into my feelings, being so far in advance of you all in age, but I know you will readily believe that my earnest desire & prayer to Got is, that you may all be preserved in comfort while you live, and as graciously dealt with as I have been, and that in your lives you may manifest greater gratitude to the Lord for His mercies than I have done.

Oh could we realize our obligations to the Lord for his constant watchful care over us, and the ever bountiful provision afforded for all our returning wants, should we not ever be humble before Him, and seek His favour which is Life and His Loving Kindness, which is better than Life.

Written by Benjamin Wood
Coped by his son Abram C. Wood