Samuel Appleton
Encyclopedia
Samuel Appleton was an American
merchant and philanthropist, active in New Hampshire
, Massachusetts
, and Great Britain
. The city of Appleton, Wisconsin
was named in his honor by Amos Lawrence
.
. From 1790 to 1792, he cleared fields in Maine
for farming. He also taught school. For a time he kept a store in Ipswich
. In 1794, he moved to Boston where he became an importer in partnership with his brother Nathan
as S. & N. Appleton, buying European dry goods at auction and for resale to country traders in exchange for homespun cloth as well as pot and pearl ash for export to Britain. He also later established cotton mills at Waltham
and Lowell, Massachusetts
. After 1799 he passed much of his time in Britain, and at age 53 married a widow, Mrs. Mary Gore, with whom he had no children. He retired from business in 1823.
After retirement he devoted much of his fortune to charity, including his gift funding the Appleton Cabinet at Amherst College
, built to house the Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet
, and the Appleton Chapel
at Harvard University
. Appleton served as a vestryman
of King's Chapel
from 1830 to 1840, and monument to him sits on the north wall of the chapel.
Wilson's biographical directory of Boston's business aristocracy, published 1848, noted that it was "to the credit of Samuel Appleton, that he commenced life with a single four-pence half penny, paid to him by a drover who passed his father's house, for assistance in driving [cattle]."
, MA, and owned by D.P. Parker of Boston.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
merchant and philanthropist, active in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The city of Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...
was named in his honor by Amos Lawrence
Amos Lawrence
Amos Lawrence, was an American merchant and philanthropist.-Biography:...
.
Biography
Appleton was born in New Ipswich, New HampshireNew Ipswich, New Hampshire
New Ipswich is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,099 at the 2010 census. New Ipswich, situated on the Massachusetts border, includes the villages of Bank, Davis, Gibson Four Corners, Highbridge, New Ipswich Center, Smithville, and Wilder, though these...
. From 1790 to 1792, he cleared fields in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
for farming. He also taught school. For a time he kept a store in Ipswich
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
. In 1794, he moved to Boston where he became an importer in partnership with his brother Nathan
Nathan Appleton
Nathan Appleton was an American merchant and politician.- Biography :Appleton was born in New Ipswich, New Hampshire, the son of Isaac Appleton and his wife Mary Adams. Appleton's father was a church deacon, and Nathan was brought up in "strictest form of Calvinistic Congregationalism." He was...
as S. & N. Appleton, buying European dry goods at auction and for resale to country traders in exchange for homespun cloth as well as pot and pearl ash for export to Britain. He also later established cotton mills at Waltham
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
and Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...
. After 1799 he passed much of his time in Britain, and at age 53 married a widow, Mrs. Mary Gore, with whom he had no children. He retired from business in 1823.
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, built to house the Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet
Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet
The Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet is a collection of fossil footmarks assembled between 1836 and 1865 by Edward Hitchcock , noted American geologist, state geologist of Massachusetts, USA, and President of Amherst College....
, and the Appleton Chapel
Memorial Church of Harvard University
The Memorial Church of Harvard University, more commonly known as the Harvard Memorial Church is a building on the campus of Harvard University.-Predecessors:...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Appleton served as a vestryman
Vestryman
A vestryman is a member of his local church's vestry, or leading body. He is not a member of the clergy.In England especially, but also in other parts of The United Kingdom, Parish Councils have long been a level of local government rather than being solely ecclesiastical in nature...
of King's Chapel
King's Chapel
King's Chapel is "an independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association" that is "unitarian Christian in theology, Anglican in worship, and congregational in governance." It is housed in what was formerly called "Stone Chapel", an 18th century...
from 1830 to 1840, and monument to him sits on the north wall of the chapel.
Wilson's biographical directory of Boston's business aristocracy, published 1848, noted that it was "to the credit of Samuel Appleton, that he commenced life with a single four-pence half penny, paid to him by a drover who passed his father's house, for assistance in driving [cattle]."
Historic ship
The 1846 ship Samuel Appleton, 808 tons, was built by P. Curtis in MedfordMedford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, MA, and owned by D.P. Parker of Boston.
External links
- The Will of Samuel Appleton, with remarks by one of the executors
- Daguerreotype of Samuel Appleton from a Sotheby's sale: http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2008/photographs-n08424#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08424.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08424.html/168/