Elias Hasket Derby
Salem, Massachusetts Elias Hasket Derby, Philip English
Elias Hasket Derby (1739 – 1799) was the first millionaire in New England, according to Eleanor Early in her book, A New England Sampler . He acquired his wealth as a broker/agent, shareholder, and equipment provider for the merchant mariners and privateers of Salem, MA in the Revolutionary War period.
His father Richard was a sea captain, but Elias himself
never sailed personally. While we commonly
trace the ancestry of people, here is the line traced to the origins of the
Derby family assets: Richard purchased (wharves, warehouses and the like) from
Philip English the 3rd, who acquired them from his grandfather
Philip English, who was one of those accused in the Salem Witchcraft hysteria.
These particular assets might not have eventually come to Elias
if Philip English had perished with so many of his neighbors, although it’s pretty
likely that Richard the sea captain would have made his fortune anyway. After
Philip and Mary English were accused, they escaped to New York, where they hid
for the duration of the trials.
During the trials, enough of the English estate had been
confiscated to compel Philip to petition for restitution. Later, Philip
returned to Massachusetts and continued to do what he was doing before: he built
small ships and engaged in the coastal shipping trade, and eventually expanded
to do business in the Indies (Barbados).
Elias has a connection to another anecdote I wrote about. His stepmother was the widow of Dr. Ezekiel Hersey, who was the brother of Abner Hersey.
Update 5/7/2012 - This book is free online at Internet Archive
Update 2: 5/19/2012 - A people index for this book has been created
Copyright 2012 Barbara Pahlow all rights reserved
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