Patriots of Hudson in the Revolutionary War, the exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, continues at the Hudson Area Library. To entice you to visit the library to view the entire exhibition, Gossips share two panels that tell of Seth Jenkins, who with his brother Thomas led the group that set out to find a new deep-water harbor and found what they sought at Claverack Landing. (Click on the images to enlarge. The main text of each panel is transcribed below the image.)
Seth Jenkins
Nantucket Sea Captain,
Friend of Benjamin Franklin, Hudson Proprietor
Jenkins was a sea captain in Nantucket often traveling to London where he argued before the House of Lords for the rights of the colonists’ maritime trade activities.
Along with Alexander Coffin, He was instrumental in carrying important messages from France to the Founding Fathers. He also loaned money to the Continental government.
“The vessels of Nantucket … played an important part in the early days of the Revolution through being used as the medium of the conveyance of important letters to the Colonial authorities.” --The History of Nantucket, Alexander Starbuck
In spring 1783 Seth and his brother Thomas Jenkins purchased the Hudson River port of Claverack Landing on behalf of a group of proprietors. Along with other families, Seth returned in the fall with his wife Dinah, her mother Dinah Coffin Folger, and their four children, to begin the settlement. They lived on their boat while their house was built.
On May 14, 1784, the first meeting of the Proprietors was held in Seth’s house. He was on the committees that laid out the streets of the city and had the city incorporated by the state. He headed a project to build a bridge over the great hollow on Main Street. He was the first mayor of Hudson and served from 1785 until his death in 1793, whereupon his brother Thomas became mayor and then was followed by his son Robert.
Seth and Stephen Paddock began a sailmaking business, and Seth was involved in other businesses in Hudson.
Correspondence & Meeting with Thomas Jefferson
In 1791 Thomas Jefferson and James Madison traveled in the Hudson Valley to examine its flora and fauna and meet with local political leaders. They breakfasted in Hudson with Seth Jenkins, who owned a large distillery, and tried to persuade him that wine from France was superior to molasses from the British West Indies in making spirits. Jefferson subsequently wrote to Jenkins about the matter. Jefferson’s object was to encourage trade with France rather than dependence on the British West Indies.
Jenkins answered his letter a couple of weeks later complaining that the low cost of wines might serve a good purpose if “that heavy Duty was out of the way,” which Jefferson was imposing! He also mentioned that he had carefully read Jefferson’s report on American cod and whale fisheries and found it quite thorough, then added that some whale fisheries in Nantucket will be moving to France, perhaps another jab at the American government for its policies regarding duties on American goods.
Years later President Jefferson would sign the Embargo Act of 1807 prohibiting American ships from trading in all foreign ports. This act was to force Britain and France to respect American neutrality during the Napoleonic Wars, but had a devastating effect on American trade. It was repealed two years later but by then it had destroyed Hudson’s whaling industry.
Hudson, 5 July 1791. Acknowledging Jefferson’s letter of 21 June about cost of “low Wines” in southern France, Jenkins states that if “that heavy Duty was out of the way,” they might serve a good purpose. But at present they “cannot answer for Distilling in this Country.”
I had no idea it was Thomas Jefferson that destroyed Hudson's Whaling industry. Interesting stuff.
ReplyDelete