Benjamin Bakewell Atterbury (August 15, 1815 – May 2, 1900) was an American businessman and philanthropist.
Early life
Atterbury was born on August 15, 1815, in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area. He was one of eight brothers and sister born to Lewis Atterbury (1779–1872) and Catharine ( Boudinot) Atterbury (1781–1877). Among his siblings were John Guest Atterbury, Julia Maria Atterbury (wife of Henry Clark Stimson), and the Rev. William Wallace Atterbury. His father, who was born at
Castle Donington
Castle Donington is a market town and civil parish in Leicestershire, England, on the edge of the National Forest and close to East Midlands Airport.
History
The name 'Donington' means 'farm/settlement connected with Dunna'. Another suggest ...
, in
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
, England, emigrated to the U.S. with his uncle Benjamin Bakewell, founder of Bakewell Glass.
His paternal grandparents were Job Atterbury and Sarah ( Bakewell) Atterbury. His maternal grandparents were Catharine ( Smith) Boudinot (daughter of William Peartree Smith, a founder of
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
) and Elisha Boudinot, a Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court who was the brother of
Elias Boudinot
Elias Boudinot ( ; May 2, 1740 – October 24, 1821) was a lawyer and statesman from Elizabeth, New Jersey who was a delegate to the Continental Congress (more accurately referred to as the Congress of the Confederation) and served as Presiden ...
, 2nd
President of the Confederation Congress
The president of the United States in Congress Assembled, known unofficially as the president of the Continental Congress and later as the president of the Congress of the Confederation, was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, the ...
. Through his sister Julia, he was an uncle to prominent surgeon
Lewis Atterbury Stimson
Lewis Atterbury Stimson (August 24, 1844 – September 17, 1917 ) was an American surgeon who was the first to perform a public operation in the United States using Joseph Lister's antiseptic technique.
Early life
Stimson was born on August 24, ...
and through his brother John, he was an uncle to Brig.-Gen.
William Wallace Atterbury
William Wallace Atterbury (January 31, 1866 – September 20, 1935) Cited at New Albany Floyd County Public Library. Gale Biography In Context. was a brigadier general in the United States Army during World War I, who began his career with the Pe ...
, president of the
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...
.
Career
At an early age, he went to New York City and engaged in business. He went into partnership with Amos Sawyer Thornton, Edward Johnson Cole Atterbury in the business of Commission Agents in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. He retired in 1850 and then devoted most of his time to religious and philanthropic work. He was one of the founders of the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church. For fifty years, he was an officer of the House of Refuge on
Randall's Island
Randalls Island (sometimes called Randall's Island) and Wards Island are conjoined islands, collectively called Randalls and Wards Islands, in New York County, New York City,
.
Personal life
On April 21, 1847, Atterbury was married to Olivia Eggleston Phelps (1821–1894), a daughter of
Olivia Egleston
Olivia Egleston Phelps (March 30, 1784 – April 24, 1859) was an American philanthropist who was the wife of businessman Anson Green Phelps, co-founder of the Phelps Dodge Company.
Early life
Olivia was born in Middletown, Connecticut on March 3 ...
and
Anson Green Phelps
Anson Green Phelps (March 24, 1781 – May 18, 1858) was an American entrepreneur and business man from Connecticut. Beginning with a saddlery business, he founded Phelps, Dodge & Co. in 1833 as an export-import business with his sons-in-law as p ...
. Among her siblings were Elizabeth Woodbridge Phelps (wife of Daniel James), Melissa Phelps (wife of William E. Dodge), and Caroline Phelps (wife of
James Boulter Stokes
James Boulter Stokes (January 31, 1804 – August 1, 1881) was the third son-in-law of Anson Greene Phelps to become a partner in the mercantile business of Phelps, Dodge & Co.
Early life
Stokes's parents, Thomas and Elizabeth (née Boulter) Sto ...
Boudinot Currie Atterbury
Boudinot Currie Atterbury (June 10, 1852 – May 21, 1930), from a wealthy New York family, trained to be a medical doctor and worked with the Presbyterian missions in China and later with Chinese communities in the United States.
Early life
Atter ...
(1852–1930), a doctor who became a missionary in China.
* Anson Greene Phelps Atterbury (1854–1931), a pastor of the 86th Street Methodist Church who married Catharine Goodhue Van Rensselaer, a daughter of
William Paterson Van Rensselaer
William Paterson Van Rensselaer (March 6, 1805 – November 13, 1872) was an American attorney, landowner, and businessman from New York.
Early life
Van Rensselaer was born on March 6, 1805, at the Van Rensselaer Manor House in Albany, New York ...
, in 1891.
* Melissa Dodge Atterbury (–1933), a member of the Colonial Dames of America.
His wife died on March 30, 1894. Atterbury died at his residence in
The Dakota
The Dakota, also known as the Dakota Apartments, is a Housing cooperative, cooperative apartment building at 1 West 72nd Street (Manhattan), 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The Dakota was construc ...
on
Central Park West
Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, ...