Benjamin Hanks is generally accepted to be the first person to make bronze
cannons
A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during ...
and
church bells
A church bell in Christian architecture is a bell which is rung in a church for a variety of religious purposes, and can be heard outside the building. Traditionally they are used to call worshippers to the church for a communal service, and t ...
in the United States. He was a
goldsmith
A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), pl ...
,
instrument maker,
clockmaker
A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly t ...
,
bellfounder
Bellfounding is the casting and tuning of large bronze bells in a foundry for use such as in churches, clock towers and public buildings, either to signify the time or an event, or as a musical carillon or chime. Large bells are made by casting ...
, and
foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...
owner.
Early life
According to historian Susan Whitney Dimock's 1898 book "Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths: From the Records of the Town and Churches in Mansfield, Connecticut, 1703–1850" Benjamin Hanks was born 29 October 1755 in Mansfield, Connecticut
Mansfield is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 25,892 at the 2020 census.
Pequot and Mohegan people lived in this region for centuries before the arrival of English settler-immigrants in the late 17th cent ...
.
The vital records of the Town of Mansfield, however, states he was born on December 15, 1755. Hanks' parents, Uriah and Irene (Case) Hanks, were married March 20, 1755. Hanks had nine siblings, all of whom were younger.[ Hanks lived at home until he was seventeen years old, when in 1772 he was apprenticed to Thomas Harland, a well-known clockmaker in ]Norwich, Connecticut
Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...
, until Hanks established a clock business in the city.[
]
Mid life and career
Hanks was a military drummer
A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums.
Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer's ...
in the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
and took part in the Lexington Alarm
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within ...
triggered by Paul Revere's "Midnight Ride" of which he served about a month then. Later Hanks re-enlisted and served in the Third Regiment under Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...
from mid May through mid December 1775. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel, commandant of the fifth regiment of militia in Connecticut.
Hanks married Alice Hovey around 1775 to 1777 in Windham, Connecticut
Windham is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the former city of Willimantic as well as the boroughs of Windham Center, North Windham, and South Windham. Willimantic, an incorporated city since 1893, was consoli ...
. In 1780 they moved to Litchfield, Connecticut
Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorporat ...
and built a house from which he ran his home business
A home business or home-based business (HBB) is a small business that operates from the business owner's home office. In addition to location, home businesses are usually defined by having a very small number of employees, usually all immediate f ...
as a goldsmith / silversmith, maker of instruments, clocks, looms, and compasses.[
In 1786 Hanks established a foundry just south of the Court House in Litchfield and ran a "Brazier's business". He was famous for making church bells at this foundry. He ran his businesses out of his home until 1790 when he moved to ]Mansfield, Connecticut
Mansfield is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 25,892 at the 2020 census.
Pequot and Mohegan people lived in this region for centuries before the arrival of English settler-immigrants in the late 17th cent ...
, where he continued his businesses.
In 1808 Hanks became a partner in a foundry with his son Julius Hanks in Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...
.[ They took out a newspaper advertisement describing the brass cannons and church bells they manufactured.] Their foundry also made goldsmith's items, stocking looms, clocks, and surveyor's compasses based on David Rittenhouse
David Rittenhouse (April 8, 1732 – June 26, 1796) was an American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman, and public official. Rittenhouse was a member of the American Philosophical Society ...
's designs. Hanks obtained a patent for "Molding and Casting Bells" in 1816. The Troy foundry manufactured large church bells under this patent. The Troy foundry also manufactured tower clocks and surveying tools.[ One of the apprentices, Andrew Meneely, went on to open a foundry of his own, which eventually became the ]Meneely Bell Foundry
The Meneely Bell Foundry was a bell foundry established in 1826 in West Troy (now Watervliet), New York, by Andrew Meneely. Two of Andrew's sons continued to operate the foundry after his death, while a third son, Clinton H. Meneely, opened a se ...
.[ After Hanks' death in 1824, the Troy foundry was operated for a year by his son Julius and eventually absorbed by the Meneely Bell Foundry (owner: Andrew Meneely) in 1826.
]
Innovations
Hanks' first large church tower bell was mounted in ''The Old Dutch Church'' in New York City in 1780 when he was contracted to make the church tower clock. Hanks obtained a fourteen-year intellectual rights
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, ...
patent in 1783 on this tower clock that automatically wound itself by air. The patent said the clock would wind itself up to operate by the use of air. It would automatically continue to wind itself up and operate until the mechanical parts wore out due to friction.
Hanks made the first two bronze cannons made in the United States in 1797. The First Company of Connecticut Artillery carried them.
Family
Hanks and his wife had three children.
* Truman Hanks
* Horatio Hanks
* Julius Hanks
Death and legacy
Hanks died in West Troy, New York
Watervliet ( or ) is a City (New York), city in Albany County, New York, Albany County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The population was 10,375 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, ...
, on December 15, 1824, at the age of 69. He is buried in Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, New York.Albany Rural Cemetery records
/ref> He is considered the father of the church bell and bronze cannon business in the United States.
References
Bibliography
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External links
Benjamin Hanks Litchfield home
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanks, Benjamin
1755 births
1824 deaths
People from Mansfield, Connecticut
People from Litchfield, Connecticut
People of Connecticut in the American Revolution
People of pre-statehood Connecticut
American goldsmiths
American industrialists
Businesspeople from Connecticut
Bell foundries of the United States