Jonathan Makepeace also known as Major Makepeace was an American businessman and political figure who manufactured

snuff Snuff may refer to: Tobacco * Snuff (tobacco), fine-ground tobacco, sniffed into the nose ** Moist snuff or dipping tobacco ** Creamy snuff, an Indian tobacco paste Media and entertainment * Snuff film, a type of film that shows a murder Literat ...

and held political office in

Saugus, Massachusetts Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 28,619 at the 2020 census. Saugus is known as the site of the first integrated iron works in North America. History Native Americans ...

Early life

Makepeace was born on May 7, 1774, in

Norton, Massachusetts Norton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, and contains the villages of Norton Center and Chartley. The population was 19,202 at the 2020 census. Home of Wheaton College, Norton hosts the Dell Technologies Championship ...

. On July 10, 1799, he married Anna Nye in her hometown of

Hardwick, Massachusetts Hardwick is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, about west of the city of Worcester. It had a population of 2,667 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Hardwick, Gilbertville, Wheelwright and Old Furnace. Hist ...

. They had four daughters, Peris Nye (1801–1822), Ann Maria (1803–1825), Mary Ann (1805–1826), and Deborah Briggs (1809–1835) and two sons Jonathan Briggs (1802–1803) and Jonathan Jr. (1815–1836).

Business

In 1792, Makepeace's uncle, George Makepeace, purchased an abandoned mill on the Saugus River. In 1797 Jonathan Makepeace began manufacturing chocolate at the mill. The chocolate business was later taken over by Amariah Childs. In 1798, Makepeace took over his uncle's snuff business, which he continued until 1844. Makepeace was known for the attention he gave to his product, which became known nationwide.

Politics

In 1814, Makepeace was a signer of a petition that requested that Lynn's Second Parish be set off as a separate town known as Westport. The plan was abandoned, however the following year the Second Parish separated from Lynn and became the Town of Saugus. Saugus' first Town Meeting was held on March 13, 1815, and Makepeace was appointed to the position of Sealer of Weights and Measurers and elected to the town's first Board of Selectmen, Assessors, and Overseers of the Poor as well as its first School Committee. He later he served as Saugus' Town Treasurer. Makepeace was Saugus' delegate to the

Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1820–1821 The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1820–1821 met in order to consider amendments to the Constitution of Massachusetts. It resulted in the adoption of the first nine amendments. Several other proposals were rejected. Background Mo ...

and represented Saugus in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

in 1823.

Later life and death

Anna Makepeace died on July 3, 1826. On August 9, 1829, Makepeace married Mary Stocker, of

. Makepeace died on February 6, 1850, in Saugus.

Notes

:1. Until 1857, a majority of votes at a town meeting was needed to elect a representative to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. If no person received a majority of votes, no representative was sent. No representative was selected in 1824 and 1825, but John Shaw was chosen the previous year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makepeace, Jonathan 1774 births 1850 deaths Methodists from Massachusetts Businesspeople in the tobacco industry Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives People from Norton, Massachusetts People from Saugus, Massachusetts School board members in Massachusetts