Pelletreau family

The Pelletreau family originated from France and arrived in Massachusetts with twelve other Huguenot families in 1686. Francis Pelletreau (b. 1697) moved to Southampton in 1728. Francis married Jane Osburne in 1721 and had two children: Elias (b. 1726) and Mary (b. 1723). Francis was involved in the whaling industry as well as a merchant; it has been cited that he was a business partner of Hugh Gelston. Francis died in London, where he was undergoing a surgical operation in 1737.

Francis and Jane's son Elias (b. 1726) was ten years old when Francis perished. Soon after, Elias was sent to the boarding school of John Proctor in New York City, and after completion he apprenticed with silversmith Simeon Soumain for almost eight years. He then returned to Southampton and married Sarah Gelston in 1748. They had five children: Jane, Francis (b. 1752), John (b. 1755), Elias (b. 1757) and Hugh (b. 1762). In Southampton, Elias turned a portion of his home into a shop where he crafted various silver and gold objects for sale. His work became very popular, attracting customers from New York City and other distant areas, many of which were repeat customers with large accounts. Elias was also a farmer, owning a great deal of property in the surrounding area. His son John (b. 1755) was greatly involved in his silversmith work, and aided as a salesman for the work he crafted.

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