White, Benjamin, 1755-1841

Quaker merchant, of Shrewsbury Township, N.J.

From the description of Papers, 1825-1865. (New Jersey Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 70958116

Benjamin White, the son of George and Anna White, was born on December 4, 1755. His mother died young, leaving Benjamin's father to raise his family of seven children alone. However, his father would soon thereafter die from injuries sustained in a fall. It was then that Benjamin was sent to live with his uncle, John White. When he became older, White worked on another uncle's farm. After holding a series of smaller jobs, he worked for a period of time in Philadelphia, and then with his brother, Robert White, in New York. With the British takeover of New York during the Revolutionary War, White fled the city and returned to his native Shrewsbury, New Jersey. He then moved to western New Jersey, where he met General Israel Putnam after the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, since they boarded in the same house. White had managed to provide forage for the General's horses, whereupon he was made wagon master under his command. Upon completion of his service during the Revolutionary War, he again returned to Shrewsbury. Here, he set up a store with his brother Robert. On April 25, 1780, he married Mary Morris (1758-1807) with whom he had thirteen children: Elizabeth (b. 1781), Caroline (1782-1798), John (b. 1783), Mary (1785-1861), Agnes (1786), Joanna (1788), Anne (1789-1860), Susanna (1791-1796), Joanna (1793), Morris (1794-1796), Benjamin Morris (1797-1817), Joseph Embree (b. 1799), and Susan (1801-1865). White, after the death of his first wife, Mary, married Sarah Decou (1776-1847) on March 9, 1809. Together, they had three children: Stacy Decou (1809-1848), William Decou (b. 1811), and Sarah (b. 1816). Benjamin White died in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, on November 7, 1841.

From the description of Benjamin White papers, 1825-[ca. 1946] 1825-1899. (New Jersey Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 52801356