Sands, Benjamin, 1735-1824

The Sands family was one of the original three families that settled in and owned what is now Sands Point, N.Y. Born in Reading, Berkshire, England, James Sands (d. 1695) immigrated to Plymouth, MA with his wife Sarah and their children, circa 1658. Along with several other men, James Sands obtained what is now Block Island, R.I. from the original inhabitants of the island, the Narragansetts, in 1660. In 1661, Sands sailed from Taunton, MA and moved his family to Block Island. James and Sarah had six children.

Their eldest son, John (d. 1712), married Sybil Ray (d. 1733), also of Block Island, and in 1691, they purchased farmland in Cow Neck, Long Island, N.Y., now Sands Point, N.Y. John Sands also bought a family burying ground where many of the Sands family are now buried. John and Sybil lived out the remainder of their lives in Cow Neck and had eight children. Their eldest child, John (1683-1763) married Catherine Guthrie (1690-1769) in 1706. John and Catherine lived on Block Island directly following their marriage but moved to Cow Neck around 1716. They had 13 children between 1708 and 1735 including their eldest son, John (1708-1760), and their youngest son, Benjamin (1735-1824).

In 1736, John (1708-1760) married Elizabeth Cornwell (1711-1782), who also descended from one of the three original families who owned Cow Neck. There they had eight children, several of whom served on the side of the colonists during the American Revolutionary War. John Sands (1737-1811), their eldest son, served as a colonel during the Revolutionary War and was also a member of the New York State Assembly for Queens County, 1784 to 1785. He married Elizabeth Jackson of Jerusalem, Long Island, and they had 10 children. John's younger brothers, Comfort Sands (1748-1834) and Joshua Sands (1757-1835), also served on the side of the colonists during the Revolutionary War. Joshua and Comfort went on to become merchants, bankers, and politicians.

Comfort Sands was born in Cow Neck, Long Island on February 26, 1748. While still in his teens, Comfort left Long Island for Manhattan to work as a clerk. He worked at several positions including at Joseph Decker's store that was located on Peck Slip in lower Manhattan. Around 1769, Comfort opened his own store and by 1776 he had become a wealthy merchant. During the American Revolutionary War, Comfort was a member of the New York Provincial Congress and was appointed as the first New York State Auditor-General (now known as the New York State Comptroller) in 1776. He served in this position until his resignation in 1782. In 1784, Comfort served as the first director, and one of the founders, of the Bank of New York, the oldest bank in the United States. Concurrently, he continued in public service in several capacities including as a member of the New York State Assembly for New York County (1784 to 1785, and 1787 to 1789) and as President of the New York Chamber of Commerce, 1794 to 1798.

Following the conclusion of the war, Comfort and his brother Joshua became business partners. Their partnership included real estate ventures and a ropemaking manufacturing business in Brooklyn. In 1784, the Sands brothers purchased 160 acres of land along the Brooklyn waterfront for $12,000. They acquired the land, originally owned by the Rapelje family (also spelled Rapelye), early Dutch settlers of Brooklyn, under the 1779 New York State "Act for the Forfeiture and Sale of the Estates of Persons who Have Adhered to the Enemies of this State." The land acquired in the purchase included what is now the location of the Brooklyn Navy Yard (previously the New York Naval Shipyard), as well as the DUMBO and Vinegar Hill neighborhoods bordering the East River in Brooklyn. The waterfront area was to be the site of a new, planned community, called Olympia. It was to be divided into both commercial and residential properties and would be connected to Manhattan via the nearby ferry service. Though the land was surveyed, Olympia was never completed.

Comfort Sands married twice. In 1769, he married Sarah Dodge (1749-1795) of Hunts Point in Westchester County, N.Y. (now part of the Bronx). After the death of Sarah, Comfort married Cornelia Lott (1761-1856), daughter of Abraham Lott of Brooklyn. Comfort Sands had 18 children, 15 of whom were born to his first wife Sarah and three born to his second wife Cornelia. In 1825, Comfort and Cornelia Sands moved to Hoboken, N.J. where he died in 1834.

Joshua Sands was born in Cow Neck, Long Island on October 12, 1757. Though nearly 20 years younger than his eldest brother John, Joshua also served during the American Revolutionary War, as a captain in the 4th New York Regiment. Following the war, and concurrently with his business and real estate pursuits, Joshua held public office. He was a member of the New York State Senate (1792 to 1797), served a one year term on the Council of Appointment (1796), was appointed Collector of the Port of New York by President John Adams (April 26, 1797 to July 9, 1801), served as a member of the New York State House of Representatives (Federalist) in the 8th United States Congress (March 4, 1803 to March 3, 1805), and then served again as a congressmen in the 19th United States Congress (March 4, 1825 to March 3, 1827). Closer to home, Joshua also served as president of the Board of Trustees in the Village of Brooklyn in 1824. Outside of public office, Joshua was the second president of the Merchants' Bank (1804 to 1808) and was also one of the original Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Savings Bank, founded in 1827.

Joshua Sands married Ann Ayscough (1761-1851) and they had 12 children. In 1786, Joshua moved his residence from Pearl Street in lower Manhattan to Brooklyn. Following the purchase of the land along the Brooklyn waterfront in 1784, Joshua had a three-story Federal style mansion built at 31 Front Street in what is now the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. At the time of its completion in 1787, it was the largest mansion in Brooklyn. As a resident of Brooklyn, Ann Sands is accredited as being a founding member of St. Ann's Church (originally known as The Episcopal Church of Brooklyn), the oldest Episcopal parish in Brooklyn, incorporated in 1787. Ann Sands hosted weekly church gatherings in the family home for many years. Joshua died in Brooklyn in 1835, and was buried at St. Paul's Church Cemetery in Eastchester, N.Y. and was later reinterred at Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery in 1852. Ann Sands died in Brooklyn in 1851.

There are several places that hold the Sands family name in New York; Sands Point, N.Y. and Sands Street in Brooklyn. Further, St. Ann's Church, in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, was reorganized, renamed, and reincorporated in 1795, honoring Ann Sands for her contribution to the founding of the church.

From the guide to the Sands family papers, 1776-1795, (Brooklyn Historical Society)