1747 Benjamin Shreve was born on 7 of month 10. [1]
1770 Benjamin Shreve married Hannah Marll, daughter of John Marll of Philadelphia, on 10 of month 7. [2]
1786 Benjamin Shreve married Susan Wood of Alexandria, Virginia. [3]
1801 Benjamin Shreve died on 18 of month 11, in Alexandria, Virginia. [4]
A biosketch [5] of Benjamin Shreve reports:
A Sketch of the Family of Benjamin Shreve and the Reason Why the Three Surviving Sons Removed to Salem, Mass.
Benjamin Shreve, grandson of Caleb Shreve and Sarah Areson, was a merchant of Alexandria, Va., and partner of James Laurason. Their vessels suffered from the spoilations of French and the indemnity being assumed by the United States, was partly paid within the present decade. Benjamin married Hannah Vail, by whom he had nine children. Of these, five died in infancy: one, a daughter, lived to the age of seventeen years, and three survived to manhood. These three were named Isaac, Benjamin and Samuel Butcher. Their mother died when they were six, four and two years old, respectively. Their father, within two years, married Susannah Wood and had by her one son (John).
Alexandria was then a prominent port for the exportation of flour and Salem, Mass., was at the same time distinguished for the tanning of leather with hemlock bark. The interchange of these two articles led to the acquaintance of Benjamin Shreve with Capt. Samuel Very, of Salem, and in 1794 Mr. Shreve sent his son Isaac, then a lad of fifteen years, to Salem, in the care of Capt. Very, for the purpose of learning the trade of tanner. Isaac, while learning his trade, also learned to love Hannah, the daughter of Capt. Very. Having comoleted his trade, and his father having died about six months previous, Isaac, on May 2d, 1802, took Hannah to wife and returned with his bride to Alexandria. At that place he pursued the tanning business, and here his first four children were born, viz.: Rebecca, Samuel, Hannah and Isaac, Jr. His business either proving unprofitable or else his wife pining for her old home, led him, about 181 1 or 1812, to return to Salem, where he followed the business of tanner for the remainder of his life. In Salem four more children were born to them, viz.: Benjamin, Mary, Louisa and Frances Eliza. His wife dying Jan. 13th, 1820 (aged 38 years), he subsequently married Mary Moulton, from the adjoining town of Danvers, and by her had five children, viz.: Elizabeth, Susan Wood, John, Mary and George. Isaac died Sept. 24th, 1829, aged fifty years, and Dec. 20th, 1854, at the age of sixty years, his second wife joined her husband in the great beyond.
Isaac's brother, Benjamin, married Mary Goodhue, of Salem, Mass., and removed there. Salem was at that time a pioneer port in the East India trade. He first went to sea as supercargo, then became a merchant and bank director. He was a man of intelligence and integrity. He accumulated a fair property and made good use of it. His married life was never blessed with children. He died in Salem, May 8th, 1839, aged fifty-eight years, his wife surviving him.
Samuel Butcher, the remaining brother, married Rachel Kaffendofifer, of Alexandria. He lived for some years in Salem, Mass. The first wife was childless and, I think, died in Salem. Samuel removed to New Jersey and married a second time (I do not know to whom), and had two daughters. Samuel died in Burlington. N. J., in 1865, aged eighty-three years. Of his family, Mrs. Fannie Hand, of Camden, N. J., is the sole survivor.
[1] Howard Barclay French, Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas French, Volume 1 (1909), 326, [HathiTrust].
[2] Howard Barclay French, Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas French, Volume 1 (1909), 222, 326, [HathiTrust].
[3] Howard Barclay French, Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas French, Volume 1 (1909), 222, 326, [HathiTrust].
[4] Howard Barclay French, Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas French, Volume 1 (1909), 326, [HathiTrust].
[5] L. P. Allen, The Genealogy and History of the Shreve Family from 1641 (1901), 390, [GoogleBooks], [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].