Samuel Townsend, Oyster Bay Account Book, 1763

1763

1763

Text

Manuscript; 44 pages.

English

Long Island Collection

Samuel Townsend (1717-1790) was a prominent merchant based in Oyster Bay, N.Y. His shipping business was run out of his home. Townsend was a Justice of the Peace and Town Clerk for Oyster Bay, serving in the New York Provincial Congress from 1774-1777. From 1777 until 1783, Samuel Townsend's home was occupied by British soldiers. For much of this period, Samuel's son Robert Townsend operated as a merchant in New York City, supporting his father's business interests. Robert Townsend, a member of the Long Island-based Culper spy ring, which supported Washington's Army during the Revolutionary War. Robert Townsend worked as a merchant in New York City, supporting many of his family's business interests from within British-occupied New York City.

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