Captain Benjamin Godfrey (1794 - 1862)
The Birth of Benjamin Godfrey
Benjamin Godfrey
was born at Chatham, Barnstable County,
Massachusetts, on May 20, 1794. Chatham is a small town on the
eastern coast of Massachusetts, at the southeast tip of Cape Cod.
Historically it was a fishing community, first settled by the
English in 1664. Today, Chatham is known for its beaches and the
19th century Chatham Lighthouse. The historic Chatham Old Burial
Ground contains the remains of 13 people with the surname Godfrey,
dating back to the death of Moses Godfrey in 1843; 5 people with the
surname of Knowles, dating back to 1736; and 12 people with the
surname of 1Ryder, dating back to 1760 – all related.
Benjamin Godfrey’s Parents
Benjamin Godfrey’s ancestors were a sea-faring family. He was the
son of Knowles Godfrey Jr. It is unknown who Benjamin’s mother was.
Knowles Godfrey Jr. was born in 1762 in Chatham, Barnstable County,
Massachusetts. He was a Revolutionary War soldier, and master of a
schooner. He died in 1794 (the same year Benjamin was born), and was
either buried or lost at sea at the age of 32 years. Following the
death of her husband, Benjamin’s mother married Captain Caleb
Eldridge.
A Seafaring Life
At the age of nine (1803), Benjamin went to sea with his stepfather,
Captain Caleb Eldridge. Between 1803 and 1812, he spent time in
Ireland. When the War of 1812 began, Godfrey joined the American
Navy, and was assigned to a gunboat flotilla, stationed off Sandy
Hook, New Jersey. Following his discharge in 1815, he set sail for
Baltimore, Maryland. In 1817, Benjamin married Harriet Cooper at
Fell’s Point in Baltimore. In 1819, he became the captain of the
brig “Emilie.” He sailed to Italy, Spain, and the West Indies. As
master of the “Emilie,” and later the brig, “Intelligence,” Godfrey
was involved in the 2domestic slave trade. He made eight voyages
from Baltimore, a chief slave-trading city, to New Orleans. During
that period Godfrey transported 288 slaves. Of these, the average
age was seventeen. Fifty-four of the slaves were ten years of age or
younger.
In about 1823 or 1824, Godfrey was shipwrecked at Brazos Santiago,
near the present site of South Padre Island, Texas. At that time,
Godfrey was part owner of the vessel. It was said that Godfrey, who
almost lost his life, sat down on the beach and wept over all he had
lost. After the shipwreck, Godfrey and his family settled in
Matamoros, Mexico, where he carried on his adventurous trading
operations, making his fortune. He later moved his operations to New
Orleans. According to Rev. Theron Baldwin (whom Godfrey later chose
as principal of his Monticello Ladies Seminary), on board a ship on
the way to New Orleans, Godfrey experienced an event that changed
his life. In a public address in 1855, Rev. Theron Baldwin stated
Captain Godfrey read the Scripture, “What shall it profit a man if
he shall gain the world, and lose his own soul?” This changed his
heart and soul, and his goal became to return a measure of his
prosperity to God. Religion brought about a great change in his
character, and he became deeply interested in benevolent
enterprises.
Captain Godfrey and Winthrop S. Gilman
Winthrop Sargeant Gilman,
who became a partner of Captain Godfrey’s, was born in Marietta,
Ohio, on March 28, 1808. Gilman went to New York and served as clerk
in several stores. In 1828, he moved to Alton, establishing a
bartering business there. He brought goods from the East, traded
them locally for produce, then sold the produce in New Orleans each
Spring. Gilman’s brother, Arthur, became a partner in 1832. While in
New Orleans, Gilman became acquainted with Benjamin Godfrey, who
invested $30,000 into the business. Benjamin
Godfrey moved his family to Alton in 1832, and he and Gilman erected
a four-story stone warehouse on the Alton riverfront, and
established the firm of Godfrey, Gilman & Co. They shipped furs,
livestock, and agricultural products to New Orleans, diverting trade
from St. Louis, thereby eliminating the middleman. Their warehouse
played an important role in the story of Rev. Elijah P. Lovejoy, who
stored his printing press in the warehouse. The warehouse was
surrounded by a riotous mob, and Lovejoy was shot on November 7,
1837, when he stepped outside of the warehouse. Another enterprise
of Captain Godfrey was serving as president of the Alton branch of
the State Bank of Illinois, founded in 1836.
Captain Godfrey Builds Presbyterian Church
in Alton
Captain Godfrey united with the Presbyterian Church in Alton in
1833, which was organized in 1821 in Upper Alton. In Lower Alton,
the worship was located in a frame building on Broadway, just east
of the residence of 1Simeon Ryder, Godfrey’s cousin. When Godfrey
joined the church, he erected with his own money a stone church,
complete with a spire and basement. It was located on the northeast
corner of Third and Market Streets. Godfrey gave permission for both
Presbyterians and Baptists to use the church. He later gave the
property to the trustees of Monticello Seminary, who sold it to the
Episcopalians in the Spring of 1845.
History of the Godfrey Mansion
The large stone house that was once the home of Captain Benjamin
Godfrey and his family, dates back to 1831-1833, when Calvin Riley
erected a two-room stone house for his family, just west of what was
then called Scarritt’s
Prairie. Riley was a native of New York
State. His brother, Captain James Riley, master of the American brig
“Commerce,” was shipwrecked on the coast of Africa in August 1815.
He and his shipmates were taken captive as slaves. They
were severely mistreated and were almost starved to death. It wasn’t
until they were discovered by a young Englishman, William Willshire,
that they were saved from their captivity. Captain James Riley wrote
a book of his story. He later returned to sea, and died March 15,
1840, on board his own brig, the “William Tell.”
Calvin Riley didn’t live in the stone home he had built for long. He and
his wife, Eunice Riley, sold the home to Captain Benjamin Godfrey on
December 5, 1833, for $4,500. Riley moved to Alton to engage in the
mercantile business, and also resided one year in Edwardsville. He
returned to Godfrey Township, and improved a farm on section 8.
While on a fishing trip to Michigan in 1853, the boat in which he
was in capsized, and not knowing how to swim, he drowned.
Captain Godfrey raised the roof on the stone home he had purchased
from Calvin Riley, and added a north wing to the house. He also
erected a building for the servants. Captain Godfrey transformed
Riley’s humble home into a 14-room, two-story limestone mansion,
with pillared porches on two sides and seven fireplaces. His wife,
Harriet Godfrey, died in the home in 1838; Captain Godfrey died in
the home in 1862; and Captain Godfrey’s second wife, Rebecca, died
in the home in 1892. William Franklin Squire, born in Godfrey in
1845, served as foreman on the Godfrey farm for years. The home
changed hands many times. The Waters family lived in it for quite
some time, and installed wiring for electricity in the home in 1920.
The Godfrey mansion still stands today, and is located on the
southwest corner of Godfrey Road and Lars Hoffman Crossing, just
south of the Godfrey Village Hall.
The first house just north of the Riley/Godfrey home was built by Calvin
Riley also. George T. M. Davis lived there for a time, and it was
later occupied by James Hamilton, who kept it as a hotel (the Star
Hotel). Hamilton was a workman who came from the East to help build
the Monticello Ladies Seminary. The Star Hotel was destroyed by fire
in 1862.
The Founding of
Monticello Ladies Seminary
Captain Benjamin Godfrey, who believed in the Christian education of
young women, conceived the idea of founding a lady’s seminary. At
this time, he had a large family of eight children (two sons and six
daughters). In 1836, Captain Godfrey gave at least $10,000 towards
the erection of the seminary building, to be located north of Alton
on the stage route from Alton to
Jacksonville and Springfield. The
location was selected from a “regard to health and freedom from the
hustle and temptations of a large town.” He and Nathan Scarritt, a
pioneer of Scarritt’s Prairie, just east of the seminary, scoured
the countryside looking for a suitable location for the seminary.
Construction began in 1837. The stone building was four stories
high, 110x44’. The two upper stories contained 40 rooms, each
designed for two young ladies. The second story was for schoolrooms,
and the lower floor was for the kitchen, dining hall, and chapel.
Rev. Theron Baldwin was chosen as Monticello’s first principal. The
seminary opened for the first time on April 11, 1838, with 57
students. By the next year, the number of students almost doubled.
Throughout the years the seminary grew and prospered. In 1888, the
seminary was destroyed by fire, but through the hard work of
Principal Harriet N. Haskell, the seminary was rebuilt and continued
until 1970, when the school was sold to the Lewis & Clark Community
College.
The Founding of Monticello (Godfrey)
The village of Monticello (named after Thomas Jefferson’s home) was
laid out by Captain Benjamin Godfrey and Deacon Enoch Long. The town
plat was recorded May 30, 1840. A 3post office, named Godfrey, was
established
in 1841, and was located in the Timothy Turner store.
The name of the village was later changed to Godfrey also. Enoch
Long was a veteran of the War of 1812-15, and was the son of
Revolutionary War soldier, Moses Long. A native of New Hampshire,
Enoch settled in Alton as early as 1814. He was one of the original
trustees of Shurtleff College in Upper Alton. Enoch was a member of
the Anti-Slavery Society in Upper Alton, and in 1837 was elected
president of that organization. He was elected captain of Lovejoy’s
60 defenders when Lovejoy was killed on the night of November 7,
1837. Enoch later moved to Iowa to live with his son, and died there
in 1881.
The first store in Monticello was opened by Timothy Turner, who also
became the first postmaster. His brother, Charles E. Turner, married
Cora E. Godfrey, the granddaughter of Captain Benjamin Godfrey.
The Church of Christ in Monticello was organized on November 02,
1839. Rev. Theron Baldwin, the first principal of the Monticello
Ladies Seminary, headed their first meeting. Captain Benjamin
Godfrey became a member of the church in 1844, and on October 5 of
that year was appointed an elder. The first church was built at the
joint expense of the congregation and Monticello Seminary, on land
belonging to the Seminary. In 1854, the church became strictly
Presbyterian, and in 1867 withdrew from the Presbyterian connection
and returned to its original independent basis.
The Alton & Sangamon Railroad
Before the construction of the railroad, Captain Godfrey had a plank
road constructed, connecting Alton with the Monticello Ladies
Seminary. Local residents would take the “hard road” out to
Monticello, to view “Godfrey’s folly” (the seminary). The residents
didn’t believe that the seminary would last, thinking that young
women belonged in the home, not a school.
The
Alton & Sangamon Railroad (later called the Chicago & Alton
Railroad) was the first railroad constructed in Madison County. It
was chartered in 1847, and completed from Alton to Springfield in
1852. Captain Benjamin Godfrey mortgaged his properties to help pay
for the construction of the railroad. At times he lived in a
railroad car, following the work as it progressed. At the completion
of the railroad in 1852, Captain Godfrey was honored with a dinner
and presented with a silver cup. This railroad brought prosperity
and enormous growth to the area, and also enabled students at
Monticello Seminary to travel to and from the seminary with ease.
The Death of Captain Godfrey’s First Wife
Harriet Cooper Godfrey, Captain Godfrey’s first wife, died June 5,
1838, about two months after the opening of the Monticello Seminary.
She was in her 37th year. She was buried in the Godfrey Cemetery.
Mrs. Godfrey left no correspondence or memoirs of her life, and
little is known of her.
Mrs. Rebecca E. Petit Godfrey
Captain Godfrey traveled to the East, and took a new wife, Rebecca
Eleanor Petit, a native of Hempstead, New York. She was 21 years his
junior, and was of French heritage. She insisted on being addressed
as “Madame Godfrey.” Three children were born to this marriage, but
the first child died at the age of 7. Rebecca outlived Captain
Godfrey, and died in January 1892. She is buried in the Godfrey
Cemetery.
The Death of Captain Benjamin Godfrey
After building the seminary and founding the village of Monticello,
Captain Godfrey continued making investments in Madison County real
estate, estimated at over 10,000 acres. He was the driving force in
the railroad, investing much of his own money in the enterprise. In
1862, Captain Godfrey came down with a cold and signs of congestion.
While sitting up in his room and talking with a friend or two on
August 13, 1862, his head fell back and he suddenly died of apoplexy. He
left no will. His widow, Rebecca Godfrey, and one of his
sons-in-law, John M. Pierson, Esq., administered the estate, which
was represented at $500,000. He was buried in the Godfrey Cemetery.
CAPTAIN BENJAMIN GODFREY ANCESTORS
Great-Great-Great-Grandparents:
George David Godfrey
Born 1640 in Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
Died in 1688 in Eastham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
Married Hannah Hacket (1645-1688).
Great-Great-Grandparents:
Moses Godfrey (son of George David Godfrey)
Born January 27, 1667 in Eastham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
Died April 16, 1743 in Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
Married Deborah Cooke (1678-1745).
Great-Grandparents:
George Godfrey (son of Moses Godfrey)
Born in 1707 in Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
Died December 4, 1768 in Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts.
Married Mercy Knowles in 1733 (1717-1758). Mercy Knowles Godfrey
descended from Elder William Brewster of the Mayflower, through his
daughter, Patience, who married Thomas Prence.
Married Jane Collins in 1758 (1713-1768).
Grandparents:
Knowles Godfrey Sr. (son of George and Mercy Godfrey)
Born in 1737.
Died in 1766.
Mercy Sears (1718-1765).
Married Jerusha Ryder (1740-1766). Jerusha was the daughter of
Stephen Ryder (1718-1766). Both Knowles Godfrey Sr. and his wife,
Jerusha, died in a smallpox or yellow fever epidemic.
Parents:
Knowles Godfrey Jr. (son of Knowles Godfrey Sr. and Jerusha Ryder)
Born in 1762 in Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Became
Captain of a ship.
Died in 1794. He was either buried or lost at sea at the age of 32
years.
Married to unknown. Following the death of Knowles Godfrey Jr.,
Benjamin’s mother married Captain Caleb Eldridge. Benjamin was an
infant at the time of his father’s death.
Benjamin Godfrey (son of Knowles Godfrey Jr. and unknown)
Born May 20, 1794, in Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Died August 13, 1862 in Godfrey, Madison County, Illinois.
Married in 1817 to Harriet Cooper (1801-1838)
Married in about 1839 to Rebecca E. Petit (1807-1892)
(Note: Benjamin may have been named after his Great-Great Uncle,
Colonel Benjamin Godfrey (1742-1819), son of great-grandparents,
George and Mercy Godfrey. Colonel Godfrey was a veteran of the
American Revolutionary War.)
CHILDREN OF BENJAMIN GODFREY & HARRIET COOPER GODFREY
James Ryder Godfrey (Aug. 29, 1818 – Sept. 7, 1881) (m. Lodema
Curtiss.)
Calvin Cooper Godfrey (Mar. 27, 1820 - March 27, 1840)
Mary Godfrey (1822 – 1879)
Benjamin Franklin Godfrey (1823 - ? died in youth)
Harriet Godfrey Bowie (Jun. 14, 1825 - Aug. 27, 1873) (m. J. H.
Bowie)
Benjamin Godfrey (1827 - ? died in youth)
Caroline Godfrey (1827 – 1837)
Emily Godfrey (1830 – 1897) (m. Joseph Ransom Palmer)
Maria Louise Godfrey (1831 – btw 1856-1875) (m. Capt. John A.
Bruner)
Catharine Godfrey (1834/5 – March 11, 1892) (m. John Mills Pearson)
CHILDREN OF BENJAMIN GODFREY & REBECCA E. PETIT GODFREY
Eleanor Godfrey (April 18, 1840 – April 11, 1848)
Benjamin Godfrey (June 28, 1841(?) – Nov 20, 1884) (m. Augusta Encke
Caldwell)
Julia Godfrey (Sep. 10, 1843 – April 11, 1874) (m. Julius C. Leach)
1Simeon Ryder, a cousin of Benjamin Godfrey’s, was also born in
Chatham, Massachusetts (in 1795). Ryder also went to sea at a young
age, and both became sea captains. Both men abandoned the sea in
about 1830, and both suffered health problems at the same time.
Godfrey arrived in Alton in 1832 with $50,000. Ryder arrived in
Alton in 1834 with about the same amount. Both built stone
warehouses in Alton, and engaged in the freight forwarding business.
Captain Ryder was the founder of the Alton & Terre Haute Railroad,
and Captain Godfrey was the founder of the Alton & Sangamon Railroad
(later called the Chicago & Alton Railroad). Both men were married
twice.
2Hoffman, Judy. God’s Portion. Cold Tree Press. 2005.
3Alton Telegraph, September 11, 1841.