Cornelius Atherton


Cornelius Atherton, was an iron manufacturer, a gunmaker for the American Revolutionary War and an inventor.

Early life

He was the son of John Atherton of Harvard. His mother was Mary Sawyer,the daughter of James Cornet Sawyer and Mary Prescott. His parents had married on May 25, 1735.
His paternal great-grandfather was James Atherton of Lancaster, Massachusetts.
His great-great grandfather James Atherton, was born c. 1625 in Lancashire, England, and emigrated to America, and founder of Lancaster, Massachusetts. He was buried in Sherborn, Massachusetts in 1710.

Career

Atherton was a blacksmith by trade and was the first to forge steel in Colonial America. He made the first pair of clothier sheers in America. The aftermath of the battle meant that Atherton and his family had to leave the area for their safety. A chronology of his career is below:

Dover Iron Works (1763)

Atherton relocated to Amenia, NY to erect the Dover Iron Works under his superintendency. The works were erected and proved to be a success. He was also a gun maker.
In 1769 he relocated temporarily to Boston after entering into a partnership with Samuel Adams, John Adams and John Hancock and experimented for the first time in steel. John Hancock's signature would become the most prominent on the United States Declaration of Independence.

Superintendent of the Armory in Boston, Massachusetts (1769)

The Massachusetts Convention of Towns sat during September 22–29, 1768. Samuel Adams, and John Hancock, wanted to organize an armed local resistance. In 1769 Atherton left Amenia, NY, for Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he superintended an armoury belonging to John Adams, Samuel Adams and John Hancock and commenced the manufacture of cutlery and firearms. The site was burned down after operating just 6 months by an incendiary, likely to have been placed by British troops who were quartered in Boston, since the colonial authorities suspected their patriotic intentions arming the local population during the time of the Boston Massacre.
In 1770 he returned to Amenia and announced in the local paper that he would be serving the
Great Nine Partners Patent area.

Converting Iron into American Steel (1772)

Atherton discovered the process of converting iron into ‘American steel’
He became closely involved in the first large scale production of "American Steel" in 1772.

Dover Iron Works (1772)

Atherton enters into a contract with James and Ezra Reed, merchants of Amenia, to superintend the erection of steel works, to be constructed by them, and to instruct their workmen in the art of making steel. The works were erected at the site of Dover Iron Works and were subsequently used to produce muskets for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Siege of New York (1775)

Atherton played a role in preparing for the siege of New York. In November 1775 Atherton in his role as a gunsmith in Amenia, NY concluded an agreement with Alexander McDougall and Peter Curtenius of the City of New York, acting with authority of the Provincial Congress of the Colony of New York.

Steel Works in Amenia, New York (1776)

Whilst engaged at the Dover Steel Works, during September, he petitions the New York Council for an exemption from military duty for his workmen, whilst engaged in the manufacture of firearms whilst under his contract with Congress.

Cornelius Atherton & the treason of Benedict Arnold (1780)

On September 21, 1780, during the American Revolution, American General Benedict Arnold met with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British, in return for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, a former American hero, became synonymous with the word “traitor.”
His son Cornelius Jr recounted the incident :
“I was informed by my mother years ago, when I was a young man, that on his learning the British ship Vulture was anchored in the river below West Point, my father Cornelius Atherton, with another man went to a Colonel Livingston, in command of a small battery, five or six miles below West Point, asking him to send a small detachment up on the Heights, and drive the Vulture away, but the Colonel dare not weaken his small force. He finally gave them a twelve pound carronade and two gunners, with ammunition a plenty. In a short time they had their gun in position on the highland banks, within easy range of the Vulture and perfectly safe from her guns. After trying a cold short a few times without effect they improvised a furnace and made the balls red hot, and at the first fire struck a red hot ball in the deck of the vessel. A second and third were equally successful. She cast her cable and took her way down river, out of the way of the guns on the heights. This I believe to be a true statement of the cause of Major Andre’s capture, and saving West Point from falling into the hands of the British. Cornelius Atherton”

Colonel James Livingston of the 1st Canadian Regiment was in command of Verplanck's Point on the Hudson River in September 1780, and played a crucial role in the unmasking of Benedict Arnold's treachery. While on guard duty, his troops fired on the British sloop of war HMS Vulture, forcing that vessel to retreat southwards. This ship had brought Major John André to meet with General Benedict Arnold, who was then in command at West Point, New York. Since the ship was driven off, André was forced to attempt travel by land to New York, when he was captured not far from the British lines near Tarrytown with incriminating papers in his possession. André was hanged as a spy, and Arnold, his plot discovered, managed to escape to the British lines.

Timeline of key events during his lifetime

1750 - The Iron Act was passed with the aim of eliminating the import duty on colonial pig iron. However it barred the manufacture of steel or of iron plate in the colonies. The law was widely ignored by colonial governments.
1774 - Colonists establish the First Continental Congress, as Great Britain closes down Boston Harbor and deploys troops in Massachusetts
1775 - American Revolution: George Washington leads Continental Army to fight against British rule
1776 - At least 80 iron furnaces throughout the American colonies were producing about as much iron as Great Britain. See History of the iron and steel industry in the United States
1776 - Declaration of Independence endorsed by Congress; colonies declare independence on July, 4
1778 - Battle of Wyoming
1781 - Rebel states form loose confederation after defeating the British at the Battle of Yorktown
1783 - Great Britain accepts loss of colonies by virtue of Treaty of Paris
1787 - Founding Fathers draw up new constitution for United States of America. Constitution comes into effect in 1788
1789 - George Washington elected first president of USA
1791 - Bill of Rights guarantees individual freedom
1803 - France sells Louisiana territories to USA

Personal Chronology

1755 - His father John dies on September 20 in Harvard, Worcester, Massachusetts, aged 46
1760 - He marries Margaret “Mary” Delano.
1761 - Birth of his eldest son Jabez. They have 8 further children together.
1763 - Atherton relocated to Amenia, NY.
1775 - He relocated with his family to Plymouth, Pennsylvania where he worked in his trade. He already had relatives living in Wyoming, Pennsylvania. James Atherton was one of the first settlers there in 1763 ; likely to be either a cousin or uncle. Some sources have incorrectly referred to James Atherton being his father.
1778 - His eldest son, Jebez dies in the Battle of Wyoming on July 3.
Atherton had been drafted at the time of the Battle of Wyoming, but his place was filled by his eldest son, Jabez, who volunteered to become his substitute, and was accepted and mustered in as a private. Jebez heads the list on the Wyoming Monument. The aftermath of the battle meant that Atherton and his family had to leave the area for their safety.
1780 - Patriotic duties in the city of New York And surrounding area.
1782 - He moved onto Keyser Creek. He lived on a hill overlooking the creek The area today is known as Taylor, Pennsylvania.
1786 - His wife Mary dies. He remarries the same year to Jane Johnson and they have 7 children together.
1790 - Atherton is recognized as the founder of the borough of Taylor. He is recorded as living there in the first US Census of 1790.
1800 - He is recorded in the census as living in Exeter, Pennsylvania.
1803 - He relocates to South Bainbridge, now known as Afton, New York, leaving all his adult children behind in Pennsylvania, who by now had either married or were land owners. He continues his trade of work until his death.

Death

Atherton died on December 4, 1809, aged 73. He was buried at Vallonia Springs Cemetery in Colesville, New York. His wife Jane died on August 13, 1848 and was buried in the same cemetery.

Family

Children of Atherton and Mary Delano

and 2 others that did not reach adulthood.

Children of Atherton and Jane Johnston/Johnson

His sisters married his future business partners.
His nephew was Cornelius Allerton.

Discrepancies

Some sources state that his first wife was from Tolland, CT. They also incorrectly state that she died in 1774. However she was alive when their oldest son Jebez was killed in the 1778 Battle of Wyoming, although very sickly. Once widowed, Atherton married Jane Johnson.
Various obituaries stated that he was the fourth in descent from Major Gen. Humphrey Atherton of Boston. Other discrepancies include some biographers in the 19th and 20th century stating that he was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when birth and church records are from Harvard, Worcester, Massachusetts.