Caleb Bentley (1762–1851) was an American silversmith, shopkeeper, and first postmaster in

Brookeville, Maryland Brookeville is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located north of Washington, D.C., and north of Olney. Brookeville was settled by Quakers late in the 18th century and was formally incorporated as a town in 1808. Historic ...

. Bentley was born in

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West Eng ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1762.

Biography

In the early 1780s, Caleb emigrated with his brother, spending some time in

York, Pennsylvania York (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populatio ...

and then moved to

Leesburg, Virginia Leesburg is a town in the state of Virginia, and the county seat of Loudoun County. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town and ancestors of Robert E. Lee. Located in the far northeas ...

in 1786. While in York, Bentley became a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

. In the early 1790s, Bentley established himself as a silversmith in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Bentley was commissioned by President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

to make the brass

cornerstone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

used for the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

groundbreaking ceremony in 1792. A year later, Bentley made a silver cornerstone which was used for the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

. Bentley relocated to

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat and largest municipality is Rockville, although the census-design ...

in 1794, settling in Brookeville, where his wife's (Sarah Brooke) family owned a large tract of land. In Brookeville, Bentley opened a store and a post office in 1802, becoming the First Postmaster of Brookeville. His first wife died in 1805, and two years later, he remarried to Henrietta Thomas. Bentley was also a founder of the Brookeville Academy, and along with two brothers-in-law, established the town of Triadelphia, on the

Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast ...

. Bentley's wife, Henrietta Thomas, was a close friend of

Dolley Madison Dolley Todd Madison (née Payne; May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted for holding Washington social functions in which she invited members of bo ...

. In August 1814, during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

, the

was set ablaze by British troops during the

Burning of Washington The Burning of Washington was a British invasion of Washington City (now Washington, D.C.), the capital of the United States, during the Chesapeake Campaign of the War of 1812. It is the only time since the American Revolutionary War that a ...

, in retaliation for burning

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North Americ ...

's Parliament Buildings in the

Battle of York The Battle of York was a War of 1812 battle fought in York, Upper Canada (today's Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on April 27, 1813. An American force supported by a naval flotilla landed on the lakeshore to the west and advanced against the town, whi ...

. On August 26, 1814, President

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for h ...

fled Washington, D.C., initially going to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, but then turning north towards Rockville, where he expected to find General

John Henry Winder John Henry Winder (February 21, 1800 – February 7, 1865) was a career United States Army officer who served with distinction during the Mexican–American War. He later served as a Confederate general officer during the American Civil War. Wi ...

and his troops. Winder's troops had already proceeded on towards

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

. Madison continued on eastward and arrived in Brookeville on horseback, where he found refuge in the home of Caleb Bentley. Madison stayed up all night dispatching orders, with Brookeville becoming the

temporary capital A temporary capital or a provisional capital is a city or town chosen by a government as an interim base of operations due to some difficulty in retaining or establishing control of a different metropolitan area. The most common circumstances leadin ...

of the US. The Bentleys continued to live in Montgomery County for years, though he returned to live for a period of time in Georgetown in the late 1830s. Bentley died in 1851 in

Sandy Spring, Maryland Sandy Spring is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Geography Sandy Spring's boundaries are roughly defined as Brooke Road and Dr. Bird Road to the north and west, Ednor Road to the south, and New Hamp ...

. Bentley owned at least two enslaved people during his life, likely inherited. He freed both of them in 1815 under the conviction "that natural freedom is the right of all men". While Bentley aided free black people in their business and personal matters, and freed his own slaves, he nonetheless continued his involvement in the sale of enslaved people, acting as lender or co-signer on loans for Montgomery County residents for the purchase of enslaved people. Bentley also had cotton processed at the Triadelphia mills that was picked by enslaved laborers. Prior to their marriage, Bentley's wife Henrietta Thomas owned as many as six enslaved people. Henrietta joined the Society of Friends when they declared slavery to be morally wrong, freeing all six of her slaves in 1801.

References

External links

"Caleb_Bentley,"_Biography,_Maryland_State_Archives_[MSA_SC_3520-15889
/nowiki>.html" ;"title="SA SC 3520-15889">"Caleb Bentley," Biography, Maryland State Archives [MSA SC 3520-15889
/nowiki>">SA SC 3520-15889">"Caleb Bentley," Biography, Maryland State Archives [MSA SC 3520-15889
/nowiki>br>Brookeville 1814, Maryland State Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Caleb 1762 births 1851 deaths American Quakers American silversmiths American slave owners Converts to Quakerism Maryland postmasters People from Brookeville, Maryland People from Chester County, Pennsylvania People from Leesburg, Virginia Quaker slave owners