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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Dexter

Timothy Dexter (January 22, 1747 – October 23, 1806) (self-styled Lord Timothy Dexter) was an American businessman noted for his eccentric behavior and writings. He became wealthy through marriage and a series of improbably successful investments, and spent his fortune lavishly. Though barely educated or literate, Dexter considered himself "the greatest philosopher in the Western World", and authored a book, A Pickle for the Knowing Ones, which espouses his views on various topics and became notorious for its unusual misspellings and grammatical errors.

Biography

Dexter was born in Malden in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. He had little schooling and dropped out of school to work as a farm laborer at the age of eight. When he was 16, he became a tanner's apprentice. In 1769, he moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts. He married 32-year-old Elizabeth Frothingham, a rich widow, and he then bought a mansion with the money.

At the end of the American Revolutionary War, he purchased large amounts of depreciated Continental currency that was worthless at the time. At the war's end, the U.S. government made good on its notes at one percent of face value, while Massachusetts paid its own notes at par. His investment enabled him to amass a considerable profit. He built two ships and began an export business to the West Indies and Europe.

Being a member of the upper class, Dexter decided to pursue a career in local politics. However, many of those in power were not very keen on allowing someone as uneducated as Dexter to have a position in politics. Eventually however, the Malden local government would bestow upon Dexter the position of the official informer of deer, despite the fact that, at the time, there were not any deer in Malden.

Because he was largely uneducated, his business sense was considered peculiar. He was advised to send bed warmers—used to heat beds in the cold New England winters—for resale in the West Indies, a tropical area. This advice was a deliberate ploy by rivals to bankrupt him. His ship's captain sold them as ladles to the local molasses industry and made a handsome profit. Next, Dexter sent wool mittens to the same place, where Asian merchants bought them for export to Siberia.

People jokingly told him to "ship coal to Newcastle". Fortuitously, he did so during a Newcastle miners' strike, and his cargo was sold at a premium. On another occasion, practical jokers told him he could make money by shipping gloves to the South Sea Islands. His ships arrived there in time to sell the gloves to Portuguese boats on their way to China.

He exported Bibles to the East Indies and stray cats to Caribbean islands and again made a profit; Eastern missionaries were in need of the Bibles and the Caribbean welcomed a solution to rat infestation. He also hoarded whalebones by mistake, but ended up selling them profitably as corset stays.

While subject to ridicule, Dexter's boasting makes it clear that he understood the value of cornering the market on goods that others did not see as valuable and the utility of "acting the fool".

New England high society snubbed him. Dexter bought a large house in Newburyport from Nathaniel Tracy, a local socialite, and tried to emulate him. He decorated this house with minarets, a golden eagle on the top of the cupola, a mausoleum for himself, and a garden of 40 wooden statues of famous men, including George Washington, William Pitt, Napoleon Bonaparte, Thomas Jefferson, and himself. The last had the inscription, "I am the first in the East, the first in the West, and the greatest philosopher in the Western World". Dexter also bought an estate in Chester, New Hampshire.

Despite his good fortune, his relationship with his family suffered. He frequently told visitors that his wife (who was actually alive) had died, and that the woman frequenting the building was simply her ghost. In one notable episode, Dexter faked his own death to see how people would react, and about 3,000 people attended Dexter's mock wake. When Dexter did not see his wife cry, he revealed the hoax and promptly caned her for not sufficiently mourning his death.

Writing

At age 50, Dexter authored the book A Pickle for the Knowing Ones,[a] in which he complained about politicians, the clergy, and his wife. The book contains 8,847 words and 33,864 letters, but without any punctuation and with unorthodox spelling and capitalization. One section begins:

Ime the first Lord in the younited States of A mercary Now of Newburyport it is the voise of the peopel and I cant Help it and so Let it goue

The first edition was self-published in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1802. Dexter initially distributed his book for free, but it became popular and was reprinted eight times. The second edition was printed in Newburyport in 1805. In the second edition, Dexter responded to complaints about the book's lack of punctuation by adding an extra page of 11 lines of punctuation marks with the instruction that printers and readers could insert them wherever needed—or, in his words, "thay may peper and solt it as they plese".

Legacy

Dexter attempted to burnish his own legacy by enlisting the efforts of Jonathan Plummer, a fish merchant and amateur poet, who extolled his patron in verse:

Lord Dexter is a man of fame;
Most celebrated is his name;
More precious far than gold that's pure,
Lord Dexter shine forevermore.

Some of his social contemporaries considered him very unintelligent; his obituary considered "his intellectual endowments not being of the most exalted stamp".

The Probate Office valued his estate at $35,027.39 (roughly equivalent to $755,618 in 2022).

Dexter's Newburyport house became a hotel. Storms ruined most of his statues; the only identified surviving statue was that of William Pitt. In 1984, William Quill, who was raised on Johnston Street in Newburyport, purchased Timothy Dexter's House for $200,000 and restored it.

After his death, a street that intersects with High St, which Dexter resided in was named "Dexter Ln" in his honor. The first house built on the street was constucted in 1967. According to the Newburyport website, an affordable housing project called the Dexter Ln project is currently in the works.

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Timothy Dexter (born January 22, 1747, Malden, Massachusetts [U.S.]—died October 23, 1806, Newburyport, Massachusetts) was an American businessman who was known for his eccentric personality. He grew extremely wealthy through schemes that should have bankrupted him, and he performed outrageous stunts that alienated him from the upper class.

Dexter had little formal education. At age eight he began working on a farm, and six years later he became an apprentice at a tannery. While in his early 20s, he married a well-to-do widow, and her money helped him open a leather shop in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Dexter did well in his business, and he eventually began to engage in speculative enterprises, earning enormous profits. Most notably, he bought up Continental currency—the first paper money that the Continental Congress issued—after too much was printed and it was discontinued during the American Revolution. Paying just a few cents for each dollar, he collected the currency with the hope that it would one day be put back in circulation. In the 1790s the U.S. Constitution provided that all Continental money could be traded in for bonds, an act that made Dexter rich.

Dexter was also known for reaping profits from highly unusual business endeavors, often suggested to him by acquaintances who were trying to ruin him. On one occasion he reportedly was encouraged to sell coal in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, not realizing that the city had its own profitable coal mine. When he traveled there with a shipment of coal, Dexter discovered that the Newcastle miners were on strike. He was thus able to sell his coal at a great profit. Another time Dexter’s associates were said to have convinced him to sell warming pans (to heat beds) in the West Indies, although Dexter did not realize that the islands’ warm climate meant that the pans would be useless. Upon arrival, however, Dexter had the pans adjusted and called them ladles, selling them at a high price to the owners of the numerous sugar and molasses plantations. The veracity of these claims, however, has been disputed. Given the hyperbole surrounding Dexter’s life, it is often difficult to sort fact from fiction.

Dexter tried to win acceptance from the sophisticated upper-crust citizens, but he always fell short under their disdain and snobbery. He openly courted attention, whether good or bad. He lived in a lavish mansion that featured minarets and a gold eagle on the roof. The surrounding grounds were adorned with wooden statues of such prominent men as George Washington and Napoleon. Dexter also had two statues created in his likeness, one of which had an inscription that read, “I am the first in the East, the first in the West, and the greatest philosopher in the Western world.” In addition, he insisted that his servants call him Lord Timothy. At one point, Dexter staged his own funeral to see who would mourn his death. Some 3,000 people attended, and the ruse was kept up until he began to beat his wife (who knew about the stunt) because he did not feel she was sufficiently mourning him.

In 1802 Dexter published a short book, A Pickle for the Knowing Ones; or, Plain Truths in a Homespun Dress. The work—somewhat of an autobiography in which he not only brags about his accomplishments but also lists complaints against his wife and others—contains no punctuation, numerous misspellings, and random capitalization. A commenter later described the work as “a jumble of letters promiscuously gathered together.” The book opens with:

To mankind at Large the time is Com at Last the grat day of Regoising what is that why I will tell you thous three kings is Rased Rased you meane should know Rased on the first Royal Arch in the world olmost Not quite but very hiw up upon so thay are good mark to be scene so the womans…

After receiving complaints about the lack of punctuation, Dexter revised later printings to include a supplemental page that featured rows of periods, commas, question marks, and other punctuation marks. Following his death in 1806, an obituary referred to him as “one of the most eccentric men of his time” and further noted that his intellectual ability was not “of the most exalted stamp.”

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(from page 52)

[Richard 1, John 2, Richard 3.]

12. NATHAN DEXTER [Richard 1, John 2, Richard 3.] b. Sept. 10, 1722, at Malden, d. (before Dec. 27, 1775) at Acton. Was of Malden till Mch. 6, 1769, when he purchased land in Acton. His wife Tabitha was admitted to full communion at the South Church, Malden, Dec. 29, 1755. He evidently already belonged, as they both asked May 13, 1757, to be dismissed to the North Church. (South Church, Malden.) [See note.]

He m. first June 26, 1744 (int. Apr. 11) at Malden, Rev. J. Stimpson officiating, Esther Brintnall b. Aug. 18, 1722, at Lynn, d. ____ . Dau. of John and Deborah (Mellins) Brintnall of Chelsea.

Children:

29. I. Nathan b. Apr. 8, 1745, at Malden (bapt. Apr. 9, 1749), d. [g. s.] July 30, 1832, at Westford.

30. II. Timothy b. Jan. 22, 1746-7, at Malden (bapt. Apr. 9, 1749), d. [g. s.] Oct. 23, 1806, at Newburyport.

III. Esther b. Feb. 23, 1748-9, at Malden (bapt. Apr. 9, 1749), d. July 13, 1771, at Medford, drowned. (Put under guardianship of her father and her brother Nathan as non compos, June 25, 1771.) Last Lord's Day morning was found drowned in Mistick river a young woman, named Dexter, about 20 yrs. of age, a daughter of Nathan Dexter of Concord, Mass. (Gazette July 18, 1771.) The above Esther was under guardianship of her father and her brother Nathan, and it is said, was quite handsome.

31. IV. John b. Sept. 6, 1751, at Malden, d. [g. s.] June 15, 1837, at Leominster, Worcester, Co. He m. secondly Feb. 20, 1753 (int. Jan. 14) at Malden, Rev. E. Willis officiating,

Tabitha, widow of Joseph Burditt. (Dau. of William and Tabitha [Wait] Paine of Malden.) She was admitted Dec. 29, 1755, to full communion with the South Church, Malden.

Children :

V. Elizabeth b. Feb. 18, 1754, at Malden (bapt. Feb. 24), d. bef. Sept. 10, 1777, m. Aug. 18, 1774 (int. July 30) at Acton, Rev. John Swift officiating, Daniel Baker of Concord.

VI. Sarah b. Sept. 12, 1765, at Malden, d. Nov. 28, 1815, at Concord, m. Jan. 8, 1789, at Acton, Rev. Ezra Ripley officiating, Jacob Melvin of Concord. The order for the taking of Nathan Dexter 's inventory was given Dec. 27, 1775. The real estate was distributed Sep. 10, 1777, to John, Nathan, Timothy, Sarah Dexter, and the heirs of Elizabeth Baker, deceased, who were the children of the deceased Nathan.

Note: [Yet the Second Baptist Church of Boston claims him as one of their brethren in 1748, a year, to be sure, before the baptism of his three eldest children. The same church claims a Nathan admitted Sept. 4, 1757, and dismissed to some other church, unnamed, Sept. 4, 1764. And a Nathan Dexter was admitted July 7, 1765, to the First Baptist Church of Boston, which makes me think he was a Baptist before and after belonging to the South Malden church.] O. P. D.

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(from page 78)

30. TIMOTHY DEXTER [Richard 1, John 2, Richard 3, Nathan 4.] b. Jan. 22, 1746-7 at Malden (bapt. Apr. 9, 1749), d. [g. s.] Oct. 23, 1806 at Newburyport. Of Newburyport. The eccentric "Lord" Timothy Dexter. He m. May 22, 1770, Rev. Samuel Perley officiating, (see N. E. Gen. & Hist. Reg. for 1897, p. 462), Elizabeth b. Jan. 12, 1736-7, d. [g. s.] July 3, 1809 at Newburyport. Widow of Benjamin Frothingham, dau. of Deacon John and Abigail (Gilman) Lord, of Exeter N. H.

Children :

I. Samuel Lord b. (1771), d. [g. s.] July 26, 1807 in 36th yr., at Newburyport.

Of Newburyport. He m. first. May 31, 1800 (int. May 22) at Hampstead, N. H. Mehitable Hoyt b. (1778), d. Nov. 3, 1806 at Hampstead,^^ aged about 28 yrs. Dau. of Ebenezer and Sarah (Nichols) Hoyt; m. secondly, Jan. 11, 1807 at Newburyport, Rev. John Giles officiating, his first cousin, Esther Dexter, b. Nov. 4, 1775 at Billerica, d. [g. s.] Sept. 28, 1850 at Newburyport. Dau. of Nathan and Phoebe (Grover) Dexter. (She afterwards m. Nov. 16, 1809 (int. Oct. 29, Charlestown) at Newburyport, Rev. Daniel Dana officiating, William Rose.)

II. Nancy b. (1775), d. Sept. 25, 1851, aet. 76 yrs., m. Mch. 11, 1792 at Newburyport,*^ Rev. Edward Bass officiating, Abraham Bishop of New Haven, and had dau. Nancy.

Timothy Dexter's Will made Mch. 1, 1799 mentions wife Elizabeth, son Samuel Lord Dexter, bros. John and Nathan Dexter, dau. Nancy Bishop, wife of Abraham. Elizabeth Dexter's Will made Aug. 27, 1807, mentions dau. Nancy Bishop, two sons John and Gilman Frothingham.

WILL OF TIMOTHY DEXTER (NEWBURYPORT).

In the name of God, Amen. I Timothy Dexter, of Newburyport, in the county of Essex, being of a sound and perfect mind and memory, do make and publish this my last Will and Testament in manner following, viz: —

Imprimis. I give and bequeath unto my wife Elizabeth Dexter, fifty dollars, in addition to two thousand pounds that I have already given her.

Item. I give unto my son Samuel Lord Dexter, three thousand dollars to be paid him by my executors in twelve months after my decease. Also the improvement of fifty shares in Essex Merrimack Bridge during his natural life; and in case he should leave any natural heir of his body, lawfully begotten, my Will is that the said fifty shares be equally divided between them; but if he should die without such heirs, my Will is, that the said fifty shares be divided between my brothers, Nathan Dexter and John Dexter, as follows, viz. — three fourths part thereof to the said Nathan, and one fourth part to said John, and their heirs and assigns forever.

Item. I give unto my daughter Nancy Bishop, wife of Abraham Bishop, two thousand dollars, to be paid her by my executors, in twelve months after my decease; Also the improvement of thirty shares in Essex Merrimack Bridge, during her natural life and at her decease to be equally divided between' her heirs.

Item. I give unto my grand-daughter, Nancy Bishop, one thousand dollars, to be paid her by my executors, when she shall arrive at the age of twenty-one years; but if she doth not live to the age of twenty-one years, that then said money to be given to my brother Nathan and his heirs.

Item. I give unto my brother, Nathan Dexter, ten shares in Essex Merrimack Bridge, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give unto my brother, John Dexter, two shares in Essex Merrimack Bridge, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give unto Edward Plummer, son of Samuel Plummer, two shares in Essex Merrimack Bridge, to him and his heirs forever.

Item. I give unto John Tracy, son of John Tracy, Esqr., two shares in Essex Merrimack Bridge, if he should live to the age of twenty-one years; if he should not, my Will is that said shares be equally divided between his sisters.

Item. I give unto Joseph Somerby, school-master, two shares in Essex Merrimack Bridge, to him and his heirs, also my best Silver Can, my turtle-shell pinchbeck Watch, three of my best silver spoons, and one pair of gold Sleeve Buttons.

Item. I give unto the town of Malden, three hundred dollars, to be laid out to purchase a bell for the meeting house; — also two thousand dollars to be put at interest for one hundred years, and the interest to be appropriated annually for the support of the gospel in said town of Malden.

Item. I give unto the town of Newburyport, two thousand dollars, to be put at interest by the overseers, and the interest to be given to such of the poor of the town as the overseers may think most necessitous, who are not in the work-house annually.

Item. I give unto my son Samuel Lord Dexter, and my daughter Nancy Bishop, all the rest and remainder of my estate, both real and personal, to them and their heirs; but if the said Samuel and Nancy should die without heirs, then my Will is, the same be divided between my two brothers and their heirs.

Lastly. I constitute and appoint Deacon Enoch Titcomb, and Nathan Hoyt, both of Newburyport, to be my sole Executors to execute this my last Will and Testament; and I order my Executors to pay all my just debts, and funeral expenses, and all the legacies that I have bequeathed; and I do hereby revoke all former and all other Wills by me heretofore made, this only to remain in force. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the first day of March, in the year of our Lord, 1799.

Timothy Dexter. (L.S.)

Signed, sealed and declared by the Testator to be his last Will and Testament, in presence of us, who in his presence have subscribed our names as witnesses.

Caleb Stickney

Joshua Davis

Samuel Plummer

The Newburyport Herald in alluding to his death, October, 1806, remarked, that "No one will impeach his honesty, and his numerous acts of liberality, both public and private, are within the recollection of all, while one of the items in his last Will, will be gratefully remembered. His reason left him two days before his death, but he has gone to render an account of his life to a just and merciful Judge." His residence was in High Street, Newburyport, one of the finest situations in the town, with about seven acres of rich, well cultivated land covered with fruit trees, and affording as fine a site as the eye could desire. The "Dexter House" was very large and commodious, and was, till some time after his death, surmounted by a large number of wooden statues of celebrated men as was also the fence and gateway, in the midst of which stood his own figure — all of which have been removed, and the house which was originally green, has been painted brown, and recently sold to Edward S. Rand, Esq., of N.

"Lord Dexter," as he was universally styled, was excessively vain and eccentric, and was often profuse of his money, which he had been uncommonly fortunate in amassing, if he was made prominent thereby — a propensity not entirely unknown in the characters of many of his species — generally for purposes of utility, however, and not without considerable liberality. He was one of the most illiterate men of his day, as his "Pickle for the Knowing Ones" will show; but he was remarkably shrewd and calculating in his business concerns, which it is well known were generally attended with great success. In the latter part of his life, he erected a tomb in the immediate vicinity of his house, with a request that his remains might be deposited in it, but his friends declined to comply with his desire, and he was buried in the ancient burying ground, with the rest of his kindred, a few rods from his mansion ; his grave being very near the road, and upon the white marble head-stone is the following inscription :

In memory of

Timothy Dexter,

who died October 23, 1806,

Etatis 60.

He gave liberal donations

For the support of the Gospel,

For the benefit of the Poor,

And for other benevolent purposes.

His house was occupied as a boarding-house for a long time after his death — his daughter Nancy residing in it till her death, who, it will be seen, married Abraham Bishop, of New Haven, Conn. It was by the direction of her daughter, Mrs. Clark, that the house was entirely changed in its outward appearance some years before it was sold. He advertised Lands in the Ohio Company for sale, and for Loan Office Certificates wanted. Apply to Capt. Swan, near the Mill Bridge, (Middle Street), January 8, 1789.

Bibliographic information:

• Dexter genealogy, 1642-1904; being a history of the descendants of Richard Dexter of Malden, Massachusetts, from the notes of John Haven Dexter and original researches
• by Dexter, O. P. (Orrando Perry), 1854-1903; Mills, Henry L., ed; Dexter, John Haven, 1791-1876
• Publication date 1904
• Topics Dexter family, Dexter, Richard, ca. 1606-1680
• Publisher New York, Press of J.J. Little & co.
• Collection bostonpubliclibrary; americana
• Digitizing sponsor Boston Public Library
• Pages 296
• Possible copyright status NOT_IN_COPYRIGHT
• Pages 52 and 78
• https://archive.org/details/dextergenealogy1904dext/page/77/mode/1up

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Timothy Dexter (January 22, 1748 – October 26, 1806) was an eccentric American businessman noted for a series of lucky transactions and his writing.

Brief Biography

• from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Dexter_(businessman)_

People jokingly told him to "ship coal to Newcastle", which he did, and through sheer luck there was a miners' strike going on at the time, and his cargo was sold at a premium.[1][2] At another time, practical jokers told him he could make money shipping gloves to the South Sea Islands. His ships arrived there in time to sell the gloves to Portuguese boats on their way to China.[1] Someone told him to send warming pans (used to heat sheets in the cold New England winters) to the tropical West Indies - an unlikely market. However, his captain successfully sold them as ladles for the area's burgeoning molasses industry, and again Dexter made a significant profit.[3] Dexter bought an estate in Chester, New Hampshire. He also bought a new house in Newburyport where there was a mausoleum for himself and a garden of 40 wooden statues of famous men, including George Washington, William Pitt, Napoleon Bonaparte, Thomas Jefferson and himself. It had an inscription:

I am the first in the East, the first in the West, and the greatest philosopher in the Western World.

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Interesting chronology: http://www.lordtimothydexter.com/Chronicle.htm

• Residence: 1747 - Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States
• Residence: 1790 - Newburyport, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
• Residence: 1800 - Newburyport, Essex, Massachusetts, United States
  • Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Apr 24 2025, 8:39:01 UTC