Background
Richard Derby was born on September 16, 1712 in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of Richard and Martha (Hasket) Derby.
Richard Derby was born on September 16, 1712 in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of Richard and Martha (Hasket) Derby.
Richard Derby went to sea at an early age and when only twenty-four became captain of the sloop Ranger trading between Salem and ports in Spain and the West Indies.
After sailing for a number of years in the employ of several Salem merchants, he acquired a vessel of his own, and by means of successful trading was enabled at the age of forty-five to retire from the sea and set up for himself as a merchant in Salem. He then began to build up a thriving commerce with Spain, and at the same time he sent his vessels on voyages through the West Indies exchanging New England fish, lumber, and farm products for rum and sugar.
In those days England was almost continually at war with France and Spain, but Derby and other New England merchants, in spite of being British Colonials, continued to trade with Spain and the French islands in the West Indies.
Derby’s ships were, therefore, subject to capture not only by French and Spanish men-of-war as natural enemies, but by British men-of-war on account of trading with the enemy. Under these circumstances it was inevitable that several of his ships should be captured; but so great were the profits made by those which successfully evaded seizure that he began to amass a considerable fortune. To take care of his increasing business, he built Derby Wharf in Salem harbor and soon he became recognized as one of the most substantial men of the community.
The various British Acts of Trade and Navigation which gave rise to the Revolution so greatly hampered Derby’s business that it was only natural for him to take an active part in the cause of the Colonies. When in February 1775 a detachment of British troops was sent to Salem to seize some cannon and ammunition concealed there, Derby headed the band of determined citizens which met the troops at the entrance to the town.
Whereupon the British commander, evidently fearing to provoke an engagement, hastily withdrew. Two months later, however, actual hostilities began with the battles of Lexington and Concord and shortly thereafter, in order to enlist the sympathy of the British people, the Provincial Congress decided to send a fast vessel to England with affidavits showing that the British troops began the affair and that the Colonists acted only in self-defense. Derby immediately placed his schooner, Quero, at the disposal of the Congress for this service. The little vessel, commanded by his son John, reached England two weeks ahead of the ship bearing the British general’s dispatches, and caused a great sensation in London. By this time Derby had begun to withdraw from the active management of the business, turning his affairs over to his second son, Elias Hasket Derby, and a few years later, in 1783, the old merchant died.
In 1735 Derby married Mary Hodges of Salem. The family, including three sons and three daughters, lived in a fine brick mansion near the head of Derby Wharf. In 1770 Mrs. Derby died and in 1771 Derby married Mrs. Sarah (Langley) Hersey of Hingham. His second son was Elias Hasket Derby.