Major Thomas Melvill, Jr.
By Barbara Wimbush

The late 1830's and the 1840's were productive and prosperous times for Galena. In 1840, there were over 300 steamboats on the levee and by 1845, the Galena mines were producing 83 percent of the nation's lead. Galena was a "boom town" and was attracting a broad spectrum of people from all walks of life. In contrast to the more transient "get-rich-quick" miners, the farmers, merchants and professionals from New England were adding to Galena's stable population. Counted among the New Englanders to arrive in 1837 was an aristocratic older gentleman by the name of Major Thomas Melvill, Jr.. It had taken Major Melvill six decades to make his way to Galena but the journey had been, indeed, a fascinating one.

Image of Thomas Melvill, Jr. from "The History of Pittsfield by Merton M. Seatts, Jr. Courtesy of Galena Public Library and Jean Melvill.

Born in Revolutionary Boston in 1776, Thomas was acquainted, both personnally and through the stories of his father, with many of the heroic figures of the time. Major Melvill, Sr., Princeton class of 1769, was a distinguished and prominent figure in early Boston. An officer in the American Revolutionary Army, Major Melvill, Sr. was closely connected to many important early American patriots, including a long standing friendship with Samuel Adams; he also served with distinction alongside fellow officer Paul Revere in a Revolutionary Army artillery regiment. In addition, Melvill Sr. was regarded as a hero for being one of the "brave and patriotic band" who helped to unload the tea ships in Boston Harbor. From time to time during his life, Thomas Melvill, Jr. would display a small glass vial containing tea leaves that were found in his father's shoes after the Boston Tea Party. The vial remained a Melvill family couriosity for generations to come. A colorful and accomplished gentleman, Major Melvill, Sr. was to remain both a stabilizing influence and a source of financial support during several episodes in Thomas' life.

By 1795, the Revolutionary War was a distant memory and Thomas, Jr. was working as an apprentice for a Mr. Tisdale of Boston. A wholesale merchant in the West Indies, Tisdale offered Melvill an opportunity that was to change his life forever. He asked his young apprentice to manage his mercantile business in Paris. Just 19 years of age, Melvill accepted the challenge and sailed to France in the fall of 1795. Arriving in Paris shortly after the French Revolution, Melvill was faced with a difficult and uncertain business climate. Less than two years earlier King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had lost their heads to the guillotine. And, shortly before his arrival, the infamous "Reign of Terror" had taken its toll with "heads falling like slates off a roof". Political and financial dealings during this chaotic period were often tainted by corruption. French businessmen would often have to resort to devious measures just to survive.

Unfortunately, Thomas Melvill failed in his mercantile mission but was able to successfully establish a solid banking and commercial business in Paris. It was a remarkable accomplishment that a young man in a foreign country, conducting business in a foreign language and during an era of such uncertainty, could succeed in gaining the respect and confidence of the international business community, which Melvill succeeded in doing. During his years in Paris he was frequently called upon to be a confidential advisor or a trusted liaison to many important people of the time – not all of whom were innocent of corruptive practices.

The American community in Paris was not large and by 1794, relations between the United States and France began to deteriorate. France took exception to the Jay Treaty of 1794, which had established friendlier relations between the United States and Great Britain. The French viewed this partnership as hostile to France and broke off relations with the United States in 1797. At this time United States Minister to France, James Monroe, officially left France along with many others in the American community. The Americans who chose to remain could no longer depend on the American government for assistance. Seeing the need for a United States agent in Paris, Melvill assumed this responsibility by aiding fellow countrymen in their dealings with the French government. He successfully fulfilled this role until 1803. During these strained years with France the success of an American in Paris was totally dependent upon the individual. It appears that during this time Melvill was not only welcomed into the French business community but was also welcomed into French Society. Influenced by the courtier and elegance of Parisian society, Melvill stylishly entertained the rich and powerful. The colorful military general, Marquis d'Lafayette and the influential Parisian banker, Jacque Recamier were among the frequent guests at Melvill's table. It was through Recamier that Melvill met his first wife, Francoise Lame Fleury. Mademoiselle Fleury was an exceptionally accomplished and strikingly beautiful young French aristocrat whom Melvill married in 1802. They spent the next nine years observing first hand the pomp and circumstance of Napoleon Bonaparte's empire. Melvill was fascinated by "those martial displays and spectacles of state which he had witnessed". He eventually swung politically from a republican to a monarchist and further underlined his fascination with the monarchy by naming one of his sons Napoleon.

Melvill's sixteen years in Europe brought him both great successes in business and, ultimately, failure. By 1811, he was overtaken by several serious financial reverses and had to borrow $15,000 from his father to help extricate himself from his financial woes. The sizeable loan also enabled him to transport he, his wife and their four children to his father's home in Boston.

Arriving on American soil just prior to the War of 1812, Melvill, through his personal contacts, was soon able to secure himself a government appointment as a Superintendent of Prisoners at a military cantonment in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He was given the military rank of Major just like his father before him. Unfortunately, the war years brought great tragedy to Melvill's personal life. On April 1, 1814 he lost his beloved wife in childbirth; ten days later his infant son, Peter, died; and, to further add to his overwhelming grief, his 6 year old son, Napoleon, died six days after Peter. Major Mellvill was left with the responsibility of rearing his four surviving young children.

By the fall of 1815, Melvill had met an "exemplary" young woman from a well-connected New England family. On November 21, 1845 Melvill married Mary Ann Hobart, the granddaughter of General Henry Dearborn. General Dearborn was a distinguished veteran of the Revolutionary War who had served in Congress and had been Thomas Jefferson's Secretary of War.

In 1816, Major Melvill, Sr. bought "Broad Hall", a 35 acre farm near Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Thomas, Jr. rented "Broad Hall" from his father and shifted his interests from international business to agriculture. Establishing himself in the Pittsfield area, Thomas quickly secured a place for himself and his growing family in the Pittsfield community. It was during these years in Pittsfield that Thomas experienced more serious financial problems that resulted in a short term in debtor's prison. In spite of this difficulty, Thomas continued to be held in high regard by the people of Pittsfield, who frequently appointed Melvill to responsible positions on municipal committees. In 1814, he was elected President of the Berkshire Society for the Promotion of Agriculture and Manufacturing. In 1815, he delivered a notable address to the Society that was published in pamphlet form.

In 1836 Melvill's nephew, Herman Melville, (the writer added an "e" to the family name but Thomas' family kept the original spelling) son of his younger brother, Allan, arrived at "Broad Hall" to help his uncle work the farm. Herman, not yet known as the great writer, enjoyed hearing his uncle reminisce about Parisian life. Years later, remembering his visit to his uncle's farm, Herman wrote:

"His manners were mild and kindly, with a faded brocade of old French breeding which – contrasted with the surroundings at the time – impressed me as not a little interesting, nor wholly without a touch of pathos".

In 1836, after twenty hard years of farming, Melvill's fortunes finally seemed to take an unexpected turn for the better. Captain Hezekiah H. Gear, a very successful lead miner from that "boom town" out west, Galena, Illinois, was visiting in Pittsfield. Having heard of Melvill's "straitened circumstances" and knowing of his extensive experience in banking and finance, Gear offered Melvill a responsible position in his merchantile house back in Galena. Melvill saw Galena as an opportunity for he and his family. Great fortunes were being made in the new frontier. Melvill had to look no further than Captain Gear for affirmation; after all, Gear was worth a small fortune because of his lead mining activities in Galena. In 1837, Melvill headed west to Galena, temporarily leaving his wife and children in Pittsfield. When he arrived he found a rough and tumble town that was fast becoming the most important commercial point on the Mississippi River north of St. Louis. Melvill rented a comfortable house at 1009 Third Street on the east side of the river – only two blocks from the levee.

After assuming his duties as manager of the Gear store on Main Street, Melvill and his family were finally reunited in Galena in the fall of 1838. Just as he had done in Pittsfield, Melvill quickly involved himself in the community affairs of Galena. Helping to establish the first Galena Chamber of Commerce in 1838, Melvill was elected its first Secretary/Treasure in 1840. It was during that summer that Herman Melville came to spend several weeks in Galena with his uncle. Arriving in the "sometimes crude frontier community" of Galena, Herman was again "…struck by the contrast between the man and his environment". At the time of Herman's visit the Melvill's were enjoying a prominent position in the community and living an appropriate life style for a family with an aristocratic heritage. However, after a few years, the enormous financial demands of a large family required Melvill to supplement his employment at Captain Gear's store with a side business. By 1840, Melvill was already advertising in the Northwestern Gazette and the Galena Advertiser as a notary public for Jo Daviess County and a commissioner for the states of Massachusetts and Maine. His advertisement further offered his services "for the purchase and sale of real estate, land office business, payment of taxes, the adjustment of accounts and claims, making collections, and commissions generally".

Unfortunately, around 1841, Melvill's close personal and business relationship with Captain Gear and his family came to an abrupt end. There were rumors of financial improprieties but no substantive proof. Major Melvill quietly left his position at the Gear store. Always a survivor in the face of adversity, Melvill managed to successfully provide for his family's sustenance and welfare until his death in 1845. His obituary in the weekly Northwestern Gazette of August 8, 1845 is testimony to the respect and admiration that the town of Galena had for Major Thomas Melvill Jr. –

"…the deceased was an old and much esteemed citizen of this place and leaves a large family and an extensive circle of friends to mourn their bereavement. His remains were attended…by a large concourse of citizens".

Regretfully, Thomas' life in Galena did not lead to the road of great prosperity; however, "he died not without the consolation of knowing that his venturous removal so late in life to what was the remote west, had in part been already attended with many happy results to his family…"