Jeremiah Shuttleworth (Dedham, Massachusetts.
December 24, 1760 – October 11, 1858) was a merchant and postmaster fromShuttleworth married Susanna "Sukey" Richards on February 1, 1798, and they were the parents of four children, including Hannah, Sam, and Jerry. [1] [2] [3] [a] He was an incorporator of St. Paul's Church and served on the vestry. [4] His sister, Melitiah Shuttleworth, married Nathaniel Ames. [4] [5]
Shuttleworth died October 11, 1858. [2]
Jeremiah ran the West India Goods store out of his home, located at the corner of Church and High Streets. [6] [7] [8] [3] It was likely the first permanent grocery store in Dedham. [8]
On April 1, 1795, Shuttleworth was appointed Dedham's first postmaster. [6] [5] [8] [3] [b] The post office, one of the first in the country, was housed in the store, where he would place all the mail on a table. [6] [8] Residents would come into the store and help themselves to any letters addressed to them. [6] Shuttleworth was replaced as postmaster 38 years later, in 1833, by Dr. Elisha Thayer. [6] [3] At his resignation in 1833, it was thought he was the oldest postmaster in the country. [2]
Shuttleworth leased a lot of land from St. Paul's Church at the corner of Church and High Streets. [9] The minister, William Montague, referred to the intersection as "Jere Square" in his honor. [9] The window shutters, which were painted green, were never opened. [3] In front of the store were scales for weighing hay. [3]
For many years, important notices were tacked to a buttonwood tree in front of the house. [10] [11] [c] It was where, for example, the first notice of Abraham Lincoln's death was posted. [11] Local tradition holds that the first notice posted there was a $50 reward for a stolen horse. [11] During the Civil War, when a soldier drilling pulled out an umbrella during a shower, he was hung in effigy from the tree. [12] [13]
Shuttleworth left the house to Hannah, and upon her death she left it to the Dedham Historical Society. [14] The Historical Society sold the Shuttleworth home, which was moved to Bryant St, and custom built a new building for themselves on the lot. [15] [7]
In 1936, Charles Mills painted a portrait of his house, where his shop and post office were. [16] It is currently in the collection of the Historical Society and was cleaned and conserved in 2016. [16]
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