William Munroe

1778 - 1861  (82 years)

• Name	William Munroe  [1]
  Born	15 Dec 1778	Roxbury, Suffolk Co, Massachusetts, USA
  Gender	Male
  Died	6 Mar 1861	Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA
  Person ID	I7876	Munro
  Last Modified	30 Apr 2010

  
  

  Father	Daniel Munroe,   b. Abt 1744, Lexington, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. 23 Jul 1827, Roxbury, Suffolk Co, Massachusetts, USA  (Age ~ 83 years)
  Mother	Abigail Parker,   b. 30 Jan 1753, Roxbury, Suffolk Co, Massachusetts, USA ,   d. 1 May 1844, Barnstable, Barnstable Co., Massachusetts, USA  (Age 91 years)
  Married	15 Sep 1774
  Family ID	F3029	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Patty Stone,   b. Est 1780,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	19 Sep 1805	, , Massachusetts, USA
  Children	1. William Munroe,   b. 24 Jun 1806, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. 27 Apr 1877  (Age 70 years)   2. Martha Stone Munroe,   b. 9 Jul 1808, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. Yes, date unknown   3. Mary Elizabeth Munroe,   b. 3 Nov 1810, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. 15 Jul 1813  (Age 2 years) + 4. Thomas Munroe,   b. 18 Oct 1812, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. Aug 1884  (Age 71 years) + 5. Francis Munroe,   b. 7 Dec 1814, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. Yes, date unknown   6. Alfred Munroe,   b. 4 Jan 1817, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. 1904  (Age 86 years)   7. Mary Munroe,   b. 4 Jan 1819, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. Abt 1904  (Age 84 years)   8. Elizabeth Munroe,   b. 14 Sep 1822, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. 1903  (Age 80 years)   9. James Wallace Munroe,   b. 23 Apr 1825, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts, USA ,   d. 29 Aug 1825  (Age 0 years)
  Last Modified	30 Apr 2010
  Family ID	F3407	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  William was born on the Seaver Farm in Roxbury, Massachusetts about the time his father's broken health compelled him to abandon farming. His infancy and youth shared the most severe trials of his father's humble fortunes. He was not a strong boy and he had but very irregular advantages of even the little school education within the reach of the boy of that day. At thirteen years he was for a while at his grandfather Parker's farm in Roxbury. Though feeling at home there, he did not like farming well enough to stay, as he desired to learn a trade. At fourteen he was with a wheelwright for a short time, but there he thought he had a hard fare and hard usage. Leaving this place, he was next with a cabinetmaker, where he found but little chance of properly learning the trade and left. It was not until he was about seventeen that he found a place where he had good treatment and an opportunity to do himself credit. He went to work for his second cousin, Deacon Nehemiah Munroe, a cabinetmaker on the Main Street, Roxbury. In the cabinetmaker's shop, William soon showed that he had capacity, and, before leaving it, stood at the head, as the best workman in it, the finest and most difficult work being entrusted to his hands. Before finishing his apprenticeship, he had felt conscious of having powers that were cramped. He often had innovative ideas about new ways of making or onamenting his work, but the rules of the shop did not permit innovations. On one occasion, however, he defied them by proceeding quietly to hang a table leaf by its hinges on a plan not known to the rules. After getting a good start, someone informed the Deacon who became angered at this disobedience. William was allowed to finish what he had started, however, and the result was so superior that William's invention became the new way of hanging table leaves. After arriving of age, he remained with the Deacon about six months as a journeyman, earning the means of buying a humble outfit and some tools. He left Roxbury for Concord on 1 Jun 1800 on the invitation of his older brothers, Daniel and Nathaniel. They had already established themselves as clockmakers, and wished him to make clock cases for them. He was thus employed part of the time as partner with them until 1804. After their marriage, William and Patty moved into part of the brick county house near the Middlesex Hotel. About two years later, they moved to the neighborhood of Barrett's Mills, near where Patty's mother lived. William had his shop in a part of the house standing east of the Mill Brook. He was employed making clockcases and timepiece cases and a few showcases for his brothers. He also made some articles of furniture which he took to Boston for sale. In 1810 he made a voyage to Norfolk, Virginia with clocks taken in payment for the cases which he had made. He sold his clocks, invested the proceeds in corn and flour, and came back with them in mid-winter, barely escaping shipwreck on the voyage. He sold most of the flour to Abel Prescott, a baker of Concord. Instead of cash, which he could not collect from Prescott, a round about trade was made, by which he obtained the shop on the Mill Dam, which he owned and occupied for several years. In 1811 he moved from Barrett's Mills to the village into the small house south of the meeting house. Living there and working in the shop on the Mill Dam, he made the attempt to get a support as a regular cabinetmaker. He says "In this I continued about a year, when finding that I could make with my own hands more furniture than I could sell, business of every kind being dull, and my family expenses increasing, I found that, unless I could make money faster, I should in a few years at most, even if I should have my health, be poor. I was worth a few hundred dollars, and that not in cash." This was at the beginning of the war with England. Non-intercourse, non-importation, and embargo laws were in force, and business of nearly every kind much depressed. The demand for articles that hitherto had only been made abroad was, however, an exception. For these, non-importation created a scarcity, so invention in that direction was encouraged and well rewarded. William first attempted to produce cabinetmakers' squares. He succeeded without difficulty and readily sold all that he made at a good profit. Then decided to try to make and sell lead pencils. He procured a few lumps of black lead. This he pulverized with a hammer and separated the fine portions by their suspension in water in a tumbler. From this he made his first experimental mixture in a spoon. The result was not very encouraging, but with more experimentation and invention, he finally came up with an acceptable product. Before the war of 1812, no pencils were made in America and because the supply was cut off by the war they became scarce and expensive. William's first pencils, his own invention, were sold to Benjamin Andrews in Boston. These were the first to be made in America. William overcame the problems of mass production and began to prosper. When the war was over and English pencils were again on the market, he overcame the problems of increasing the quality of his pencils to stay competitive. In 1819 he finally sold his cabinet shop, taking pencil woods as pay, and began concentrating only on making pencils. William soon found himself established as not only the first, but the best of American pencil makers. Improvements continued until 1830 when the trade sought him, rather than he the trade. He made as high as four thousand gross a year, of such quality that they readily outsold the imported ones and were evntually conterfeited by foreign makers. His wife remained his only confidante, and was a most efficient helpmate. William is given credit for his achievements by Josephine Swayne in "The Story of Concord," (1923), in Kane's book "Famous Firsts," in an article in the Scientific American for 4 Jan 1879 (refuting another claim in Scribner's Magazine for Apr 1878), and in several books of reference. In Apr 1821 the family moved to the farm near Barrett's Mills, which William had long owned. The old house was thoroughly renovated and additions made to accomodate his business. He paid little attention to farming, except for showing some originality in the cultivation of teasel. In Nov 1844 he moved to a new residence in the village nearer the railroad. There he spent the rest of his life. He took little part in public affairs, but once allowed his name to be entered to run for state senator. When he lost the election, as he predicted he would, he felt releived that he wouldn't have to serve. Politically he called himself a Federalist of the old school, and a Whig. He greatly admired the political character and views of Daniel Webster. William was quiet and retiring, more fond of his home and family than of society. He was fond of music and was an excellant singer. It was as leader of the choir in church that he found among the singers there was a young woman who became his wife, Patty Stone, the daughter of Capt. John Stone of Concord, Massachusetts. In religious matters, William was all his mature life a consistant Christian, but little demonstrative, though devout and reverent. He joined the church with his wife soon after his marriage and was chosen deacon in 1837. However, for reasons personal to himself, he declined to serve, though strongly urged by Dr. Ripley and friends. He could not accept the dogmas then current through the teachings of the Assembly's Catechism. He preferred the plain rules of duty for his creed and the teachings of the Bible, for which his reverence was unbounded, and with which he was very familier. William was never a robust man. His helath was at times feeble, yet, till past sixty, he appeared young for his years. At about seventy, a chronic trouble, which had hitherto given him but slight suffering developed itself more seriously. From that time his health gradually failed. After a few years he was confined to his house, and was finally oblidged to keep his room. After years of slow physical decline, surrounded by loving caretakers, he died at age 83 years, 3 months. Ref: Lexington Munroes, 2nd ed. 15-21-3 Compiled and edited by Allen Alger, Genealogist, Clan Munro Association, USA

  
  

• Sources

  [S668] RW Munro's Genealogy Database, Robert William Munro, (The collected genealogy notes of RW Munro, Hon. Historian of Clan Munro (Association) edited by Dr. Jean Munro, transcribed by Charles C. Munroe, III and others. Transcription completed Jan 2009. Original card file is kept at the "Storehouse of Foulis" near Foulis Castle in Scotland.), card 328 (Reliability: 3). 1