Oswald Eve facts for kids

Oswell Eve (around 1715 – 1793) was an important person during the time of the American Revolutionary War. He was a sailor, a businessman who sold supplies to ships (called a ship chandler), and a maker of gunpowder. He was also a member of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Eve went to the College of Philadelphia and was friends with Dr. Benjamin Rush, who later signed the Declaration of Independence.

Early Life and Sailing Adventures

Oswell Eve was born around 1715, possibly in a place called Bermondsey, in England.

He became a sea captain and owned his own ships, like the Roebuck and the George. He was also a successful merchant, meaning he bought and sold goods. He became so wealthy that he owned parts of about 25 other ships! In 1756, he even served as a lieutenant in a group of soldiers called the Philadelphia Associators.

The Frankford Powder-Mill

In 1774, Oswell Eve built a special factory that used water power to make gunpowder. This factory was located on Frankford Creek in Frankford, which was a small village outside Philadelphia back then. Before the American Revolutionary War began, Eve's powder mill was the only one making gunpowder in all the American colonies!

Gunpowder was super important for fighting. In 1775, it was very hard for the American army to get enough of it. Silas Deane, an important person at the time, wrote that gunpowder was "more scarce, & more sought after than Gold."

Paul Revere's Visit

Because gunpowder was so important, the leaders in Massachusetts sent Paul Revere to Philadelphia. His mission was to learn how Eve's gunpowder mill worked. When he arrived, he met with important members of the Continental Congress, Robert Morris and John Dickinson. They gave him a letter to give to Oswell Eve.

The letter asked Eve to share his knowledge with Paul Revere. It explained that New England wanted to build its own powder mill because they could make a lot of saltpeter (a key ingredient for gunpowder). The letter said that a new mill in New England wouldn't hurt Eve's business. Both Robert Morris and John Dickinson asked Eve to help Revere out of a sense of public duty. They specifically asked Eve to show Revere how his mill was built.

On January 11, 1776, Oswell Eve signed a contract with the Continental Congress. He agreed to supply gunpowder at a price of $8 for every hundred pounds. The Congress would provide the niter (another name for saltpeter).

Because Eve had helped Paul Revere learn how to make gunpowder, which allowed Revere to set up a mill in Canton, Eve asked Congress for a reward. The Committee of Safety in Philadelphia supported his request. They told Congress that Eve had always been helpful, showing his factory to gentlemen from other colonies who wanted to learn.

What Happened to the Mill?

Eve's Powder-Mill became a model for other colonies. They studied how it worked to build their own gunpowder factories.

When the British army took over Philadelphia in September 1777, they also took control of Eve's mill. There were rumors that Eve might have cooperated with the British. Because of this, on March 6, 1778, he was accused of helping the British. However, he was allowed to leave the city when the British left in the spring of 1778. He left his son, Oswell Jr., in charge of the mill.

But on July 6, 1778, all of Oswell Eve's property, including his gunpowder mills and a large area of land (about 202 acres), was taken by the government. After the American Revolution ended, Oswell Eve and his wife moved to Nassau, Bahamas. He passed away in 1793 at his son Joseph's home in New Providence.

Family Life

Oswell Eve married Anne Moore on June 2, 1744, at Christ Church, Philadelphia. They had thirteen children together, but sadly, seven of them died when they were very young.

One of their daughters, Sarah Eve, was a close friend of Dr. Benjamin Rush's family. She was even going to marry Dr. Rush! However, in September 1774, she became very ill, probably with tuberculosis. She passed away just three weeks before her wedding day.

Another of Eve's sons, Joseph, studied with Dr. Rush and became a medical doctor himself.