John Ellison Vassar
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John Ellison Vassar | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 13, 1813 |
| Died | December 6, 1878 (aged 65) Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York |
John Ellison Vassar (1813–1878)[1] was an American lay preacher and missionary.
John Ellison Vassar was born January 13, 1813, and named for his maternal uncle. He was the son of Thomas Vassar of Norfolk, England. Originally named "Vasseur", the family was descended from French Huguenots who arrived in England in the mid-eighteenth century. Thomas's family were Baptists, and he and his younger brother James (father of noted brewer and philanthropist Matthew Vassar) emigrated to the United States in 1796. They settled near the village of Poughkeepsie, New York, and took up farming on the Wappingers Creek near Manchester Bridge. Thomas married Joanna Ellison of Flatbush on Long Island.[2]
Thomas returned to Norfolk briefly to obtain implements and seeds. Upon his return, he and his brother planted the first crop of barley in Dutchess County. They then began to brew ale, which they sold to supplement their income. Their product was so popular that they sold the farm and James moved to Poughkeepsie to start a brewery, while Thomas established a brickyard on the Dutchess Turnpike.[2]
John Ellison Vassar began working in the brickyard at the age of twelve. When Vassar was twenty years old he sustained a severe injury when his foot slipped through a log bridge over a creek near his house. This left him with a limp.[2]
