Peter Ballantine (November 16, 1791 – January 23, 1883) was the founder of Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company in 1840 in Newark, New Jersey, United States.

Peter Ballantine
Peter Ballantine ca. 1880.
Born(1791-11-16)November 16, 1791
Dundee, Scotland
DiedJanuary 23, 1883(1883-01-23) (aged 91)
Known forP. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company
Spouse
Julia Wilson
(m. 1830; died 1868)
Children3, including John
RelativesPeter H. B. Frelinghuysen (great-grandson)
Peter Frelinghuysen Jr. (great-great-grandson)
Rodney Frelinghuysen (great-great-great-grandson)

Early life edit

He was born on November 16, 1791, in Dundee, Scotland. He decided to leave Scotland due to the "pressure of poverty and the call to great achievement."[1]

Career edit

In 1820, Ballantine emigrated to Albany, New York where he learned brewing. By 1830, he had established his own brewery there. In 1840, he moved to Newark, New Jersey, and partnered with Erastus Patterson to form P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company, and leased the old High Street Brewery that had been built in 1805 by John R. Cumming.[1]

In 1845, Ballantine pulled out of the partnership, and, five years later, built his own brewery on the Passaic River, known as P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company. In 1857, he took his sons as partners,[2] and he became the wealthiest man in Newark.[1]

Personal life edit

In 1830, Ballantine married Julia Wilson (1796–1868), daughter of David Wilson and Abigail Gillespie, of Troy, New York. Together, Peter and Julia were the parents of the following children, all of whom were born in Albany:[1]

  • Peter Hood Ballantine (1831–1882), who married the English-born Isabella Linen (1835–1911).[1]
  • John Holme Ballantine (1834–1895), who married Jeannette Boyd (1838–1919).[3]
  • Robert Francis Ballantine (1836–1905), who married Anna Elizabeth Brown (1838–1926) of New Jersey.[4]

His wife died in Newark on June 7, 1868 of "remittent fever".[1] Peter Ballantine died at his home in Newark, New Jersey, aged 91 after three weeks of bronchitis, on January 23, 1883. He was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark.[2]

Descendants edit

Through his eldest son, he was the grandfather of Sara Linen Ballantine (1858–1940), who married the lawyer, and eventual president of the Ballantine breweries, George Griswold Frelinghuysen (1851–1936),[5] a son of U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary of State Frederick T. Frelinghuysen.[6]

He was a great-grandfather to Peter Hood Ballantine Cumming (1910–1988), who held political office (Mayor of Rumson, New Jersey, 1950–51) and was a noted business executive (Textile Banking Company, Iselin-Jefferson Financial Company, H.A. Caesar & Company).[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Lee, Francis Bazley (1910). Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey ... Lewis historical Publishing Company. pp. 1063–1067. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Peter Ballantine" (PDF). New York Times. January 24, 1883. Retrieved 2008-06-29. Peter Ballantine, of the firm of Ballantine Sons, one of the best-known brewers and maltsters in the country, died yesterday morning at his home in Newark, New Jersey...
  3. ^ "John H. Ballantine" (PDF). New York Times. April 28, 1895. Retrieved 2008-07-01. John H. Ballantine, of the firms of Ballantine & Sons ...
  4. ^ "Mrs. Anna E. Ballantine. Prominent Resident of Newark, N.J., Dies in Her 89th Year". New York Times. November 13, 1926. Retrieved 2008-07-01. Anna Elizabeth Ballantine, 88 years old, a well-known resident of Newark, N.J., died yesterday in her home at 37 Washington Street...
  5. ^ "Ballantine Frelinghuysen" (PDF). New York Times. April 27, 1881. Retrieved 2008-07-01. Trinity Church, in Newark, was crowded yesterday by one of the most brilliant wedding parties ever seen in that city. Many persons were present from New-York, and nearly every section of New-Jersey was represented in the audience of 1,200 persons.
  6. ^ "G.G. Frelinghuysen Dies. Son of Arthur's Secretary Of State Was Lawyer" (PDF). New York Times. April 22, 1936.
  7. ^ "Peter H. B. Cumming, 78, Retired Executive". New York Times. November 18, 1988. Retrieved 2008-06-29. Peter Hood Ballantine Cumming, a retired executive and former mayor of Rumson, N.J., died of cancer Wednesday at his home in Little Silver, N.J. He was 78 years old.

External links edit