Captain Elias Pelletreau, Silversmith
Captain Pelletreau was born in Southampton in 1726. He apprenticed with Goldsmith Simeon Soumain in New York City for seven years and was made a freeman in 1750. He returned to his family home located on Main Street where, in a shop attached to the homestead, he made silver objects and gold jewelry for the rest of his life. He sold his work in New York City through William Ustick, a hardware merchant, and his son, Elias Pelletreau, Jr., who acted as a salesman for his father. He was commissioned a captain in the Suffolk County militia in 1761 and, in 1775 he became one of the first to sign the Articles of Association. He was too old to serve in the Continental army but he loaned money to the revolutionary government and organized a home guard to protect the town from the British invasion. After the battle of Long Island in 1776 and the subsequent British occupation, Captain Pelletreau and many others escaped to Connecticut as refuges rather than live under British supremacy. Prominent patrons included: Mrs. Elizabeth Beekman and William Butler, both of New York City; General William Floyd, signer of the Declaration of Independence; Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull; Honorable Ezra L’Hommedieu, delegate to the Continental Congress; and many others located from Boston to Philadelphia. Elias worked in his shop until his death in 1810.

History of the Pelletreau Shop
The small, gambrel-roofed shop, built in 1686, was originally a trade shop, located next to a 17th century dwelling, for merchant Stephen Bouyer. Francis Pelletreau (Elias’ father) joined Mr. Bouyer in trade and by 1728 had purchased the business, shop and adjacent homestead. When Francis died in 1737 he left the Main Street buildings and half of his personal property to his eleven-year-old son Elias. Elias, encouraged by his stepfather to become a silversmith, occupied the shop beginning in 1750 to make jewelry, buttons, buckles, and a variety of utensils. His son John joined his father’s trade and occupied the shop until his death in 1822. John’s son William Silversmith Pelletreau continued in the business but for how long is uncertain. The 17th century house was torn down in 1878 as retail businesses began replacing homes in the neighborhood. The shop, luckily, was left standing and turned to face the Main Street. The shop changed owners and business orientation until the 1950s when it was the home and store of a local bookseller. The last owner willed the shop to the Village of Southampton and soon became the restoration project of Henry Frances duPont, who restored the interior and exterior to reflect the colonial era tenure of Elias Pelletreau. In 1966 the shop was opened to the public on weekends during the summer months with volunteers orienting visitors to history of Elias Pelletreau and his trade.