Richard Caton (merchant)


Richard Caton was an Englishman who became a Baltimore merchant.

Early life

Caton was born in 1763 in Lancashire, England. He was a son of John Caton and the sister of Dorothy Caton, who married William Woodville, grandparents of artist Richard Caton Woodville, himself the father of artist Richard Caton Woodville Jr.

Career

Caton left England and settled in Baltimore in 1785 as a merchant involved in the manufacture of cotton goods.
After his 1787 marriage, his father-in-law instructed him to develop area along the newly built Frederick Road, which Carroll owned land next to. He gave his name to the community and called it "Catonville", although the name was changed to "Catonsville" in the 1830s.
In 1790, Caton built Brooklandwood in Baltimore County, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Personal life

Caton was married to Mary "Polly" Carroll at Annapolis on November 25, 1787. Polly was the daughter of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. After the wedding, Carroll gave Polly and Richard a home, known as Castle Thunder, which stood from 1787 to 1907. Her younger sister Kitty Carroll married the lawyer and U.S. Senator Robert Goodloe Harper. They were the parents of four daughters who survived to maturity, including:
His eldest three girls were known as "The Three American Graces" due to their beauty and the fact that all married into the English aristocracy. His youngest daughter remained in Maryland and ran the family finances. Caton died in Catonsville, Maryland on May 19, 1845 in Baltimore and was buried at Green Mount Cemetery. At his death, he died insolvent, leaving $2,762. His widow died the following year on November 14, 1846, leaving a personal fortune of £186,000.

Descendants

Through his youngest daughter Emily, his only child to have children, he was a grandfather of four, including Charles Carroll MacTavish, who married Marcella Scott ; Mary Wellesley MacTavish, who married Hon. Henry George Howard ; Alexander Simon MacTavish, who married Ellen Gilmor; and Richard Caton MacTavish, who died young.

Legacy