author
Benjamin Ferris
A Wilmington watchmaker who became one of Delaware’s early historians, this 19th-century writer balanced practical work with a deep love of local memory. His best-known book traces the original settlements on the Delaware and still reflects his determination to preserve the region’s past.
1 Audiobook
The Invaders
by Benjamin Ferris
About the author
Born in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1780, Benjamin Ferris trained as a watchmaker after moving to Philadelphia as a teenager. He later returned to Wilmington, where he worked in his trade and was appointed city surveyor in 1820.
Ferris was also an active member of the Religious Society of Friends. Sources on his life describe him as a supporter of Elias Hicks, and surviving family papers show his involvement in Quaker debate, reform activity, and correspondence within a prominent Wilmington Quaker family.
He is best remembered as the author of A History of the Original Settlements on the Delaware, published in 1846. That book grew out of years of historical research, including study of Swedish records connected with Old Swedes Church, and helped establish his reputation as one of Delaware’s early chroniclers.