• Born: 1761, Bucks PA
• Died: 21 Oct 1835, Lynchburg Campbell VA

  General notes:

Silversmith

  Events in his life were:

• Cutten/VA:, . ¹⁷ Where Duffel learned his trade we do not know; it may have been in Alexandria, for he enlisted in the Revolutionary army from that city. According to Gwathmey, he was a corporal in the 5th and 11th Virginia Regiments of the Continental Line. He is listed in the 1790 census as a resident of Prince George's Parish, Georgetown District, South Carolina.
  The New York Directory for 1801 contains his name with the information that he was to be found at 349 Pearl Street. His eldest child and only son died in New York in 1802, aged six years. Later that same year he moved to Fredericksburg, Va., where his brother, Edward, a merchant, had preceded him. On October 28, of that year, he thanked the people of Fredericksburg for the encouragement they had given him, and announced that he had removed three doors above his former residence, to a tenement of Capt. Mercer's. In February 1804 he revealed that a Negro girl had come to his shop and, under pretense of being sent by a neighboring lady, obtained four pairs of earrings, a breast pin, and a finger ring. He asked that these be stopped if offered for sale. He continued to advertise watches, silver, plated ware, jewelry, and guns, until on August 4, 1807 he gave notice that he intended moving from Fredericksburg about the middle of the following month, and offered his stock for sale. Whether he moved at this time or not has not been determined, but his youngest daughter, Elizabeth, was born in Fredericksburg on October 19, 1809. His brother, Edward, had gone to Lynchburg, and here James followed him. The wives of these two brothers were sisters.
  In 1810 he bought Lot 13 in Lynchburg and in 1811, Lot 6, as well as some additional land in the city. He was member of the Lynchburg City Council and in 1814 a director of the Exchange Bank of Virginia. In November 1817, he advertised that he intended to quit his present business and offered his stock for sale and the house in which he lived for rent. Jewelry, silver and plated ware, watches, spectacles, rifles and shotguns, pistols, swords, epaulettes, whips and canes were for sale at greatly reduced prices until all was sold. On December 3, 1827, he bought a piece of land from William Galt's executors, to which he added more frontage in 1828.

• Tea service
  Private Collection ¹⁷
  Made as a wedding gift to his daughter, Elizabeth.

• He worked circa 1790-1800 as a silversmith in Georgetown SC ⁷

• Advertised on 2 Jan 1799 (Georgetown SC), "Any article of Gold or Silver can be made as usual at short notice." ¹⁷

• Advertised in 1800 (Georgetown SC), announcing his desired to remove from South Carolina and requesting all persons indebted to him to settle their accounts, but if there were those who wished to discharge their obligations in rice, he would receive that at cash price.
  ¹⁷

• He worked in 1800-1802 as a silversmith in New York City NY from a shop at 349 Pearl Street. ⁷

• He worked in 1803-1810 as a silversmith in Fredericksburg VA ⁷

• He worked in 1810-1835 as a silversmith in Lynchburg Campbell VA ⁷