Wilkins, George Granville (1819-1879)

Name:

Wilkins, George Granville (1819-1879)

Born:

01/11/1819

Birthplace:

Antrim, NH

Died:

11/08/1879

Death Location:

Pittsfield, NH

Residence:

Antrim, NH
Pittsfield, NH
Brighton, MA

Nationality:

American

Father:

Wilkins, James

Mother:

Wilkins, Miriam (n�e Harper)

Notes:

George Granville Wilkins was born in Antrim, New Hampshire, in 1819, as the eldest child of James Wilkins (1794-1832) and Miriam (n�e Harper) Wilkins (1798-1865). Soon after his birth the family moved to Weston, Vermont. By 1860 he had moved to Pittsfield, New Hampshire, where the U.S. Census listed him as a dentist. By that year he was already counterstamping U.S. and foreign coins in local circulation, as a means of advertising his business. Using a metal punch with the inscription "DR. G. G. WILKINS" in a small arc, Wilkins stamped thousands of coins starting around 1857 or 1858, and continued until at least 1873. He sometimes also used in his counterstamping a related punch inscribed "PITTSFIELD, N.H." in a small arc. Starting in the late 1860s Wilkins opened a barbershop and began trading in animal skins, wool, and furs; the 1870 U.S. Census listed him as a saloon keeper. By the 1870s his business pursuits extended to include selling patent medicine, firearms, and ammunition, with his two-story building on Main Street gaining the nickname "Fort Wilkins" among Pittsfield residents. Wilkins died in 1879 and is buried in Brighton, Massachusetts.