A merchant, military officer, and civic leader who lived in New Rochelle NY ahd New Haven CT.
| When Burke met | 1788 |
| Where Burke met | New Haven CT |
| Occupation | Commerce |
| Interaction with Burke | Burke made nails for him |
| Identity Status | Confirmed |
| Genealogy | WikiTree |
| Memoir Pages | 34-6 |
Notes
Colonel Joseph Drake (1737–1836) was a merchant, military officer, and civic leader. Born in Eastchester, New York, to Benjamin and Mary (Fowler) Drake, he worked as a merchant in New York City before relocating to New Rochelle in 1770. There, he served as Town Supervisor, chaired the Committee of Safety, and was a delegate to the New York Provincial Congresses. During the Revolutionary War, he was commissioned as Colonel of the First Regiment of Westchester County Militia. Following the war, Drake relocated to New Haven, Connecticut, where he integrated into local civic life, serving as a fire warden in 1789 and joining as a charter member of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce in 1794. He first married Phebe Hunt and later Lydia Miller, with whom he had a son, Joseph. Drake died at age 99, recognized as New Haven’s oldest citizen.
Sources
Burke, William. Memoir of William Burke: A Soldier of the Revolution, Reformed from Intemperance, and for Many Years a Consistent and Devoted Christian; Carefully Prepared from a Journal Kept by Himself; to Which Is Added, an Extract from a Sermon Preached at His Funeral, by Rev. Nathaniel Miner. Hartford, CT: Case, Tiffany, 1837.