NONES, BENJAMIN

NONES, BENJAMIN (1757–1826), U.S. patriot and soldier during the American Revolution. Nones, who was born in Bordeaux, France, served as aide-de-camp to his former schoolmate, Marquis de Lafayette (1777), fought in Count Casimir Pulaski's legion during the defense of Charleston and was cited for bravery (1779), and served as aide to General Washington, holding the rank of major. After the Revolution, Nones settled in Philadelphia where he was variously employed as a broker and factor, a notary public, and as government interpreter for French, Spanish, and Portuguese. He was active in Republican politics and, in keeping with his abolitionist sympathies, freed his slaves after the Revolution. Nones served as president of Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia. His son JOSEPH B. NONES (1797–1887) was wounded while serving as a midshipman in a battle against Algerian pirates in 1815. At the age of 70, he wrote a colorful account of his adventures in the Navy. He was a pioneer in processing concentrated foods, and in 1829 he proposed a program to combat scurvy in the Navy. In later life, he was an importer in Philadelphia. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Biogr Dict (1960), 135; AJHSP, 1 (1893), 111–5. (Abram Vossen Goodman)