The Rotch Family
The Families
The Rotch Family
In 1834, during New Bedford’s Golden Age of Whaling, William Rotch Jr. built his family’s home at 396 County Street. A prominent Quaker and one of the city’s most influential entrepreneurs, Rotch helped found the New Bedford Institute for Savings, Friends Academy, and the New Bedford Horticultural Society.
The Rotch family wealth came from whaling, but their influence extended far beyond. For generations, the family built and outfitted ships, transported whale oil, made candles, operated stores, and sold products nationally and internationally. Their integrated business ventures made them one of the most powerful families in New England.
The architecture of their home reflected both the prosperity of the whaling era and the simplicity valued in Quaker culture.
