When he graduated from Yale in 1867, Charles Wyllys Betts had no way of knowing that hisproductive life would be cut short in less than twenty years. His unfinished works were left forothers to complete. Such efforts are continuing in 2023.

While at Yale, Betts was a member of Skull and Key, a society so secret I can't mention it. Aftergraduating with a B.A. from Yale College, he went on to law school at Columbia in New York,graduating with LL.B. in 1869 and was admitted to the bar. He then did post-graduate study atYale College until receiving an M.A. in 1871.

During 1870, Betts joined a group of Yale students on an expedition looking for fossils. Theymarched across Nebraska with Buffalo Bill as a guide and a party of cavalry as protection fromhostile Indians. Betts reported with published inHarper's New Monthly Magazine in October 1871. A photo of the expedition shows Betts assecond from the left. Sixth from the left is Betts' classmate Charles McCormick Reeve.

Charles joined his older brother Frederick Henry Betts with the firm of Whitney & Betts. In 1875the brothers formed the firm of F. H. & C. W. Betts. In 1878 this became Betts, Atterbury &Betts. For most of his adult life, Charles lived with his brother and Frederick's wife Louise at 78Irving Place near Gramercy Park in New York City.

Although he lived frugally with his brother, they each needed a summer cottage to get away fromthe city. They purchased land on Good Ground for a summer colony in Southampton, New York.Then needing a little extra space, Charles bought a windmill and had it moved to attach to hiscottage.

The windmill was originally built in 1807 on Shelter Island. It was moved to the Good Groundneighborhood in the 1860's and later to the Betts property on Gin Lane in 1880. The machinerywas removed and windows installed. The cottage was then built next to the windmill.

Charles travelled to England to buy old English furniture to furnish his cottage. Eventually hehad enough to furnish six cottages in the area.

The Betts brothers, with three others, also bought a U. S. Life Saving Service station, built in1851 between Agawan Lake and the Atlantic Ocean. This was expanded and converted into theSaint Andrews Dune Church which is still standing and operating during sixteen weeks eachsummer.

Contrary to what appears in some biographies, Charles never married. This was the subject of aten-page article by Christopher McDowell published January 5, 2021. This was funded by aNewman Grant and published on the Newman Numismatic Portal.

Betts was active in New York society and was a member of The University Club, Union Club,Century Club, Country Club, Knickerbocker Club and Riding Club. He was a regular member ofthe Trinity Church Choir.

After time away from the hobby, Betts began collecting again. He purchased his first Americanmedal in 1879. He joined the ANS and was a generous worker and donor. He presented paperson counterfeit halfpence and the Admiral Vernon medals.

In a few years, Betts assembled a large collection of American Colonial medals, probably thelargest at the time. It was his goal to write a reference book on the topic. His scope included allof the western hemisphere and well beyond what would become the original thirteen Americanstates. In 1886 he went to Europe to do research at the British Museum and at the Paris Mint togather material for his book.

Betts contracted pneumonia and died at his home on Irving Place in New York City on April 27,1887. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx in the family plot with his parents andbrother. He gave 1100 items including his collection of American medals to Yale college,doubling the size of their collection. His hand carved dies were donated to the AmericanNumismatic Society.

Betts compiled a family genealogy, Thomas Betts and his Descendants, that was unfinished atthe time of his death. It was completed by Frederick.

His work on American Colonial Medals also remained unfinished. The project was taken on byhis brother with assistance from dealer Lyman H. Low and publisher and editor of the AmericanJournal of Numismatics, William T. R. Marvin. The book was completed and published in 1894.

The book was well respected and the standard reference on the topic. The series of medalscovered are now known as Betts Medals. As good as it was, there were problems with the book.Some medals that might have qualified were omitted and some medals described are notconfirmed to exist.

Christopher McDowell took on the huge task of revising and updating the series. The first ofthree planned volumes, The Early Betts Medal Companion: Medals of America's Discovery andColonization (1492-1737) was published by the American Numismatic Society in 2022. Work onlater medals continues.

At one time I thought the Good Grounds windmill house was bought in 2017 by Robert DowneyJr, and his wife Susan. Downey actually bought a different Long Island house with a mockwindmill. There were a lot of windmills on Long Island and they can be confusing.

Smarty-Pants question of the week: Who was Charles McCormick Reeve mentioned earlier?

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
CHARLES WYLLYS BETTS - THE FIRST 20 YEARS(https://www.coinbooks.org/v26/esylum_v26n16a14.html)