Rowland Hussey Macy
Founder of Macy’s — Nantucket to New York
Rowland Hussey Macy Sr. (1822–1877) was born on Nantucket Island to a Quaker family descended from Thomas Macy, one of the nine original purchasers of Nantucket in 1659. Thomas Macy is your direct ancestor—roughly your 8th great-grandfather. Rowland Macy descends from the same Thomas Macy through a different branch, making him a cousin through the Nantucket Macy line.
The Chain from Thomas Macy
Thomas Macy II (1608–1682) fled Salisbury, Massachusetts after harboring Quakersduring a rainstorm—a criminal offense under Puritan law. He was among the nine men who purchased Nantucket from Thomas Mayhew for thirty pounds and two beaver hats. His descendants remained on the island for generations. Rowland Hussey Macy was born there in 1822, the sixth generation from Thomas.
From Whaling to Retail
As a teenager, Rowland shipped aboard the whaleship Emily Morganout of New Bedford for a four-year voyage in the Pacific. It was on this voyage that he got the red star tattoo on his hand that would later become the Macy’s logo. After returning, he opened a series of small dry goods stores—in Boston, California during the Gold Rush, and several other cities. All failed. He opened and closed four stores before the age of 36.
In 1858, he opened R.H. Macy & Co. on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. This time it worked. First-day sales were $11.06. Macy was an innovator: he introduced fixed pricing (no haggling), money-back guarantees, and aggressive newspaper advertising. He expanded into new product categories—china, silver, books, shoes—creating the modern department store concept. By the time he died in 1877, Macy’s was the largest single store in New York City.
Today, Macy’soperates over 500 stores across the United States. The Herald Square flagship, opened in 1902, was for decades the largest department store in the world. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been held annually since 1924.
The Red Star
The red star that became the Macy’s logo originated as a tattoo Rowland got during his whaling years aboard the Emily Morgan. Sailors commonly tattooed stars for navigation and luck. Macy kept it as his business mark. It has appeared on every Macy’s store, shopping bag, and advertisement for over 160 years—a Nantucket whaling tradition carried into the heart of American commerce.
Connection to This Family
Thomas Macy is your direct ancestor through the Nantucket founding families. Rowland Hussey Macy descends from the same Thomas Macy through a different branch. The Macy, Coffin, Folger, Starbuck, and Gardner families intermarried extensively on Nantucket for generations—they were neighbors, business partners, and eventually relatives many times over. The same small island that produced Benjamin Franklin’s grandfather also produced the founder of America’s most famous department store.