 His son Benjamin he had intended for a farmer, being then in possession of a large tract of land; but not being of a hardy constitution, he relinquished that design, and determined to fit him for a profession.For that purpose he sent him to an academy to obtain a classical education, at Jamaica, Long Island, there being none in Orange county; there he obtained a thorough acquaintance with the mathematics, and a good knowledge of the Latin and Greek languages.At the age of nineteen he returned, and commenced the study of medicine with Doctor Thomas Wickham, of Goshen, whose character as a physician and teacher of medicine stood unrivaled in his day.