John Wingate Thornton (August 12, 1818–June 6, 1878) was a

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an fan (person), aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifact (archaeology), artifac ...

book collector Book collecting is the collecting of books, including seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever books are of interest to a given collector. The love of books is ''bibliophilia'', and someo ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

Biography

Early life

He was born August 12, 1818, at the home of his grandfather, Thomas Gilbert Thornton in

Saco, Maine Saco is a city in York County, Maine, York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as General ...

. He attended school at

Thornton Academy Thornton Academy (often abbreviated as TA) is a co-educational, independent boarding and day school serving grades 9–12 located in Saco, Maine. Thornton Academy also opened a full-time, private junior high school on its campus, named Thornton Ac ...

Career

While studying to become a lawyer, he worked for his uncle,

John Fairfield John Fairfield (January 30, 1797December 24, 1847) was an attorney and politician from Maine. He served as a U.S. Congressman, governor and U.S. Senator. was born in Pepperellborough, Massachusetts (now Saco, Maine) and attended the school ...

and graduated from

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1840 with an LL.B. He was awarded an honorary degree of A.M. from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

in 1860. He practiced law in Boston, Massachusetts. John Wingate Thornton researched and wrote numerous family genealogies and authored a number of books. In 1844 he was a founding member of the

New England Historic Genealogical Society The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845. NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, original scholarship, website,American Statistical Association The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest continuousl ...

, and a member and Vice-President of the

Prince Society __NOTOC__ The Prince Society, or Prince Society for Mutual Publication, (1858-1944) in Boston, Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"titl ...

. He was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1855. His 1844 report to the

American Statistical Association The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest continuousl ...

was presented to Congress by

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...

who notes that it demonstrates "''a multitude of gross and important errors in the printed census of 1840.''" In August 1607, a company of Englishmen were landed near the mouth of the

Kennebec River The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

with the intent of starting a colony known as the

Popham Colony The Popham Colony—also known as the Sagadahoc Colony—was a short-lived English colonial settlement in North America. It was established in 1607 by the proprietary Plymouth Company and was located in the present-day town of Phippsburg, Ma ...

. However, half of the colony returned in December 1607 and the remaining members returned to England the following year. John Wingate Thornton was invited to deliver a speech on August 29, 1862, during an occasion set to commemorate the failed

. Much to the chagrin of the audience and Fort Popham Celebration committee members, John Wingate Thornton correctly pointed out, in contradiction to the beliefs of those who invited him, that the

was not the first attempt at New England colonization, and that additionally it was not a serious attempt at creating a permanent colony as only men and not entire families were sent. His unpopular speech was left out of the printed proceedings of the commemoration and John Wingate Thornton resorted to privately printing the text of his speech in 1863. He died on June 6, 1878, at the Oak Hill family estate in

Scarborough, Maine Scarborough is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County on the southern coast of the U.S. state of Maine. The town is a coastal resort area. Located about south of Portland, Maine, Portland, Scarborough is part of t ...

, and is buried in the Laurel Hill Cemetery in

. A short biography of his life was written by

Thomas Coffin Amory Thomas Coffin Amory Jr. (October 6, 1812 – August 20, 1889) was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the youngest son of Jonathan Amory and his wife Mehitable (Sullivan) Culter. An American lawyer, historian, politician, biographer, and poet, he ...

Marriage and family

On May 31, 1848 he was married to Elizabeth Wallace Bowles by the Reverend Augustus C. Thompson in

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for n ...

. They had four children, only one of whom (Elizabeth Thorndike Thornton) survived to adulthood.

Timeline

Published works

* ''Memorial Of The American Statistical Association Praying The Adoption Of Measures For The Correction Of Errors In The Census'', 1844;

OCLC OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...

br>13848351
* ''Lives of Isaac Heath, and John Bowles, ... and of Rev. John Eliot jr'', 1850;

br>3824853
* ''Memoir of the Gilbert Family'', 1850;

br>13990800
* ''Mementos of the Swett Family'', 1851;

br>16395396
* ''Landing at Cape Anne'', 1854;

br>5382334
* ''Ancient Pemaquid'', 1857;

br>23935503
* ''Peter Oliver's "Puritan Commonwealth" Reviewed'', 1857;

br>10820661
* ''First Records of Anglo-American Colonization'', 1859;

br>6414115
* ''Pulpit of the American Revolution, or, The political sermons of the period of 1776'', 1860;

br>249633623
* ''Colonial Schemes of Popham and Gorges : Speech at the Fort Popham Celebration, August 29, 1862'', 1863;

br>5362353
* ''Historical Relation of New England to the English Commonwealth'', 1874;

br>950363

Institutional Resources

American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Mass.
John Wingate Thornton Papers, 1850-1877. Mss. Dept. Misc. mss. Boxes "T". 1 Folder, 98 items.
Composed mainly of correspondence related to his publications and especially regarding his Popham Celebration speech. Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine
Alumni Biographical File, John Wingate Thornton
George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections and Archives.
Catalog Number 1.3.6. Box 1. Folder 54, John Wingate Thornton. Boston Athenaeum, Boston, Mass.
John Wingate Thornton Papers
Book containing letters to children and family photographs. Boston Public Library, Boston, Mass.
Rare Books and Manuscripts Dept.
19 July 1842 Letter from Elizabeth (Schuyler) Hamilton, New York, NY to JWT. *Ch.C.12.2
19 Apr 1844 Letter from Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) to JWT. *Ch.B.10.74
11 Apr 1849 Letter from Frances M. Caulkins, New London, CT to JWT. Ch.A.6.75
10 ??? 18x8 Letter from JWT to William Fogg, York, ME. Ch.B.11.8
08 Dec 1854 Letter from JWT to R. W. Griswold, Boston, MA. Griswold Mss. No. 1081
09 Nov 1855 Letter from JWT to

Mellen Chamberlain Mellen Chamberlain (4 June 1821, Pembroke, New Hampshire - 25 June 1900, Chelsea, Massachusetts) was a United States lawyer, librarian and historian. He was librarian of the Boston Public Library for over a decade. Biography He graduated fro ...

, Boston, MA. Ch.J.2.117
Various Letters (5) from JWT to Mellen Chamberlain, Boston, MA. Ms.Am.1400 (1114)
16 Dec 1857 Letter from Samuel McPherson Janey (1801-1880) to JWT. Ch.E.1.1
13 Mar 1858 Letter from George Edward Ellis (1814-1894), Charlestown, MA to JWT. Ch.J.1.98
22 Mar 1858 Letter from Joseph Willard (1798-1865), antiquarian, to JWT. Ch.J.3.23
21 Apr 1858 Letter from D. Foley(Rectory, Templetuoby, Ireland) to JWT. Ch.B.5.80
1862 Papers relating to the acquisition by BPL of Gen. Burgoyne parole. Ms.1258
18 Oct 186x Letter from William Willis (1794-1870), to JWT. *Ch.J.7.112
1866 Mss and letters (2) from Edward Jarvis (1803-1884) to JWT. Ms. 1337
24 Nov 1868 Letter from Timothy Farrar, Dorchester, Mt. Bowdoin to JWT. Ch.A.8.14
03 Dec 1874 Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad Co., Boston, MA (Mss notes by JWT). No. 1 in **H.30.446
01 Jul 1875 Letter from Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (1812-1898) to JWT . Ch.J.2.72
01 Mar 1876 Letter from Benjamin Franklin DeCosta (1831-1904), New York, NY to JWT. Ch.J.6.7
Undated Letter from H. Sowerby to JWT. Ch.E.4.65A Dyer Library and Saco Museum, Saco, Maine
Thornton Family Papers
Dyer Library Archives & Special Collections
17 May 1859 Letter from Sarah Gookin Storer to John Wingate Thornton. Dyer Library. Houghton Library, Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass.
02 Oct 1848 Letter from John Wingate Thornton to George Livermore. Autograph File T.
23 Jul 1851 Letter from George Stillman Hillard to John Wingate Thornton. Autograph File H.
26 Dec 1860 Letter from Jared Sparks to John Wingate Thornton. Autograph File S.
24 Jan 1866 Letter from John Wingate Thornton to Mary Cutts. Autograph File T.
11 Jan 1873 Letter from Charles William Eliot to John Wingate Thornton. Autograph File E.
16 Jan 1873 Letter from John Wingate Thornton to Charles William Eliot. Autograph File E.
19 Mar 1874 Letter from John Wingate Thornton to Samuel Batchelder. Batchelder Family Papers. Call No.: MS Am 1368; Item 195.
26 Oct 1875 Letter from John Wingate Thornton to Samuel Batchelder. Batchelder Family Papers. Call No.: MS Am 1368; Item 196.
15 Feb 1876 Letter from John Wingate Thornton to Capt. H. Hight. Autograph File T.
Maine Historical Society, Portland, Maine
Thornton, John Wingate, 1818-1878, Spec Coll. 1523
Contains note correspondence (1842-1877), pertaining to the Chipman, Crocker, Cutts, Ellis, Peperell, Scammon, Thaxter, Smith, and other families. Also contains biographical and genealogical material relating to Edward Godfrey, Habijah Savage, Joshua Scottow, Robert Jordan, and Captain Thomas Cammock. Lawyer, antiquarian, historian, author, and founder of New England Historical Genealogical Society. b. in Saco, Me.. resident of Boston. Maine State Library and Archives, Augusta, Maine
John Wingate Thornton, Collected Papers, MS091 T513
Vol. 1 1658-1877, Vol. 2 1800-1814, Vol. 3 1815-1877 New England Historic And Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass.
John W. Thornton Papers, Mss 95, R. Stanton Avery Special Collections Department
NEHGS houses the premier collection of John Wingate Thornton papers. They comprise approximately 2 linear feet of shelf space. As NEHGS describes them, they contain "genealogical, historical, business and personal papers of the Thornton and 37 allied families of Saco, ME, and North Hampton, N.H. Items of interest include:
02 Jan 1838 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
22 May 1840 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
20 Jun 1842 Letter from John Wingate Gookin to John Wingate Thornton. Box 4; Folder 121.
24 Oct 1842 Letter from John Wingate Gookin to John Wingate Thornton. Box 4; Folder 121.
27 Dec 1842 Letter from John Wingate Gookin to John Wingate Thornton. Box 4; Folder 121.
02 Nov 1843 Letter from James Brown Thornton, Sr. to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 39.
08 Dec 1843 Letter from Harriette Gookin Storer to John Wingate Thornton. Box 4; Folder 128.
15 Dec 1843 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
24 Feb 1844 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
07 Apr 1844 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
25 May 1844 Family memorial, signed by family members at a gathering in Saco, Maine.
07 Nov 1845 Letter from Albert Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 38.
07 Nov 1845 Letter from Thomas Gilbert Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
22 Dec 1845 Letter from James Brown Thornton, Sr. to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 39.
10 Jan 1846 Letter from James Brown Thornton, Sr. to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 39.
02 Feb 1846 Letter from James Brown Thornton, Sr. to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 39.
11 Jul 1846 Letter from James Brown Thornton, Sr. to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 39.
18 Jul 1846 Letter from Rev. Henry Gookin Storer to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 37.
22 Jun 1846 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
08 Dec 1846 Letter from John Wingate Gookin to John Wingate Thornton. Box 4; Folder 121.
30 Jan 1847 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
31 Mar 1847 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
11 Apr 1847 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
21 Apr 1847 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
25 Apr 1847 Letter from John Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
16 Jul 1847 Letter from John Wingate Thornton to Eliza Gookin Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
01 Feb 1848 Letter from Anna Paine Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
24 Mar 1848 Letter from Rev. Henry Gookin Storer to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 37.
30 Mar 1848 Letter from Anna Paine Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
11 Apr 1848 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 38.
27 May 1848 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
29 Jul 1848 Letter from Anna Paine Fairfield to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 25.
03 Feb 1850 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
23 Apr 1850 Letter from Charles Cutts Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 38.
04 Jul 1850 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
19 Jul 1850 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
29 Oct 1850 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
01 Nov 1850 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
08 Nov 1850 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
15 Feb 1851 Letter from Eliza Gookin Thornton to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
09 Sep 1851 Letter from James Brown Thornton, Sr. to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
09 Sep 1853 Letter from John Wingate Thornton to Elizabeth Bowles Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
07 Jul 1857 Letter from George Wingate Gookin to John Wingate Thornton. Box 4; Folder 118.
23 Jul 1857 Letter from George Wingate Gookin to John Wingate Thornton. Box 4; Folder 118.
26 Nov 1860 Letter from Sarah Gookin Storer to John Wingate Thornton. Box 4; Folder 118.
04 Jan 1861 Letter from Sarah Gookin Storer to John Wingate Thornton. Box 2; Folder 40.
Undated Letter from Sarah Gookin Storer to John Wingate Thornton. Box 5; Folder 155.
Undated Land Deed from John Wingate Thornton to Daniel Gookin. Box 5; Folder 156.
Various John Wingate Thornton's personal family genealogy book. Box 1
Social Law Library, Boston, Mass.
The Social Law Library holds a copy of a rare book (Wingate, Edmond. Maximes of Reason . 1658) that was previously owned by John Wingate Thornton. In addition, in their Willard Photograph Collection, they have an original photograph of John Wingate Thornton.
Undated. Photograph, John Wingate Thornton. Boston, Mass. Willard Photograph Collection University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Special Collections Library
09 Apr 1875 Letter from Wendell Phillips to John Wingate Thornton. Univ. of MI. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
07 Nov 1874 Letter from Frederick William Gookin to John Wingate Thornton. Univ. of VA.

References

External links

The History of NEHGS
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thornton, John Wingate 1818 births 1878 deaths Harvard Law School alumni American genealogists American statisticians People from Saco, Maine People from Scarborough, Maine 19th-century American historians 19th-century American male writers Burials in Maine Members of the American Antiquarian Society 19th-century American lawyers American male non-fiction writers