William Wentworth (1616–1697) was a follower of
John Wheelwright, and an early settler of
New Hampshire. Coming from
Alford in
Lincolnshire, he likely came to
New England with Wheelwright in 1636, but no records are found of him in Boston. When Wheelwright was banished from the
Massachusetts Bay Colony for his role in the
Antinomian Controversy
The Antinomian Controversy, also known as the Free Grace Controversy, was a religious and political conflict in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. It pitted most of the colony's ministers and magistrates against some adherents of ...
, he established the settlement of
Exeter, New Hampshire, and Wentworth followed him there and then to
Wells, Maine. After Wheelwright left Wells for
Hampton, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. On the Atlantic Ocean coast, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination.
The densely populated central part ...
, Wentworth went to
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,741 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the New Hampshire Seacoast region and the fifth largest municipality in the state. It is the county s ...
, and this is where he lived the remainder of his life. He was the proprietor of a sawmill, and held several town offices, but is most noted for being an elder in his Dover church for nearly 40 years. He had 11 children with two wives, and has numerous descendants, including many of great prominence.
Life
Baptized on 15 March 1615/16 in
Alford, Lincolnshire
Alford (pronounced ) is a town in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, at the foot of the Lincolnshire Wolds, which form an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The population was recorded as 3,459 in the 2011 Census and estim ...
, England, William Wentworth was the son of William Wentworth and Susanna Carter. His paternal grandfather was Christopher Wentworth, and his paternal grandmother was Catharine Marbury, who was a sister of Reverend
Francis Marbury. Wentworth's father, therefore, was a first cousin of the famed
Anne (Marbury) Hutchinson, who, with the Reverend
John Wheelwright, was banished in 1637 from Massachusetts for her religious opinions during the
Antinomian Controversy
The Antinomian Controversy, also known as the Free Grace Controversy, was a religious and political conflict in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. It pitted most of the colony's ministers and magistrates against some adherents of ...
. The Marburys, Hutchinsons, Wheelwrights, and Wentworths all came from Alford, or nearby, and family historian
John Wentworth deemed it likely that William Wentworth came to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...
in
New England with Wheelwright in 1636. However, a contemporary biographer of William Wentworth, Susan Ostberg, is of the opinion that Wentworth arrived in Boston in July 1637 when a group of men arrived from Lincolnshire, including Anne Hutchinson's "brother" (actually her brother-in-law, Samuel Hutchinson). The uncertainty stems from the fact that Wentworth left behind no records in Boston.
Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson held religious opinions at odds with the established ministers of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony, and at the November 1637 meeting of the General Court, Wheelwright was ordered to depart within 14 days. He went to the
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River (Abenaki: ''Pskehtekwis'') is a tidal river forming the boundary of the U.S. states of New Hampshire and Maine from its origin at the confluence of the Salmon Falls River and Cochecho River. The drainage basin of the rive ...
, establishing the town of
Exeter, New Hampshire, with a group of his followers, one of whom was Wentworth. The men, including Wentworth, signed an agreement for a government known as the Exeter Combination. The land on which Exeter sat was claimed by Massachusetts, which by 1642 began to exercise that claim. This compelled Wheelwright to move once again, this time to
Wells in the
Province of Maine, and Wentworth once again went with him.
Wentworth lived in Wells from 1642 to 1649. In 1642 he was a juror there, in 1648 he was named as a constable, and again in 1647 and 1649 he sat on a jury. In 1646 Wheelwright left Wells for
Hampton, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. On the Atlantic Ocean coast, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination.
The densely populated central part ...
, but Wentworth stayed a few years beyond that, until late 1649, when he made his final move to
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,741 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the New Hampshire Seacoast region and the fifth largest municipality in the state. It is the county s ...
. He settled in the central part of the town that was given the name Cocheco, after an earlier trading post that had been established there. Here Wentworth was a co-owner of a sawmill, and also served in a variety of town offices, such as selectman, commissioner, and lot-layer. He owned 600-1000 acres that he and his sons farmed.
He was a "Ruling Elder" of his church in Dover, a position that he held for nearly 40 years. He was not in the clergy, but as an elder he often preached, and sometimes preached in other churches, including one in Exeter.
Cocheco Massacre
One incident for which Wentworth is well known occurred late in his life. There had been an
Indian attack in his home village of Cocheco in 1684, and most of the garrisons in the town were attacked and burned.
When the Heard Garrison was attacked, Wentworth closed the door on the attackers, and held it closed until help arrived by sitting and bracing himself against the stairs with his shoes up against the door. Two bullets went through the door, but missed him. He was 73 at the time, and this was the only garrison of five that was saved. In the attack, 23 settlers were killed and another 29 were taken captive.
Wentworth died on his baptismal date, 15 March 1696/7. He left no will, but had already divided most of his property among his children.
Family and descendants
William Wentworth married twice. His first wife is reputed by some sources to be Elizabeth, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Quiney (or Kenney) of Stratford-Upon-Avon, England, but no reference has been provided. This wife was the mother of many of Wentworth's older children. Wentworth's second wife was Elizabeth Knight, and she is thought to be the mother of several of Wentworth's younger children. Other sources say Knight was either his first wife, or the wife of his son Ezekiel, while Kenney was the second wife.
Wentworth is notable for the large number of his descendants who reached great prominence in the American colonies and in the United States. His grandson
John Wentworth was the Lieutenant Governor of the
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire was a colony of England and later a British province in North America. The name was first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America, and was na ...
at a time when the governor was also the governor of Massachusetts. New Hampshire governors
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant and colonial administrator who served as the governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. While serving as governor, Wentworth is best known for issuing several la ...
and
Sir John Wentworth are also descendants, as were Judge
John Wentworth and his son
John Wentworth Jr., a New Hampshire representative to the
Continental Congress.
Chicago mayor and U.S. Representative
John Wentworth was not only a descendant of Elder William, but compiled the extensive genealogy on the Wentworth family, considered one of the best family histories ever written.
Sarah Wentworth Apthorp Morton, a great-great granddaughter, was a noted poet; among her works was "Invocation to the shades of My Ancestors Wentworth and Apthorp". Other descendants include the founder of the
Wentworth Military Academy
Wentworth Military Academy and College was a private two-year military college and high school in Lexington, Missouri. Wentworth was one of six total military junior colleges in the United States. The institution was founded in 1880 and closed in ...
,
Stephen G. Wentworth; noted publisher and philanthropist
Warren Fales Draper; and Deputy Surgeon General
Warren Fales Draper, who was a member of General
Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...
's staff in Europe during
World War II.
Erastus Wentworth
Erastus Wentworth (; Pinyin: ''Wànwéi''; Foochow Romanized: ''Uâng-ùi''; August 5, 1813 – May 26, 1886) was an educator, a Methodist Episcopal Minister (Christianity), minister, and a missionary to Fuzhou, China.
Life
Dr. Wentworth was b ...
, a seventh generation descendant, was a prominent missionary in China. The namesake of the
T. T. Wentworth Jr. Florida State Museum and Adelaide Wentworth Waldron, the wife of aviator
John C. Waldron, were also descendants.
See also
*
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire was a colony of England and later a British province in North America. The name was first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America, and was na ...
*
Antinomian Controversy
The Antinomian Controversy, also known as the Free Grace Controversy, was a religious and political conflict in the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1636 to 1638. It pitted most of the colony's ministers and magistrates against some adherents of ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
Wentworth Genealogy, volume 2writeup by Dover Library
2006 biography by Susan OstbergThis view has additional pages not found in the bibliography view.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wentworth, William
1616 births
1697 deaths
English emigrants
People of colonial Maine
People of colonial New Hampshire
People from Alford, Lincolnshire
People from Dover, New Hampshire
People from Wells, Maine
People of pre-statehood Maine