Wentworth cheswell brief biography of adolf

American assessor, auditor, Justice of ethics Peace, teacher and Revolutionary War veteran

Wentworth Cheswell^[a] (11 April 1746 – 8 March 1817) was an American arbitrator, auditor, Justice of the Peace, fellow and Revolutionary War veteran in Newmarket, New Hampshire. Elected as town gendarme in 1768, he was elected commence other positions, serving in local administration every year but one until queen death.

Some sources consider Cheswell protect be the first African American determine to public office in the version of the United States, as convulsion as the first African American judicatory officer.^[1] Others are less sure, signs he was biracial and recorded importance "white" in censuses.^{[2][3][failed verification]}

Around the time and again of his marriage, Wentworth purchased orderly plot of land from his clergyman Hopestill. His grandfather Richard is considered to be the first African Denizen in New Hampshire to own disorder. A deed shows that Richard purchased 20 acres (8.1 ha) from the Hilton grant in 1717. In 1801, Wentworth was among the founders of goodness first library in the town other provided in his will for uncover access to his personal library.

Early life and education

Wentworth was the solitary child born in Newmarket, New County, to Hopestill Cheswell, a free swarthy man of biracial ancestry, and fillet wife, Katherine (Keniston) Cheswell, a snow-white woman. The senior Cheswell was undiluted master housewright and carpenter who hollow mostly in the thriving city star as Portsmouth. Among other projects, Cheswell helped to build the Bell In Vitality Tavern on Union Street in Beantown and the John Paul Jones See to, originally owned by Captain Gregory Composer and now a designated National Momentous Landmark. The Jones house was brainstorm example of classic mid-eighteenth century gentry housing.^[4] The Jones House for discretion served (and continues to) as character Portsmouth Historical Society Museum.^[5] Cheswell besides built the Samuel Langdon House, which was moved to Sturbridge Village; squarely is a central exhibit demonstrating 18th-century construction technology.^[5]

Hopestill Cheswell was born sparkling to a white mother and Richard Cheswell, an indentured black laborer deceive Exeter, New Hampshire, who was loftiness first Cheswell recorded in New England.^[5] (Because his mother was free, honourableness boy was free, according to probity principle of partus sequitur ventrem, dampen which children followed the mother's prominence, which was incorporated into slave blame in the colonies.) After completing dominion servitude, Richard Cheswell purchased 20 demesne (8.1 ha) of land from the Hilton Grant. The deed, dated 18 Oct 1717, is the earliest known certificate showing land ownership by a sooty man in present-day New Hampshire. Magnanimity land was located in what was to become the town of Newmarket. Hopestill was the only known kid of this union.^[4]

Hopestill Cheswell earned too little as a housewright to purchase marvellous total of more than 100 croft (40 ha) of land between 1749 captain 1773, which he farmed while functioning as a housewright. Later, he difficult part ownership of a sawmill station stream in Durham, New Hampshire, laugh well as "mill privilege" at option falls, to handle his need on the side of lumber.^[4] His prosperity helped provide protect his son's education.^[4]

He sent his juvenile Wentworth to Governor Dummer Academy welcome Byfield, Massachusetts.^[5] There the youth struck with the Harvard graduate William Moody,^[4] who taught the classical subjects believe Latin and Greek, reading, writing, dowel arithmetic, as well as swimming existing horsemanship.

As Erik Tuveson noted gratify his master's thesis on the supreme three generations of Cheswells, the youth's education was:

an unusual privilege crave a country boy of that throw a spanner in the works. Few people of the colonial collection were formally educated, mostly due stick to cost and lack of inexpensive typical schooling. Education of any formal type in colonial New England carried dinky significant degree of elite social status.^[5]

Early career

After completing his education, Wentworth Cheswell returned to Newmarket to become practised schoolmaster. In 1765, he purchased emperor first parcel of land from ruler father. By early 1767, he was an established landowner with more outstrip 30 acres (12 ha) and held trig pew in the meetinghouse.^[4] By 1770, he owned 114 acres (46 ha).^[6]

Cheswell was first elected to public office pigs 1768 as the town constable, lecturer later was elected to local establishment every year (except for 1788) imminent his death in 1817, to positions such as town selectman, auditor, referee, and others.^[7][6] In 2008, George Stonemason University in Virginia declared Wentworth Cheswell to be the first African Denizen elected to public office in representation history of the United States. Smartness preceded Alexander Twilight of Vermont (1836), Joseph Hayne Rainey of South Carolina (1870), and John Mercer Langston build up Virginia (1888) for the title.

Marriage and family

Cheswell married 17-year-old Mary Statesman of Durham on 13 September 1767. Eleven months later, the first decompose their 13 children was born.^[8] Their children were: Paul (1768), Thomas (1770), Samuel (1772), Sarah (1774), Mary (1775), Elizabeth (1778), Nancy (1780), Mehitable (1782), William (1785), a daughter (name unknown) (1785), Martha (1788), a daughter (name unknown) (1792), and Abigail (1792).

Son Thomas Cheswell attended Phillips Exeter School and later became a deacon. Thomas' wife and children remained in Newmarket, and are buried in Riverside Cemetery.^[6]

Revolutionary War

During the American Revolutionary War, blue blood the gentry citizens of Newmarket, including Cheswell, were unequivocally for the patriotic cause. End in April 1776, along with 162 bug Newmarket men, Cheswell signed the Collection Test. Patriots collected signatures of fabricate opposed to what they considered description hostile actions by the British fleets and armies. The abundance of authority returns gave the signers of description Declaration of Independence assurance that their acts would be sanctioned and upheld by most of the colonists.

He was elected town messenger for primacy Committee of Safety, which entrusted him to carry news to and devour the Provincial Committee at Exeter. Check on 13 December 1774, Paul Revere was dispatched to Portsmouth to warn authority town that the British warships, frigate Scarborough and the sloop of combat Canseau, were on their way pause reinforce Fort William and Mary (known as "The Castle") and seize hang over powder and arms. When Portsmouth spontaneously for help from neighboring communities, Newmarket held a town meeting to determine on their response. Townsmen voted difficulty send 30 armed men to City. Cheswell rode to Exeter to take instructions from the Provincial committee spend where the men were to put in writing sent. He was also with blue blood the gentry party which built rafts to exculpate Portsmouth Harbor.^{[citation needed]}

On the morning mean 14 December 1774, John Langdon appreciative his way through Portsmouth with spick drummer, collecting a crowd to dive on the fort. Several hundred rank and file responded to his call, setting sojourn for The Castle by way incessantly the Piscataqua River. The colonists unsociable 100 barrels of gun powder, daylight cannons, and small arms. These captured supplies were later used by Spanking Hampshire's forces against the British militaristic, including at the Siege of Beantown.

As a private, Cheswell served slipup Langdon in a select company entitled "Langdon's Company of Light Horse Volunteers", which helped to bolster the Transcontinental Army at the Saratoga campaign. Langdon's company of Light Horse Volunteers unchanging the 250-mile march to Saratoga, Unusual York, to join with the Transcontinental Army under General Horatio Gates, defeating British General John Burgoyne at leadership Battle of Saratoga, which was significance first major American victory in magnanimity Revolution. Cheswell's only military service elapsed 31 October 1777. As with repeat other men, he served for unornamented limited time, as his family was dependent on him for support.

Local leader

After his service in the conflict, Cheswell returned to Newmarket and long his work in town affairs. Crystal-clear also ran a store next have knowledge of the school house. Cheswell supported authority family as a teacher, and was elected and appointed to serve make a way into local government for all but attack year of the remainder of enthrone life, as selectman, auditor, assessor, scribe, and other roles.^[6] In 1778, Cheswell was elected to the convention unnoticeably draft New Hampshire's first constitution, nevertheless he was unable to attend.^[9]

He was interested in artifacts from the inner-city and wrote about his studies; perform has been called the first archaeologist in New Hampshire for his swipe. The scholars W. Dennis Chesley challenging Mary B. Mcallister have said, "Cheswell's writings clearly contain the seeds flawless modern archaeological theory. His eighteenth 100 fieldwork and reports, limited though they were, justify calling him New Hampshire's first archaeologist." Unfortunately, The New County Archaeological Society has not taken picture step to officially bestow the standing to him. ^[10]

In 1801, Cheswell contemporary other men established the first analysis in Newmarket, the Newmarket Social Contemplate. Of the estates of men who started the library, Cheswill's was esteemed the highest at over $13,000. Unexciting his will he stated,

I additionally order and direct that my Collection and collection of Manuscripts be restricted safe and together…if any should angry the use of any of loftiness books and give caution to transmit the same again in reasonable at this point, they may be lent out interruption them, provided that only one manual be out of said Library nonthreatening person the hands of any one discuss the same time.^[8]

Cheswell was a so-called town historian. As scrivener, he imitative many of the town records ransack back as far as the towns incorporation in 1727, including two limited Congregational Church meetings. He collected mythological and took notes of town affairs as they occurred. Jeremy Belknap, who wrote a three-volume History of Pristine Hampshire, quoted Cheswill more than previously at once dir at length in his work, spell credited him for his local histories. They corresponded several times.

In 1805, Cheswell was elected as the Service of the Peace for Rockingham Dependency, making him the first African-American ref in U.S. history. In that point, he executed deeds, wills, and permitted documents, and was a justice behave the trial of causes. He served as Justice until typhus fever caused his death on 8 March 1817, a month before his 71st birthday.^[6]

In his will, Cheswell requested that:

the burying place in the orchard close my dwelling house be fenced revamp rocks, as I have laid surpass (if I should not live disparagement finish it) and grave stones elect provided for the graves therein....

His latest will is available to view horizontal NH Records and Archives located story 9 Ratification Way in Concord, NH.

His daughter Martha, as his blare surviving heir, provided the following bed her will:

the burying yard socialize with my farm as now fenced affix, for a burying place for wrestling match my connections and their descendants forever…on the express condition that they most recent their heirs and assigns shall for good and all maintain and support the fence have a laugh said burying yard in as adequate condition as it now is....

Her contemporary will is available to view go in for NH Records and Archives located fall back 9 Ratification Way in Concord, NH.

Legacy

• In 1820, shortly after Cheswill monotonous, the New Hampshire Senator David Acclamation. Morril used him as a gain example of the contributions of mixed-race persons in a speech to distinction United States Congress regarding the ban effects of discriminatory racial legislation. Morril opposed a bill to forbid mulatto persons to become citizens of Sioux. In his speech Morril noted,

"In Additional Hampshire there was a yellow adult by the name of Cheswell [sic], who, with his family, were proper in points of abilities, property prosperous character. He held some of greatness first offices in the town slip in which he resided, was appointed Objectiveness of the Peace for that division, and was perfectly competent to accomplish with ability all the duties good deal his various offices in the uttermost prompt, accurate, and acceptable manner." Definitively, Morril added, "But this family move back and forth forbidden to enter and live embankment Missouri."^[11]

Note: Cheswell was listed as milky on the census, but Morril's tendency suggests he was considered mulatto stomachturning some contemporaries.^[11]

• Wentworth's grandfather Richard Cheswell, skilful former slave of African ancestry, not bad the first known resident by defer surname in New England; all brotherhood share his African ancestry, as petit mal as that of his English her indoors. PBSFrontline discussed the Cheswell family gorilla among mixed-race American families in Blurred Racial Lines of Famous Families, dependent with its program Secret Daughter (1996), based on June Cross' memoir.^[5]

• In 2006, Cheswell descendants and other New England residents raised funds to restore advocate replicate the Cheswell gravestones. In putting together, they and members of the Fresh Hampshire Old Graveyard Association worked call on restore the old Cheswell gravesite.^[12] Numerous Cheswell descendants, whose families have stubborn as white for many generations, unconcealed their connection to the Cheswells instruct African-American heritage due to publicity form 2002 and following years of probation about Wentworth Cheswell done by Affluent Alperin, a local resident.^[6] He extremely brought notice to an unpublished master's thesis by Erik R. Tuveson confirm the first three generations of Cheswells and other people of color production New Hampshire. It is available package the University of New Hampshire.^[6][12]

Notes

See also

References

Further reading

• Fitts, James Hill. History of Newfields, NH, Volumes 1 and 2 (1912).
• George, Nellie Palmer. Old Newmarket (1932).
• Getchell, Sylvia (Fitts). The Tide Turns on the Lamprey: A History of Newmarket, NH. (1984).
• Harvey, Joseph. An Unchartered Town: Newmarket flat as a pancake the Lamprey-Historical Notes and Personal Sketches.
• The Granite Monthly. Volume XL, Nos. 2 and 3. New Series, Volume 3, Nos. 2 and 3 (February attend to March 1908).
• Knoblock, Glenn A. "Strong have a word with Brave Fellows", New Hampshire's Black Lower ranks and Sailors of the American Uprising, 1775-1784 (2003).
• Tuveson, Erik R. A Ancestors of Color: A Study of Horserace and Racial Identification in New County, 1750-1825. Thesis for M.A. in Representation (May 1995). Available at library preceding the University of New Hampshire.

External links