John Wentworth I (bef. 1644 - bef. 1725)

Born before 1644 in Wells, York, Maine [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died before 22 Mar 1725 at about age 81 in Canton, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay [uncertain]

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Biography

The Wentworth Genealogy .. of Elder William Wentworth

Excerpt from the "The Wentworth Genealogy comprising The Origin of the name, the Family in England and a particular account of Elder William Wentworth, the Emigrant and of his descendants". By John Wentworth, LL.D., of Chicago, Ill. In Two Volumes, Volume 1. 1870 Press of Alfred Mudge & Son, Boston, Mass. (Vol. 1, pp 67-71):

Son of Elder William Wentworth, was upon the Dover (NH) tax list from 1668-1672. Nothing is found of him before 1668. He took the "oath of fidelity" 21 June, 1669. As he must then have been at least twenty-one years of age, he was born prior to 1649, and hence was one of the earliest of Elder William Wentworth's children.

John appears as plaintiff, in 1673, in a suit in court held in Dover. Elder William gave him, 1 December 1674, land in Dover, near that of his son Gershom; which land John sold to George Ricker, 20 December, 1674, which was probably the time he left Dover.

John, "formerly of Cutchechah" [Cochecho, now the central part of Dover], "now of York," buys land of Isaac Everett and wife Joanna, 5 February, 1675.

At a legal town meeting held in York, ME, 22 April 1686, "granted unto John Winforth that his lot that he bought of Isaac Averitt shall run back the whole breadth as far as his neighbors do on both sides."

The last that can be found on John, in Maine, is in a record that he was plaintiff in York County Court versus Charles Bissum, 18 December 1685, "for damage done by a parcel of turkies."

It is probable that John left York for Dorchester, Mass., in consequence of the difficulties with the Indians referred to in [early histories of Maine].

The first that we hear of his wife is 28 August 1679, when John, of York, Me., and wife Martha, convey a house and fifteen acres of land, in York, to Isaac Parker. On the 20th of October 1680, John and wife Martha convey to John Harmon one hundred acres of land in Wells, Me., which he had of Ezekiel Knight; witness, John Wheelwright.

This is all that is known of his wife, save the following, which is found among the manuscript receipts of Judge Sewall, taken while he was Treasurer of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel among the Indians:

BOSTON, 19th Jan. 1709. Received of Samuel Sewall three pounds in a Province Bill of credit in full of all demands as to whatever I have done for any Indians at Punkapaug or elsewhere from the beginning of the worlds to this day. I say Reect in full of all demands. MARTHA WENTWORTH (her mark). Witnesses: BARTHOLOMEW GREEN, SAMUEL GERRISH.

Savage, in his Genealogical Dictionary, mistakes her for Martha Miller, who was then wife of John, son of Ezekiel.

The next we hear of John is at this same Punkapaug, now Canton, Mass., in an instrument executed by divers Indians, 3 May 1717, conveying certain meadow land to one Mehitable James, at "Punkapaug," in which they say: "And we doe signifie that this is part of a meadow formerly leased to John Wentworth and his son John Wentworth, Jr., as may appear by ye adjoining lease dated on this 14th of November 1704. "Ye adjoining lease" has not been preserved.
The place of residence of the sons, when not styled Punkapaug, was called Dorchester, until that portion of the town was set off as Stoughton; after which the place of their residence was so styled until it was set off and called Canton.

At what time John left York, Me, for what is now Canton, Mass., there are no means of telling; but it was probably during the ravages of the Indian war, as described by Belknap and others, when many people, between the years 1690 and 1700, were killed or captured by the Indians in and around York. There is some probability that John lived At Falmouth (now Portland), Me., before he went to Massachusetts.

Punkapaug, now Canton, Mass., was in early time an Indian plantation under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts; and the presumption is that John settled on lands leased from the Indians, and paid rent therefor.

In the Registry of Deeds, at Boston, page 86 of Book XL, we find that Amos Ahauton, Thomas Ahauton, Simon George, Kezekiah Squamoag, and George Hunter, all resident of Punkapaug, an Indian plantation in the town of Dorchester, Mass, for themselves, the native proprietors and other Indian proprietors, and other Indians who may be interested, deed to John Wentworth, one of the English tenants or lessees of said Indian lands, 22 March 1725, certain lands then in his possession. The Indians had to petition the Legislature for permission to sell; and it appointed a committee to take charge of the selling. So the deed recites that the sale was done by the allowance of Nathaniel Byfield, Paul Dudley, Jonathan Remington, John Quincy, and Ebenezer Stone, being a committee appointed an empowered "by the great general court" at the session in Boston in 1724.

The above deed was to John. Page 102 of Book XL shows that Charles Wentworth was similarly situated, and got his title in the same way; and Book XLIX shows the same of Shubael Wentworth. There are similar deeds from the same Indians to may other persons called "English tenants," upon the Boston records.

All the descendants of John, whose marriages were recorded up to 1 March 1753, were married by Rev. Samuel Dunbar, of Stoughton; after that date, by Rev. Jebediah Adams, of Stoughton.

Of the children of John Wentworth, but two daughters are found (of whom nothing is known prior to their marriage), and four sons; and but little as to the order of their birth. There children were:

I. John, died at Stoughton, 6 January 1772, aged 95. This makes him born about 1676, and he is undoubtedly the first-born, unless, possibly Edward.

II. Edward, died at Stoughton 12 February 1767, age not given. His wife, who dies 10 October 1745, was aged 52, and so was born in 1693.

III. Charles, died at Canton, Mass., 8 July 1780, aged 96, and was therefore born in 1684.

IV. Shubael, who dies in 1759.

V. Elizabeth, married at Dorchester, 30 December 1715, Benjamin Jordon, of Dorchester.

VI. Abigail, married 16 May 1728, John Kenney.^[1][2]

The Wentworth Genealogy : English and American

Of the children of John Wentworth, but three daughters are found (of whom nothing is known prior to their marriage), and four sons; but little as to the order of their birth. (All the descendants of John whose marriages were recorded up to 1 March 1753, were married by Rev. Samuel Dunbar, of Stoughton; after that date by Rev. Jedediah Adams, of Stoughton) These children were:

19. John, died at Stoughton, 6 January 1772, aged 95. This makes him born about 1676, and he is undoubtedly the first-born.

20. Edward, born at Newbury, Mass. 1693

21. Charles, died at Canton, Mass, 8 July 1780, aged 96m and was therefore born about 1684.

22. Shubaele, who died in 1759

23. Elizabeth, married, 16 May 1728, John Kenney

24. Abigail, married, at Dorchester, 30 Dec 1715, Benjamin Jordan of that place, and had

1. Abigail Jordon, married, 24 November 1746, her cousin Paul (114) Wentworth

24a. Mary, married, in Boston, Mass, 24 September 1712, James Wright, of that place, where he died 24 July 1725, aged 51' his widow was appointed administratrix, 6 August following. John, when he gave power of attorney to so John, was of Boston, and James Wright was a witness. The had

1. William Wright, born 22 July 1716

2. Mary Wright, born 5 November 1719^[3]

John was born in 1644. He passed away in 1690.

Sources

1. ↑ FindAGrave
2. ↑ "The Wentworth Genealogy comprising The Origin of the name, the Family in England and a particular account of Elder William Wentworth, the Emigrant and of his descendants". By John Wentworth, LL.D., of Chicago, Ill. In Two Volumes, Volume 1. 1870 Press of Alfred Mudge & Son, Boston, Mass. (Vol. 1, pp 67-71)
3. ↑ "The Wentworth Genealogy: English and American. In Three Volumes, Volume I." John Wentworth , LL.D. of Chicago Ill, Little, Brown and Company, 1878. p 119-122 https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=PypAAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader&hl=en&pg=GBS.PA194

Acknowledgements

• Wentworth-853 was created by George Field through the import of Eliza J Pugh.ged on Feb 25, 2014.
• Wentworth-751 was created by Joe Wentworth through the import of Wentworth California 2012 - cropped.GED on Jan 22, 2014.
• Sourced family tree of Donlyn A A Whissen
• http://www.ole.net/~maggie/trimble/went.htm