John Wanton Sr. (1672 - 1740)

Born 24 Oct 1672 in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay

Husband of Mary (Stover) Wanton — married 15 Nov 1695 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 5 Jul 1740 at age 67 in Newport, Newport, Rhode Island

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John was a Friend (Quaker)

Biography

John was born in 1672. John Wanton ... He passed away in 1740. ^[1]

John Wanton (24 December 1672 - 5 July 1740) was the 21st governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for six consecutive terms from 1734 to 1740. He was the son of Edward Wanton who was a ship builder, and who became a Quaker after witnessing the persecution of these people, also becoming a preacher of that religion. Edward Wanton had lived in York, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; and Scituate, Massachusetts before coming to Rhode Island. John Wanton was a merchant, and like his father was a Quaker, and the Friends' records state that "for many years he was a valuable public friend." He first entered public service in 1706 as a deputy from Newport serving for several years in that capacity, and also as the Speaker of the House of Deputies. He was called Colonel John Wanton in 1706 when he went after French privateers with John Dublin, who was wounded in the action. Between 1721 and 1734 Wanton was the Deputy Governor for the colony, and following the death of his brother, William Wanton, he became governor in 1734, serving continuously until his own death in 1740. He was buried in the Coddington Cemetery in Newport. Wanton was married to Mary Stover, the daughter of Sylvester and Elizabeth (Norton) Stover of Cape Neddick, York County, Maine, and had five children. Wanton's brother, William Wanton, preceded him as governor, and his nephews Gideon Wanton and Joseph Wanton were later governors of the colony. Add a new comment Add a comment below to communicate with others who may see this.

Subject Comment (Maximum of 5000 characters)

Name John Wanton Gender Male Birth Date 24 Oct 1672 Father's Name Edward Wanton Mother's Name Elizabeth Wanton

Sources

1. ↑ First-hand information as remembered by Joe Fitzgerald, Saturday, January 24, 2015. Replace this citation if there is another source.

• "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F46X-PQS : 4 December 2014), John Wanton, 24 Oct 1672; citing , p 25; FHL microfilm 423,495.
• Wikipedia:John Wanton
• John Wanton on Find A Grave: Memorial #23403961 Retrieved 21:21, 23 October 2017 (EDT).