Henry A. Wentworth (1834 - 1883)

Born 1 Jan 1834 in South Berwick, York, Maine, United States

Died 5 Mar 1883 at age 49 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States

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Biography

Henry was born in South Berwick, Maine, in 1834, the son of Thomas and Mary Wentworth.^[1] The family was living in Malden, Massachusetts, by 1850, including Henry and his twin sister Helen.^[2]

Henry was a 27 year old grocer in 1861, when he enlisted to serve in the Civil War on April 30. He mustered in as 1st Sergeant on July 22 of that year, in Company K of the Massachusetts 17th Infantry. He was discharged June 2, 1862, at New Berne, NC, and re-enlisted a few months later, mustering in as Adjutant in Company S of the Massachusetts 50th Infantry on September 15, 1862. He was discharged August 24, 1863, at Wenham, Massachusetts.

Henry’s life after the war has been difficult to trace. While his twin sister remained in Malden for the rest of her life (she died in 1911^[3]) Henry had such a common name for the time that it is nearly impossible to determine which Henry Wentworth is the Malden veteran. Pension records have also turned up no additional clues.

The best option seems to be the Henry A. Wentworth, actor, who was born in Malden, Massachusetts, about 1834, and died in Chicago, IL, on March 5, 1883.^[4] If this is the correct individual, he was buried at the Rosehill Cemetery, also in Chicago.^[5] Please note this is by no means certain and hopefully further research will turn up more definitive proof one way or another.

Sources

1. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N4DW-VBB : 11 March 2018), Helen A Wentworth, 17 Apr 1911
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDSM-9SD : 9 November 2014), Henry Wentworth in household of Thomas Wentworth, Malden, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States
3. ↑ "Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N4DW-VBB : 11 March 2018), Helen A Wentworth, 17 Apr 1911
4. ↑ "Illinois, Cook County Deaths, 1878-1994," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7X6-RY3 : 8 March 2018), Henry A. Wentworth, 05 Mar 1883
5. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2S9-9SBZ : 15 March 2016), Henry A Wentworth, 1883; Burial, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States of America, Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum

• "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F9TS-R3K : 4 December 2014), Henry A. Wentworth, Adjutant, Company F&S, 50th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry (Militia), Union
• "United States Civil War Soldiers Index, 1861-1865," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FST2-3PR : 4 December 2014), Henry A. Wentworth, First Sergeant, Company K, 17th Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, Union