Why was Wentworth Cheswell important in the Revolutionary War? Wentworth Cheswell is considered New Hampshire's first archaeologist and the first African-American elected to public office in the United States. He also rode north when Paul Revere rode west to warn colonists that the redcoats were coming.
Why is Wentworth Cheswell important to history?
Dec 21, 2021 · Wentworth Cheswell was a bi-racial colonist who lived an extraordinary life. Discover this Revolutionary War veteran's story and his transformation from a wealthy land-owning teacher to an ...
What role did Cheswell play in the Revolutionary War?
May 15, 2020 · Wentworth Cheswell is considered New Hampshire's first archaeologist and the first African-American elected to public office in the United States. He also rode north when Paul Revere rode west to warn colonists that the redcoats were coming.
What did John Wentworth do in the Revolutionary War?
During the Revolutionary War, Wentworth served in a volunteer cavalry unit called Langdon's Company of Light Horse Volunteers. After the war, Cheswell served as a historian and civil leader in his hometown of Newmarket, New Hampshire. He died in 1817. Was Wentworth Cheswell a loyalist or patriot? Ride of Paul Revere – April 18, 1775 The one that rode north was Wentworth …
Why did Wentworth Cheswell fight at the Battle of Saratoga?
Jun 09, 2019 · On December 13, 1774, Cheswell rode with Paul Revere to warn Portsmouth citizens of the approach of two British Warships. Along with other local men, Cheswell signed a document in April 1776, in which he pledged to take up arms and resist the British. He later helped build rafts which defended Portsmouth Harbor.
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Wentworth Cheswell Cheswell was a patriot leader and served as a messenger for the “Committee of Safety” an integral component of the American Revolution War effort. Who was the woman who warned the British is coming?
Who was Wentworth Cheswell?
Wentworth Cheswell (11 April 1746 – 8 March 1817) was an American assessor, auditor, Justice of the Peace, teacher and Revolutionary War veteran in Newmarket, New Hampshire. He was of mixed race (one-quarter African and three-quarters European) and was listed in the census as white.
What was the name of the cavalry unit that Wentworth Cheswell served in during the Revolutionary War
During the Revolutionary War, Wentworth served in a volunteer cavalry unit called Langdon's Company of Light Horse Volunteers. After the war, Cheswell served as a historian and civil leader in his hometown of Newmarket, New Hampshire. He died in 1817. Was Wentworth Cheswell a loyalist or patriot?
When was Wentworth Cheswell elected?
When he was elected town Constable of Newmarket, New Hampshire in 1768, he became the first African American elected to public office in the United States. Keeping this in view, how did Wentworth Cheswell contribute to the American Revolution?
Who was Wentworth Cheswell?
13. Wentworth Cheswell (11 April 1746 – 8 March 1817) was an American assessor, auditor, Justice of the Peace, teacher and Revolutionary War veteran in Newmarket, New Hampshire. He was of mixed race ( one-quarter African and three-quarters European) and was listed in the census as white. Elected as town constable in 1768, ...
What did Cheswell do for his family?
He also ran a store next to the school house. Cheswell supported his family as a teacher, and was elected and appointed to serve in local government for all but one year of the remainder of his life, as selectman, auditor, assessor, scrivener, and other roles.
How many acres did Wentworth Cheswell own?
In 1765, he purchased his first parcel of land from his father. By early 1767, he was an established landowner with more than 30 acres (12 ha) and held a pew in the meetinghouse. By 1770, he owned 114 acres (46 ha).
What is the spelling of the name Cheswell?
^ Wentworth spelled his surname as "Cheswill", as appears on his New Hampshire historical marker. The original headstone at his gravesite used the "Cheswell" spelling, which is also used by his descendants.
Where was Hopestill Cheswell's land?
The land was located in what was to become the town of Newmarket. Hopestill was the only known child of this union. Hopestill Cheswell earned enough as a housewright to purchase a total of more than 100 acres (40 ha) of land between 1773 and 1749, which he farmed while working as a housewright.
Early life and education
Wentworth was the only child born in Newmarket, New Hampshire to Hopestill Cheswell, a free black of biracial ancestry, and his wife, Katherine (Keniston) Cheswell, a white woman. The senior Cheswell was a master housewright and carpenter who worked mostly in the thriving city of Portsmouth.
Early career
After completing his education, Wentworth Cheswell returned to Newmarket to become a schoolmaster. In 1765, he purchased his first parcel of land from his father. By early 1767, he was an established landowner with more than 30 acres and held a pew in the meetinghouse. By 1770, he owned 114 acres.
Revolutionary War
During the American Revolutionary War, the citizens of Newmarket, including Cheswell, were unequivocally for the patriotic cause. In April 1776, along with 162 other men, Cheswell signed the Association Test. Patriots collected signatures of people opposed to what they considered the hostile actions by the British fleets and armies.
Local leader
After his service in the war, Cheswell returned to Newmarket and continued his work in town affairs. He also ran a store next to the school house.
Legacy
Wentworth's grandfather, Richard Cheswell, a former slave of African ancestry, is the first known resident by that surname in New England; all descendants share his African ancestry, as well as that of his English wife.
External links
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Was Wentworth Cheswell white?
Records of comments by his contemporaries suggest they viewed him as biracial. In 1768, 22-year-old Wentworth Cheswell won election as town constable.
What was Cheswell's purpose in the Battle of Saratoga?
The British intended to retake gunpowder and weapons stolen by the colonists from Fort William and Mary. When the American Revolution broke out, Wentworth Cheswell enlisted in Col. John Langdon’s Company of Light Horse Volunteers and fought at the Battle of Saratoga.
How many children did Wentworth Cheswell have?
They had 13 children. Their descendants identified as white, and the census listed Cheswell as white. Records of comments by his contemporaries suggest they viewed him as biracial. In 1768, 22-year-old Wentworth Cheswell won election as town constable.
What battle did Cheswell fight in?
When the American Revolution broke out, Wentworth Cheswell enlisted in Col. John Langdon’s Company of Light Horse Volunteers and fought at the Battle of Saratoga. When he finished his military service he returned to Newmarket, where he ran a store next to his schoolhouse.
Who was Hopestill Cheswell's father?
He was born on April 11, 1746, to a biracial father, Hopestill Cheswell (sometimes spelled Cheswill), and Katherine Keniston, who was white. Hopestill was the son of a white woman and an enslaved black man, Richard Cheswell. Under the laws of the day, Hopestill’s status followed his mother, so he was free. Eventually Hopestill’s father bought his ...
Overview
Revolutionary War
During the American Revolutionary War, the citizens of Newmarket, including Cheswell, were unequivocally for the patriotic cause. In April 1776, along with 162 other Newmarket men, Cheswell signed the Association Test. Patriots collected signatures of people opposed to what they considered the hostile actions by the British fleets and armies. The abundance of the returns gave the signers of the Declaration of Independenceassurance that their acts would be sanction…
Early life and education
Wentworth was the only child born in Newmarket, New Hampshire, to Hopestill Cheswell, a free black man of biracial ancestry, and his wife, Katherine (Keniston) Cheswell, a white woman. The senior Cheswell was a master housewright and carpenter who worked mostly in the thriving city of Portsmouth. Among other projects, Cheswell helped to build the Bell Tavern in 1743 on Congress Street and the John Paul Jones House, originally owned by Captain Gregory Purcell and now a de…
Early career
After completing his education, Wentworth Cheswell returned to Newmarket to become a schoolmaster. In 1765, he purchased his first parcel of land from his father. By early 1767, he was an established landowner with more than 30 acres (12 ha) and held a pew in the meetinghouse. By 1770, he owned 114 acres (46 ha).
Cheswill was first elected to public office in 1768 as the town constable, and later was elected t…
Marriage and family
Cheswell married 17-year-old Mary Davis of Durham on 13 September 1767. Eleven months later, the first of their 13 children was born. 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).
Local leader
After his service in the war, Cheswell returned to Newmarket and continued his work in town affairs. He also ran a store next to the school house. Cheswell supported his family as a teacher, and was elected and appointed to serve in local government for all but one year of the remainder of his life, as selectman, auditor, assessor, scrivener, and other roles. In 1778, Cheswell was elected to the convention to draft New Hampshire's first constitution, but he was unable to attend.
Legacy
• In 1820, shortly after Cheswill died, the New Hampshire Senator David L. Morril used him as a positive example of the contributions of mixed-race persons in a speech to the United States Congress regarding the negative effects of discriminatory racial legislation. Morril opposed a bill to forbid mulatto persons to become citizens of Missouri. In his speech Morril noted,
"In New Hampshire there was a yellow man by the name of Cheswell [sic], who, with his family, w…
See also
• List of African-American jurists