Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/168

 THORNTON

THORNTON

was advanccil tliirty numbers for gallantry ; was proniuteil cniiiinaniler. July 25, 18G6 ; sta- tioned at tla* Portsnioutli (N.ll.) navy yard, 1S6(>-G7, and was promoted captain, May 24, 187'3. He died in Gennantown, Pa., May 14, 1873.

THORNTON, John Wingate, author, was born in Saco, Maino, Aug. I'J, 1818 ; son of James B. and Eliza B. Thornton, and a descendant of Gen. Daniel Gookiu (1012-16S7), who emigrated with liis father from Kent, England, to Virginia, 1021: settled in Cambridge, Mass., 1644; was made major-general of the colony, 1681, and is tlio autlior of '* Historical Collections of tiie In- dians of Massaciiusetts," published posthumous- ly, 1792. His mother (1795-1854), born in North- hampton, N.H., W113 a poet, and contributed to the Southern Literary Messenr/er and The Cliris- tian Mirror. John Wingate Thornton was grad- uated from Harvard college, LL.B.,1840; was admitted to the bar, and practised in Boston, Mass. He received the honorary degree of A.M. from Bowdoin college in 1860 ; founded the New England Historic-Genealogical society, and was vice-president of the American Statistic associa- tion and of tiie Prince Publication society. His works, most of which were privateh' printed, in- clude : Genealogical Memoir of the Gilbert Fam- ily, and Lives of Isaac Heath and John Boicles, and of Rev. John Eliot, Jr. (1850) ; Mementoes of the Sicett Family (1851); The Landing at Cape Anne (1854) ; Ancient Pemaquid, and Peter Oliver's Puritan Commonwealih Reviewed (1S57); The First Records of Anglo-American Coloniza- tion (1859) ; Tlie Pulpit of the American Revolution (1860) ; Colonial Schemes of Popham and Gorges, an address delivered at the Popham celebration (1863), and Tlie Historical Relation of Nexo Eng- land to the English Commonwealth (1874). He die<l at Oak Hill, Scarboro, Maine, June 6, 1878.

THORNTON, Matthew, signer, was born in Ireland about 1714; son of James Thornton, who immigrated with his family to America. 1716-17, and .settled in Wiscasset, Maine, subsequently re- moving to "Worcester, Mass., where Matthew re- ceived his early education. He studied medicine under Dr. Grout of Leicester, Mass., and began practice as a physician and surgeon in London- derry, N.H. In 1745 he accompanied as surgeon an ex|)edition against Cape Breton under Col. William Pepperrell. Dr. Thornton held the rank of colonel in the state militia during the Revolu- tionary war ; served as justice of the peace under Gov. Bennint? Wentworth, and in 1775. upon the flight of the Britisli governor, John Wentworth, was appointed first president of a provincial con- vention which framed a temporary form of gov- ernment, consisting of a house of representatives and a council of twelve persons. He served as speaker of the general assembly from Jan. 5, 1776,

until September 12 of the same year, when he was appointed a delegate to the Continental congress, serving until 1778. Although he did not take his seat until four months after the passage of the Declaration of Independence, he was permitted to place his signature on the engrossed copy of that instrument. He was chief-justice of tho court of common pleas ; judge of the superior court of New Hampshire, and justice of the peace and quorum throughout the state from Jan. 25, 1784. In 1779 Dr. Thornton removed to Exeter, N.H., and the following year purchased a farm on the IMerrimack river. He served as a selectman of Exeter for several years ; was a member of the general assembly, 1783 ; a state senator, 1784, and a state councillor, 1785. On June 2, 1775, he deliv- ered an address to the inhabitants of New Hamp- shire, which document is still extant, and he is also the author of several political essaj-s and a metaphysical work in MS. entitled : Paradise Lost ; or the Origin of the Evil, called Sin, Exam- ined, etc. He died in Newburyport, Mass., June 24, 1803.

THORNTON, William Taylor, governor of New Mexico, was born in Callioun, Mo., Feb, 9, 1843 ; son of Dr. William Tucker and Caroline Virginia (Taylor) Thornton ; grandson of Capt. Charles and Sarah (Fitzhugh) Thornton and of Maj. William and Caroline (Courts) Taylor ; great- grandson of Anthony and Sarah (Taliaferro) Thornton, and of George and Rachel (Gibbons) Taylor ; greats-grandson of James Taylor, 2d, who was the great-grandfather of Presidents James Madison and Zachary Taylor ; greats-grandson of James Taylor, who came from Carlyle, Eng. ; set- tled in Virginia early in the 17th centurj- ; married Mary Gregory, and died, 1682 ; and greats-grand- son of William and Susan (Fitzhugh) Thornton, who settled in Gloucester county, Va., in 1646. Captain Thornton served in the Continental army and removed from North Garden, Va., to Old- ham county, Ky., 1811. His brother, Col. An- thony, was princii)al advisor of Governor Nelson of Virginia. Major Tajlor had eight brothers, one of whom was a commodore in the navy, and the others served as officers in the army. William Taylor Thornton attended a private school ; served in the Confederate army during the civil war, being held a prisoner at Alton, 111., !\Iarch-Octo- ber, 1862, and was graduated from the University of Kentucky, LL.D., 1868. He was married, June 30, 1868, to Helen, daughter of Norman and Lavinia (Wright) Maltby of Oneida county, N.Y. He practised law in Clinton, Mo., 1868-77, serving as a member of the town council, 1873-74, and was a representative in the state legislature. 1876 ; re- moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1877, where he continued his legal practice and was interested in mining enterprises and stock raising. He was