Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 5.djvu/117

 LETTER FROM MRS. WENTWORTH. 97

��LETTER FROM MRS. FRANCES WENTWORTH, WIFE OF

G O V. JOHN WENTWOR TH

��THE following letter, never before published, is important as illustrating many points in New Hampshire's earl}' history. According to the Went- worth Genealogy, published by Little & Brown, of Boston, Mrs. Wentworth was the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Deering) Wentworth, of Boston, and was born September 30, 1745, and so had just entered upon her twenty-sixth year when she wrote this letter, which places the date of Gov. Wentworth's operations at Wolfeborough earlier than any New Hampshire historian. From his taking his wife there in 1770, it is probable that he commenced the year before, which was the year of his marriage, November 11, 1769, and only two years after he took upon himself the responsibilities of governor.

Gov. Wentworth graduated at Harvard College in 1755, whilst his wife had only entered upon her tenth year. He soon went to England, and acted not only as the agent of his father, Mark Hunking Wentworth, of Portsmouth, who was largely engaged in mercantile pursuits, but also as agent for the Province of New Hampshire, and he did not return until after his appointment as gov- ernor.

Mrs. Wentworth was previously married (May 13, 1762,) to another cousin, Theodore x\tkinson, Jr., Secretary of the Province, and Counsellor, and only child of Theodore Atkinson, Sr., the wealthiest man in New Hampshire. She had then passed into her seventeenth year. Her husband graduated at Har- vard College in 1757, when she was twelve years of age. These dates spoil many of the sensational stories in the newspapers and magazines respecting the early rivalry of these two cousins for her matrimonial hand.

From this letter, it appears that the Hon. Peter Livius, one of the Counsel- lors and otherwise a very prominent man at the time, and afterwards Chief Justice of Canada, had had an establishment at Tuftonborough, on or near the present main road from Wolfeborough Landing to Moultonborough, before Gov. Wentworth began operations at Wolfeborough or about the same time. The place is still pointed out. His wife was Ann Elizabeth, daughter of John Tufton Mason, of the Masonian proprietorship.

This letter was written to the wife of Hon. Woodbury Langdon. who erected for his private residence the well-known Rockingham House at Portsmouth, N. H. She was Sarah, daughter of Counsellor Henry Sherburne, and grand- daughter o{ Judge Henry Sherburne, who married Dorothy, sister of the first Gov. John Wentworth, who was the grandfather of the last governor and his wife.

The following was the route of Gov. Wentworth from Portsmouth to Wolfe- borough. with hotels and distances : To Newington Ferry (Knight's), six miles ; Dover (Hanson's), six; Rochester (Stephen Wentworth's), ten; Rochester (Rogers'), four; Middleton (Drew's), ten; Middleton (Guppy's), one; Wentworth House, twelve ; total, forty-nine miles. Then to the house of Judge Livius it was nine miles.

Wentworth House, October 4th, 1770. My Dear Mrs. Laiigdoti :

I hope there requires no profusion of words to convince my dear Friend how very happy her obliging letter made me, as surely she must be sensible of the kindest feelings of my heart towards her,

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