The Men of New Hampshire

There were three men from New Hampshire. They were Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple and Matthew Thornton. Have any of you heard of them? I hadn't. But today you are going to learn more about them.

Josiah Bartlett
Handsome man? Partying type? Hehe.

He was a physician by career. When he was 21 he moved to Kingston, New Hampshire and was their only physician. He set up there and bought a farm and house. He married a cousin and they had 12 children, 3 of whom died as infants. His sons (3) and his grandsons (7) were also physicians. Family practice I guess.

His political career began in 1765. He was elected to the colonial assembly. Two years later he was made colonel of his county's militia and appointed Justice of the Peace. In 1774 his house was burned down, most likely because of his "treasonous" acts against the crown. He was elected as a delegate in 1775. For a while he was the only one from New Hampshire who attended. Good man. He was the second to sign the Declaration on August 2. After Independence he served in local courts and was appointed to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, although he wasn't a lawyer. In 1788 he was the Supreme Court Justice. That same year he went to the Continental Congress again for the ratification of the Constitution. In 1792 he became New Hampshire's Governor and he died in 1795, a year after he finished his term as governor.



Our next man:
William Whipple

He was a soldier and sailor. When he finished with his sailing days he became a merchant in the shipping business.

He began participating in local politics after he finished his sailing. He was married in 1770/71 (unknown). I can't find children listed anywhere. He was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776 and served through 1779. Until his death in 1785 he served as a General in the Battle of Rhode Island. After the military he was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in New Hampshire. He was making rounds in November of 1785 and passed out and died of heart problems while riding his horse. A man who might not have been prominent except for the Continental Congress and Declaration of Independence.




Man number three:
Matthew Thornton

He was a surgeon born in Ireland whose family immigrated when he was three.

An Irishman. He's the first we've seen who wasn't born on colonial soil. As a surgeon he was appointed to the New Hampshire Militia. He was part of the body that drafted the new government for the state after the Royal Government was dissolved. He was an Associate Justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court and President of their House of Representatives. He was elected to the Continental Congress shortly before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He retired from his medical profession in 1780 and became a political essayist. He died in 1803 while visiting his daughter. Wikipedia says his descendants live in North and South Carolina.


There you have the good men of New Hampshire who supported Independence. That is now 4 of our 56 signers. Tomorrow is Samuel Adams, from Massachusetts. I think I'm just going to do him tomorrow. He is very important to the history of beer.