Middle School
Worksheets
Wentworth Cheswill, Revolutionary Patriot
If you didn't know that Wentworth Cheswill (sometimes spelled Cheswell) was the grandson of a former slave, you might assume by his accomplishments that he was like most well-educated free men in New Hampshire. From the age of twenty-two until his death at age seventy-one, he continually served the public through elected office.
Wentworth's grandfather, Richard, gained his freedom and became the first black man to become a landowner in New Hampshire in 1717. His son, Hopestill, who was half white, became a respected home builder. (Two of the homes are still standing - the John Paul Jones house and the Samuel Langdon house.)
Hopestill's son, Wentworth, was born into a family that expected the best from its family members. One-quarter black, Wentworth attended an academy thirty miles from home. His four years of education there covered subjects like Latin, Greek, writing, reading, math, swimming, and horsemanship. It was training that would serve him as a community leader.
