BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 9999 06377 105 7 r€ Bn ,M *CS7I .W77 1886 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from Boston Public Library http://archive.org/details/historyofwingateOOwing * J HISTORY OF THE WINGATE FAMILY IN ENGLAND AND IN AMERICA, """ ;- :- w ) ) -> I 1 - ° I I o • ,. WITH GENEALOGICAL TABLES. COMPILED BY CHARLES E. L. WINGATE. PUBLISHED BY 4 JAMES D. P. WINGATE, EXETER, N. H. « 1 886. \i \6 y PREFACE. The history of the Wingate family has never been written before except in unconnected fragments, embracing one or two generations or a few individuals of one generation. Some thirty years ago Rev. Dr. A. H. Quint, of Dover, N. H., published in The Dover Enquirer four articles relating to the early Wingates of America, and these sketches formed the nucleus from which the present history has grown. Mr. John Wingate Thornton, of Boston, devoted a great deal of his time to investigating the genealogy of the family, and his unpublished work gave completeness to the story of the early Ameri- can family, and also added facts relating to the English family. The work of connecting these records and of amplifying them has been carried on by the compiler of this book by researches in libraries and town records, and by correspondence with other members of the family. The genealogical tables of the earlier generations are as complete as they can be made. Those of the later generations have not in all cases been fully carried out for two reasons, first and chiefly, because repeated letters have failed to bring to hand the facts asked for, second, because a lengthened delay of years in order to hunt up a few names of present generations was not considered a sufficient reason for postponing the publication of the descriptive history, and the genealogy already obtained With the present work in the hands of members of the family it is to be hoped that interest will be aroused and more historical facts brought forward. In arranging this work the compiler has had valuable assistance from Mr. Charles P. Bowditch, of Boston, whose records of the Pick- 4 PREFACE. ering family contain an almost complete genealogy of the Pickering- Wingate branch, from Rev. Charles Wingate of Haverhill, Mass., from Prof. Charles F. Richardson of Dartmouth College, from Mr. Dana W. Baker of Exeter, N. H., from Dr. John R. Ham of Dover, N. H., and from Rev. Jacob Chapman of Exeter, N. H. That there may be errors in the book is to be expected. One of the greatest difficulties that has met the compiler has been the vary- ing statements of correspondents. Members of the same immedi- ate family have differed to an astonishing degree in matters of dates, and occasionally of names for the present generation, and in the rec- ords of generations preceding the present the difficulty in straighten- ing out conflicting statements has, of course, been increased. In all doubtful cases the versions which seemed the most credible have been taken. Everyone who discovers what he knows to be an error, should communicate immediately with the compiler. If also each member of the Wingate family will send, as occasion calls, additional records relating to the history past or present, they will be kept on file, and when of sufficient number will be sent out to the subscrib- ers of this book. Charles E. L. Wingate. Boston, Mass., May 15, i« CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. The English Wingates ....... 9 Origin of the name (9-1 1) ; Hemyng de Wyngate, the 9 first known of the family (n) ; Edmund the Mathemati- cian (14-15); Sir Francis 11 Wingate (16-19); Removal of one branch from Harlington to Lockley (19). CHAPTER II. John 1 of America ........ 23 first Wingate in America 1 at Dover in The (23) ; John 1 in public 1658 (24) ; the old homestead (25-26) ; John office (26) ; in controversy with Mason (26-27) ; his wife's family (27-29) ; his will (30-32). CHAPTER III. Children of John 1 ........ 33 Anne 2 who married Israel Capt. 2 Hodgdon (33) ; John , his military 2 2 exploits, his will (33-34) ; Caleb (35) ; Moses 2 2 his character, his (35) ; Mary (35) ; Col. Joshua , military commission, his civil offices, his participation in the Siege of Louisburg, his wife's family, his will and death (36-41) ; Abigail 2 (41). 6 CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. Children of John 2 ........ 42 3 3 his Mary who married Josiah Clark (42) ; Capt. John , piloting and perambulating, his firmness when a Selectman, 3 his wife's family, his will, (42-44) ; Ann who married 1st. 3 Francis Drew, 2d. Daniel Titcomb (44) ; Sarah who mar- Lieut. 3 ried Peter Hayes (45) ; Moses , his real estate trans- actions, his soldiering, his letters from wife and friend, his 3 narrow escape from assassination, his will (45-49) ; Samuel 3 3 (50) ; Edward (50) ; Abigail who married Andrew Spin- Elizabeth 3 who married Mr. ney (50) ; Hodgdon (50) ; Mehitable 3 3 married Ebenezer Hill (50) ; Joanna who (50) ; 3 Deacon Simon (51) ; Comparative wealth of the early Win- gates (51). CHAPTER V. 2 Children of Joshua . 52 3 Rev. Paine , his ministerial career, his record of the Ames- bury church, the misdeeds and punishments in the early his- tory of the church, the remarkable longevity of his family Sarah 3 who married Dr. Edmund Toppan (52-56) ; (57) ; Mary 3 who married Deacon Timothy Pickering (57); Joshua 3 3 married Rev. Stephen Chase Abi- (58) ; Jane who (58) ; 3 3 gail who married John Stickney (59) ; Anna who married 3 David Marston (59) • Martha who married Dr. John Weeks (59); Love 3 who married Rev. Nathaniel Gookin (60); John 3 (61-62). CHAPTER VI. , Hon. Paine 4 Wingate ....... 63 appearance, character and religious opinions His (63-64) ; his pastorate at church dissension Hampton (65) ; (65-70) ; removal to Stratham his early political career his (70) ; (71) ; letter regarding his family (71-72) • recommended for Jus- tice of the Peace (73) ; Member of Congress under the Con- letters in to federation (73) ; written Congress Col. Timothy CONTENTS. 7 Pickering and Samuel Lane (74-86) ; United States Senator States of the Su- (82) ; United Representative (86) ; Judge 4 letter perior Court (86) ; letter from Joseph Wingate (87) ; on religious views (88-90); longevity of Paine 4 and his wife (90). CHAPTER VII. Historical and Biographical . 91 Hon. Moses 5 Wingate of Haverhill and his remarkably life 5 long (91-93) ; Mary Ingalls, "The Countess" of John Whittier, letter the her G. and from poet regarding (93-94) ; family Coat-of-arms and Crest of the Wingate (94-96) ; Antique relics (96-97) ; the Chase-Townley Legacy (97-98). CHAPTER VIII. Descendants of John 2 ....... 99 Explanation of genealogical table (99-101) ; descendants 3 3 3 of Mary (102) ; of John (102-141) ; of Ann (142-144) ; of Sarah 3 (145); of Moses 3 (146); of Samuel 3 (147); 3 of Simon ( 148-15 1). CHAPTER IX. 2 Descendants of Joshua . 152 3 3 Descendants of Paine ; of Sarah (152-173) (174-175) ; of Mary 3 (176-217); of Joshua 3 (218-219); of Jane 3 3 3 (220-222) ; of Abigail (223-225) ; of Martha (226-242); 3 3 of Love (243-247) ; of Elizabeth (248). Appendix ......... 251-261 Index .......... 263 'HE WINGATD ilSTORY. CHAPTER I, THE ENGLISH WINGATES. Some time in olden days a gallant English warrior was fighting with the forces of the Crown against opponents of the reign. For hours the army of which he was a member had besieged a castle, unable to force an entrance. Then suddenly the powerful and valiant soldier — than whom there was no stronger in the line — rushed to the front and under a storm of showering arrows seized the castle gate with both his hands, tore it from its fastening and bearing it away upon his shoulders, opened a way for his comrades to enter. The castle was won and England gained fresh laurels. In recognition of the event and in honor of the brave deed the hero of the day was knighted by the Crown, and to his name was added the appellation "Win-gate", symbolic of the feat. So runs the legend that explains the origin of the family name of Wingate. Another story makes the name originate from "Wind-gate", so called from the stream of air sweeping through a chasm ; and in substantiation of this it is said that " Windgate of that ilk " is a name found in England. But the first mentioned legend finds corroboration in the crest of the Wingate family as recorded in the General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, (by Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King of Arms) ; — A gate of gold with the motto Win above it. [See Chapter VII.] As to the spelling and pronunciation of the name the style has changed at various times : Wyngate, Windgate, Wyndegate we find it in the English records ; Wengett, Wendett, Windiett, Windet we find it in the American books. The spelling illustrates the looseness of early orthography, the same sound being — 10 THE ENGLISH WIN GATES. written in several different forms. Ninian Winzet, D. D., one of the most conspicuous, learned and respectable opponents of Knox, the Scottish Reformer, is uniformly called Wingate by Knox's Reverend biographer, the critically accurate and accomplished Dr. McCrie, while in the will of John 1 Wingate, the progenitor of the American family, the name is spelled Winget, Windiet and Windet indifferently, the g and d having, it is said, the sound of/ as in James or of g as in 3 2 germ.