Transcript:Children of Elder William Wentworth

While no formal record of the family of Elder William¹ Wentworth has been found, yet documentary evidence unquestionably shows the existence of the nine sons already mentioned, and in the probable order already given. There could hardly have been an earlier child than Samuel², who was born in 1641. The years in which the next three successively appear upon the tax-lists sufficiently give their order as John², Gershom², and Ezekiel². Paul² was married as early as 1679 or '80; Sylvanus² in 1685; Timothy² was of age at least before 1696, perhaps considerably earlier; Ephraim² and Benjamin² were married, each not far from 1697. This order of birth appears to be as correct as such records will allow.

It had always been given by tradition that Elizabeth, wife of Richard Tozer, was a daughter of Elder William². The Canadian record already quoted makes it certain, and that she married, 1st, James Sharp; 2d, Richard Tozer. Her birth is also fixed as in 1653.

We infer that Elder William¹ had a daughter Sarah from the following facts: One Benjamin Barnard died in Watertown, Mass., 12 September 1694, leaving widow Sarah and two children. Their "uncle, Paul Wentworth, of Rowley," was made guardian, 19 December 1705, of these two children, viz. Sarah Barnard, then in her fifteenth year, and Benjamin Barnard, then in his thirteenth year. In another record is the following: "April 30, 1700, Sarah Barnard, in her 15th year, chose her Uncle Paul Wentworth, of Dover, N. H., for guardian." Savage, in Gen. Dict., gives Sarah Barnard, born in 1692; Benjamin Barnard, born 24 August 1693. That this uncle is called, in one record, "of Dover, N. H.," and in the other, "of Rowley, Mass.," is proof that he could be no other than Paul².

How was Paul² uncle to these Barnard children? Was Paul² Wentworth's wife a Barnard? or Benjamin Barnard's wife a Wentworth? or did Paul² Wentworth and Benjamin Barnard marry sisters?

Paul² Wentworth's wife was Catherine ─; nothing else is known. If the following account of the Barnard family is correct, she could not have been a sister of Benjamin Barnard, who was son of John Barnard, of Watertown, Mass.

John Barnard came from England with his wife Phebe; she was buried at Watertown 28 June 1646. They had children: —

1. John Barnard, born in England in 1631. He, with John Dix, sen., both of Watertown, Mass., and James Barnard, of Sudbury, Mass., convey to Biall Hambleton, of Berwick, Me., twenty acres of land in Kittery, 9 October 1708.

2. Samuel Barnard, born in England.

3. Hannah Barnard, married 25 June 1655, Samuel Goffe.

4. James Barnard, married 8 October 1666, Abigail Phillips. James, of Watertown, bought land in Wells, Me., 16 January 1662. He, then of Kittery, Me., 12 January 1685-6, sold to his brother, Benjamin Barnard, of Dover, N. H., land in Berwick, Me., bounded on the south by that of Richard Tozer.

5. Mary Barnard, born 7 November 1639; married, 16 June 1662, William Barrett, both of Cambridge, Mass.

6. Joseph Barnard, born 12 November 1642.

In October 1670, Joseph Barnard had land in Kittery, Me. John Crofford and wife Elizabeth, of Portsmouth, N. H., gave to Joseph Barnard, of Watertown, Middlesex County, land in Kittery, Me., 20 October 1676. He received, as "of Berwick, Me.,"24 August 1687, deed of land from his brother Benjamin Barnard, and wife Sarah, of Dover, N. H., it being the same land that Joseph had formerly conveyed to Benjamin, and bounded by land of Richard Tozer.

7. Benjamin Barnard, of whose children their "Uncle Paul² Wentworth," became guardian. He had wife Sarah. He is found to be of York co., Me., in 1676, 1679, 1685, and 1689. He had land in Berwick of his brother James Barnard, of Kittery, 12 January 1685-6, as above mentioned, he being "of Dover, N. H.," and the land bounded on the south by that of Richard Tozer. He and his wife, Sarah, were of Dover, 24 August 1687, and deeded land to his brother Joseph Barnard, of Berwick, Me. He died 12 September 1694.

8. Elizabeth Barnard, who married 7 January 1670-1, John Dix, of Watertown, Mass.

If the sisters of Benjamin Barnard are all given here, and given correctly, the wife of Paul² Wentworth could not have been a Barnard.

Either Benjamin Barnard and Paul² Wentworth married sisters (of which no trace has been found by most careful search); or, which is more probable, Benjamin Barnard's wife Sarah was daughter of Elder William² Wentworth. Benjamin Barnard's residence in Dover, in the near vicinity of Elder William¹, and his possession, at one time, of land bounded by that of Richard Tozer, render it clearly possible. We believe that it is the case.

Mrs. Barnard was once captured by the Indians. Among the captives recovered by Capt. Benjamin Church, in his capture of Androscoggin Fort, 14 September 1690, was "Benjamin Barnard's wife, of Salmon Falls."

Nothing can be ascertained of the children of Benjamin Barnard, of whom their uncle Paul² Wentworth was guardian, except that his nephew, Benjamin Barnard, married, 1st, Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Samuel Parris, of Sudbury, Mass.; 2d, while living in Hopkinton, Mass., he married in Watertown, 18 December 1726, Mary Wellington, and had a daughter, Sarah Barnard, baptized in Hopkinton, Mass., in 1728.

Sarah, widow of Benjamin Barnard, senior, and the supposed daughter of Elder William¹ Wentworth, married, 2d, 11 January 1698-9, Samuel Winch, of Framingham, Mass., who died there 3 August 1718. They had,—Mary Winch, born 23 November 1700, who married Benoni Adams; and Daniel Winch, born 28 June 1702. Beyond this, nothing is known of the widow of Benjamin Barnard and of Samuel Winch, or of her descendants.

The children of Elder William¹ Wentworth, so far as ascertained The children of Elder William¹ Wentworth, so far as ascertained and in the most probable order of birth, were therefore as follows:

Samuel², born in 1641.

John².

Gershom².

Ezekiel².

Elizabeth², born in 1653; married 1st James Sharp; 2d, Richard Tozer, jr.

Paul².

Sylvanus².

Timothy².

Sarah² (probably) married Benjamin Bernard.

Ephraim².

Benjamin².