Thursday, April 1, 2021

Wentworth-Gardner House

TL;DR -- Saw Isle of Shoals mentioned; earlier had looked at George's Shoal. Same area, meaning off the coast of New Hampshire and Maine. Then, saw a Wentworh-Gardner House mentioned. Went to look. Identified the owners, including Gardner whose family was traced back to 1680. Several prominent Massachusetts (and Essex County) families involved in the story. 

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Back when we were researching the Bostonian (Barque), we did saw a reference to George's Shoal but did not look further. The reference pertained to danger with a depth of a few meters in some places. The recent American Ancestor had an article of the families who lived on the Isle of Shoals which has nine island that are split between Maine and New Hampshire. What families were these? Well, Thomas Morton was sent there after his run-in with Endicott at Merry Mount. So, there are several things about that story that could be further researched, with All Things Gardner in mind. 

Well, on further search, we see that those who are interested in the Isles of Shoals also are reminded of the Wentworth-Gardner House in Portsmouth, NH. It didn't take much to get information on the house and its builder. But who was Gardner? The map of the area showed streets with names of Massachusetts families, like Pickering, Cutting, and more. Finally, we see that a Major William Gardner bought the house after the Revolution. The house has several interesting features, such as the Gardner chamber and gets attention from many groups: Historic Places, Architectural History, Wentworth-Gardner Historic House Association

On further research, there were articles on the house in the local publications: Among the Ghosts of Gardner Street; Rambles about Portsmouth (1873 book with lots to digest). 

We learned that one of the Gardner sons was a publisher of The New Hampshire Gazette. Also, Gardner worked for Wentworth. A daughter married Abraham Wendell. And, there are records to review: Quincy, Wendell, Holmes, and Upham Family Papers.  

As said, Massachusetts family names intrigue. So, we will look further at where William Gardner originated. He was born in 1751. 

--- Additional information --

William, son of John, was a descendant of David Gardner and Margaret Cate. William was assigned by Gen. George Washington to obtain supplies which he did many times with his own money. Rambles about Portsmouth is available via Google Docs. The author, Charles Warren Brewster, is a descendant of old man Brewster. 

David Gardner, supposedly, was born in New Hampshire. 

Remarks: Modified: 04/09/2021

04/02/2021 -- Added photo of the house after restoration plus some information on the families involved.  

04/09/2021 -- Added the TL;DR. 

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