CHESWELL, Wentworth (1746-1817). Document signed by the nation's first Black elected official.

Partly printed document signed ("Wentworth Cheswill"), as Justice of the Peace. Epping, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. 19 November 1811.
1p, 8 x 8 1/4 in. A legal writ issued by Cheswell ordering the Sheriff of Rockingham County, N.H. to bring John Sias before him at his home in New Market, N.H. to answer a complaint made by Joseph Ela of Portsmouth, N.H. for nonpayment of a $3 debt. Docketed on verso.

Wentworth Cheswell (who spelled his surname "Cheswill") was born in New Market, N.H. to a free black father of biracial ancestry and a white mother. His grandfather, Richard Cheswell, was a formerly enslaved man of African ancestry, and with his purchase in 1717 of 20 acres in present-day New Hampshire became the first Black man to own land in that state. After graduating from Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield, MA, Wentworth Cheswell taught school in New Market, N.H. In 1768 he was elected town constable and, with the exception of one year, held public office in various capacities (town selectman, auditor, assessor, Justice of the Peace, etc.) from 1768 until his death in 1817. In April 1776, Cheswell and 162 other New Market residents signed The Association Test, supporting the Patriot cause. He was elected town messenger for the Committee of Safety, carrying news to and from the Provincial Committee at Exeter. He also served as a private under Colonel John Langdon in the “Langdon's Company of Light Horse Volunteers.” Langdon’s Volunteers, including Cheswell, joined with the Continental Army under General Horatio Gates, defeating British General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga. Cheswell’s military service ended October 31, 1777, three weeks after the battle. He was elected Justice of the Peace in 1805. During his lifetime and in the decades that followed, Wentworth Cheswell was identified as both a "free white" and "mulatto," but today he is generally regarded as the first African American elected to public office in what today is the United States.

Creasing at folds, light toning. Overall good condition.

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American Historical Ephemera & Photography, including African Americana

CHESWELL, Wentworth (1746-1817). Document signed by the nation's first Black elected official.

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