Richard Waldron (Colonel)
Encyclopedia
Richard, son of the Major of the same name, maintained the position of the Waldron family in Dover
and colonial New Hampshire
through intermarriage with other leading families and inheritance or purchase of many of the positions once held by his father. He was the first of his line to adopt "Waldron" as opposed to "Walderne", the spelling that his father and previous generations had utilized.
, New Hampshire
. "A son of Major Richard Waldron
, [he] ... early removed to Portsmouth. He was chosen a representative in the General Assembly in 1691, and a member of the Royal Council in 1692. He was a justice of the Court of Common Pleas from 1702 until 1706; judge of Probate
from 1708 to 1730, and held the commission of Colonel
in the Provincial Militia
..... Col. Waldron's mercantile education was received in Charlestown, Mass., under George Willoughby."
The Dominion of New England
which ruled Massachusetts
and New Hampshire in about 1685 "seemed willing to cooperate with any individuals among the local elite who accepted their rule. Richard Waldron Jr., for example, purchased several offices which left him with formal authority in Dover almost as great as that previously excercised by his aging father."
. He married (second) at Portsmouth, 6 February 1692/3 Eleanor (or Ellenor) daughter of Major William Vaughan (New Hampshire) and grand niece of John Cutt
and a cousin, once removed, of Hannah. She was the mother of all her husband's children except Samuel, her cousin Hannah's child. Her children included Richard Waldron (Secretary)
.
timber. He retained his place as judge of common pleas, Secretary of the Province, and clerk of the Council, however, finding means to shift the duties and salary of the last to [his son] Richard
, until on January 11, 1716/17, he had him officially sworn in to that office."
He died on 3 November 1730 in Dover.
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
and colonial New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
through intermarriage with other leading families and inheritance or purchase of many of the positions once held by his father. He was the first of his line to adopt "Waldron" as opposed to "Walderne", the spelling that his father and previous generations had utilized.
Birth and offices
Col. Richard Waldron was born in 1650 in DoverDover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. "A son of Major Richard Waldron
Richard Waldron
Major Richard Waldron dominated the society and economy of early colonial Dover, New Hampshire and had a substantial presence in greater New Hampshire and in neighbouring Massachusetts...
, [he] ... early removed to Portsmouth. He was chosen a representative in the General Assembly in 1691, and a member of the Royal Council in 1692. He was a justice of the Court of Common Pleas from 1702 until 1706; judge of Probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...
from 1708 to 1730, and held the commission of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the Provincial Militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
..... Col. Waldron's mercantile education was received in Charlestown, Mass., under George Willoughby."
The Dominion of New England
Dominion of New England
The Dominion of New England in America was an administrative union of English colonies in the New England region of North America. The dominion was ultimately a failure because the area it encompassed was too large for a single governor to manage...
which ruled Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
and New Hampshire in about 1685 "seemed willing to cooperate with any individuals among the local elite who accepted their rule. Richard Waldron Jr., for example, purchased several offices which left him with formal authority in Dover almost as great as that previously excercised by his aging father."
Family
His first wife was Hannah, daughter of President John CuttJohn Cutt
John Cutt was the first President of the Province of New Hampshire. John Cutt was born in Wales, emigrated to the colonies in 1646, and became a successful merchant and mill-owner in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was married to Hannah Starr, daughter of Dr...
. He married (second) at Portsmouth, 6 February 1692/3 Eleanor (or Ellenor) daughter of Major William Vaughan (New Hampshire) and grand niece of John Cutt
John Cutt
John Cutt was the first President of the Province of New Hampshire. John Cutt was born in Wales, emigrated to the colonies in 1646, and became a successful merchant and mill-owner in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was married to Hannah Starr, daughter of Dr...
and a cousin, once removed, of Hannah. She was the mother of all her husband's children except Samuel, her cousin Hannah's child. Her children included Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron was a major opponent of the Wentworth oligarchy in colonial New Hampshire. He supported a continued political subordination of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and opposed moves to separation from this traditional senior partner...
.
Contest with natives
He "was busy fighting Indians." In 1704 "a group of marauding Abenakis and Penacooks went after Richard Waldron, Jr. at his home in Dover, and although the provincial leader was not at home, killed several other colonists in the neighbourhood."Ousted
"Very shortly after [1715] Colonel Waldron and his friends succeeded in giving the Lieutenant-Governor Usher his quietus, but in the moment of victory the colonel was dismissed from the Council for being 'very much concern'd' in stealing the king's mastMast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
timber. He retained his place as judge of common pleas, Secretary of the Province, and clerk of the Council, however, finding means to shift the duties and salary of the last to [his son] Richard
Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron was a major opponent of the Wentworth oligarchy in colonial New Hampshire. He supported a continued political subordination of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and opposed moves to separation from this traditional senior partner...
, until on January 11, 1716/17, he had him officially sworn in to that office."
He died on 3 November 1730 in Dover.