Kittery, Maine 375th: Native son grew up to be founding father – Seacoastonline.com

D. Allan Kerr| Portsmouth Herald

This article is part of a monthly series celebrating Kitterys history, as Maines oldest town counts down to its 375th birthday

There are roughly 19,500 cities and towns in the United States, according to the website Statistica. Only 42 can claim to be the birthplace of a Declaration of Independence signer.

The humble seaside town of Kittery, Maine, is one of them.

William Whipple was born in Kittery in 1730, in a house that still stands near the back gate of Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. In 1776, as a member of the Second Continental Congress representing New Hampshire, Whipple was one of 56 men who literally put their lives on the line by signing the Declaration of Independence.

Sharp-eyed readers will note the 42 American communitieswhich produced a signer does not equal the 56 men who put their name to this fabled document. Thats because some cities were generous enough to provide more than one hometown hero to the cause, and a few signers were not even born in the colonies.

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And yes, history geek that I am, I actually went through the list of birthplaces for these great patriots and counted them, in order to appreciate just how unique Kittery is in this regard.

Boston, naturally, had the most native sons putting quill to the Declaration, with four, including future president John Adams, who was a good friend of Whipples. Eight of the signers were born in nations of the United Kingdom before immigrating to the Colonies.

As Maines oldest town counts down to its 375th year of existence here in 2022, it seems like an ideal opportunity to review how Whipple came to take his place among the giants of his era.

Whipples path to immortality was unique among the other signers, in that he was not a man of higher education or pedigree. He was also the only signer to originally hail from Maine.

Born in January 1730, Whipple grew up at the site of what is now 88 Whipple Road, just outside the Navy Yard. The home located there today is privately owned, but bears a plaque installed by the Daughters of the American Revolution to commemorate its historical significance.

On the opposite side of the Yards back gate, located on a tiny parcel known as Howells Park, stands an interpretive historical sign celebrating Whipple as Seaman-Soldier-Statesman-Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

As a member of Congress, Whipple would later serve with renowned lawyers such as Adams, physicians such as Benjamin Rush and New Hampshires Matthew Thornton, and flat-out geniuses like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. But Whipple shipped out to sea as a cabin boy in his youth, rather than pursuing studies in the classroom.

His decision to go to sea was perhaps inevitable, not only as a boy growing up in Kittery in the 1700s, but also as a member of a well-established seafaring family. Through his mother Mary, Whipple was descended from the Cutts, a celebrated clan of Kittery shipbuilders and mariners, and namesake of local sites such as Cutts Island.

His great-grandfather, Robert Cutt, established a prominent shipyard in Kittery. His grandfather also named Robert Cutt had captained a ship in the fleet of the powerful Pepperrell family, according to John Eldridge Frosts book Colonial Village. His father, William Whipple Sr., was a sea captain as well.

Remember, life on the water aboard wooden sailing ships in the mid-1700s was not for the weak it was a life of danger and adventure. But young William thrived, becoming master of his own vessel by the time he was 21 years old.

He sailed the West Indies-European-African trade route, and by several accounts was on at least one occasion captain of a ship carrying a cargo of slaves. Before the age of 30 he earned enough of a fortune to leave the sea behind.

Whipple eventually crossed the Piscataqua River to settle down inPortsmouth, going into business with two of his brothers as a merchant. One of his brothers died shortly afterward, but William and Joseph Whipple continued the business.

William then married their wealthy first cousin Katharine Moffatt, who was also a grandchild of Robert Cutt. He moved in with his wife and father-in-law John Moffatt at the Moffatt-Ladd House, which today remains one of Portsmouths most popular historic attractions.

Although he first made a name for himself as a Kittery resident toiling at sea, it was in Portsmouth that Whipple would truly establish his legacy, emerging as a leader of the American Revolution.

As was the custom of the time, he was referred to as Capt. Whipple in deference to his accomplishments at sea. He was held in such high regard he was appointed to Portsmouths committee of safety, which oversaw local affairs as a sort of shadow government of the Patriot cause under British rule.

Whipple was also selected to serve in New Hampshires provincial assembly, and appointed colonel in charge of the local militia. As such, he was then addressed as Col. Whipple in correspondence and written accounts, as well as in person.

Finally, in 1776, the former cabin boy was chosen as one of the colonys representatives to the Second Continental Congress. It was in this capacity that he signed the Declaration of Independence that July, and also championed the creation of a strong Navy.

In his letters, as befits the tough old Yankee salt that he was, Whipple often comes across as downright pugnacious in his advocacy for American independence.

War with all its horrors is preferable to an inglorious peace, he once wrote to fellow Signer Josiah Bartlett.

On another occasion, again writing to Bartlett, he declared, in order to obtain such a peace as will establish happiness in America, we ought to make the most Strenuous exertions for war. We ought to be United in Council & Formidable in the Field.

One of the aspects of Whipple I find so fascinating is his man of action persona. There were undoubtedly greater thinkers than the small-town Maine native in this fabled Congress, but few were more willing to back the power of his pen with the strength of his sword.

In 1777, while still serving as a delegate, Whipple was appointed a brigadier general of the New Hampshire militia. While he headed one brigade, the renowned Granite State warrior John Stark commanded the other.

Whipple took part in the pivotal Battle of Saratoga, and in his journals reports exchanges of cannon fire with the British. He also helped negotiate the terms of surrender in what became the first great American victory of the war, which encouraged France to step in as allies to the Patriot cause. Afterward Whipple was given the honor of escorting the defeated British Gen. Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne back to the coast outside Boston and ship him back to England.

Whipple also took part in the less-successful Battle of Rhode Island, and was mere feet away when a cannonball took out the leg of one of his aides.

Over the course of his maritime career, Whipple acquired a slave named Prince, who remains a fascinating Seacoast legend in his own right. According to local folklore, the two were preparing to depart for a military campaign when the general exclaimed something along the lines of, Hurry up, Prince, weve got to go and fight for our freedom.

But I have no freedom to fight for, Prince replied.

Whipple, it is said, looked into the young fellows eyes and proclaimed, From this moment on you are a free man, Prince. Hurry up now and we will fight for our freedom together.

We do know Prince was officially issued hismanumission papersshortly before the Generals death in 1785.

Whipple left Congress in 1779 due to failing health, but still rode the circuit as an associate justice of New Hampshires Superior Court. He was on horseback when he suffered an attack and fell to the ground. He died a few days later in November 1785 and is buried in Portsmouths North Cemetery.

But in recent years, a new tradition has emerged in which Gen. Whipple returns to the town of his birth to give a public reading of the Declaration of Independence he signed in 1776. Whipples Reading will take place this year on Saturday the 25at 9 a.m., in USS Thresher Memorial Park beside Town Hall.

A series of other events are taking place in Maines oldest town as well throughout the year, to celebrate Kitterys 375th birthday. Information about these festivities is available at kittery375th.com.

D. Allan Kerr is a member of Kitterys 375th Celebration Committee.

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Kittery, Maine 375th: Native son grew up to be founding father - Seacoastonline.com