Jonathan Moulton
Encyclopedia
General Jonathan Moulton (July 21, 1726 – September 18, 1787) played an important role in the early history of New Hampshire
, and many tales of his adventures would become legendary.
. He spent much of his childhood as an apprentice to a cabinetmaker. In 1745, he left the cabinetmaker trade and was appointed as a captain of a ranger company in the New Hampshire Militia
. In the same year, he was with the New England
army under the command of William Pepperrell
that took Fortress Louisbourg from the French
. For the rest of King George's War
, Moulton fought against the Ossipee Indians that were allied to the French around Lake Winnipesaukee
until they were killed or driven to Canada
. During one winter scout from Dover, New Hampshire
, Capt. Moulton and his men ambushed six Ossipee warriors on the ice of Lake Winnipesaukee. Five of the warriors were killed in the first volley and the sixth ran away, followed closely by Moulton's massive black dog that attacked and killed the fleeing warrior. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
ended the war in 1748. It would be only six years until the next war between Britain
and France
.
After the end of the war in 1749, Jonathan married Abigail Smith. Together they were to have eleven children. Also during this time, Moulton opened a store in Hampton and started importing goods from Europe
and the West Indies to sell.
, Moulton once again served as a captain in the New Hampshire Militia
and was elected to the New Hampshire General Court
.
After the end of the French and Indian War, Moulton was granted large tracts of land on the north side of Lake Winnipesaukee in the towns of Moultonborough
(named after himself), New Hampton
, Tamworth
, Center Harbor
and Sandwich
, by the governors Benning Wentworth
and John Wentworth
.
In 1764, with the wreck of the mast-ship St. George off the coast of Hampton, Moulton and many of the other town residents salvaged many of the goods aboard her for their own profit.
In the early morning hours of March 15, 1769, Moulton's mansion burned to the ground. This fire helped to start one of the most interesting legends about him as the "Yankee Faust
".
, Jonathan Moulton was elected as moderator of the Hampton town meetings, chosen as a member of the Committee of Safety
, appointed as a delegate to the patriot assembly at Exeter, New Hampshire
and commissioned as the Colonel
of the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment of Militia
.
On September 21, 1775, his wife Abigail died of smallpox
. A year later, he married Sarah Emery and would father four more children.
For the first two years of the American Revolutionary War
, Col. Moulton's regiment
guarded the 18-mile seacoast of New Hampshire against British
invasion. But in the fall of 1777, he marched with his men to the Battle of Saratoga
in New York
and the defeat of Lt. General John Burgoyne
's British army invading from Canada. Col. Moulton and the 3rd New Hampshire Militia served in Gen. John Stark's
brigade during the battle.
of the 1st Brigade
of the New Hampshire Militia.
Jonathan Moulton died at the age of 71 on September 18, 1787. Two years later, in 1789, General George Washington
stopped and paid his respects to General Moulton's widow Sarah on his tour of the new United States of America.
and later the state.
and had outsmarted him by saying that he would sell his soul to the devil if the devil would fill his boots up with gold coins on the first of every month. Jonathan found the largest set of boots in all of the Province of New Hampshire
. The next month the devil returned to fill up the boots with gold
, but no matter how many gold coins he poured in the boots they would not fill. Jonathan had cut off the soles of the boots and put the boots over a hole in the floor, and all the gold coins fell into the basement of the house. The devil, after being outsmarted by Jonathan, burnt down his house in revenge. The gold coins disappeared.
of Moulton's first wife Abigail appears on his wedding night and takes the ring off the finger of his new wife Sarah as the two are in bed together.
In a final legendary story, a pallbearer
at Moulton's funeral opened his coffin to find it empty, replaced by a box of gold coins with the devil stamped on them. Jonathan Moulton was in fact buried without a tombstone, and the site of his grave is now unknown.
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...
, and many tales of his adventures would become legendary.
Early life and King George's War
Jonathan Moulton was born in the town of Hampton, New HampshireHampton, New Hampshire
Hampton is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,976 at the 2010 census. Located beside the Atlantic Ocean, Hampton is home to Hampton Beach, a summer tourist destination....
. He spent much of his childhood as an apprentice to a cabinetmaker. In 1745, he left the cabinetmaker trade and was appointed as a captain of a ranger company in the New Hampshire Militia
New Hampshire Militia
The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in March 1680, by New Hampshire Colonial President John Cutt. The King of England authorized the Provincial President to give commissions to persons who shall be best qualified for regulating and discipline of the militia. President Cutt placed Major...
. In the same year, he was with the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
army under the command of William Pepperrell
William Pepperrell
Sir William Pepperrell, 1st Baronet was a merchant and soldier in Colonial Massachusetts. He is widely remembered for organizing, financing, and leading the 1745 expedition that captured the French garrison at Fortress Louisbourg during King George's War...
that took Fortress Louisbourg from the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. For the rest of King George's War
King George's War
King George's War is the name given to the operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession . It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in the British provinces of New York, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Nova Scotia...
, Moulton fought against the Ossipee Indians that were allied to the French around Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee
Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is approximately long and from wide , covering — when Paugus Bay is included—with a maximum depth of ....
until they were killed or driven to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. During one winter scout from Dover, New Hampshire
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...
, Capt. Moulton and his men ambushed six Ossipee warriors on the ice of Lake Winnipesaukee. Five of the warriors were killed in the first volley and the sixth ran away, followed closely by Moulton's massive black dog that attacked and killed the fleeing warrior. The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession following a congress assembled at the Imperial Free City of Aachen—Aix-la-Chapelle in French—in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, on 24 April 1748...
ended the war in 1748. It would be only six years until the next war between Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
After the end of the war in 1749, Jonathan married Abigail Smith. Together they were to have eleven children. Also during this time, Moulton opened a store in Hampton and started importing goods from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the West Indies to sell.
French and Indian War until the American Revolution
With the resumption of the colonial struggle in 1754, with the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
, Moulton once again served as a captain in the New Hampshire Militia
New Hampshire Militia
The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in March 1680, by New Hampshire Colonial President John Cutt. The King of England authorized the Provincial President to give commissions to persons who shall be best qualified for regulating and discipline of the militia. President Cutt placed Major...
and was elected to the New Hampshire General Court
New Hampshire General Court
The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 members...
.
After the end of the French and Indian War, Moulton was granted large tracts of land on the north side of Lake Winnipesaukee in the towns of Moultonborough
Moultonborough, New Hampshire
Moultonborough is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,044 at the 2010 census. Moultonborough is bounded in part by Lake Winnipesaukee in the southwest and Squam Lake in the northwest corner...
(named after himself), New Hampton
New Hampton, New Hampshire
New Hampton is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,165 at the 2010 census. A winter sports resort area, New Hampton is home to George Duncan State Forest and to the New Hampton School, a private preparatory school established in 1821.The primary village in...
, Tamworth
Tamworth, New Hampshire
Tamworth is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,856 at the 2010 census. Tamworth includes the villages of Chocorua, South Tamworth, Wonalancet, and Whittier. The White Mountain National Forest is to the north...
, Center Harbor
Center Harbor, New Hampshire
Center Harbor is a town located in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 1,096, a number which multiplies severalfold during the summer months. It is situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake.- History :Center Harbor...
and Sandwich
Sandwich, New Hampshire
Sandwich is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,326 at the 2010 census. Sandwich includes the villages of Center Sandwich and North Sandwich...
, by the governors Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.-Biography:The eldest child of the John Wentworth who had been Lieutenant Governor, he was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715...
and John Wentworth
John Wentworth (governor)
Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet was the British colonial governor of New Hampshire at the time of the American Revolution. He was later also Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia.-Early life:...
.
In 1764, with the wreck of the mast-ship St. George off the coast of Hampton, Moulton and many of the other town residents salvaged many of the goods aboard her for their own profit.
In the early morning hours of March 15, 1769, Moulton's mansion burned to the ground. This fire helped to start one of the most interesting legends about him as the "Yankee Faust
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
".
The American Revolution
During the events that led up to the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Jonathan Moulton was elected as moderator of the Hampton town meetings, chosen as a member of the Committee of Safety
Committee of Safety (American Revolution)
Many Committees of Safety were established throughout Colonial America at the start of the American Revolution. These committees started to appear in the 1760s as means to discuss the concerns of the time, and often consisted of every male adult in the community...
, appointed as a delegate to the patriot assembly at Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
and commissioned as the 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...
of the 3rd New Hampshire Regiment of Militia
Moulton's Regiment of Militia
Moulton's Regiment of Militia also known as the 3rd Regiment of New Hampshire Militia was first called up in April of 1775 at Hampton, New Hampshire under the command of Col. Jonathan Moulton. The regiment garrisoned the New Hampshire seacoast after the British burned the town of Falmouth, Maine...
.
On September 21, 1775, his wife Abigail died of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
. A year later, he married Sarah Emery and would father four more children.
For the first two years of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Col. Moulton's regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
guarded the 18-mile seacoast of New Hampshire against British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
invasion. But in the fall of 1777, he marched with his men to the Battle of Saratoga
Saratoga campaign
The Saratoga Campaign was an attempt by Great Britain to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and the defeat of Lt. General John Burgoyne
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
's British army invading from Canada. Col. Moulton and the 3rd New Hampshire Militia served in Gen. John Stark's
John Stark
John Stark was a New Hampshire native who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He became widely known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.-Early life:John Stark was born in Londonderry, New...
brigade during the battle.
Post-war
After the end of the American Revolution, Moulton continued his role in the New Hampshire militia. On March 25, 1785, he was created Brigadier GeneralBrigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
of the 1st Brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of the New Hampshire Militia.
Jonathan Moulton died at the age of 71 on September 18, 1787. Two years later, in 1789, General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
stopped and paid his respects to General Moulton's widow Sarah on his tour of the new United States of America.
Supernatural legends
During his life Jonathan Moulton was a controversial figure in the Province of New HampshireProvince of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
and later the state.
The Yankee Faust
In the first legend, in which Jonathan's house burns down, it was said that he had made a Faustian deal with the devilDevil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
and had outsmarted him by saying that he would sell his soul to the devil if the devil would fill his boots up with gold coins on the first of every month. Jonathan found the largest set of boots in all of the Province of New Hampshire
Province of New Hampshire
The Province of New Hampshire is a name first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America. It was formally organized as an English royal colony on October 7, 1691, during the period of English colonization...
. The next month the devil returned to fill up the boots with gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, but no matter how many gold coins he poured in the boots they would not fill. Jonathan had cut off the soles of the boots and put the boots over a hole in the floor, and all the gold coins fell into the basement of the house. The devil, after being outsmarted by Jonathan, burnt down his house in revenge. The gold coins disappeared.
New wife and the old
In the second tale, the ghostGhost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
of Moulton's first wife Abigail appears on his wedding night and takes the ring off the finger of his new wife Sarah as the two are in bed together.
In a final legendary story, a pallbearer
Pallbearer
A pall-bearer is one of several funeral participants who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious or memorial service or viewing either directly to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse which carries the coffin....
at Moulton's funeral opened his coffin to find it empty, replaced by a box of gold coins with the devil stamped on them. Jonathan Moulton was in fact buried without a tombstone, and the site of his grave is now unknown.
Sources
External links
- "General Jonathan Moulton", Lane Memorial Library, Hampton, NH