Joseph Whipple's Contribution to Freedom in Portsmouth
Joseph Whipple was a wealthy merchant in Portsmouth, NH who helped several former slaves establish themselves in town.
Whipple came to my attention last week when I was researching Ona Judge, though I was aware of him as the brother of a Declaration Signer.
Joseph Whipple
By the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Joseph Whipple was one of the wealthiest men in Portsmouth, NH.
Whipple was technically a member of the State Militia, but he does not seem to have seen any action during the war.
Instead, he remained at home taking care of his business dealings. Joseph also watched over the affairs of his brother, William Whipple, while he was signing the Declaration of Independence and fighting at the Battle of Saratoga.
Customs Collector
By the time the United States was set under the Constitution, Joseph Whipple had an outstanding mercantile business, a gigantic amount of land and investments in several Portsmouth holdings.
He also received a promotion to Colonel in the Militia.
Additionally, he had served as Collector of Customs for the Port at Portsmouth for three years.
President George Washington decided to keep Whipple in his position and appointed him as the Federal Customs Collector at the same port.
Manumitting Cuffee
During his life, Joseph owned one slave, Cuffee.
Much like his brother, Joseph disproved of slavery and in 1790 manumitted Cuffee.
Cuffee continued to work for Joseph for six more years after his liberation. For his service, Whipple granted the man a 50 acre tract of land to farm where he raised a large family.
Ona Judge
About this time, while still working for the Federal Government, Joseph was approached to apprehend Ona Judge.
Judge was the escaped slave of George Washington and Whipple felt loyal to his boss.
However, when he approached Judge, Joseph learned that the only reason she ran away was the desire to seek freedom.
Risking his job, Whipple wrote to Washington informing him that he would not arrest Ona.
Washington kept him as Customs Collector through the end of his administration.
This is the fourth article I’ve written about someone with the last name Whipple.
Check out the others here:
Dinah Whipple Educates Portsmouth’s Black Community
Prince Whipple Plants a Liberty Tree
Joseph Whipple does not have a biography that I am aware of.
However, we spoke much about free Black persons of New Hampshire in this article so there is another book I would like to recommend. I recently read ‘Strong and Brave Fellows’ which discusses all of the Black Patriots who fought with or lived in New Hampshire during the War.
If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
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