Biography of NATHANIEL WENTWORTH CUMNER of Manchester NH
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On a web site about GENEALOGY AND HISTORY OF MANCHESTER NEW HAMPSHIRE 
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SOURCE: History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire 
Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co., 1885
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page 129
NATHANIEL WENTWORTH CUMNER
(by J.W. Fellows)
The ancestors of the CUMNER family were of English origin.  The name is
first discovered in the period following the supremacy of the Norman
rule,--the return from the dynasty of the Conqueror to the ascendency
of the English-Saxon line. It was first spelled Comnor, and later
Cumnor, meaning "hospitality to strangers," or a "place of hospitality,"
and comes through the Saxon branch. TO this period may be referred the
formation of many English family names,--often derived from some
unimportant circumstance, or suggest by personal characteristics.
These became marks of distinction, new titles to manhood, and were
proudly bequeathed by father to son,-- "inherited surnames."
  During the century following the loss of Normandy, the Anglo-Saxon,
as a written language, having been banished from courts and superseded
in all legal papers by the Latin, became dearer to the common people
as a spoken language, preserving their cherished objects and
transmitting leading sentiments. It increased its power and volume by
building new terms and means of expressiona and particularly by
multiplying its patronymics.  In a comparatively short space of time
the language had become vernacular, and fairly entitled to be styled
English, rich in the idioms and proper names of its own creation and
outgrowth.
  "The history of wrods," says Trench, "is the history of ideas," and
he might have said of people and nations. They are not only the
"vehicle of thought," but they tell anew the story of their times and
enrich the great body of history with countless incidents of value and
importance.  In studying their genealogy, the English-speaking people
find the starting-point of many an illustrious name in the peculiar
circumstances of those mediaeval times,--the natural product of the
mingling of different tongues, and the constant struggle between
feudalism and servitude.
  The famous old manor-house, Cumnor Castle, so celebrated in romance,
once enjoyed the rent-free and service of a large body of retainers,
and carried for many a year, by reason of its feudal allotments, a
numerous vassalage. Its walls have long sine fallen into shapeless
ruins, but the lands of its tennatry now embrace the beautiful village
of Cumner. The families bearing this name have not been numerous in
England, but have maintained their lineage with remarkable directness.
The earliest trace of these people shows that they belonged to the
industrial classes,--the guilds-people, who, in the latter part of
the seventeenth century, had attained such prominence as to nearly
control the business interests of the great metropolis, and to whom
the Lord Mayor of London was pleased to say, on a memorable occasion,
"While our gracious nobility are the leaf and flowers of the kingdom,
ye are the sturdy trunk and branches."
  The subject of this sketch belongs to the third generation in
America.  His grandfather, Robert Francis CUmner, came to this country
when about fifteen years of age, under circumstances of a very
interesting character.  In June, 1774, while walking in the streets of
London, he was seized by a "gang of pressmen" from the ship "Somerset,"
sent out to recruit his Majesty's marine. He was carried directly on
board, forced to become one of the crew, and do the duty of a common
sailor. He was not allowed the privilege of commmunicating with his
friends, and no tidings from him or knowledge of his situation were
received during the long cruise of the "Somerset" in distant waters,
until she appeared in Boston Harbor and took part in the battle of
Bunker Hill. Her position and the service she rendered the British
troops on that memorable day are well-known in history. From her decks
came the first fatal shot, and under the fire of her guns the broken
and retreating ranks of Royalists found protection.
  The scenes of that bloody struggle made a deep impression upon the
mind of young Cumner, and fixed his determination to take no part in the
work of the subjugation. Circumstances fortunately soon favored his
settled purpose. The "Somerset" not long after the battle "got aground,"
probably somewhere in the lower part of Massachusetts Bay. During their
efforts to get afloat, some of the crew went ashore, among them the
Cumner boy, who immediately availed himself of the opportunity to 
escape from his unwilling service.  While following the highway into
which he first came, near the shore, where lay the stranded "Somerset,"
he was overtaken by a Quaker on horseback, who, learning his situation
and purpose to obtain his freedom from the "British yoke," invited our
young hero to "get up behind," and, throwing his gray cloak over the
lad, soon carried him beyond the King's power.
  He settled in Wareham, Mass., learned the tailor's trade and began
the permanent business of his life. October 20, 1785, he married
Miss Sylvia Sturtevant, whose family connections were very worthy and
highly respected. Her father was a soldier in the War of the Revolution,
and fell on the battle-field fighting for independence. The
Sturtevant people have received honorable mention in the annals of
history, and their name is written among those who deserve well of their
country.  Not long after his marriage he moved to Sandwich, Mass., 
from that play to Wayne, in the State of Maine, where he resided during
the remainder of his life.  He was successful in business and became a
prominent and highly respected citizen. He was a man of modest and
retiring habits and exemplary character, but of indomitable will and
inflexible adherence to what he belived to be right. If his wife were
the subject of our sketch, we could fill it with incidents showing
her remarkable tenacity of purpose.  Robert Francis and Sylvia Cumner
had two children,--John, born January 19, 1788, and Polly, a few years
younger. He died February 5, 1825, and his wife March 26, 1826, and
their remains were interred in the Evergreen Cemetery in Wayne
  John Cumner was but a few months old when the family moved from
Sandwich, Mass to Wayne [ME]. He was of a sanguine, active nature and
early evinced the character of a sincere and zealous worker in religious
matters. He obtained a fair education, and although to a certain extent
compelled to work on the farm and devote himself to that kind of
employment, his thoughts ran upon matters more congenial to his nature.
When about eighteen years of age he was employed by General Landsell
to take charge of his farm in Bridgewater, Mass., where he remained
several summer seasons.  During this time he became acquainted with
Miss Hannah Thomas Bartlett, of Bridgewater, whom he married July 11,
1813.  He settled in Wayne [ME] upon the farm which became the
homestead, and was so occupied by the family during his many years of
labor and life in the ministry.
  He was associated with the society of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and interested in the affairs of that denomination at the early age of
nineteen years, and soon after appointed a class leader and licensed
to preach. His labors were attended with marked success, and at the
annual meetin gof the General Conference for Maine, in 1833, he was
admitted to membership and received his first appointment.  He
continued in the active ministry until 1852, when failing health obliged
him to cease labor; but his love for the church and his zeal in the
cause of its established creeds continued unabated during his
remaining years.  He died February 5, 1861, closing a life of industry
and devotion, in which he had accomplished more good than usually falls
to the lot of man.  His wife died December 5, 1852. She was very
beautiful when young, and was much beloved and admired by her wide
circle of friends. Possessed of an earnest and devotional nature, she
entered with ardent sympathy into the plans and labors of her husband,
faithfully bearing her share of life's varied duties,--firmly in the
hour of trial, and with amiable companionship when prosperity filled
the measure of their ambition.  They had eleven children, two of whom
died in infancy.  There others have deceased,--Maryetta in 1871, and
Francis and James in 1881.  The remaining members of the family are
Cathamander, William B., John T., Nathaniel W., Charles W., and
Benjamin G. Cumner.
  Nathaniel Wentworth, the youngest but two of the children of John
and Hannah T. Cumner, was born at Wayne [ME], November 28, 1829. His
early life was devoted to obtaining an education in the vicinity of his
home, passing from the district to the private school in the town of
Wayne, and to other schools and seminaries in the circuit where his
father's appointments were made.  During some portion of the season,
for a few years, he assisted the older brothers in cultivating the
homestead farm, but at the gae of sixteen he went to Wilton, ME, and
engaged in learning the tailor's trade. He remained there about three
years; then went to Waltham, Mass., staying there about one year and a
half; then to Lowell, Mass, where he remained until 1851, when he came
to Manchester, NH and entered the employ of B.F. Manning, then doing
business in the store occupied in later years by the firm of
Cumner & Co.
  In January 1854, Mr. Cumner became a partner in the business of
merchant tailors and clothiers, the firm-name being Manning & Cumner.
This arrangement continued until August 1857. Mr. Cumner then withdrew
and went to Washington DC as a member of the firm of F. Tenney & Co.,
proprietors of the National Hotel.  In August 1859, he returned to
Manchester and purchased the stock and "good will" of the Manning store,
and entered at once into business, in which he continued as the sole
proprietor until 1865, when his brother, Benjamin G. Cumner, became
associated with him, forming the copartnership of Cumner & Co.  At this
time Mr. Cumner became also a member of the well-known wholesale house
of Sibley, Cumner & Co., in Boston, having purchased an interest in the
old house of Foster & Sibley, and devoted his attention largely to the
wholesale trade. In 1868, Lyman E. Sibley, retired, and Mr. Cumner
became the senior member, the name of the firm remaining the same.
  In the great fire of November 9, 1872, their establishment was among
the first to be burned and the firm suffered a total loss of their
immense stock; but their credit was so strong, and their energy and
ability so widely recognized, that their business received no check,
and the transaction sof the house proceeded even upon a more extensive
scale than before. In 1879 the firm became Cumner, Jones & CO., which
is the present style of the business.  In 1881 he sold his interest in
the business of Cumner & Co., in Manchester, which had enjoyed
unvarying success and great prosperity from the beginning, and from 
that time devoted himself entirely to the Boston house.  The business
had so largely increased that it became necessary to give it his
constant personal attention. The reputation of Cumner, Jones & Co.,
in commercial circles has become widely known, and its remarkable
success an acknowledged fact. He was one of the founders of the Boston
Merchants' Association in 1880, and has for some time been one of its
board of directorrs. The importance of this organization to the great
commercial interests of Boston is widely known.
  Mr. Cumner has been eminently successful as a business man. Possessing
in a large degree self-reliance and confidence in his own judgment,
he selected an honorable calling and devoted himself to its duties and
demands. He believed that industry and perseverance, with well-matured
plans, were certain to produce the most desirable results. He knew the
energy and fidelity of his own character and trusted to the safety of
sound principle, and he has proved that his plans were wisely laid
and his ways well chosen.  At a comparatively early age he has acquired
a competence, and in his position of senior member of one of the
soundest and most prosperous, and at the same time conservative, 
wholesale houses in New England, his influence is always in favor of
that healthy and reliable condition of trade which establishes public
confidence and guarantees general prosperity.
  And not only in connection with his partnership associations is Mr.
Cumner known as a business man. In the circles where the leading
merchants and importers of our New England metropolis are accustomed
to meet and discuss the laws of trade and canvass the prospects of the
future his judgment is greatly respected, and the intelligence and
foresight with which he is able to advise are highly regarded. He
bears an unblemished reputation as a man of honor and
fairness, in all ways commanding universal respect and esteem,--
a gentleman in the true significance of the term. In the wide range
of personal distinction, among all the marks of honor and renown which
the world affords, the title of a true gentleman stands first, and
he who bears it worthily need envy neither prince nor potentate.
  As a citizen, Mr. Cumner has taken an interest and unvarying interest
in public affairs.  Politically his associations have been with the
Democratic party; but his views have been conservative, looking to the
real purposes of the government rather than the aims and desires of
party politicians. While residing in Manchester he held important
offices in the municipal government, was a faithful public servant,
working zealously to promote the general interests and the common good
of his constituents, of whom he deserved well.
  Mr. Cumner became a member of the celebrated military organization,
the Amoskeag Veterans, in the days of its origin, and has continued to
do active duty through the entire term of its existence. He held the
office of captain in 1870, and command of the batallion, with the rank
of major, in 1879 and 1880. Durin ghis membership he has served in
countless capacities incident to the general management of the
organization, and while commander did very effective service in 
promoting harmony and unity of purpose and increased in a great degree
the interest and efficiency of the corps.
  Mr. Cumner's connection with the Masonic fraternity has been a very
prominent feature of his life. He became a Mason in Lafayette Lodge,
Manchester, May 1856, and was one of the petitioners and charter
members of Washington Lodge in 1857. He held many subordinate offices,
and was the Worshipful Master in 1862 and 1863, and has been treasurer
nearly all the time since. His keen scrutiny of its business affairs
and careful management of its accounts have done much to keep his
lodge in sound financial condition.  In 1856 he received the
capitular degrees in Mt. Horeb Royal Arch Chapter, and after serving
at almost every post in that body, became its High Priest from 1862
to 1864. He took the cryptic degrees in Adoniram Council, in May 1857,
and soon after the orders of knighthood were conferred upon him in
Trinity Commandery, Knights Templar.  In all these subordinate bodies 
he sustained an ardent and zealous membership, contributing freely to
their support and aiding materially in their prosperity.  In 1862 he
was admitted to the degree of High Priesthood, and in 1863 received the
degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Rite to the thirty-second, 
inclusive, in Boston, and in September, 1881 was elected to the
thirty-third and last grade in masonry.  In the Grand Masonic bodies of
New Hampshire he has been equally prominent, and his earnest labors and
sincere devotion to their interests have been recognized and 
appreciated.  After holding several offices in the M.E. Grant Royal
Arch Chapter of New Hampshire, he was elected Grand High Priest in 
1867 and 1868, and gave eminent satisfaction by his management of
affairs. In the Grand Lodge of New Hampshire he held nearly all the
subordinate positions, and was elected Most Worshipful Grand Master in
1872, 1873 and 1874.  As the presiding officer in these grand bodies,
whose duties are mostly legislative, he commanded the respect of the
fraternity for fairness and impartiality, and was highly esteemed for 
his graceful and courteous bearing. His addresses and official papers
were regarded as sound and creditable documents by the fraternity in
other jurisdictions.
  If Mr. Cumner has been prosperous and successful in other departments
of life, he has been remarkably happy and fortunate in his family and
social relations. He married Miss Harriet Elizabeth Wadley, daughter
of Moses D. Wadley, of Bradford NH, January 24, 1856. They have two
sons,--Harry Wadley Cumner, born July 18, 1860, and Arthur Bartlett
Cumner, born July 30, 1871.  Harry Wadley graduated from the
Manchester High School in 1879, with high standing in his class and the
reputation of a faithful and efficient student.  He entered the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Boston, in 1879, as a special
student, remaining two years.  In 1881 he engaged in mercantile life,
and having integrity and the capacity to make the best use of his
privileges and attainments, he has certainly the earnest of a 
prosperous and honorable life. In October, 1884, he married Miss Nellie
B. Pope, daughter of Edwin Pope, Esq. of Boston, where he has 
permanently located in business. Arthur Bartlett, a bright and
beautiful boy of uncommon intelligence, has yet to climb the pathway
of youth, but if aught can be predicted from such tender years, he is
not likely to disappoint the fond hopes of parents and friends.
  In the common judgement of mankind, woman received very little credit
for the success of man in the struggles and achievements of this life.
The intuitive judgment and unfaltering support with which the
faithful and devoted wife aids her husband are unseen influences, the
force and importance of which never have been and probably never will
be understood or appreciated; and although the remarkable success which
the subject of this sketch has gained may be attributed to his ability
and integrity, still the high social position to which the family have
attained and the important and very creditable purposes which they
have accomplished are equally due to the clear and well-trained
judgment, the watchful care and over-sight of domestic affairs, and
the amiable companionship of his estimable and accomplished wife.
While in their relative spheres, either in the busy marts of trade
or the domestic departments of life, "on" change" or in the
drawing-room, each, to a certain extent, must be judged independently,
in all the economy of life her individuality and influence will be 
seen to have done their full share in moulding the fortunes of the
family.
  The future may not be forecast, but in the early achievements of
men may be discoered the earnest of still greater success.
  In the character and attainments of the subject of this sketch
may be seen the promise of the full measure of life's joys and the
realization of a noble and worth ambition.



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