Edward Wanton (1629-1716) was an early settler of York, Maine, and lived in Boston and Scituate, Massachusetts. While in Boston, he attended the trials and public floggings of persecuted Quakers by the magistrates and clergy. Upon witnessing these events in 1658, he immediately converted to the Quaker faith and became an ardent preacher and activist. He was jailed and whipped in 1663 in Boston, and again persecuted in 1680 at Scituate.
In 1680 he produced this testimonial which outlines his persecution for refusing to be taxed or tithed, especially for the purposes of supporting the local church, which as a Quaker, he would not do. His sons moved to Newport and Tiverton to escape such treatment. The family prospered and occupied Hunter House, the Quaker Thomas Robinson House and our own Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, as well as producing four Colonial governors.
This document was donated to the NHS by Mr. Edward Wanton Gould, Jr.