More about a John Moffat of Portsmouth.

He was the first owner of the Moffatt-Ladd House, which was later the residence of William Whipple.

"...An old 'wastebook' kept by John Moffat in 1744-45 affords a close-up of a Portsmouth ship chandlery during King George's War. Moffat dealt extensively in rum, rope, nails, rigging, lumber, spars, sugar, cider, anchors, duck, and pains, not only in Portsmouth and Kittery, but in up-river Piscataqua towns. He did considerable outfitting for the snow Nancy, John Sturgeon master; had a large interest in the ships Neptune and Delight; made repairs on the tiller, built a caboose, and mended the compass on the sloop Unity, Ebenezer Odiorne master; and got out a good many masts and spars, both for local builders and export to England. Among the merchants, shipwrights, and outfitters who dealt extensively with Moffatt were John Shackford, Tobias Langdon, Mark Wentworth, James Ferguson, Nathaniel Meserve, Henry and William Sherburne, Samuel Newmarch, Charles Hoight, John Pridham, and Joseph Dam. In view of this list of prominent builders, painters, riggers, sail and rope-makers, and merchants, is there any wonder that John Moffatt, fifteen years later, was to build one of the finest colonial mansions in New Hampshire, later to house Whipples, Havens, and Ladds, all of the leading Portsmouth merchant families?" 1

(Same?) "John Moffatt, a merchant of Portsmouth. Born in England in 1692. Died in 1786 aged 94." 6

"1746: John Tufton Mason, who inherited the title to New Hampshire, had suffered a common recovery in the Courts of this province to dock the entail on that estate. He had offered it to the General Assembly, but could obtain no definite answer from them. On the 30th of January, he sold it for fifteen hundred pounds in fifteen shares to twelve purchasers, namely, Theodore Atkinson, Mary Hunking Wentworth, Richard Wibird, John Wentworth, George Jaffrey, Samuel Moore, Nathaniel Meserve, Thomas Packer, Thomas Wallingford, Jotham Odiorne, Joshua Pierce, and John Moffat, all of who were inhabitants of this town, except Wallingford. Atkinson held three fifteenths, M.H. Wentworth, two, and all the others one fifteenth each. They immediately executed a deed, by which they released to all the towns, which had been previously settled or granted, the lands within their respective boundaries, excepting what they had heretofore held in such towns." 10