Atherton, Joshua
- Jere R. Daniell
Extract
Atherton, Joshua (20 June 1737–03 April 1809), attorney general of New Hampshire, was born in Harvard, Massachusetts, the son of Peter Atherton, a blacksmith who also served on the General Court, and Experience Wright. Atherton attended Harvard College and graduated in 1762. He taught school in Bolton, read law with both James Putnam and Abel Willard, and in 1765 was admitted to the bar. That same year he married Abigail Goss, with whom he had fourteen children, seven of whom died in infancy. Soon thereafter Atherton moved to New Hampshire where in 1773 he became the register of probate in newly formed Hillsborough County. He settled in Amherst and resided there the rest of his life as one of the town’s most prestigious and controversial inhabitants....
