<P> Whipple was born in Kittery in southern Maine, to Captain William Whipple Sr. and his wife Mary (née Cutt), and educated at a common school studying how to be a merchant, judge, and a soldier until he went off to sea . He became a Ship's Master at the age of 21 . He married his first cousin Catherine Moffat in 1767 . Whipple and his wife moved into the now historic Moffatt - Ladd House on Market Street in Portsmouth in 1769 . They had a son, William Whipple III, who died in infancy . </P> <P> Whipple was a descendant of Samuel Appleton, early settler in Ipswich, Massachusetts . </P> <P> Whipple was an active member of the Freemasons . Whipple was a member of the St. John's Masonic Lodge while he was an active mason . He was one of nine signatories of the Declaration of Independence who were masons . </P> <P> Whipple earned his fortune participating in the Triangle trade of the West Indies and Africa . Whipple became an established and affluent captain, with cargo such as wood, rum, and on at least one occasion, slaves . His trading activities may have been primarily confined to the West Indies . In 1759 he landed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and in partnership with his brother established himself as a merchant . </P>

Which signer of the declaration of independence was a ship captain in the african slave trade