his father, richard sanger iii (1706-1786), continued in the blacksmith business and married deborah morse . sanger iii inherited a sizable fortune from his father in 1731, which he enlarged through a lucrative trading business in boston, real estate speculation in maine, and operating a store and tavern in sherborn. the family was one of the most prominent in sherborn's history, and a house he built is listed on the national register of historic places as the richard sanger iii house. after living for a short time in boston, he returned to sherborn in 1748, purchased a large property and continued to trade in merchandise, lumber, and land.