Two important ones included the Committee on Secret Correspondence and the Board of War. . 2006Gruber, Ira D., The Howe Brothers and the American Revolution. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 2 daughters. 03.12('53) DVD in Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland , United Kingdom, Died on November 15, 1794 But even as late as January 6, 1776, the Congress adopted a resolution stating that the colonies, "had no design to set up as an independent nation." They had held a Stamp Act Congress in New York during September 1765, and that same year formed the Sons of Liberty, which one observer called, "a mob of gentlemen." In John Trumbull's famous painting Declaration of Independence, Witherspoon is among those shown in the background facing the large table, the second seated figure from the viewer's right. Coordinates: 40.35238 N, 74.66019 W. As the "Loudest Voice" for Independence, he is . Died on November 15, 1794 in Near Princeton, New Jersey, USA , United States. She became a professor of nursing at Vanderbilt University. In 1772, fifteen year old Alexander Hamilton arrived from the West Indies and lived with Elias and Hanna for two years. Richard and his wife Abigail (nee unknown) were the parents of Richard "The Builder" Stockton, the grandfather of Rihcard "The Signer" Stockton. Philadelphia, July 22, 1782. He was called before the Board, took the Oath and was dismissed (It is noted that Stockton did not turn in any protection papers as was required if you signed Howe's Proclamation and were given a pardon). Whenever I can serve my native country, I leave no occasion untried. He frequently attended Westminster Hall and advised all who would listen that the colonies would never submit to be taxed by the British parliament without representation. Start page | 5/177. As president of Princeton, Witherspoon educated five delegates to the U.S. "These are the times that try men's souls," Thomas Paine wrote in COMMON SENSE. Yet he so conducted himself that Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania said of Morris that "every attachment of his heart yielded to his love of his country.". For two generations his family had been Quakers, and it was his wish to be buried at the Stony Brook Meeting House Cemetery in Princeton. Unlike some English advocates of religious freedom, Witherspoon was willing to extend such freedom to Roman Catholics, and he believed that the state could encourage good behavior and that religious virtue led to political strength. Named after John Witherspoon, one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence, the . These 56 men who spoke for two and a half million American free men were a spectacular group of individuals. He was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration. Source: Independence Hall Association, Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton, 1730-1781 - http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/stockton.htm, In 1768, Stockton had his first taste of government service when he was appointed to the governing Council of New Jersey; he was later (1774) appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court. Login to find your connection. In Princeton today, a University dormitory built in 1877, the street running north from the University's main gate, and the local public middle school all bear his name. Birth of Rev. An outspoken advocate of American independence, Rodney was exhausted from many months of battling Delaware's Tories while building up and drilling the colony's militia. Stockton was the first person from New Jersey to sign the Declaration of Independence. One of Reese ancestors, John Witherspoon, was one of those who signed the Declaration of Independence. Richard Stocktons eldest son Richard became a New Jersey senator and Stocktons served in Congress for four generations. After several days of heated debate, final action on Lee's resolution was deferred until July 1st, and men on both sides of the issue used the intervening weeks to lobby for their own positions. The ancestors of Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton are not known. While there, on November 30, 1776, he and Covenhoven were captured in the middle of the night, dragged from their beds by loyalists, stripped of their property and marched to Perth Amboy and turned over to the British. John Knox Witherspoon, Signer of the & Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, President of College of New Jersey [present Princeton], Presbyterian minister, Signer of Declaration Of Independance, Elizabeth Montgomery (29 May 1722 - 1 October 1789), Anne Witherspoon (23 July 1749 - 1 April 1817), Christian Witherspoon, d.s.p. Two weeks later, on August 2, 1776, the Congress met again at the State House in Philadelphia to formalize with their legislatures what they had adopted a month before. The British offered freedom for the boys if he would abandon the cause, but Abraham Clark refused. In addition, part of the Battle of Princeton in 1777 was fought on the college campus the college was so badly damaged that it was closed for several years. Witherspoon also helped organize Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey. [26] That spring, Phagan took a job with the National Pencil Company, where she earned ten cents an hour operating a knurling machine that inserted rubber erasers into the metal tips of pencils, and worked 55 hours per week. [John Witherspoon, Lectures on Moral Philosophy (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Univ. Eleven delegates were prosperous merchants, nine were wealthy farmers or landowners, and 24 were lawyers or judges. Witherspoon worked with fellow Presbyterians and Congregationalists to ensure that the Anglican Church did not become the established church of the new nation as it had been in some of the states, but he believed that members of the clergy had the same right to participate in politics as others did. The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. Stockton was admitted to the bar in 1754 and soon rose to great distinction. He was a member of the New Jersey convention that ratified the US Constitution, making New Jersey the third state to approve the Constitution. The fifth son of Richard, eight year old John Stockton, inherited much of his fathers land after Richard died in 1709. Mailer, Gideon. The historian Douglass Adair writes, "The syllabus of Witherspoon's lectures . His wife was poet Annis Boudinot Stockton, sister of New Jersey statesman Elias Boudinot. Witherspoon advocated for "gradual emancipation" of slaves. Miss Montgomery, at an early age, and at the time of his immigration had three sons and two daughters. valuable signature in the world, outranked only by that of Martin Luther and Button Gwinnett, a Georgia signer of the Declaration of Independence. [22], Witherspoon suffered eye injuries and was blind by 1792. Tonight there was to be no rest for this weary patriot. McKean and George Read, the other two representatives from Delaware, were split on the issue of independence and Caesar Rodney's vote was needed if Delaware was to join the United States of America. Witherspoon had declined the appointment as president of the college because his wife was reluctant to emigrate. He also obtained a Master of Arts from the University of Edinburgh in 1739. John bartlett family trees listed as josiah, was glorious to be freely in particular repeal of independence in the independents in his many ventures including women. On June 26th, this Livingston petitioned the New York Assembly so that he could leave the state convention and rejoin Congress in Philadelphia. He became an invalid and died at Princeton on February 28, 1781. Behind that fleet were all the wealth and power of the British Empire. Born February 5, 1723 (Gifford, Scotland) Died November 15, 1794 (Princeton, New Jersey) Protestant theologian, educator. At age 13, he entered college . Witherspoon immediately declared "It is not only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want of it." Witherspoon became the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence. Delaware was called next by Charles Thompson, the clerk of the Congress, and Caesar Rodney, in a tired but clear voice, responded: "As I believe the voice of my constituents and of all sensible and honest men is in favor of independence, and my own judgment concurs with them, I vote for independence.". The darkest days of his life were spent locked in irons, starving and shivering in the cold winter of 1776-77 in the notorious Provost prison in New York City. The exhausted rider was enthusiastically greeted by Thomas McKean and escorted in to the brick building where some 50 to 60 men were about to decide the fate of a continent. The Howe Brothers and the American Revolution; Ira D. Gruber; W.S. Although many took the pardon, Stockton never did and was marched to Perth Amboy where he was put in irons, and brutally treated as a common criminal. [28][n 5] She worked . As a minister in the church he might have considered it beneficial to claim he was named after his ancestor.. Could you add the son James in the data and then include him in the 1776 project? They were pleased to take up the matter with that zeal which the nature of it required and determined to take every step that they might in this endeavor to more effectually and speedily execute the business. He quickly sided with the patriots who favored independence, and in June 1776, he was elected to Congress. Lately Stockton has been maligned by a few writers claiming that Stockton took a pardon from General Howe and swore allegiance to the king. "John Witherspoon." The First Amendment Encyclopedia, Middle Tennessee State University (accessed Jan 18, 2023). (Clergyman, Author, Educator). John Hancock of Massachusetts, the president of the Congress, had been the first to sign. He fought against the flood of paper money and opposed the issuance of bonds without provision for their amortization. The British considered his college to be a "seminary of sedition." John Witherspoon participated in the American Revolution. Witherspoon has been described by some historians as being "not a profound scholar" but "an able college president". In 1774, he drafted and sent to Lord Dartmouth "a plan of self-government for America, independent of Parliament, without renouncing the Crown." He was a moderate with regard to Colonial autonomy. In 1763 he received the degree of Sergeant at law the highest degree of law at that time. He transformed the College of New Jersey (later Princeton) from a poor theological seminary into a vigorous academic community. . President of College of New Jersey, 1768-1792; Delegate to the Continental Congress, 1776-1782; Twice elected to State Legislature of New Jersey. In 1969, the New Jersey Legislature passed legislation establishing a state college which was named after Stockton, to honor the memory of New Jersey's signer of the Declaration of Independence. He became a Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) minister at Beith, Ayrshire, serving there from 1745 to 1758, where he married Elizabeth Montgomery. Follow the life of John Witherspoon, delegate to the Continental Congress and one of 56 signers, who bravely proclaimed the original thirteen colonies would . "Give me the cannon," Nelson shouted. When the General had seated himself, Boudinot proceeded to read an address of welcome. In 1743 he became a Presbyterian Minister at a parish in Beith, where he married, authored three noted works on theology. Francis Lewis was away when the British ransacked his home, so they seized his wife, treated her brutally, and threw her into prison under foul conditions. In fact, an ancestor, John Witherspoon, signed the Declaration of Independence. Then, on June 7th, Richard Henry Lee put this resolution before the Congress: "RESOLVED, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.". John Witherspoon is Don Rigali . [19] In Congress, he was appointed congressional chaplain, and in July 1776, he voted to adopt the Virginia Resolution for Independence. Stockton initially showed little interest in politics. He was not released until several years later, badly treated and in very poor condition. After hearing the irresistible and conclusive arguments of the honorable John Adams for independence, Richard fully concurred in the final vote in favor of that bold and decisive measure. The Document | No one changed his mind. In 1768, Stockton was elevated to a seat in the royal executive council of New Jersey; in 1774, he was placed on the bench of the Supreme Court. John Witherspoon died near Princeton, New Jersey, on NOVEMBER 15 . In 1774, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Richard and Hannah were brother and sister, making Richard Stockton's (born 1730) parents 1st cousins.[12]. After Stockton's death, Annis, one of America's first published female poets, became a favorite correspondent of General Washington. . Nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Great hardships and suffering were also inflicted upon three signers from neighboring New Jersey. The parents tried their best to develop acting talent of their girl. He was prominent in many reforms, especially in the areas of medicine and education. (14 August 1750 - 1756), James Witherspoon, Major (17 November 1751 - 4 October 1777), Barbara Witherspoon, d.s.p. Born on February 05, 1723 in Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland , United Kingdom. His 1776 sermon "The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men" was published in many editions and he was elected to the Continental Congress as part of the New Jersey delegation and, in July 1776, voted for the Resolution for Independence. Many referred to it as the "Presbyterian Rebellion" and a Hessian soldier wrote, "America-call this war dearest friend by whatever name you may, only call it not an American Rebellion. And Charles Carroll, a new delegate from Maryland and one of the wealthiest men in America, replied as he was asked by Hancock if he would sign: "Most willingly." "[7] 4,836 Declarations were subscribed but Stockton as a Signer of the Declaration of Independence and a leading rebel never did according to General Howe. He was a longtime friend of George Washington. in New Orleans, Louisiana , United States (46 years), This form allows you to report an error or to submit additional information about this family tree: Reese WITHERSPOON (1976), Copyright Wikipdia authors - This article is under licence CC BY-SA 3.0. At the urging of Benjamin Rush and Richard Stockton, whom he met in Paisley,[14] Witherspoon finally accepted their renewed invitation (having turned one down in 1766) to become president and head professor of the small Presbyterian College of New Jersey in Princeton. The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. Richard gave a short but energetic speech at the close of the debate. His son Richard "The Builder" bought 5,500 acres of land from William Penn in Princeton, New Jersey and settled there with his wife Susannah (nee Witham) Robinson. Reverend Samuel Smith succeeded Dr. Witherspoon as president of Princeton in 1775. On September 26, 1776, he and fellow signer George Clymer of Pennsylvania were sent on an arduous journey of nearly two months duration to inspect the northern army. The Second Continental Congress had constituted itself a provisional government and began making preparations for war with Britain, including the creation of a Continental Army under General George Washington. In 1777, his son was killed at the Battle of Germantown, and later that year, the British burned their home. In November 1778, as British forces neared, Witherspoon closed and evacuated the College of New Jersey. Although Witherspoon can be heavily credited in the expansion and progression of the University, his ownership ties to the enslavement of Black people in America have caused for an internal Princeton petition to the CPUC Committee on Naming at Princeton University and President Eisgruber for the removal of his statue that currently stands in Firestone Plaza on campus. Despite this precaution, it is probable that the British government and their Tory allies knew the names of every signer long before they were released to the public. Ramsay, the celebrated historian. Richard Stockton (October 1, 1730 February 28, 1781) was an American lawyer, jurist, legislator, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Stony Brook Quaker Meeting House Burial Ground, Princeton Township, New Jersey, United States, Oct 1 1730 - Princeton, Somerset, Province of New Jersey, Feb 28 1781 - Princeton, Somerset, New Jersey, USA, Richard Arthur Stockton, Julia Rush, Mary Stockton, Susan Stockton, Lucius Stockton, Abigail Field, Hannah Boudinot, Rev. After the death of Mrs. Witherspoon, the Doctor, at the age of seventy, married a young woman of twenty-three, an alliance which occasioned much gossip and noise in the neighborhood and family circle. He first took a moderate stance in the troubles between the colonies and Great Britain. In the last years of life he suffered injuries, first to one eye then the other, becoming totally blind two years before his death. John Hart, at the insistence of his dying wife, finally left her bedside to flee as a party of Hessians approached his farm. Since that period, he hath represented New-Jersey in the congress of the United States. At the age of 13, he entered college and at age 20, he was licensed to preach. With the passage of the Stamp Act, such arguments were overcome by colonial backlash. Witherspoon owned slaves and lectured against the abolition of slavery.[28]. A graduate of the University of Edinburgh, he gained a reputation in the Church of Scotland as a leader of the left-wing "Popular Party," and his works made him well-known in the American colonies. Trevor Colbourn (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1974) 181. Have you taken a DNA test? Some of the courses he taught personally were Eloquence or Belles Lettres, Chronology (history), and Divinity. John's father was Richard "The Builder" Stockton. The College of New Jersey needed a first rate scholar to serve as its first president. The three South Carolinians were given their freedom in a prisoner exchange in late 1781. John Witherspoon (17231794) was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as well as serve at the convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution in New Jersey. Herbert Foster has identified five points of political Calvinism that appear to apply to Witherspoon: fundamental law, natural rights, contract and consent of people, popular sovereignty, resistance to tyranny through responsible representatives (Quoted in Morrison 2005: 81). William James Stone, Declaration of Independence, the Stone engraving, 1823. In this connection it may be noted that in 1790 President Witherspoon, while a member of the New Jersey Legislature, was chairman of a committee on the abolition of slavery in the state, and brought in a report advising no action, on the ground that the law already forbade the importation of slaves and encouraged voluntary manumission. Notre Dame, Ind. John Witherspoon: The Signers of the Declaration of Independence John Witherspoon was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. John Knox Witherspoon (February 15, 1723 November 15, 1794) was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey. He resigned his royal appointments and New Jersey elected him to the Continental Congress in June 1776. Witherspoon immediately declared "It is not only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want of it." Two years after his parole from prison he developed cancer of the lip that spread to his throat. His parents were James Witherspoon and Anna Walker. He is particularly interested in the experiences of children in 1765-75. According to John Witherspoon, he arrived on or before July 3rd. Signers | Williamsburg, Virginia, Omohundro Institute of American History and Culture and Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2017. [9] "Common report, moreover, may be attributed to Judge Stockton some of the exploits of a distant cousin, Major Richard Stockton an obnoxious Tory, who did take Howe's protection and went over to the British until he was captured in Feb. He became the sixth president of the college, now known as Princeton University. The author's work incorporates data from the application files of the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Frank W. Leach manuscript, and many other published references. Seat 7 to which the Hon. They were sent with instructions to vote for Independence. John Witherspoon [electronic resource]. Declaration of Independence Signer. The oldest, James, was a major in the Revolutionary army, and fell at the battle of Germantown. The eulogy was delivered by Rev. John Witherspoon served with American Founding Fathers during the American Revolution. The New York signers - William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, and Lewis Morris - were particularly vulnerable to British retaliation. John Witherspoon, son of James Witherspoon and Anne Walker was baptised in the parish of Yester, East Lothian on 10 February 1723. In 1776, Stockton was elected to the Second Continental Congress, where he took a very active role. The Institute was founded in 2003 by Princeton University professor and conservative Robert P. George, Luis Tellez, and others involved with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. Students who later played prominent roles in the new nation's development included James Madison, Aaron Burr, Philip Freneau, William Bradford, and Hugh Henry Brackenridge. Born in Scotland and educated at the University of Edinburgh, Witherspoon was well known for his publications in Scotland before he was invited to be president of the College of New Jersey (todays Princeton University), where he succeeded Jonathan Edwards and served from 1768 until 1794. Stockton was admitted to the bar in 1754, to the grade of counselor in 1758, and in 1763, he received the degree of Sergeant-at-Law the highest degree of law attainable. He suggested, however, that the state might enact a law that all slaves born after its passage should be free at a certain agee.g., 28 years, as in Pennsylvania, although in his optimistic opinion the state of society in America and the progress of the idea of universal liberty gave little reason to believe that there would be any slaves at all in America in 28 years time, and precipitation therefore might do more harm than good. John Witherspoon was one of the signers of our Declaration of Independence. [25] The next oldest son, John, graduated from Princeton in 1779, practiced medicine in South Carolina, and was lost at sea in 1795. He married Mary Witherspoon about 1754, in Ireland. He did not favor separation; rather, he suggested in 1764 that some colonial members be appointed to the Parliament. His work turned Princeton into the Ivy League school it is today. After nearly five weeks of brutal treatment, Stockton was released on parole, his health ruined. From "Witherspoon Family History" by Evelyn Potter Park: John migrated [from Scotland] to Ireland at an early age and from there came to America in 1790. Consequently, he was opposed to the Roman Catholic Legitimist Jacobite rising of 174546. [15] Thus, Witherspoon and his family emigrated to New Jersey in 1768. American independence Witherspoon was a strong supporter of America and American independence. The British considered his college to be a "seminary of sedition." (Painting by Charles Willson Peale, public domain via Wikimedia Commons) Wrong username or password. John C. Witherspoon was the Calvinist preacher, President of Princeton College, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Illinois University LibrariesCorner, George W., The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush. As to the first it seems to be only that the master has a right to the labors and ingenuity of the servant for a limited time, or at most for life. They took Reese to acting classes and soon the girl appeared in her first commercials. John Knox Witherspoon (1723-1794)clergyman, educator, and founding fatherserved as Princeton's sixth president from 1768 until his death in 1794. Leave a message for others who see this profile. Upon his arrival, Witherspoon found the school in debt, with weak instruction, and a library collection which clearly failed to meet student needs. Norton and Company, Inc.; 1972 page 195:British officers and rebels agreed the proclamation of November 30 had been a failure. More Resources |, by Ole Erekson, Engraver, c1876, Library of Congress, Master of Arts, University of Edinburgh; Doctorate of Divinity, University of St. Andrews. His efforts helped the Continental Army drive back Lord Cornwallis' army in retreat in 1780. He proceeded to Edinburgh where he attained a Master of Arts, then to four years of divinity school. John Witherspoon is a DAR Patriot Ancestor. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. He died in 1794 on his farm Tusculum, just outside of Princeton, and is buried in the Princeton Cemetery. During the siege of Yorktown in 1781, the British forces were under heavy attack from some 16,000 American troops, 3,000 Virginia militia, and the French fleet. How far this subjection extends. Rev. Richard Stockton, was denuded of its library and furniture." He attended the West Nottingham Academy under Dr. Samuel Finley, and then earned his degree at the College of New Jersey (Now Princeton) in 1748. For the next 26 years, he would serve as Princeton's President, helping to make it a great institution for higher learning. An error has occured while loading the map. There is a Richard Stockton Rest stop on the New Jersey Turnpike with his portrait and a short story. discoveries. Between 1776 and 1782, Witherspoon would serve on more than 100 committees, wearing his minister's robes in Congress to remind the delegates that God was on their side. He read it, and the simple ceremony was over. Dr. Richard Stockton as a prisoner of war, and taken behind enemy lines was also required to take the oath. Jefferson's Account | [5][6] This latter claim of Knox descent though ancient in origin is long disputed and without primary documentation. Although Livingston later won the election by one vote, Stockton was unanimously elected to serve as the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, but he turned down that position to remain in the Congress. No 5,page 127Abstracts of the Council of Safety Minutes, State of New Jersey, 1777-1778, Hutchinson, Richard S., Heritage Books 2005,Letters of Delegates to Congress, Vol.6.Bill, Alfred Hoyt., A House Called Morven. He emigrated to New Jersey in 1768. There must be no pulling different ways; we must all hang together." John later became a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. View Transcript The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Although he was released unharmed a few days later, he later had trouble sleeping, and would often faint in broad-daylight. Since that period, he hath represented New Jersey in the Congress of the United States. Caesar Rodney was also afflicted with a painful and unsightly facial cancer. When he was at last able to return to his home, John Hart found that his wife had died and his 13 children were scattered throughout the countryside or in captivity. He held to old concepts from the Roman Republic of virtuous leadership by civil magistrates, but he also regularly recommended that his students read such modern philosophers as Machiavelli, Montesquieu, and David Hume, even though he disapproved of Hume's "infidel" stance on religion. There he married Catherine Williams, the daughter of a Welsh planter in Antigua, West Indies. Geni requires JavaScript! A bronze statue at Princeton University by Scottish sculptor Alexander Stoddart is the twin of one outside The University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, Scotland. 1823, SOURCE: The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Ann, the eldest daughter, was married to the Rev. Once persuaded otherwise, however, Morton signed the Declaration and stood by his decision, though he was ostracized by his family and friends, many of whom were Tories. Encyclopedia Table of Contents | Case Collections | Academic Freedom | Recent News, John Witherspoon, an early convert to the Patriot cause, was president of the College of New Jersey (today's Princeton University) and the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence. During his two pastorates he wrote three well-known works on theology, notably the satire "Ecclesiastical Characteristics" (1753) opposing the philosophical influence of Francis Hutcheson. New York still abstained, but New Jersey and Pennsylvania voted in the affirmative. John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 - November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States. In 1780 he was elected to a one-year term in the New Jersey Legislative Council representing Somerset County. They found the army in need of all necessary things and Stockton reported this to John Hancock.
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