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. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. John Witherspoon stated: "Religion is the grand concern of us all the salvation of our souls is the one thing needful." After his wife died in 1789, John Witherspoon headed up a committee in the New Jersey legislature to abolish slavery. [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. John Knox was his ancestor. ", On July 3rd, Jefferson's draft of the Declaration was submitted to the delegates from the 13 Colonies, and he suffered the pain of all authors at the hands of editors - in this case, half a hundred of them. 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. 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. There must be no pulling different ways; we must all hang together." According to John Witherspoon, he arrived on or before July 3rd. He died on his farm, "Tusculum," just outside of Princeton in November of 1794, a man much honored and beloved by his adopted countrymen. Virtue, he argued, could be deduced through the development of the moral sense, an ethical compass instilled by God in all human beings and developed through religious education (Reid) or civil sociability (Hutcheson). Americans prominently involved with First Amendment issues, prohibited clergymen from serving in the state legislature, http://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1233/john-witherspoon. Rev. Richard Stockton, was denuded of its library and furniture." [1], John married Elisabeth Montgomerie in the parish of Beith, Ayrshire on 14 August 1748.[2]. That reaction deeply hurt Morton, particularly when he was ignored even after he fell gravely ill early in 1777. That risk was not only substantial, it was imminent. Wrong username or password. On July 2, 1776, the day of the vote on independence, another delegate claimed that America wasn't yet ripe enough for independence. 2008 - 2022 INTERESTING.COM, INC. Died: November 15, 1794 at 71. John Witherspoon is a DAR Patriot Ancestor. The servant therefore retains all his other natural rights. It had been a long and muddy ride from Princeton, they had been caught in a violent thunderstorm, and their clothes were soaking wet. They knew they were committing high treason against the Crown and that the penalty for doing so was death by hanging. Categories: Patriotic Service, New Jersey, American Revolution | American Founding Fathers | Signers of the Articles of Confederation | Signers of the United States Declaration of Independence | Presbyterian Ministers | Princeton University | NSDAR Patriot Ancestors, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. To fulfill this, he and his family emigrated to New Jersey in 1768. He voted in favor, and shortly after voted for the Declaration of Independence. He managed to move his family to safety, but was captured and imprisoned by the British. Of his courses, none was more important than Moral Philosophy (a required course), which Witherspoon considered vital for ministers, lawyers, and those holding positions in government (magistrates). Page 201.The Collections of the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. In 1752, John Stockton and his stepfather, Thomas Leonard, gave money and land to establish the College of Princeton (later Princeton University) in Princeton, New Jersey. The historian Douglass Adair writes, "The syllabus of Witherspoon's lectures . He attended the Haddington Grammar School, and obtained a Master of Arts from the University of Edinburgh in 1739. [2] Richard and his wife Abigail (nee unknown) were the parents of Richard "The Builder" Stockton, the grandfather of Rihcard "The Signer" Stockton. The two remaining sons were bred to professions, and arose to distinction. He was in his home surrounded by family, and died on Tuesday, May 11th 1779, at the age 66. In 1789 he was convening moderator of the First General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. He also made a mark in politics, serving as a member of the Continental Congress from 1776 until 1782. Witherspoon eschewed politics in America until 1774, but after that he steadily participated, directly and indirectly, in the leading events of the day. Stockton was the first person from New Jersey to sign the Declaration of Independence. Dreading the possibility of war, on December 12, 1774; he drew up and sent to Lord Dartmouth, Secretary for the Colonies An Expedient for the Settlement of the American Disputes, a plan for self-government of America, independent of Parliament but owing allegiance to the Crown. All three were captured, refused a British offer of amnesty if they would repudiate the American cause, and were shipped to the Crown stockade at St. Augustine, Florida. Half continued to serve their country after the war - several as President, many as members of Congress, governors, and state legislators - and a number of them played a role in drawing up the Constitution of the United States. Witherspoon Society, an organization of laypeople within the. Philip Livingston lost two homes and much of his business property, but was able to sell some of his remaining holdings to help maintain the credit of the United States. 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. However, none was more important than moral philosophy (a required course). It took only a few minutes to complete the signing, and it was agreed not to make the signatures public for six months to give the signers and their families as much time as possible to secure themselves against certain reprisals. Wife of Signer John Witherspoon Image: John Witherspoon John Witherspoon was born on February 5, 1722, at the village of Gifford, near Edinburgh, Scotland. Illinois University LibrariesCorner, George W., The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush. Morrison, Jeffry H. John Witherspoon and the Founding of the American Republic. In 1768, he left Scotland to travel to New Jersey, to accept a position as President of the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University). Documents of the American Revolution. John Witherspoon Collection, 1765-1903 (mostly 1767-1790) C0274 SOME ONLINE CONTENT. in Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland , United Kingdom, Died on November 15, 1794 Lanham, Md. Jan l8, 21, 22, 29, Feb 7, 1777, Tatum, ed., Jour. John Stockton married his cousin Abigail and assumed his wifes Presbyterian faith. He died in 1778 while separated from his family by the war. 1823, SOURCE: The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. He said that the task should fall to his rival Jefferson on three counts: "Reason first, you are a Virginian, and Virginia ought to appear at the head of this business. 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. Philip Stockton, Susanna Pintard, Oct 1 1730 - Morven, Princeton, New Jersey, Feb 28 1781 - Morven, Princeton, New Jersey, Annis Stockton (Signer Of Declaration Of Independence) (born Boudinot), Oct 1 1730 - Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, Feb 28 1781 - Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, dinot Rush (born Stockton), Mary Stockton, Susan Stockton, Lucius Horatio Stockton, Abigal Field, Abigail Stockton, Stockton, Hon. Philip Stockton, Rebecca Te kton, Susannah Cuthbert (born Stockton), Mary Stockton, Molly Rush (born Simpson), Richard Arthur Stockton, Lucius Horatio Stockton, Abig Oct 1 1730 - Princeton, Somerset, Province Of New Jersey, Feb 28 1781 - Princeton, Somerset, New Jersey, Usa, Susan STOCKTON, Julia STOCKTON, Richard Arthur STOCKTON, Abigail STOCKTON, Lucius STOCKTON, Susanna STOCKTON, Hannah STOCKTON, Rev. [3], Over 12,000 prisoners died in the prison ships and prisons in New York compared to 4,435 soldiers that died in combat over the six years of war. 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 passage of the Stamp Act of 1765 had infuriated many wealthy and influential colonists, and was responsible for beginning the storm that settled over that historic assembly in Philadelphia in July 1776. From 1758 to 1768, he was minister of the Laigh Kirk, Paisley (Low Kirk). Morven is now a State owned Museum, a magnificent home which stands today as a testimonial to the Stockton family. John Witherspoon, Parson and Patriot "He was one of the "Signers of the Declaration of Independence" John Witherspoon, son of James Witherspoon and Anne Walker was baptised in the parish of Yester, East Lothian on 10 February 1723. Dr. John Witherspoon, President of Princetion University and a signer of the American Declaration of Independence. Behind that fleet were all the wealth and power of the British Empire. They found the army in need of all necessary things and Stockton reported this to John Hancock. Washington had lunch with him, then had his famous Council of War at the nearby Hunt House. He lived in poverty for years before he was able to restore his property. Declaration of Independence, printed by John Dunlap, July 4, 1776, Records of the Continental and Confederation, Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789, Record Group 360; National Archives. He did not favor separation; rather, he suggested in 1764 that some colonial members be appointed to the Parliament. But Philadelphia was 80 miles away and a torrential rainstorm was swamping the region between the two cities. Stockton and his wife had six children, four daughters and two sons: Julia Stockton (married to Benjamin Rush, also a signer of the Declaration), Mary, Susan, Richard, Lucius and Abigail. So terribly was he ravaged by the disease that he wore a green silk scarf over part of his face, and was described by one colleague as "an animated skeleton, with a bandaged head.". Boudinot was appointed by General Washington to be commissary general of prisoners in the Revolutionary Army 1776-1779. Stone was the engraver. But none of the signers ever betrayed his pledged word. The British offered freedom for the boys if he would abandon the cause, but Abraham Clark refused. Thomas Heyward returned to find that his wife had died in hardship during his imprisonment. Born in 1723, he received the finest education available to a bright young gentleman of that era. 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. Although he was released unharmed a few days later, he later had trouble sleeping, and would often faint in broad-daylight. Reason third, you can write ten times better than I can.". Mailer, Gideon. Richard Stocktons eldest son Richard became a New Jersey senator and Stocktons served in Congress for four generations. Doctor Samuel Finley at Nottingham Academy in Maryland, and then attended the College of New Jersey at Newark graduating in 1748 before the college relocated to Princeton. The former John Witherspoon Middle School, Princeton, New Jersey. Besides paper documents, it is one of four still-existing objects that were present during the Constitutional Convention, along with the Liberty Bell, the chair that George Washington sat in as the Constitutional Convention's . Please try again. Politically active, Witherspoon was a delegate from New Jersey to the Second Continental Congress and a signatory to the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence. [15] Thus, Witherspoon and his family emigrated to New Jersey in 1768. References:Sanderson, Biography of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, page 195, 1831. ref>[1]Sanderson, Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1823, page 156, 195.Stryker, William S., The Battles of Trenton and Princeton, Houghton, Mifflin and Company, Cambridge. Born in Scotland, John lived there for the first half of his adult life, marrying and having children there, and becoming a Presbyterian minister. Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Vol 3, p.115Glynn, His Sacred Honor Judge Richard Stockton a signer of the Declaration of Independence, 2006, page 197Patriots of the American Revolution, May/June 2010, Vol 3, Issue 3. Annis Boudinot Stockton was one of Americas first female published poets. The militia commander was signer Thomas Nelson Jr., who noticed that the artillery gunners were shelling everything in the vicinity except his own stately brick mansion, which was being used as British headquarters. 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 council he was wise and firm, but always prudent and moderateThe office of Judge of the province was never filled with more integrity and learning that it was by him for several years before the revolution. Nothing was ever written about doubts of Stockton's loyalty in any of the papers of members of Congress, or in any newspapers or books of the time. Civil government owed more to the latter than the former in Witherspoon's Presbyterian doctrine. They had ten children, with five surviving to adulthood. But a declining health, and a constitution worn out with application and with service, obliged him, shortly after, to retire from the line of public duty, and hath at length dismissed him from the world." His handsome features and highly polished manners made him very popular. Philip STOCKTON, Rev. Witherspoon personally taught courses in eloquence or belles lettres, chronology (history), and divinity. General Washington ordered that the document be read to each Army brigade on July 9th, and he reported afterwards to Congress on "the expressions and behavior of officers and men testifying their warmest and approbation of it." He was born at Gifford which is the neighbouring parish to the one John Knox was born in. 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. A statue of Richard Stockton by Henry Kirke Brown was dedicated by congressional proceedings in 1888 and placed in Statuary Hall in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. 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