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.". The Witherspoon Institute is an independent research center that works to enhance public understanding of the moral foundations of free and democratic societies. 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. American independence Witherspoon was a strong supporter of America and American independence. Worthy to note: John Witherspoon, the only clergyman to sign our Declaration of Independence was the nephew of both Margaret and Janette Witherspoon. Husband of Elizabeth Witherspoon and Anne Witherspoon 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, Witherspoon finally accepted a second invitation to become president and head professor of the small Presbyterian College of New Jersey in Princeton. Meanwhile, the New York State Convention had finally voted to allow its delegates to approve the Declaration, and on July 15th New York became the 13th colony to affirm independence. Miss Montgomery, at an early age, and at the time of his immigration had three sons and two daughters. This article was originally published in 2009. Father of Julia Rush; Mary Hunter; Susannah Cuhtburt; Sen. Richard Stockton; Lucius Horatio Stockton and 2 others; Abigail Field and Abigail Dunbar less After resting and preparing for battle the troops left on the 24th. The oldest, James, was a major in the Revolutionary army, and fell at the battle of Germantown. On his return to Princeton, he traveled 30 miles east to the home of a friend, John Covenhoven, to evacuate his family to safety, and away from the path of the British army. According to John Witherspoon, he arrived on or before July 3rd. This Commonwealth approach was not acceptable to the King, had it been the British could have avoided the war that freed the colonies and deprived the King of the fairest jewel in his crown. Photographic tour of John Witherspoon's grave at Princeton Cemetery. He became a member of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and purchased 2000 acres of land in Burlington, New Jersey. [11] During his two pastorates he wrote three well-known works on theology, notably the satire "Ecclesiastical Characteristics" (1753),[12] which opposed the philosophical influence of Francis Hutcheson.[13]. 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.". Only John Hancock signed the declaration that day, and a formal signing by all the delegates was scheduled for August 2nd. David, the youngest son, graduated the same year as his brother John, married the widow of Abner Nash, and practiced law in New Bern, North Carolina. On the day of the signing, the British fleet - an armada of dozens of ships with 42,000 sailors and soldiers - was waiting off the coast to crush these patriots and make an example of them. Some had left Congress; others were away and had to sign later; and several new delegates had since been elected. Stocktons home Morven had been occupied by British General Cornwallis. Scots Presbyterian minister and a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey. He immediately began fund-raisinglocally and back home in Scotlandadded three hundred of his own books to the library, and began purchasing scientific equipment including the Rittenhouse orrery, many maps, and a terrestrial globe. "Sir, out of respect to you," an artilleryman replied." Morrison, Jeffry H. John Witherspoon and the Founding of the American Republic. John Witherspoon (1723-1794)John Witherspoon was the only active clergyman among the signers of the Declaration of Independence. His wife was poet Annis Boudinot Stockton, sister of New Jersey statesman Elias Boudinot. No one changed his mind. He married Elizabeth Montgomery on 2 September 1748, in Scotland, United Kingdom. He also firmed up entrance requirements. John Knox was his ancestor. New Jersey was overrun by the British in November of '76, when he was returning from the mission. In 1743 he became a Presbyterian Minister at a parish in Beith, where he married, authored three noted works on theology. Witherspoon accepted the impossibility of maintaining public morality or virtue in the citizenry without an effective religion. Son of Honorable John Stockton and Abigail Stockton Named after John Witherspoon, one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence, the . This latter claim of Knox descent though ancient in origin is long disputed and without primary documentation. But none of the signers ever betrayed his pledged word. Shortly after he signed the Declaration of Independence, he was taken prisoner by the British. Park Service 1973Glynn, John C. & Kathryn Glynn, His Sacred Honor Judge Richard Stockton A Signer of the Declaration of Independence. 1777."[10]. Let us shortly consider (1.) Charles A. Goodrich, 1856The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence article on StocktonThe Richard Stockton Statue at the Architect of the CapitolAppleton's cyclopdia of American Biography article on StocktonRichard Stockton at Richard Stockton CollegeAmerican Heritage article on Stockton and the Declaration of Allegiance.Richard Stockton at Find a Grave. Witherspoon served in Congress from June 1776 until November 1782 and became one of its most influential members and a workhorse of prodigious energy. Son of James Alexander Witherspoon, III and Anne Witherspoon It was only through a protracted effort on the part of several eminent Americans, including Richard Stockton and Benjamin Rush, that the colonies were able to acquire his service. 2008 - 2022 INTERESTING.COM, INC. 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. 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. He was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration. Another daughter, Ann, married Samuel Stanhope Smith, who succeeded Witherspoon as president of Princeton. Geni requires JavaScript! The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. He attended the Haddington Grammar School, and obtained a Master of Arts from the University of Edinburgh in 1739. This address, from a person of your refined taste and elegance of expression, affords a pleasure beyond my powers of utterance, and I have only to lament that the hero of your pastoral is not more deserving of your pen; but the circumstance shall be placed among the happiest events of my life. The second time his life was preserved was in Ireland. On July 2, 1776, the day of the vote on independence, another delegate claimed that America wasn't yet ripe enough for independence. On January 3, 1777, General George Washington was directed by Congress to protest against the shocking and inhuman treatment of the honorable Richard Stockton to General William Howe. Boudinot was appointed by General Washington to be commissary general of prisoners in the Revolutionary Army 1776-1779. Lately Stockton has been maligned by a few writers claiming that Stockton took a pardon from General Howe and swore allegiance to the king. Stockton wrote fellow signer Abraham Clark Dear Sir, Before I left Philadelphia Congress appointed a Committee, consisting of one member from each state, to devise ways and means for furnishing the Army with clothing and etc. A member of the five-man drafting committee created immediately after the Lee resolution was introduced, Jefferson had proposed that John Adams of Massachusetts undertake the actual writing of the statement, but Adams declined. He was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration on July 4th, 1776. 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. Witherspoon owned slaves during his time as Princeton's president. If so, login to add it. The continental army had to depend on Congress and the states to provide for them, and help for the army was slow in coming if it came at all. He was prominent in many reforms, especially in the areas of medicine and education. In the famous painting The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, Richard Stockton is standing on the far left side of the painting the third figure from the left. Upon his arrival at then College of New Jersey, Witherspoon found the school in debt, with weak instruction and an outdated library. "There," he had said after writing his name in large, bold letters. This claim is based on a private letter quoting a rumor spread by an enemy of Stockton. Richard Stockton (1730-1781)Signer of the Declaration of Independence. The Witherspoon Society is a body of laypeople within the Presbyterian Church (USA), in existence since 1979, that is activist in liberal and progressive causes. On his deathbed, John Morton sent these final words to those who had rejected him: " Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it [the signing] as the most glorious service I have ever rendered to my country.". Such was the caliber of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, the men who risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to establish the American Republic and guarantee our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The 47 year-old son of a plantation owner, he was first elected to the colonial legislature in 1761, and sent to the first and second Continental Congresses. John Witherspoons American Revolution. 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. Tonight there was to be no rest for this weary patriot. Parades and demonstrations, patriotic observances and celebrations, were held across the states. The main building, Nassau Hall, was badly damaged and his papers and personal notes were lost. And like Pictet, Witherspoon was eager to show that the truths of supernatural revelation could be squared with reason. [1] John married Elisabeth Montgomerie in the parish of Beith, Ayrshire on 14 August 1748. The time had come to vote again on Richard Henry Lee's resolution. The males in his family were all clergymen, and he was trained to become a Presbyterian minister. 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. 1730-1781 ) Signer of the Declaration that day, and fell at battle... Especially in the Revolutionary army 1776-1779 all clergymen, and at the battle of Germantown long disputed without... 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