Geographist

Samuel Huntington Born: July 16, 1731 (Windham, Connecticut) Died: January 5, 1796 (Norwich, Connecticut) This week we'll turn our sites to the final delegate from Connecticut, but although he might be the last on our list he can claim several other firsts.  Born on a farm just east of the town of Windham as the fourth of ten children, Samuel Huntington was the son of a farmer and clothier named Nathaniel Huntington and his wife Mehetabel.  The family was active in life of the community, as Nathaniel's father had helped found the town, but young Samuel was not given the advantage of a formal education.  Instead, he worked with his father on the farm and was eventually apprenticed to a cooper who trained him in the building of casks and barrels.  Samuel enjoyed learning, however, and began borrowing books to study, particularly focusing on the subject of law.  A nearby minister named Ebenezer Devotion was a source of both information and encouragement, and by the age of 23 Samue

Matthew Thornton Born: March 3, 1714 (Ireland) Died: June 24, 1803 (Newburyport, Massachusetts) I hope everyone who reads this had a tremendous Thanksgiving with your loved ones (at least those in the USA who celebrated it this past week), and that those of you from elsewhere are joining in as we begin to prepare for Christmas.  The focus of this week's study was a member of both of those two geographic groups, coincidentally, as he was one of eight individuals born overseas to sign the Declaration of Independence.  Matthew Thornton was born in northern Ireland, possibly on March 3, 1714, although that date is debated.  His family lived near the town of Derry, although other towns in the counties of Londonderry and Antrim have also been suggested as young Matthew's birthplace.  His parents were James and Elizabeth Thornton, and in 1817 they emigrated to the colony of Massachusetts.  They settled in the town of Wicasset, which is in the modern state of Maine, where they stayed u

Elbridge Gerry Born: July 17, 1744 (Marblehead, Massachusetts) Died: November 23, 1814 (Washington, District of Columbia) This week we will get to know a man who may well be best known for a common term that was coined as a derogatory play on his name.  As the third child of Captain Thomas Gerry and his wife, Elizabeth, Elbridge Gerry was born along the coast just north of Boston.  Little is definitively known about his upbringing, but he was a capable student who graduated from Harvard in 1762, then again with a Master's degree at just 20 years of age.  Harvard was a hotbed of Whig ideology at the time, a viewpoint marked by distrust of centralized authority that was central to the spirit of the American Revolution, and the influence it had on young Elbridge is evidenced by the fact that his Master's dissertation focused on opposition to the recently-passed Stamp Act.  Once his formal schooling was completed Elbridge joined his father's shipping and mercantile business, an

William Floyd Born: December 17, 1734 (Brookhaven, New York) Died: August 4, 1821 (Westernville, New York) This week we'll look into the life of our sixth and final William appearing on the Declaration of Independence.  Born in what is today known as the town of Mastic on Long Island to Nicoll and Tabitha Floyd, William Floyd was the second of nine children raised on their sprawling 4,400 acre estate.  Well on his way to receiving the best education available at the time, his plans were interrupted late in his teenage years upon the death of his father, followed by his mother just months later.  As the oldest son, William had to assume responsibility for running both his family and their farm.  When he turned 21 in 1755 he inherited the property, and from all accounts he was a practical and profitable steward.  In addition to farming, he also utilized his proximity to the water to engage in shipping, have access to fish and oysters, and attract wealthy friends who might be seeking

John Penn Born: May 17, 1741 (Port Royal, Virginia) Died: September 14, 1788 (Stovall, North Carolina) The Penn name is typically associated with the family that founded and dominated Pennsylvania's early history, but this week we'll look into the story of someone else who has been overshadowed.  John Penn began his life in simple surroundings, the only son of moderately wealthy parents named Moses and Catherine Penn.  Moses was a farmer who did not see the need in being educated in order to become successful, and therefore young John only received two years of schooling as a child.  At the age of 18, however, John lost his father and was taken in by an uncle named Edmund Pendleton, an attorney whose friends included George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams.  In Pendleton's library John found a wealth of legal education and by 1762 he was admitted to the bar and licensed to practice law.  The following year he married Susannah Lyne at the age of 22, and the coupl

Abraham Clark Born: February 15, 1726 (Elizabethtown, New Jersey) Died: September 15, 1794 (Rahway, New Jersey) This week we'll take a closer look into the life of the man whose first name shows up at the top alphabetically among the Founding Fathers to learn what else we can about him.  Abraham Clark was the only child of Thomas and Hannah Clark, who lived on a farm just outside of what is today Elizabeth, NJ (the place of his birth is now within the city limits of Roselle, NJ).  On his mother's side, he was directly descended from one of the 80 founders of Elizabethtown, as it was then known, and his family on both sides was well known for public service.  Young Abraham was seemingly a frail child, as his father did not permit him to participate in manual labor on the family farm, and he also did not get much in the way of formal education.  Showing a bit of skill in mathematics, however, Abraham received tutoring at home in that discipline as well as surveying.  On his own,

Richard Henry Lee Born: January 20, 1732 (Westmoreland County, Virginia) Died: June 19, 1794 (Westmoreland County, Virginia) If you've been following this blog for a while, you may remember our study of Francis Lightfoot Lee several months ago.  Today we will dig into the story of his brother, Richard Henry Lee, to complete the only pair of siblings to both sign America's founding document.  As the fifth son of the 11 children who were born to Colonel Thomas Lee and his wife, Hannah, Richard was born just two years ahead of Francis but had a different upbringing.  All of the Lee children were initially educated at their family home, a tobacco plantation named Stratford Hall, but Richard was the last of the sons to be sent to England for additional studies.  While attending Wakefield Academy in 1750 he received news that his parents had died, leaving his oldest brother Phillip in charge of the family.  Richard was directed to return home, but he decided first to travel through

Oliver Wolcott Born: November 20, 1726 (Windsor, Connecticut) Died: December 1, 1797 (Litchfield, Connecticut) My favorite baseball team took a painful loss in the playoffs today, so it seems appropriate somehow that the initials of this week's Founding Father spell out what I'm feeling right now - OW.  And the family he was born into could have easily fielded their own sports team, seeing how Oliver Wolcott was the 14th child of his parents, Roger and Sarah Wolcott.  Oliver had a privileged upbringing as the son of a high-ranking colonial official in Connecticut, and was an exceptional student when he studied at Yale College.  Before he could graduate in 1747, however, New York's Governor George Clinton commissioned the young man to raise a militia in preparation for the French and Indian War.  Oliver completed his studies and was granted the rank of captain.  He served along the northern frontier of New York to defend against invasion from Canada until the war's end i

James Smith Born: September 17, 1719 (Ulster, Ireland) Died: July 11, 1806 (York, Pennsylvania) Many of the founders of the United States have extensive biographies, but this week we examine the life of one man about whom little is known for certain.  The date of his birth appears to be an assumption, and in fact the exact year may not even be correct.  James Smith was from somewhere in the northern Ireland region of Ulster, and as such was one of just eight individuals from another nation to sign the Declaration of Independence.  As the second son of a wealthy farmer, James crossed the Atlantic with his family in 1729 and settled in Pennsylvania, likely in Chester County.  As a child he was educated by a local minister until he relocated to Philadelphia in order to study under Dr. Francis Alison at the Philadelphia Academy (now the Ivy League's prestigious University of Pennsylvania).  After graduating, James worked briefly as a surveyor before moving to Lancaster, where his broth

Francis Hopkinson Born: October 2, 1737 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Died: May 9, 1791 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) I assure you that my decision to select this week's subject had nothing to do with his birthday, despite the fact that the timing seems appropriate in light of that detail.  As the oldest of eight children born to Thomas and Mary Hopkinson, Francis Hopkinson enjoyed a privileged upbringing and displayed a wide range of interests at a very young age.  Although his father died when Francis was just 14, his mother made sure he was able to attend the school her late husband had helped found alongside Benjamin Franklin, the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania).  As a member of the very first class, Francis began writing music during his spare time and completed his first work, Ode to Music, soon after enrolling.  He received his B.A in 1757 followed by an M.A. three years later, and in between is credited with composing the first original American s

George Read Born: September 18, 1733 (Cecil County, Maryland) Died: September 21, 1798 (New Castle, Delaware) Last week we looked at George Ross, who was perhaps better known for one of his relatives than for his own actions.  This week we'll get to know another George who also ended up being related to Ross, and perhaps it isn't surprising that they came from the same area, although they represented different states.  George Read was the oldest son born at home on his family's land in Cecil County, Maryland, near the town of North East.  His parents were named John and Mary - John was a colonel and wealthy landowner originally from Dublin, and Mary was the daughter of a Welsh planter.  Born near the intersection of three modern states (although Delaware was then part of Pennsylvania, although it had its own assembly), he spent portions of his childhood in all three.  Shortly after his birth, the family relocated to New Castle, Delaware, and young George attended schools in

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George Ross Born: May 10, 1730 (New Castle, Delaware) Died: July 14, 1779 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) This week we'll take a look at a man who once appeared on a three cent stamp to commemorate the woman his nephew married, and is perhaps best known for being related to her.  As one of sixteen children born to a Scottish Anglican minister by the name of George Aeneas Ross, George Ross' last name had come from the title his family had held since 1226 when his ancestor was named the 1st Earl of Ross by King Alexander II of Scotland.  The reverend had children with two wives, and history does not record which was the mother of young George.  Education was a family affair, as George was taught entirely at home before moving to Philadelphia to study law under his brother, John, in 1748.  Even without a college degree, George was able to join the Pennsylvania bar two years later at 20 years of age.  He decided to open his law practice in Lancaster, PA, where one of his first clients

William Paca Born: October 31, 1740 (Abingdon, Maryland)  Died: October 13,1799 (Wye Island, Maryland)  Since I made a point last week of bringing up the frequency of certain names, it seems fitting that we  now allow the men of the William contingent to catch up with Thomas as the most frequent given name among our Founding Fathers.  Our fifth member of this particular group is William Paca (pronounced PAY-kuh), who was one of seven children born to his affluent parents, John and Elizabeth Paca.  Despite having a wealthy family, William was the youngest of the two boys and was therefore not in line to inherit much of an estate.  Consequently, it was important that he receive an education and learn a vocation that would provide him the best path to become successful.  John Paca made sure that young William did receive a quality education as a child, and at the age of fifteen he entered the College of Philadelphia to study law.  He received his bachelor's degree there in 1759 and, a

William Ellery Born: December 22, 1727 (Newport, Rhode Island) Died: February 15, 1820 (Newport, Rhode Island) You've likely noticed by now that some first names were quite popular among the signers of the Declaration of Independence.  So far, for instance, we've been introduced to three men named George, four named John, and five named Thomas.  This week we'll add our fourth William to the list as we look at the second of two signers from our smallest state, Rhode Island.  William Ellery was the second son of his father, who bore the same name, and his wife Elizabeth.  The elder William was a well-educated merchant who taught his sons at home while they were children.  Young William followed in his father's footsteps by studying at Harvard, where he graduated in 1747 at the age of 19.  He returned home to Newport and immediately began working for the family business as a merchant while also becoming a colonial naval officer.  In 1750, William married a fellow Newport r

Robert Treat Paine Born: March 11, 1731 (Boston, Massachusetts) Died: May 11, 1814 (Boston, Massachusetts) This week we return to studying patriots born on the west side of the Atlantic to find out a little more about one of the Massachusetts signers.  Born as the second-youngest of five children, Robert Treat Paine was the son of a Baptist minister named Thomas Paine and his wife, Eunice.  His family tree was fairly notable, descending from a merchant named Stephen Hopkins who had initially come to the New World in 1610, then returned to England before crossing the Atlantic once more as the only passenger aboard the Mayflower  with experience in the colonies.  The young boy took his name from his maternal great-grandfather, Robert Treat, who had been the governor of Connecticut as well as founder of Newark, New Jersey.  Another ancestor, Samuel Willard, had pastored Boston's Old South Church as well as served as vice president of Harvard College.  Before Robert was old enough to s