New Jersey’s signers of the Declaration should be heralded
by Payal Marathe, Packet Media Group
Of the countless American heroes to be celebrated this week, five are especially significant for the Garden State — the representatives from New Jersey who signed the Declaration of Independence.
There was Richard Stockton, Princeton graduate and successful lawyer. There was John Witherspoon, president of Princeton University, at the time called the College of New Jersey. There was John Hart, a Hopewell man known for his honesty and public service. There was Abraham Clark, “the poor man’s counselor” from Elizabethtown. And rounding out the group was Francis Hopkinson, a prolific writer born in Philadelphia.
As revolution was brewing in 1776, colonists in New Jersey were “deeply divided,” according to Princeton University professor Hendrik Hartog.
Mr. Hartog explained that while people tend to believe all colonists were passionate about dissolving ties with Great Britain, “places like New Jersey were really contested spaces.”
When the original New Jersey delegation hesitated to support independence, a state convention recalled the men from Philadelphia and sent in five replacements known for their fervent patriotism.
The new, handpicked delegates arrived at the Second Continental Congress in late June 1776, and just days later signed their names into American history.
Or as Hopewell Museum curator Beverly Weidl describes it, they made themselves “enemies of the king.”
These five brave historical figures are of great importance to Princeton and to New Jersey, said Eve Mandel of the Princeton Historical Society.
”Princeton prides itself on its Revolutionary War history,” Ms. Mandel said. “Unlike during the Civil War, battles during the Revolutionary War did take place in New Jersey, which is another reason why the Declaration is so important to us as a state.”
Accordingly, local historical venues look forward to honoring the signers of the Declaration. The Princeton Historical Society currently has an exhibit on display focused on the significance of street names, including Witherspoon Street and Stockton Street. “We Heart Princeton: Stories from the Street” will be open through the end of the year at least, Ms. Mandel said.
Morven, Mr. Stockton’s former home at 55 Stockton Street, is hosting an Independence Day celebration from 12 to 3 p.m. on July 4. Curator Elizabeth Allan said since Morven is the only home of a New Jersey signer open to the public, she hopes people take advantage of the opportunity to learn some unique, remarkable history.Mr. Hart will be celebrated at the Old School Baptist Meeting House in Hopewell, near his burial site and monument. Ms. Weidl said the house would be open to the public from 2 to 4 p.m. on July 4, and informational pamphlets will be handed out.
Each of these five men is valued for his contributions both to the American Revolution and to local, colonial New Jersey.
Mr. Stockton graduated from Princeton University’s first class in 1748. Ms. Allan called him a “well-respected lawyer” who symbolizes sacrifice.
After signing the Declaration, Mr. Stockton and his family were forced by approaching British troops to flee Princeton in November 1776. Mr. Stockton sought refuge in Monmouth County, which turned out to be a bad decision, Ms. Allan said.
Monmouth was home to loyalist activity, and Mr. Stockton was captured and imprisoned. In order to be released, he signed an oath to no longer partake in revolutionary activities. Although his family was moved to safety, his home, now the Morven Msueum, and property were ransacked.
”What Mr. Stockton shows is the types of decisions people had to make,” Ms. Allan said. “These choices are often romanticized, but imagine being in jail and having your family out there in the middle of a war zone and your house is being looted.”
Ms. Allan added that thousands of patriots had to sign similar pledges to get out of jail during the war, but that this action should not negate the tremendous sacrifices they made for their country.
Mr. Stockton signed an Oath of Abjuration and Allegiance a few months later to once again involve himself on the American side of the Revolution.
It is truly a shame that the British burned all of Mr. Stockton’s books, which would have revealed much more about him, Ms. Allan said. Information about Mr. Stockton has been determined from correspondence written by his wife, an early female poet, and other family members, she added.
Mr. Witherspoon joined Mr. Stockton as the second Princeton man to represent New Jersey as the Second Continental Congress.
Educated in Scotland, Mr. Witherspoon did not join the colonies until 1768 when he accepted a position as president of the university.
Despite his foreign roots, Mr. Witherspoon was outspoken in his support for the colonial cause.
”I think there’s both a religious and general political ideology, which we today call civic republicanism, that looked at the English court and government as being potentially corrupt,” Mr. Hartog said.
Ms. Weidl said many Scottish people identified with this contempt for the British crown.
In Congress, many delegates from other colonies kept wrongly referring to Scots as British. Mr. Witherspoon was “very firm” in correcting them, and in saying “we may be English, but we’re never British,” Ms. Weidl explained.
As a religious man, Mr. Witherspoon was especially angered when Parliament attempted to control colonial church practices. He was appointed official congressional chaplain during the Second Continental Congress.
Notably, his contributions to the university are almost as great as his contributions to the Revolution. Mr. Witherspoon donated 300 of his own books to the library and fundraised to purchase science equipment. After the war, he dedicated himself to rebuilding the college, which British troops had destroyed.
Mr. Witherspoon was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration.
While Mr. Witherspoon was instrumental in establishing the Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, Mr. Hart is known for the land he gave to the Old School Baptist Meeting House in Hopewell.
Though Mr. Hart himself was a Presbyterian, he donated land to support his Baptist friends because he wanted to give them a place to gather and share their religious beliefs, Ms. Weidl said, adding that his actions throughout the war showed this spirit of friendship.
Mr. Hart fled Hopewell in late 1776. When the British made an offer of pardon, he rejected it swiftly, instead spending the cold winter months as a fugitive in caves.
”He was 100 percent a supporter of the Revolution, but he was very quiet about his determination,” Ms. Weidl said.
Returning to his farm in January 1777, Mr. Hart found his wife dead, his property looted and his children dispersed, never again to be brought together as a family.
Still, his American loyalty and generosity continued.
In the summer of 1778, he invited the American army to encamp on his property, hosting 12,000 men for two days and having lunch with General George Washington.
Mr. Hart was known as “honest John” because of this exuberant integrity, and he has been honored throughout history for his resilience and fairness. Ms. Weidl said one of the first monuments ever erected to commemorate one of New Jersey’s sons was a statue of Mr. Hart raised on July 4, 1865, at the Old School Baptist Meeting House.
Mr. Clark also had a monument erected in his honor near his burial site in Rahway Cemetery. Clark Township is named after this fourth New Jersey delegate to sign the Declaration.
The Clark family lived in Elizabethtown for many generations, and Mr. Clark served as head sheriff of Essex County prior to being elected to Congress. Over 100 battles and skirmishes took place on the Clark property during the war.
”The poor man’s counselor” was a fitting title for Mr. Clark, who self-studied law and dedicated his career to protecting the rights of poor farmers.
Historians believe his concern for the common man is likely what motivated Mr. Clark’s passion for the colonial cause. He refused to wear a wig, ruffled shirt or anything else indicative of high social standing during congressional debates, and was thus the signer of the Declaration closest to being a regular colonist.
Mr. Clark faced a similar dilemma to Mr. Stockton and Mr. Hart when his sons were captured as prisoners of war. The British tried to strike a deal, but he refused to renounce his loyalty for the American side.
Finally, although he was raised in Philadelphia and was a member of the first graduating class from the College of Pennsylvania, now known as the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Hopkinson completed the New Jersey delegation.
His affiliation with New Jersey began when he was selected as customs collector for Salem, New Jersey. He later moved to Bordentown, where he became a lawyer and married Ann Borden.
Mr. Hopkinson’s contributions to the Revolution went far beyond his signature on the Declaration.
As a renowned writer, his satires scorned the British and encouraged a spirit of independence throughout the colonies. As a musician, he wrote pieces that General Washington was very fond of, Ms. Weidl said.
As an artist, Mr. Hopkinson created his own design for the American flag, which served as inspiration and guidance for later, official versions of the flag.
Mr. Hopkinson died in 1791 of a massive epileptic seizure. Similarly tragic deaths took the other New Jersey delegates, some of who did not even get to see the end of the war.
Mr. Stockton passed away in 1781 two years before the Treaty of Paris recognized the United States as an independent nation. Ms. Allan said his later years make up a “shadowy story,” but historians believe he died from cancer of the mouth.
On his farm Tusculum, right outside of Princeton, Mr. Witherspoon passed away in November 1794 after becoming completely blind. He was buried in Princeton Cemetery.
Mr. Hart’s health suffered from the winter months he spent as a fugitive away from his Hopewell home, and he passed away in May 1779, well before America achieved sovereignty.
Mr. Clark died from sunstroke at his Elizabethtown home in 1794.
But regardless of whether they lived to see the American colonies become the United States, each of these five men is a special character, Ms. Weidl said.
Their commitment to the Revolution is something to be appreciated and celebrated this July 4, and every Independence Day to come.