The Lives and Times of Our Founding Fathers - 2
In this post: Elbridge Gerry, Thomas Heyward, Jr., William Floyd
Founding Fathers Series
Step into history like never before.
Starting today and on a daily basis (Mon thru Fri), we will be posting 2 to 3 videos, about 5 minutes worth of videos, presenting the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the ladies of the American Revolution come alive through vivid, first-person storytelling.
This Series will be tagged on the right column of our blog as Founding Father Series
You may not know some, that does not devalue the contributions they provided in the founding of our country.
Their courage, sacrifice, and triumph unfold in gripping moments that shaped America’s founding.
Joshiah Bartlett
Josiah Bartlett, an American Founding Father, was born on November 21, 1729, in Amesbury, Massachusetts. He was the seventh and last child of Stephen Bartlett, a shoemaker, and Hannah Webster. He began studying medicine at age sixteen and started his own medical practice in Kingston, New Hampshire, in 1750. Bartlett married his first cousin, Mary Bartlett, in 1754, and they had twelve children, eight of whom survived to adulthood.
Bartlett was a physician, statesman, and a delegate to the Continental Congress for New Hampshire. He was a signatory to both the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. He was elected President of New Hampshire in 1790 and became the state’s first elected chief executive to hold the title of Governor in 1792, serving until 1794. Bartlett was also the first president of the New Hampshire Medical Society. He passed away on May 19, 1795, and was buried in Kingston, New Hampshire.
George Read
George Read was an American politician, lawyer, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, known for signing both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. He was born on September 18, 1733, in Cecil County, Maryland, to John and Mary Howell Read. His family later moved to Delaware when he was an infant. Read received his education at Rev. Francis Alison’s Academy in New London, Pennsylvania, and subsequently studied law in Philadelphia with John Moland. He was admitted to the bar in 1753 and began his law practice in New Castle, Delaware, in 1754.
Read served in various political capacities throughout his career. He was the Crown Attorney General for the three Delaware counties from 1763 to 1774. He was also a member of the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1777, during which time he initially voted against the resolution for independence, believing it to be premature. Despite this, he ultimately signed the Declaration of Independence. In 1776, he authored Delaware’s first Constitution and served as its president (the executive leader of Delaware was known as the President from 1776 to 1792). Read was also a delegate to the 1787 U.S. Constitutional Convention, where he supported the interests of small states and advocated for a strong executive. After the ratification of the Constitution, he served as a U.S. Senator from Delaware from 1789 to 1793 and later as the Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court from 1793 until his death on September 21, 1798. He is buried in Immanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery in New Castle, Delaware.
William Ellery
William Ellery, a Founding Father of the United States, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, on December 22, 1727, to William Ellery Sr. and Elizabeth Almy. He received his early education from his father, a merchant and Harvard College graduate, and later graduated from Harvard College in 1747, excelling in Greek and Latin. Ellery passed the bar in 1770 and began his legal practice, having served as Clerk of the Court starting in 1750, a role that familiarized him with law and the writing of writs and deeds. He was an active opponent of British policy toward the colonies as early as 1765.
Ellery became a representative for Rhode Island in the Continental Congress and was one of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, taking the place of Samuel Ward. He also signed the Articles of Confederation. His public service included roles such as a customs collector, Clerk of the Rhode Island General Assembly, and an associate justice on the Supreme Court of Rhode Island after the Constitutional Convention. He died on February 15, 1820, at the age of 92 and was buried in the Common Burial Ground in Newport.