John Hart: NJ Signer of the Declaration
John Hart was born sometime in late 1713 and baptized on December 21, 1713, in Hopewell Township, New Jersey. Some historians say he was born in Stonington, Connecticut, and moved to Hopewell before his baptism. He was born to Edward and Martha (Firmin) Furman Clark and was one of five children. His family’s ancestry is hard to trace because a fire burned the early records in Flushing, Long Island, in 1789. Hart may have been descended from an Edward Hart. The first known Hart to be verified was John Hart, who was identified in 1648 after he appeared before the Governor and his council for failing to vote for a sheriff. He lived in Newtown, Long Island, around 1704, and settled in Hopewell, New Jersey, where his name again appears in the records. This John Hart appears to be the grandfather of the John Hart who signed, and the genealogy is based on land transaction records, dates, and some supposition.
While some records indicate that Hart was born in Stonington, Connecticut, we cannot be sure, as the family moved to New Jersey in 1713. Reverend Frederick Andrews baptized Hart in Maidenhead, now known as Hopewell. Little else is known about his younger years. He did have some schooling and could read, write, and do arithmetic, but he was a poor speller.
In 1739, he married Deborah Scudder, who was illiterate and never even learned to write her name. She was the daughter of Richard Scudder, who passed away when she was 10 years old. She was raised by her grandparents, Lieutenant Richard and Hannah Scudder. During their courtship, he would drive 30 miles round-trip to see her. She is described as an amiable woman, but no other description of her survives.
They have 13 children together and, unlike the legend surrounding John Hart, he would see his children after the Revolution. Their first child, Sarah, was born on October 16, 1741, and passed away in 1800. She marries Jacob Wikoff and has at least 8 children. Their next child, a son named Jess, was born on September 19, 1742, and died in January of 1815. He marries Martha Mattison and has at least 6 children. They would move to Washington County, Pennsylvania, to raise a family. A daughter, Martha, was born on April 10, 1746, and died young, but her date of death is unknown. She marries Jonas Wood and has at least 2 children. Another son, Nathaniel, was born on October 29, 1747, and died in 1825, although the exact year cannot be confirmed. He marries Elizabeth Stout, also known as Betsey, and moves to Kentucky in 1796. She was a registered Baptist, but none of their nine children appear in the register for a Baptist church. He was named after his uncle, who passed away in 1742. John was born on October 29, 1748, and passed away on March 22, 1790, in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. He had to move out of Hopewell because the Tories were harassing him. They burned his buildings and killed all of his livestock. He moved to Gloucester County and built a fine home, where he lived with his wife, Catherine Knowles, and their seven children. He may have been married a second time, but the records are very unclear about this, which makes him one of Hart’s most puzzling sons. Another daughter, Susannah, was born on August 2, 1750, and passed on February 2, 1832. She marries Major John Polhemus and has at least eight children. Their daughter, Mary, was born on April 7, 1750, and died in 1782. She never married and possibly had a child out of wedlock, as her father engaged in litigation over a “bastard” child around 1770. The litigation involved a Gideon de Camp, who was a widower at the time. However, the records are limited, but what records do exist show that de Camp had to pay Hart £1000 if he failed to make a series of £50 payments starting in 1771, for the care of said child, until he paid a total of £200. De Camp defaults, and Hart takes him to court, winning the entire £1000. Mary was the only child not mentioned in Hart’s will. Abigail was born on February 10, 1754, and married Moses Stout, with whom she had at least 8 children. Her date of death is unknown. Edward, born on December 20, 1755, fought in the Revolution and may have been at the Battle of Trenton. His enlistment had ended in November of that year, but he extended it for an additional two months. He marries Nancy Stout and has at least 9 children. Edward was named after his grandfather, who passed away on October 5, 1812. Hart and Deborah’s tenth child was named Scudder. He was born in 1757, but some records say he died in infancy, while others say he may have lived until 1778. It does appear that he passed away before Hart. They had an unnamed infant daughter in 1761. Another boy, Daniel, was born on August 13, 1762, and passed away on September 12, 1848. He marries Margaret (Peggy) Burd, and they move to Beverly, Virginia, in 1794. They would have nine children together, and he is buried in Beverly Cemetery. Their final child, Deborah, was born on August 21, 1765, when her mother was 44 years old. She was born an aunt, as her older sister had two children by then. She marries Joseph Ott in 1786, and they have at least 4 children. Deborah passed away in 1848 as a member of the Baptist Meeting House Church.[1]
Coinciding with his marriage to Deborah, Hart buys 193 acres of land in Hopewell, New Jersey. He raises a variety of livestock and owns four slaves. The home was originally made of stone, and a small barn still stands on the property today. The original house, which was an addition to the original stone home, was taken down in 1805 and rebuilt. When the new owners bought the home in 1805, they decided to tear it down because it had fallen into disrepair during the war, and after the Harty family’s financial condition worsened. By the time it was torn down, the home’s wooden structure was more than 60 years old. The foundations of the original home still exist, and the property is currently privately owned, but can be viewed from the street. In the 20th century, Cleon E. Hammond purchased the property and wrote a book about Hart and the property. He states, “Far from a legend, he was a very human being, moved by the same forces that influence the lives and fortunes of all men. As one becomes acquainted with John Hart, there emerges a capable, personable, ambitious, yet dedicated man…essentially conservative but heroically liberal.”[2]
A slave named Jack was bought in 1753 to help run his plantation, as his oldest son was not old enough to run it himself. This slave would later steal from him and run away. Family members wanted the slave to be punished, but Hart refused to do that and forgave him instead. It is a rare story that has been handed down and seems to be corroborated by an article that appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1759, which reports the running away of a total of 4 slaves. Jack would stay with Hart until the latter passed away. Jack would not be freed when Hart passed away, but according to Dr. Van Kirk, who had previously provided medical services to John Hart and others on the plantation, Jack was a free man in 1780.
In 1741, Hart purchased additional land with his father, apparently for financial reasons. They purchase the property from the estate of Dr. Daniel Cox, and his father lives on the land. It was purchased for £23 per acre, and they divided the cost equally. Some of this land was donated in 1747 to a Baptist church. In 1769, he sold a 200-acre plantation, which his wife had inherited, for £375, and by the 1770’s was the largest landowner in Hopewell with 600 acres. Hart continues to be a successful farmer and businessman, expanding his interests into saw and grist mills. One of the mills she bought with his brother in 1751 was called the Daniel Hart Mill, indicating that his brother Daniel ran it daily. It was bought from John Anderson and had been located near the Baptist Meeting House. Most of the local grain was processed at this mill, but the brothers sold it in 1766, and Hart’s share of the sale was £550. [3] He also purchased a mill with his son-in-law, John Polhemus, later in 1773. His successes in business and in farming enabled him to begin his public service career in 1750, when he was elected to the Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Board of Chosen Freeholders. His pay for public service was extraordinarily low compared to what he earned from farming and owning his mills. Throughout his public service, he rode a Northumberland thoroughbred stallion and then a Bulle Rock Mare to get to his public engagements. By 1754, he helped select delegates to the Albany Congress, and in 1755, he was elected a Justice of the Peace. It was this position that enabled him to take on the title of Esquire. The position indicated he was of a gentleman’s standing.
From 1761 to 1771, he represented Hunterdon, Morris, and Sussex counties in the Colonial Assembly. Here, he meets Abraham Clark and is an active member. His involvement in the patriots’ cause began in 1765 with the Stamp Act. He would vote in favor of a resolution condemning the act. But legislative work was not the only thing occurring during this time period. Tragically, Hart’s brother, Daniel, with whom he was very close, was killed by his slave, Cuff, in 1767. Cuff stabbed Daniel several times and then hit him on the shoulder and other parts of his body with an ax. He also attacked Hart’s nephew, Levi, leaving marks on his cheek. Then Cuff went up to the house to attack Daniel’s wife, but she had fled the home. Cuff was found two days later hanging from a tree, with a rope he had stolen from Daniel’s home. His body was cut down and burned. The area where he was found is still known today as Cuffee’s Hollow.
In 1772, he was elected to the New Jersey Provincial Congress and was a chairman of several committees. He was also a leading member of that body. He was a member of the New Jersey Committee, which chose the delegates to the First Continental Congress, as well as a committee to protest the Tea Act. By 1775, he was elected to the New Jersey Committee of Correspondence and served on the Committee of Safety. In 1776, he was elected to the New Jersey Provincial Congress. He would promote laws to fund schools, improve roads, and administer justice. He was appointed to sign the new Bill of Credit notes that New Jersey issued as money. He would individually sign a total of 25,000 notes.[4]
In June of 1776, he was elected as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. The new group of delegates was elected to replace the set of New Jersey delegates who refused to vote for independence. They arrived in Philadelphia that same month, and he was an ardent supporter of independence. Hart was the thirteenth person to sign the Declaration on August 2. He was placed on the Committee of Safety during his tenure in Congress. He was also elected to the New Jersey General Assembly that August and chosen as the Speaker. He would serve in that position until November 7, 1778, and would be a member of the assembly until his death. He was also a member of the New Jersey Council of Safety during this time.
He leaves Philadelphia in late September or early October to return home and deal with personal matters. His wife, Deborah, passed away on October 8, 1776, and any visit with her was done in secrecy, as the British were hunting him. In December of 1776, the Continental Army had retreated as the British and Hessians destroyed the countryside. Hart’s homes and other properties, such as his mills, timber, and livestock, are heavily damaged. Two of his young children have to flee to their relatives’ homes. He hides out in the woods using caves as well as the Sourwood Mountains to conceal himself. On one occasion, it was alleged that he hid in a dog kennel. Legend has it he was doing this for months, but it probably lasted only one month, as the British withdrew from the area after the Battles of Trenton and Princeton, which occurred around Christmas time. He was then able to return to his home.
He sends an invitation to General Washington, inviting the Continental Army to stay on his plantation in June of 1778. General Washington accepts the invitation, and 12,000 men camp in his fields during the growing season. They would leave the plantation on June 24 to fight and win the Battle of Monmouth. Less than a year later, on March 11, 1779, Hart passed away due to kidney stones. He owed money, and his properties were sold for very little. Upon inventory of his estate, it was determined that his slave, Jack, was worth about £900, and there were three other slaves, including Jack’s wife, but only 2 of the four slaves were sold to satisfy the debts of the estate. Part of his land was donated to build a Baptist Church located on Broad Street (modern-day name) in Hopewell, New Jersey. The Harts had been Baptists, and members of this religion were strong supporters of the Revolution because of their opposition to an established church. He and his wife’s remains were transferred here, as they had initially been interred in a family cemetery. Their graves were marked with a plain stone with no inscription, but, allegedly, a revolutionary soldier left a mark so that, in the future, people would know where Hart was buried. Later, an obelisk was added stating his death occurred in 1780, but historians agree it was 1779, based on a New Jersey Gazette article reporting his death on May 19, 1799.
Tidbits 5’10” tall with black hair, light colored eyes, and was considered handsome. He had a dark complexion, a friendly demeanor, and was humorous. Nicknamed “Honest John” Daughters married local men, but his sons would leave Hopewell He was the oldest New Jersey Delegate Some say he was Presbyterian, but he was a benefactor of the local Baptist Church, so he has been claimed by the Baptists as one of their own. There is a Family Coat of arms back in England, but it varies in style depending on the branch of the family. One style is a shield with three fleurs-de-lis, a large strike diagonally across the shield with a castle on top, and a flaming heart over it. The motto on this shield is Coeur Fidele, which means “Faithful Heart.” Dr. Rush wrote that Hart was “a plain, honest, well-meaning Jersey farmer, with but little education, but with good sense and virtue enough to pursue the true interest of his country.” |
[1] Hammond, Cleon E. John Hart: the biography of a signer of the Declaration of Independence, Newfane, Vt. Pioneer Press, 1977. The information was found on a variety of pages throughout the book and was verified by secondary searches on FamilySearch.com
[3] Hammond, Cleon E. John Hart: the biography of a signer of the Declaration of Independence (Newfane, Vt. Pioneer Press, 1977), 23 and 37
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