George ROSS (1730-1779)

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Colonel George ROSS (1730-1779)

Project

page established October 11, 2008

Above: George Ross (1730-1779) painted in Philadelphia, from the Emmet Collection of Manuscripts Etc. Relating to American History. ........... Below: Ann Lawler, circa 1755 portrait by Benjamin West

Colonel George ROSS (May 10, 1730 – July 14, 1779)

Introduction

Colonel George ROSS (May 10, 1730 – July 14, 1779) was a Founding Father of the United States of America who signed both the Continental Association also known as the Articles of Association on October 20, 1774, and the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776, as a representative of the Pennsylvania Colony.

George was the was the 2^nd great-granduncle of Thomas Jefferson BIRD (1861-1931) and the 3^rd great-granduncle of Jeff Augustus “Gus” BIRD (1893-1954) also the 4^th great-granduncle of Evelyn Virginia BIRD Linton (1922-2012). George was the 6^th cousin 13 times removed of Kirk Louis LINTON (1914-1987). George was also the uncle of John ROSS (1752-1776) who married Betsy GRISCOM (1752-1836) on November 4, 1773, more famous under her married name, Betsy Ross. In 1952, George Ross, George Washington, and Robert Morris appeared on a three-cent stamp commemorating Betsy Ross.

George was the son of George Aeneas ROSS (1679-1753) & Anna Catherine VAN GEZEL (1689-1748). On August 14, 1751, George married Ann LAWLER (1731-1773). On April 3, 1773, George then married Mary BIRD (1753-1813) the sister of his business partner Colonel Mark BIRD (1738-1812) and the daughter of Ironmaster William BIRD (1709-1761) Esquire.

George was the son of George Aeneas ROSS (1679-1753) & Anna Catherine VAN GEZEL (1689-1748). On April 3, 1773, George married Mary BIRD (1753-1813) the sister of his business partner Colonel Mark BIRD (1738-1812). George was the 2^nd great-granduncle of Thomas Jefferson BIRD (1861-1931) and the 4^th great-granduncle of Evelyn Virginia BIRD Linton (1922-2012).

Colonel George ROSS (1730-1779)

Biography

Direct Ancestral Lineage of Evelyn Virginia BIRD Linton, The Daughter of Jeff August Bird (1893-1954) And Clara Myrtle Grey (1900-1988) (Book, Terry L. Linton © 1987, Linton Research Fund Inc., Publication © 1987, printed in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA.) (First Revision, January, ©1989)

Terry Louis Linton Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Contributor

updated December 20, 2017

_________________________________

Colonel George ROSS (1730-1779) signed The Continental Association Declaration and Resolves for the Colony of Pennsylvania; Signed the Declaration of Independence for the Colony of Pennsylvania; Accomplished lawyer; Negotiator with the Northwestern Indians tribes; Colonel in the Pennsylvania militia and Continental Army in the Revolutionary War; Member of all three Continental Congress; American Patriot and one of the Founding Fathers. [i]

George ROSS was the son of Reverent George Aeneas ROSS (1679-1753) & Anna Catherine VAN GEZEL (1689-1748). George was born on May 10, 1730 in New Castle, New Castle County, Delaware and died on July 14, 1779, in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. [ii]

George studied law with his older brother, Judge John ROSS (1714–1776) “one of the foremost practitioners of his daily and a warm personal friend of Benjamin FRANKLIN”. [iii]

In 1750, at age 20, George was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar and established his own law practice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania the next year in 1751. [iv]

On August 14, 1751, George married Ann LAWLER (1731-1773) the daughter of Andrew LAWLER (1707-1747) & Mary BIRD (1709–1788) in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. [v] Ann was born on July 10, 1731 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and died on May 23 MAY, 1773 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Ann was described in Hards's History of Lancaster, as "a lady of respectable family, was the only child of Mary Lawler, a widow of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, possessed of considerable property and who died in 1773. She was a handsome accomplished young woman, and her marriage to George Ross, August 14, 1751, was considered a highly advantageous union for both”. [vi] Egle's Notes and Queries says of the Ross family: "Ann (Lawler) Ross was greatly celebrated for her beauty and her children were so remarkable in this respect as to attract general notice." [vii] [viii]

Between 1755 and 1750, George commissioned the famous artist Benjamin WEST (1738-1820) to paint a portrait of himself and Ann. The portraits of both George ROSS and Ann LAWLER Ross were in possession of a lineal descendant, George ESHELMAN, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1912. [ix]

From 1756 to 1768, George served as the Crown Prosecutor (now attorney general) working out of Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. There he came to understand “first hand” the rising conflict between the colonial assemblies and the English Parliament. [x] George served as judge for twelve years as the Crown Prosecutor traveling the 48 miles between his home in Lancaster and the count in Carlisle.

On March 29, 1759, George posted in the Pennsylvania Gazette that Thomas Manahan, five feet ten inches, as a Runaway (servant or apprentice) enticed away by his father, one pound offered. [xi]

In 1761, George and his business partner, ironmaster Mark BIRD (1739-1812) established the Mary Ann Furnace on the Friendship Tract along Furnace Creek in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

Hanover Evening Sun

Friday, October 15, 1776, Hanover, Pennsylvania

George Ross, one of Pennsylvania's signers of the Declaration of Independence. Mary Ann Furnace furnished ca...George Ross, a Lancaster attorney, joined with three partners in leasing the â€œFriendshipâ€� tract and erecte...

On December 31, 1762, George’s youngest sister, Mary ROSS (1744–1790) married ironmaster Mark BIRD (1739-1812). It was a double wedding with Mark’s sister Rebecca BIRD (1744-?) marring Peter TURNER Jr. (1744-?). The ceremony preformed by George’s older brother, the Reverent Aeneas ROSS (1716–1782), at the Episcopal Christ Church in Philadelphia. [xii]

In 1768, George was elected to the Pennsylvania Provincial Legislature for the county of Lancaster and served until his death in 1779.

On May 23 MAY, 1773, George’s wife Ann died in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania at the age of 42.

George ROSS & Ann LAWLER had six known Children:

George ROSS, Esquire (12) was born on June 1, 1752 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. (13) He was a patriot during the Revolution and was the Vice-President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. In 1791 he was commissioned by the Governor, Register and Recorder, which office he held for eighteen years. He died on November 13, 1832 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. (14) at age 80. He was buried in November 1832, in the Saint James Episcopal Church Cemetery, Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

James ROSS (1753-1708) (15) was born on November 28, 1753 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (16) and died on August 24, 1808 in Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi, (17) at age 54. During the Revolutionary War, Lieutenant Colonel James ROSS was the commanding officer of the 8^th Battalion of the Lancaster County Militia from 1777 to 1780.

iii. Hewitt ROSS was born in 1755 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and died on January 29, 1820 in Sussex County, Delaware, at age 65.

Living ROSS was born about 1758 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Mary ROSS (1765-1858) (18) was born on December 23, 1765, in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. (19) On January 23, 1785, Mary married Captain William BIRD (1765–1812) the son of Colonel Mark BIRD (1738-1812) & Mary ROSS (1739–1790). [xiii] They had two children: Mary A. BIRD (1786–?) and Nancy BIRD (1800–1880). Mary next married Daniel FULLER (1765–?) on April 21, 1821. Mary next Joshua SCOTT (1750-1830) a noted civil engineer. Mary died on December 20, 1858 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (20) at age 92, and was buried in 1858 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. (5)

Catherine R. ROSS (2) was born in 1770 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and died in 1850 in Columbia, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. age 80.

On November 4, 1773, George’s nephew, John ROSS (1752-1776) eloped and married Quaker Elizabeth "Betsy" Phoebe GRISCOM (1752–1836) in Huggs Tavern, Gloucester County, New Jersey. John was the son of Reverent Aeneas ROSS (1716-1782) Sarah LEACH. John and Betsy later owned an upholstery shop at 89 Arch Street in Philadelphia. John was mortally wounded and died at home on January 10, 1776, by an explosion while guarding a munitions building at the Philadelphia Dock, during the Revolutionary War. Elizabeth is better known as “Betsy Ross” the seamstress who was asked to stitch the first new flag for the Continental Navy by General George WASHINGTON (1722-1798). Then later she was asked to stitch the new flag for the New Republic by General George WASHINGTON, Colonel George ROSS (1730-1779) and Robert MORRIS (1734-1806). [xiv]

In 1774, George was elected to the Pennsylvania Provincial Conference that would select delegates to attend the General Congress. [xv] He was elected as one of the delegates to represent the Pennsylvania Colony to the First Continental Congress. Delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies met from September 5 to October 26, 1774 at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On October 20, 1774, George was appointed to Association. The Congress created the Association, based on the earlier Virginia Association. The Continental Association, often known simply as the "Association", was a system created for implementing a trade boycott with Great Britain. George ROSS and the other 55 delegates signed The Continental Association Declaration and Resolves, on December 1, 1774. [xvi]

In 1775, George continued to serve his provincial legislature and was a member of the Committee of Safety for his colony. [xvii]

On April 19, 1775, The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. They were fought in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay Colony

In 1775, George was elected again as one the delegates to represent the Pennsylvania Colony of at the Second Continental Congress. Delegates from all Thirteen Colonies met from the May 10, 1775 to March 1, 1781.

On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress voted to create the Continental Army out of the militia units around Boston and appointed George WASHINGTON (1732-1799), of Virginia it’s commanding general.

On July 6, 1775, George signed and Congress approved the Declaration of Causes outlining the rationale and necessity for taking up arms in the Thirteen Colonies. [xviii]

On September 18, 1775, the Second Continental Congress created the Secret Committee. George was appointed to this committee, which was allotted significant power and was tasked with covertly obtaining military supplies for the Continental Army [xix] (now Defense Intelligence Agency)

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875 Letters of Delegates to Congress, Continental Congress

In 1776, while still serving as a provincial legislator, George was elected Vice President of the State Constitutional Convention, helping draft a declaration of rights. [xx]

Colonel George ROSS was the commanding officer of 1^st Battalion Pennsylvania Militia and later Continental Army in 1776. Early in 1776, George undertook the peace negotiations with the Northwestern Indians on behalf of the Pennsylvania Colony. [xxi]

On July 6, 1776, Colonel George ROSS, commanding officer 1^st Battalion Pennsylvania Militia, ordered Lieutenant Crawford to take his detachment to guard the Borough of Lancaster. [xxii]

In May 1776, three members of the Continental Congress secret flag committee, General George WASHINGTON, Colonel George ROSS (1730-1779) and Robert MORRIS (1734-1806).

In 1777, George was elected to the Continental Congress session again in January 1777, but resigned that same year because of poor health. George did not sign The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. It was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. It was approved, after much debate (between July 1776 and November 1777), by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification. [xxiii]

In 1778, while he was acting as admiralty judge, a congressional court of appeals overruled his decision in a case involving a dispute between a citizen of Connecticut and the state of Pennsylvania. He refused to acknowledge the authority of the higher court to counter State decisions, which initiated a dispute between manifestation of the states' rights controversy and did not subside until 1809.

In 1779 He was vice president of the Pennsylvania constitutional convention and was the Judge of the Admiralty Court of Pennsylvania.

On April 3, 1773, George married Mary BIRD (1753-1813) the sister of his business partner Colonel Mark BIRD (1738-1812). George married Mary BIRD (6) daughter of William BIRD, Esquire (7) and “Brigitte” Bridgetta HULING,(8) on April 3, 1773 in Christ Church, in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

George & Mary had two known children:

Ann ROSS (1774-1816) was born on January 5, 1774 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and died on December 9, 1816, in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, at age 42.

Patton ROSS (1778-1845) was born on March 13, 1778, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and died on March 10, 1845, at age 66.

George ROSS died on July 14, 1779, in office, at the age of 49, in his home. [xxiv] George was buried at his brother’s, the Reverent Aeneas ROSS (1716–1782), Episcopal Christ Church, were his family worshipped. The Christ Church Burial Ground, is located at 5^th and Arch Streets in Philadelphia. [xxv]

George’s wife, Mary BIRD Ross (1753–1813) sometime after George died, moved down to Rutherford, Rutherford County, North Carolina to be with her brother, ironmaster, Colonel Mark BIRD (1739-1812). Mary died in Rutherford on January 24, 1813 and is buried in the

BIRTH 23 DEC 1753 • Birdsboro, Union Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania

George ROSS (1730-1779) on Find-a-grave

Sources:

[ii] Losser, B.J. (1857). Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the American Declaration of Independence. New York: Derby & Jackson. p. 130…. Robert G. Ferris, Editor, Signers of the Declaration, (United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, DC., 1973) pages 122-23……. Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-1940…… North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 Book Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 098 : 1913.

[iii] Wives of the Signers: The Women Behind the Declaration of Independence, by Harry Clinton Green and Mary Wolcott Green, A.B. (Aledo, TX: Wallbuilder Press, 1997). Orignaly Published in 1912 as volume 3 of The Pioneer Mothers of America: A Record of the More Notable Women of the Early Days of the Country, and Particularly of the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons). Pages 207-209. (Some minor spelling changes may have been made.)

[iv] Robert G. Ferris, Editor, Signers of the Declaration, (United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, DC., 1973) pages 122-23.

[v] Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: .... Edmund West, comp, Family Data Collection - Individual Records (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.), Birth year: 1730; Birth city: New Castle; Birth state: DE. ....Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-1940 North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 Book Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 098 : 1913.

[vi] Hards's History of Lancaster

[vii] Egle's Notes and Queries

[viii] Wives of the Signers: The Women Behind the Declaration of Independence, by Harry Clinton Green and Mary Wolcott Green, A.B. (Aledo, TX: Wallbuilder Press, 1997). Orignaly Published in 1912 as volume 3 of The Pioneer Mothers of America: A Record of the More Notable Women of the Early Days of the Country, and Particularly of the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons). Pages 207-209.

[ix] Wives of the Signers: The Women Behind the Declaration of Independence, by Harry Clinton Green and Mary Wolcott Green, A.B. (Aledo, TX: Wallbuilder Press, 1997). Orignaly Published in 1912 as volume 3 of The Pioneer Mothers of America: A Record of the More Notable Women of the Early Days of the Country, and Particularly of the Colonial and Revolutionary Periods (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons). Pages 207-209.

[x] Signers of the Declaration of Independence Short biographies on each of the 56 Declaration signers ©1995- 2017 by the Independence Hall Association, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, PA founded in 1942. Publishing electronically as ushistory.org.; online since July 4, 1995.

[xi] The Pennsylvania Gazette 1728-1789 Philadelphia: Microsurance Inc., 1968 Vol, 1-25 and for January 6, 1790 to December 14, 1796 from microfilm copies held at Morris Library, University of Delaware.

[xii] Linton, Terry L. © 1982. MARK BIRD (1738-1812) (Brief Historical Sketch) : A Brief Bird Family History; (Published by Linton Group, Limited © 1982 Fredericksburg, VA.) (Printed in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA.)

[xiii] Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Original data: This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources.

[xv] Signers of the Declaration of Independence Short biographies on each of the 56 Declaration signers ©1995- 2017 by the Independence Hall Association, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, PA founded in 1942. Publishing electronically as ushistory.org.; online since July 4, 1995.

[xvi] Losser, B.J. (1857). Biographical Sketches of the Signers of the American Declaration of Independence. New York: Derby & Jackson. p. 130.

[xvii] Signers of the Declaration of Independence Short biographies on each of the 56 Declaration signers ©1995- 2017 by the Independence Hall Association, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, PA founded in 1942. Publishing electronically as ushistory.org.; online since July 4, 1995.

[xviii] Worthington C. Ford; et al., eds. (1904–1939). Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774–1789. Washington, DC. pp. 2:44–48.

[xix] A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875 Letters of Delegates to Congress, Continental Congress

[xx] Signers of the Declaration of Independence Short biographies on each of the 56 Declaration signers ©1995- 2017 by the Independence Hall Association, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, PA founded in 1942. Publishing electronically as ushistory.org.; online since July 4, 1995.

[xxi] Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, 1894 - ca. 1912 Record Hierarchy Record Group 93: War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, 1709-1939

[xxii] Compiled Service Records of Soldiers Who Served in the American Army During the Revolutionary War, 1894 - ca. 1912 Record Hierarchy Record Group 93: War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, 1709-1939.

[xxiii] Jensen, Merrill (1959). The Articles of Confederation: An Interpretation of the Social-Constitutional History of the American Revolution, 1774–1781. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. xi, 184. ISBN 978-0-299-00204-6.

[xxiv] Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993 (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), Wills, 1850-1912; Author: Montour County (Pennsylvania). Register of Wills; Probate Place: Montour, Pennsylvania.

[xxv] U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1700s-( https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2775 ), memorial page for George Ross (10 May 1730–14 Jul 1779), Find A Grave Memorial no. 2775, citing Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave .