Name: John Hart147 
   Born: prob 1713
  Place: Hopewell, Hunterdon co, New Jersey
   Died: May 11, 1779
  Place: Hunterdon co, New Jersey
Y-Haplo: R1b-BY54949

"Honest" John Hart was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Earlier in the year, as a member of the New Jersey Provincial Congress, he signed this thirty shillings note. His wife, Deborah Scudder, died in October of the same year.

John's signature as it appears on the Declaration of Independence:

John Hart served with the Continental Congress for only about three months. Once independence was declared, and like other delegates to the Congress (Jefferson included), Hart felt he would best serve the new nation by returning home and working in the state assembly. It was at the state level, the delegates felt, the real action was occurring. It's largely because of his short tenure in Congress, advanced age (he was 64 at the time of the signing) and early death that he is not better known. But also, very little of his writing has been found. Transcriptions of his five surviving letters appear in Cleon Hammond's biography of Hart. This one appears on page 147:

Princeton, N.J.
September 12, 1776

To Francis Hopkinson, Esq.

Dear sir: I have now before me your favor of the 7th instant. I am sorry that you intend to resign the appointment of such an important office as one of the Judges of the Supreme Court of this State at this critical crisis when the assistance of every good man is wanted to add strength to our new Constitution, to which I know you are a staunch friend. Notwithstanding yours to me is to be considered as a private letter, I thought the public so much interested in the affair that I could not refrain letting some of your and my particular friends know something of your intention. They are no more at a loss to guess than myself what is the reason that you decide to accept. But as it is now out of our powers to make any alteration, they are desirous that you will please reconsider the matter and are of the opinion with me that it is best for you, as well as the public, to take upon yourself the office. I wish it was in my power to have a personal conference with you on this important affair, but as it is not at present, I must conclude with leaving these few broken hints to your serious consideration.

Great regard, your sincere friend
and humble servant,
John Hart

"...our new Constitution" is referring to the New Jersey State Constitution of 1776.

1848 Biographical Sketch

From Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (1848), by B J Lossing, pages 87-89 (WallBuilder Press edition):

One of the most unbending patriots of the Revolution was John Hart, the New Jersey farmer. His father, Edward Hart, was also a thrifty farmer, and a loyal subject of his King. In 1759 he raised a volunteer corps, which he named "The Jersey Blues," and joined Wolfe at Quebec in time to see that hero fall, but the English victorious. He then retired to his farm, and every afterward held a high place in the esteem and confidence of the people. The time of birth of his own son is not on record, and but few incidents of his early life are known.¹

Mr. Hart pursued the avocation of his father, and was in quite independent circumstances when the Stamp Act and its train of evils attracted his attention, and aroused his sympathies for his oppressed countrymen in Boston, and elsewhere, where the heel of tyranny was planted. Although living in the secluded agricultural district of Hopewell, in Hunterdon county, yet he was fully conversant with the movements of public affairs at home and abroad, and he united with others in electing delegates to the Colonial Congress that convened in New York city, in 1765. From that time, until the opening scenes of the war, Mr. Hart was active in promoting the cause of freedom; and his fellow citizens manifested their appreciation of his services, by electing him a delegate to the first Continental Congress, 1774. He was re-elected in 1775, but finding that his estate and family affairs needed his services, he resigned his seat, and for a time retired from public life. He was, however, elected a member of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, and was Vice President of that body.

The talents of Mr. Hart were considered too valuable to the public, to remain in an inactive state, and in February, 1776, he was again elected a delegate to the General Congress. He was too deeply impressed with the paramount importance of his country's claims, to permit him to refuse the office; and he took his seat again in that body, and voted and signed the Declaration of Independence.

Nothing would have seemed more inimical to Mr. Hart's private interests, than this act, which was the harbinger of open hostilities, for his estate was peculiarly exposed to the fury of the enemy. Nor was that fury withheld when New Jersey was invaded by the British and their mercenary allies, the Hessians. The signers of the Declaration everywhere were marked for the vengeance, and when the enemy made their conquering descent upon New Jersey,² Mr. Hart's estate was among the first to feel the effects of the desolating inroad.³ The blight fell, not only upon his fortune, but upon his person, and he did not live to see the sunlight of Peace and Independence gladden the face of his country. He died in the year 1780 [sic] (the gloomiest period of the War of Independence), full of years and deserved honors.

[Footnotes from original text]

1. His contemporaries represent him as about sixty years of age when first elected to Congress. If so, he must have been born about the close of the reign of Queen Anne, 1714.
2. After the capture of Fort Washington, on York Island, in November, 1776, Lord Cornwallis crossed the Hudson at Dobb's Ferry, with six thousand men, and attacked Fort Lee opposite. To save themselves, the Americans were obliged to make a hasty retreat, leaving behind them their minions of war and all their stores. The garrison joined the main army at Hackensack which for three weeks fled across the level country of New Jersey, before the pursuing enemy, at the end of which time a bare remnant of it was left. The troops dispirited by late reverses, left in large numbers as fast as their term of enlistment expired, and returned to their homes; and by the last of November the American army numbered scarcely three thousand troops, independent of a detachment left at White Plains, under General Lee. The country was so level that it afforded no strong position to fortify; indeed, so necessarily rapid had been the retreat, that no time was allowed for pause to erect defenses. Newark, New Brunswick, Princeton, Trenton, and smaller places, successively fell into the hands of the enemy, and so hot was to pursuit, that the rear of the Americans was often in sight of the van of the British. On the eight of December, Washington and his army crossed the Delaware in boats, and Cornwallis arrived at Trenton just in time to see the last boat reach the Pennsylvanian shore. -- "1776, or the War of Independence," page 209.
3. Mr. Hart's family, having timely warning of the approach of the enemy in pursuit of Washington, fled to a place of safety. His farm was ravaged, his timber destroyed, his cattle and stock butchered for the use of the British army, and he himself was hunted like a noxious beast, not daring to remain two nights under the same roof. And it was not until Washington's success at the battle of Trenton, that this dreadful state of himself and his family ended.

Benjamin Rush is said to have describe Hart as "a plain, honest, well meaning Jersey farmer, with but little education, but with good sense and virtue enough to pursue the true interests of his country."²

Obituary

The following transcription of Hart's obituary was lifted from http://www.barefootsworld.net/johnhart.html.

May 19, 1779 - The New Jersey GAZETTE said: "On Tuesday the 11th instant, departed this life at his seat in Hopewell, JOHN HART, Esq., the Representative in General Assembly for the county of Hunterdon, and late Speaker of that House. He had served in the Assembly for many years under the former government, taken an early and active part in the present revolution, and continued to the day he was seized with his last illness to discharge the duties of a faithful and upright patriot in the service of his country in general and the county he represented in particular. The universal approbation of his character and conduct among all ranks of people, is the best testimony of his worth, and as it must make his death regretted and lamented, will ensure lasting respect to his memory."

Basic biographical data about John Hart can be found at

• wikipedia
• ushistory.org
• doublegv.com
• Conservapedia
• Barefoot's World

John Hart's "Portrait"

From Hammond's biography, page 106:

...it may come as a disappointment to many that the tradition "likeness" of John Hart does not, in fact, portray him. None of the evidence allows room for this possibility. On the contrary, all of the evidence is totally against it. Whose image Hall copied, or whether he simply fabricated the "original," will never be known. It is also evident that the possibility of still finding an authentic likeness of Hart, hidden in someone's attic, is non-existent in view of the many fruitless searches that must have begun so after his death.

There had been a tradition that three of John Hart's grandsons, for whom portraits exist, looked a lot like him. Hammond hired Charles Howard Waterhouse to make this composite portrait. Later, a photograph of Joseph Hart, John's grandson, was located. Hammond believed that it served as evidence that this likeness of Hart is fairly accurate.

Hammond says,

In his concept, Waterhouse has captured both the character and personality associated with Mr Hart, and certainly demonstrated by his many endeavors and achievements.

Keep in mind that Hart was sixty-four years old when he signed the Declaration of Independence. In both portraits, he is depicted as a much younger man. I rather doubt that either of the portraits resemble Hart. However, the next portrait may well resemble him. It's a poor copy of a portrait by Robert Edge Pine (1730-1788) as published in 1820. Pine's original, I assume, disappeared.³

John Hart's Will, 1779

1820 copy of
Robert Edge Pine's
portrait of John Hart

As found at http://laurellynn.com/genealogy/hart/john_hart.htm:

IN THE NAME OF GOD AMEN. I John Hart of ----------- Hopewell, in the County of Hunterdon, and in the State of New Jersey, being old and stricken in age, and labouring under infirmities of Body, but of sound and perfect Mind and Memory, Thanks be given unto Almighty God-therefore, and knowing that it is appointed for all men to die and after that the Judgment, do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and Form following (that is to say) first and principally I give and recommend my Soul into the Hands of Almighty God who gave it, and my Body to the Earth to be buried in a Christian and decent like manner at the Discretion of my Executors hereafter named, not doubting but to receive the same again at the General Resurrection by the Mighty Power of God, and as such touching all such Temporal Estate where with has pleased Almighty God to Bless me in this life, I give, devise & dispose of in the following manner, Imprimis, my Will is and I do Order, that all my just debts and Funeral Expenses be first paid & discharged.---------Item. I give and bequeath unto my Eldest Son Jesse Hart the House and Lot I lately purchased of Benjamin Stout, Jr. together with seventy nine acres and one quarter acre, including John Hobbs, the meeting house, and Benjamin Stout's Sr. lots, out of which Quantity their lots are to be subtracted and also ten acres and thirty-nine perches of woodland adjoining land of Widow Handle, the whole agreeable to the Division in a certain draught made thereof by Timothy Smith April 14th, 1779, to him his heirs, and assigns forever. Item, I give and bequeath unto my son Nathaniel Hart the Homestead Plantation whereon I now live containing about one hundred and ninety three Acres be the same more or less, divided Agreeable to the Draught above mentioned to him, his heirs & Assigns forever, upon condition he pays unto his Brother Daniel when he Arrives to the full Age of Twenty one years the sum of five hundred pounds and also to his Sister Deborah when she attains the full age of Eighteen years the Sum of Three Hundred Pounds, Item, I give & Bequeath my son Edward Hart one Hundred Acres whereupon my son Nathaniel now lives divided agreeable by a draught be the same more or less to him, his heirs t assigns forever, provided he pays the Sum of fifteen pounds Annually to be applied by my Executors for the bringing up and Educating my Grand Daughter Mary Hart the daughter of my son John Until She attains the full Age of Eighteen years, if in her case her Father does not provide for her before that time, which shall cease and determine as soon as her father takes her under his care and protection. Item. My will is and I do order my right and interest in two-thirds of an undivided right of three lots of Land with the Grist Mills and Fulling Mills thereon, all the appurtenances thereunto belonging situate at Rocky Hill in the country of Somerset be sold to the best advantage as soon as conveniently may be after my decease. Item. I give and bequeath unto my daughter Sarah Wikoff one hundred pound, Item give unto daughter Deborah one negro Girl name Hannah and remainder of my personal Estate to be sold immediately after my decease and all the residue of my Estate not disposed of as above said be the same more or less to be equally divided among all my children Male & Female Share and Share alike, And Provided either my son Daniel should die without Lawful issue before he attains to the age of twenty one years or my Daughter Deborah before she attains the age of eighteen and Become the property of my surviving children Male or Female Share and Share alike and further, tis my will the Legacies hereon Bequeathed to my Daughter Sarah be paid her out of the first money that comes to the Hands of my executors after the discharge of my just debts---1 do hereby constitute and appoint my three sons, viz, Jesse, Nathaniel, Edward and my brothers Son Levi Hart executors of my last Will & Testament giving & granting unto the said Levi Hart Executor last mentioned Power & Authority to Retain in His Hands a sum Sufficient (at the discretion of my Executors) for the Support and maintenance of my aged mother during her natural Life and after her decease (if not all expended) to be equally divided in the same manner as the remainder of my Estate is herein ordered to be divided, and I do hereby invest my Executors with full Power and Authority to Sell my Real Estate herein ordered to be sold and execute all; such Deeds of conveyance as the case may require and as the Law directs, intreating them to observe that the same is carefully performed and done, And I do hereby Revoke all other and former Wills by me herefore made by me, declaring this only to be my last Will & Testament in WITNESS whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal the Sixteenth Day of April in the year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred Seventy Nine 1779.

Signed, Sealed Published And
Proved by the said John Hart to be His Last
Will & Testament in the presence of
Jared Sexton Jesse Pettit John Hart
Andrew Barton

(Above witnesses swore they saw the above John Hart sign his Name to his last will and testament).

Jesse, Nathaniel, Edward, and Levi Hart also swore on the 26th day of May, 1779 they will duly perform the same.



An Inventory of all and Singular the goods and chattels, rights & credits of John Hart Esq. late of Hopewell in the county of Hunterdon, deceased as taken & appraised by us the subscribers. May 17, 1779.

Note

The descent from John Hart is described in at least two books. The Hart's of Randolph by Katherine Hart Frame (1976) is a superbly researched and documented genealogy. The New Jersey volume (Vol.3) of Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence also has the Hart lineage. The McDowells begin on page 224, and the Hogues are found on pages 474 and 569.¹

1. Pyne, Rev. Frederick Wallace, Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, volume 3 (Rockport, Maine: Picton Press, 1998).

2. Staller, Grace Keiper. "John Hart". The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, 11 December 2011, http://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/john-hart/.

3. Copies of Pine's Portraits of Signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1820, Accession #12130, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.