Geographist

Stephen Hopkins Born: March 7, 1707 (Providence, RI) Died: July 13, 1785 (Providence, RI) For our fifteenth entry among the Founding Fathers we'll look at a patriot with the shakiest signature from the smallest state in the union - Stephen Hopkins.  Born in a part of town that would later separate from Providence and instead become known as the town of Scituate, he was the second of nine children in his home and descended from a family that had been among the original settlers of Rhode Island.  His parents, William and Ruth Hopkins, and other family members helped to educate young Stephen because there were no schools in the area, and he was drawn to reading at an early age while learning the skills necessary to work as a farmer and surveyor.  In 1726, while still at the age of 19, he married Sarah Scott and the couple would go on to have seven children together.  Five years later the township of Scituate was officially formed and he participated in public life for t...

Josiah Bartlett Born: December 2, 1729 (Amesbury, MA) Died: May 19, 1795 (Kingston, NH) Welcome back from Spring Break!  This week we will look at yet another Founding Father from one of the northern colonies, Josiah Bartlett.  In fact, as a representative of New Hampshire he served the farthest north of all colonies and was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence after John Hancock.  The family of Josiah had lived near Amesbury, MA, since 1635 when his great-great-grandfather sold off his inherited land in southern England (which had been granted to his earliest documented relative, Adam Barttelot, by William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings in 1066) and ventured to the New World alongside his brother.  As a child, Josiah received not only the standard education from the local schoolmaster, but also learned Latin and Greek from a relative who acted as both a doctor and reverend.  While still a teenager, the boy began learning about me...

I took off this week for Spring Break fun with the family, but wanted to say a quick thank-you to all of my readers for helping me reach 70,000 hits.  Y'all are awesome, thank you so much! 

Francis Lewis  Born: March 21, 1713 (Llandaff, Wales) Died: December 31, 1802 (New York City, NY) This week, as many kids start counting down the days to Spring Break (and possibly a road trip while school is out) we're going to look at someone from out of town - Francis Lewis.  In addition to being the first signer we've studied that was born outside of the American colonies, he was also someone experienced the cost of independence firsthand.  Born in southern Wales, Francis was the son of a clergyman and his wife, who was herself also the child of a clergyman, named Morgan and Anne.  After losing both parents by the age of five, and with no siblings, the young boy was raised by his wealthy, unmarried aunt.  He received his schooling in Scotland and England before joining a mercantile firm in London.  Once he was 21 years old Francis received his inheritance from his father, which he converted to marketable goods and sailed to America to run his own busine...