Geographist

George Read Born: September 18, 1733 (Cecil County, Maryland) Died: September 21, 1798 (New Castle, Delaware) Last week we looked at George Ross, who was perhaps better known for one of his relatives than for his own actions.  This week we'll get to know another George who also ended up being related to Ross, and perhaps it isn't surprising that they came from the same area, although they represented different states.  George Read was the oldest son born at home on his family's land in Cecil County, Maryland, near the town of North East.  His parents were named John and Mary - John was a colonel and wealthy landowner originally from Dublin, and Mary was the daughter of a Welsh planter.  Born near the intersection of three modern states (although Delaware was then part of Pennsylvania, although it had its own assembly), he spent portions of his childhood in all three.  Shortly after his birth, the family relocated to New Castle, Delaware, and young George attende...

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George Ross Born: May 10, 1730 (New Castle, Delaware) Died: July 14, 1779 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) This week we'll take a look at a man who once appeared on a three cent stamp to commemorate the woman his nephew married, and is perhaps best known for being related to her.  As one of sixteen children born to a Scottish Anglican minister by the name of George Aeneas Ross, George Ross' last name had come from the title his family had held since 1226 when his ancestor was named the 1st Earl of Ross by King Alexander II of Scotland.  The reverend had children with two wives, and history does not record which was the mother of young George.  Education was a family affair, as George was taught entirely at home before moving to Philadelphia to study law under his brother, John, in 1748.  Even without a college degree, George was able to join the Pennsylvania bar two years later at 20 years of age.  He decided to open his law practice in Lancaster, PA, where one of h...

William Paca Born: October 31, 1740 (Abingdon, Maryland)  Died: October 13,1799 (Wye Island, Maryland)  Since I made a point last week of bringing up the frequency of certain names, it seems fitting that we  now allow the men of the William contingent to catch up with Thomas as the most frequent given name among our Founding Fathers.  Our fifth member of this particular group is William Paca (pronounced PAY-kuh), who was one of seven children born to his affluent parents, John and Elizabeth Paca.  Despite having a wealthy family, William was the youngest of the two boys and was therefore not in line to inherit much of an estate.  Consequently, it was important that he receive an education and learn a vocation that would provide him the best path to become successful.  John Paca made sure that young William did receive a quality education as a child, and at the age of fifteen he entered the College of Philadelphia to study law.  He received his bac...

William Ellery Born: December 22, 1727 (Newport, Rhode Island) Died: February 15, 1820 (Newport, Rhode Island) You've likely noticed by now that some first names were quite popular among the signers of the Declaration of Independence.  So far, for instance, we've been introduced to three men named George, four named John, and five named Thomas.  This week we'll add our fourth William to the list as we look at the second of two signers from our smallest state, Rhode Island.  William Ellery was the second son of his father, who bore the same name, and his wife Elizabeth.  The elder William was a well-educated merchant who taught his sons at home while they were children.  Young William followed in his father's footsteps by studying at Harvard, where he graduated in 1747 at the age of 19.  He returned home to Newport and immediately began working for the family business as a merchant while also becoming a colonial naval officer.  In 1750, William married ...