Genealogy of Patty Rose
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| Notes for Gov. Jonathan BELCHER | ||||||||||
| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Jonathan, b. 8 Jan. 1682, at Cambridge, H. C. 1699 [ref 20] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - the following is from the New Jersey Historical Society: Jonathan Belcher was born on January 8, in 1681 or 1682, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of Andrew and Sarah Belcher. A member of one of Boston's wealthiest families, Belcher was afforded the opportunities of his class. A graduate of Harvard University in 1699, he went on to become a successful and wealthy merchant in his own right. His prominent social status granted him the opportunity to serve in the Massachusetts legislature, where he made his mark as a moderate with no definitive political ideology. Eventually, he secured the appointment as Governor of Massachusetts in 1730. Belcher maintained his political power by an intricate system of political patronage that spanned both sides of the Atlantic. However, after eleven years as governor, his patronage system caught up with him; he had made many enemies because of his political maneuvering. When the Walpole government in London collapsed, Belcher was recalled, and William Shirley was named Governor in his place. Consequently, Belcher retired to his estate in Milton, Massachusetts. Belcher waited by the sidelines for another government appointment for some time. It was not until 1746 when his luck changed, mostly due to his alliance with dissident Quakers and Congregationalists. Upon hearing about Governor of New Jersey Lewis Morris's poor health, Belcher actively pursued the opportunity for another royal appointment. Although the Morris Family nominated the former governor's son, Robert Hunter Morris, the alliance of Quakers in New Jersey and London cultivated by Belcher and his brother-in-law, Richard Partridge, managed to obtain the appointment for Belcher, rather than Morris. Governor Belcher arrived in Burlington, New Jersey, the capital of the colony, in 1747. He soon found himself embroiled in a feud between two factions in the New Jersey legislature, the Quakers and Congregationalists on one side, and the supporters of the Morris Family on the other. The friction between the two factions became so intense that rioting and violence erupted in the vicinity of Newark and Elizabethtown. Belcher's solution, despite his ties to the Quakers, was to quietly support them without antagonizing the Morris faction. Eventually, the two factions in the Assembly were able to come to a compromise in relation to their differences. Nonetheless, Morris Family supporters in London embarked on a campaign to unseat Belcher, claiming that he was consorting with and openly supporting the rioters. London believed the charges leveled against Belcher, and was reprimanded for his alleged improprieties. Severely weakened politically by the reprimand, Belcher achieved little else while in office, in which he remained until his death in 1757. With his political agenda sidelined, he shifted his energies to the field of education, for he felt that there was a "lack of religion and learning" in New Jersey. Therefore, he had a preacher, George Tennent, address the New Jersey legislature, to whom he spoke about building a college in New Jersey. Impressed by what he heard, Belcher then managed to have himself included on the Board of Trustees of this institution, which came to be known as The College of New Jersey (today's Princeton University). Because of his fundraising efforts, the trustees of the college offered to name the first building erected Belcher Hall; he refused the offer, and the building was named Nassau Hall instead. Belcher married Mary Partridge in 1705, with whom he had five children: Andrew (b. 1706), Sarah (1708-1727), Jonathan (b. 1710), William (b. 1712), and Thomas (b. 1713). After Mary's death, he married Louise Teale, a wealthy widow, in 1748; they had no issue. Belcher died of palsy while still in office, on August 31, 1757. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ||||||||||
| Notes for Mary PARTRIDGE | ||||||||||
| - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mary, 19 Oct. 1685 [ref 20] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mary, b. 19 Oct. 1685, m. 8 Jan. 1705-6 Gov. Jonathan Belcher, H.C. 1699; d. 6 Oct. 1736. 5 ch. [ref 22] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MARY,3 b. Oct. 19, 1685[Sv]; m. Jonathan Belcher; d. bef. 1737, leaving chil. [ref 36:280] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | ||||||||||
| Last Modified 13 Jul 2004 | Created 4 Jan 2005 |