
David Rittenhouse
OK. This is my last post in what turned out to be a rather long series on the 1776 Pennsylvania Constitution. Read the entire series here.
In this post I am sharing some of my ongoing research on the religious affiliations of the signers of the Constitution. As you can see, I still have work to do. If you know anything about the religious affiliation of these guys please shoot me an e-mail or comment below.
So far my research has revealed a very large number of Presbyterians and German Reformed signers. (By the way, why aren’t more people writing about the German Reformed population in Pennsylvania? We haven’t had a book on them in years!)
What do the religious affiliations of the signers have to do with the religious dimensions of the Constitution discussed in the previous seven posts? I don’t know. Maybe nothing. But I do think that it is a question worth asking.
Here are the signers:
Philadelphia City
Timothy Matlack: Free Quaker
Frederick Kuhl: Anglican
James Cannon: Probably Presbyterian
George Schlosser: Probably Lutheran
David Rittenhouse: Presbyterian
Philadelphia County
Robert Loller: Presbyterian (Abington)
Joseph Blewer: Probably Anglican (Southwark)
John Bull: ? (Providence Township)
William Coates ? (Northern Liberties)
Bucks County
John Wilkinson: Free Quaker (Wrightstown)
Samuel Smith: ? (Buckingham)
John Keller: Probably Lutheran (Haycock Township)
William Van Horne: Baptist (Southampton)
John Grier: Presbyterian (Plumstead)
Abraham Van Middleswarts: ?
Joseph Kirkbride: Free Quaker (New Britain)
Chester County
Benjamin Bartholomew: Baptist (Devon)
Thomas Strawbridge: ? (Londonderry)
Robert Smith: Presbyterian (Uwchlan)
Samuel Cunningham: Probably Presbyterian (Nantmeal)
John Mackey: Presbyterian (New London)
John Flemming: Presbyterian (Valley Township)
Lancaster County
Philip Marsteller ? (Lebanon)
Thomas Porter: ? (Drumore)
Bartram Galbreath: Presbyterian (Donegal)
John Hubley: ? (Lancaster)
Alexander Lowrey: Presbyterian (Donegal)
York County
James Edgar: Presbyterian (York)
James Smith: Probably Presbyterian (Susquehanna)
Cumberland County
John Harris Jr.: Presbyterian (Paxton)
Jonathan Hoge: Presbyterian (East Pennsboro)
William Clarke: ? (Middletown)
Robert Whitehill: Presbyterian (Paxton)
William Duffield: Probably Presbyterian (Mercersburg)
James Brown: Probably Presbyterian (Carlisle)
Hugh Alexander: Probably Presbyterian (?)
James McLain: Probably Presbtyerian (Antrim)
Berks County
Jacob Morgan: Anglican (Carnarvon)
Gabriel Hiester: Probably German Reformed (Bern)
Benjamin Spyker: German Reformed (Tulpehocken)
Valentine Ecker: German Reformed (Wolmesdorf)
Charles Shoemaker: Lutheran (Windsor)
Thomas Jones Jr.: ? (Heidelberg)
Northampton County
Simon Driesbach: German Reformed (Lehigh)
Jacob Arndt: German Reformed (Forks)
Peter Burkholder: ? (Whitehall)
Jacob Stroud: ? (Stroudsburg)
Neigal Gray: Presbyterian (Allen Township)
Abraham Miller (?)
John Ralston: Presbyterian (Allen Township)
Bedford County
Benjamin Elliott: Presbyterian (Huntingdon)
Thomas Coulter: ? (Cumberland Valley)
Rev. Joseph Powell: Baptist (Southampton)
John Burd: ? (Bedford)
John Cessna: ? (Friend’s Cove)
John Wilkin: ? (Bedford)
Thomas Smith: Anglican (Bedford)
Northumberland County
William Cooke: ? (Northumberland)
James Potter: Probably Presbyterian (Northumberland)
Robert Martin: ? (Wyoming)
Matthew Brown: Presbyterian (White Deer Hole Valley)
Walter Clark: Presbyterian (Buffalo Valley)
John Kelley: Presbyterian (Buffalo Valley)
James Crawford: Probably Presbyterian (Pine Creek)
John Weitzel: ? (Sunbury)
Westmoreland County
James Barr: Presbyterian (Ft. Barr)
Edward Cook: Presbyterian (Fayette City)
James Smith: Presbyterian (Bedford)
John Moore: Presbyterian (New Alexandria)
John Carmichael: Presbyterian (Franklin)
John McClelland: Presbyterian (Franklin)
Christopher Lobingier: German Reformed (Mount Pleasant)
Ben Franklin: President
John Morris: Secretary