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Memoir of the Life and Services Colonel John Nixon

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Memoir of the Life and Services Colonel John Nixon M E M O I R O F THE L I F E A N D S E R V I C E S C O L O N E L J O H N N I X O N PREPARED AT THE RE''EST OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE RESTORATION OF INDEPENDENCE HALL FOR ' THE NATIONAL CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION ' OF J ' Y 2 1 776 L , P T ' I N ' AND RESEN ED AT THE MEETIN INDEPENDENCE CHAM ER , ' Y J' Y 1 18 76 SAT RDA L , CHARLES HENRY HART ' 'R eprinted from Th e Pennsylvani a Ma gazine of His tory a nd 'i ograph y ' P H I L A D E L P H I A 1 8 7 7 M I S S E L I ' A ' E T H N I X O N SOLE S'RV IV IN' DESCENDANT OF C OL O N E L JOHN N I X ON 'EARIN' HI S NAME T H I S M E M O I R O F H E R ' R A N D F A T H E R 3 5 fl nsrrih eh WITH AFFECTION AND RESPECT THE A'THO R I ND EPEND EN E HA C L L . PHI L A D E L P H I A O 25 1 8 7 5 . , ctober , C H AR L E S H ENR Y H AR E S . To T, ' S I R ' The C ommittee o n the R estora tion of I n depen den ce Hall have l d n m e nce Am n H n ' ra a n d reso ve to i vite the p of erica istoria s , iog phers , L a a o n e n da J 1 8 7 6 . iterati at th t pl ce the s co d y of uly, They desire that a ' a k nd a w m m a a w iographic l s etch of every i ividu l , hose e ory is ssoci ted ith ' din n l a R l ma ar d a n d this uil g duri g the ear y d ys of the epub ic , y be prep e d o n a m n A N n l M m eposited that day o g the r chives of the a tio a useu . Yo u a r e respectfully req ue sted to be presen t a t I n depe n d ence Ha ll o n a m n n a n d n w a k c l the day bove e tio ed , to bri g ith you s et h of the ife of JOHN N I X ON in a n a n mm n a a . or case of prefere ce for other sub'ect, to co u ic te the f ct is d esired tha t these sketches should n o t exce ed two pa ges of foolsca p . W r t ith great espec , F R AN' M . E I N' TT , C h a irma n of C o mmitte e . C O L O N E L J OHN N I X ON . R E S R Y A T 'Y C HA L H E N H R . n l (C e n ten ia l C ol ection . ) o f When I accepted the invitation , I had the honor receiving 1 8 75 o n in October, , from the Committee the Restoration of o f f J Independence Hall , to prepare a memoir the li e of ohn N x o f litera ti i on to be presented at the meeting American , requested to assemble in Independence Chamber o n July 2 1 8 76 s o f o f , , the centennial anniver ary the adoption the ' i n Resolutions respect ng Independe cy , I was doubtful if I w should be able to fulfil my engagement , so little was kno n o f his public services . That he was a merchant highly o f o f esteemed 'the second president the Bank North America , and had read and proclaimed publicly to the people for the o f first time the Declaration Independence , were the only prominent facts kn own even to his descendants . It seemed as ' ’ ' o f if the limited two pages fool s cap could not be supplied , But careful and laborious investigation among published and t unpublished archives , revealed incident af er incident throwing light upon his important career, until at last when the rough im material was sifted and shaped into its present form , the a t probable two pages had been duplicated dozen imes . It is x presented in its e tended size , so that those who come after us may be made fully acquainted with the life and services o f ’ o n e o f the country s early and pure patriots . J h N x o n i on , who read and proclaimed publicly to the people fi for the rst time the Declaration of Independence , was born 1 73 3 . Th e x in the city of Philadelphia , in the year e act date — 5 i o n 1 7 1 73 4 3 0 . Of his birth is uncerta n , but April , ( o l d when two years , he was baptized at Christ Church by the . N x rector His father , Richard i on , is believed to have been a o f x x native We ford , County We ford , Ireland , but if so , when h he came to this country is unknown . T at he was a born Jo h n N ixon . Irishman has been sought to be established from the fact that o f his son , the subject this memoir, was , as will be seen later, f ' ' o o f . a member The Friendly Sons St Patrick , a social 1 771 to society formed in , whose prerequisite membership was a ren t o r being descended from an Irish p in the first degree , to o f c o f r have been a native Ireland , or a des endant a forme a rent member 'but , as a mother is a p as well as a father , she o might have been the one f Celtic birth and not he . This view is stren gthened by the fact tha t there is an heirloom in fa m il in o f o l d the y , the shape an and very large sea N . o n ' . S . chest with these initials the top in brass nails , a not uncommon method with the early emigrants 1 6 8 6 ' to this country for denoting and memorizing the period o f their departure from their homes , and the arrangement of the ' ' o f N letters would show that the initial the surname was , while ' G ' and ' S ' represented respectively the Christian names o f the emigrant husband and wife . The earliest mention we have o f Richard N ixon is the record o s f his marriage to Sarah Bowle at Christ Church , by the — i o n J 7 1 727 28 0 . Rev. Archibald Cumm ngs , anuary , ( He 1 73 8 r was a prominent merchant and shipper , and in pu chased o n x n the property Front Street , below Pine , e tendi g into the t n Delaware River, af erwards k own for nearly a century as ’ wa s o f N ix h a . 1 742 h e on s W rf In , chosen a member the o Common Council f Philadelphia , which position he continued n to hold until his death . Pendi g the French and Spanish A ix War , which was ended by the Peace of La Chapelle , con o n 7th o f 1 748 cluded the October , , Franklin urged upon the s o f citizens to associate together for the purpo es defence , and ' ' o n e two regiments o f Associators were accordingly formed , for the city and the other for the county , which were divided o n e o f into companies , for each ward and township , and the N x Dock Ward Company , in the City Regiment , Richard i on , was chosen captain . The Dock Ward at this time was and t continued up to the present century, the most impor ant and o f infl uential ward in the city . He was a prominent member d o n e o f Chr ist Protestant Episcopal Church , Phila elphia , and 1 745 1 746 1 747 . the vestrymen during the years , , and He Joh n N ixo n . o f had four children , all whom were baptized there , and three of them who died in infancy were buried in its ground , where n o n 6 o f he himself found a resti g place also the th December, 1 49 7 (O . His personal property after his decease was appraised at a no inconsiderable sum in those days . J 25 1 78 5 His wife survived him many years , dying uly , , at o f the advanced age eighty years , and was buried at Christ o f . Church , where reposed the remains her husband J N x ohn i on , the only child who survived his father, and the subject of this notice , early took a leading interest in - ff . 1 75 6 o f public a airs In March , , at the age twenty three , x o f during the e citement the French War , he was chosen by o f o f o f a a majority votes the freemen Dock Ward , Lieuten nt o f ' o f .
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