John Hart, Signatory of the Declaration of Independence
The year 1776 wasn’t exactly one of the best in John Hart’s life, despite the fact he was one of the five from New Jersey who bravely voted for the Declaration of Independence on July 4 and signed it on Aug.2, creating the new nation.
For Hart, it was the thing to do, and he was proud and honored to do it.
But that same year, just three months after the July event, his wife and mother of their 13 children fell ill and died after 36 years of marriage. The following month, the British entered his property, forcing him to remove the children to the care of relatives and friend while he remained to stay close to his acreage. He hid out in the mountains hear his home in Hopewell while the British plundered the land but returned to it and worked to rebuild it again.
He must have been successful, since in June of 1778, when Washington was leading 12,000 troops in the area in defense of the nation, Hart allowed them all to camp on his land. Washington, who spent more time in New Jersey than any other colony during the Revolution, went on with his rested and refreshed troops to win the Battle of Monmouth at Freehold, a turning point in the Revolution.
Uneducated and the oldest, at 68, of the New Jersey delegation to sign the Declaration, Hart left the Congress to return to New Jersey and become the a state Assemblyman, to be elected twice as Speaker, the first Speaker of the Assembly in New Jersey, and to chalk up several other accomplishments.
In addition to being an elected Justice of the Peace in spite of little education, Hart also served as the first vice-president of the New Jersey Provincial Congress, amassed more than 600 acres of farmland to become the largest landowner in Hopewell, and gained the respect of all for his hard work energy, honesty and dedication toward independence.
Hart was the second generation of his family to serve in battle. His father had been a member of the famed Jersey Blues, the New Jersey volunteers who, who earlier had fought against Quebec in the French and India War.
John Hart died at home in 1779 is buried in the First Baptist Church Cemetery in Hopewell.
