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{{Letter
|source=Rossiana
|date=1752
|author1=George Ross
|author_link1=George Ross of New Castle (1679-1753)
|recipient1=John Ross, Esquire
|recipient_link1=John Ross Esq. of Philadelphia (1714-1776)
|letter=My very good son — You have, inclosed, an answer to your repeated request, wherein you may observe the easy and regular steps [by which] Providence conducted me to settle in this country. If my posterity contract{{sfn|Read|Reid|1908|p=[https://archive.org/details/rossianapapersdo01read/page/156/mode/1up 156]}} any blemish, it must be from themselves ; no original gulf can be imputed to them. It is well the rise of many families in these parts, like the head of the Nile, is unknown, and their glory consists in their obscurity. It is your satisfaction that it is otherwise with you ; your escutcheon is without blot or stain. Contend, therefore, for the honor of your family by a kind and generous behavior toward the several branches of it, relieve them from contempt by your beneficence, and put them above the world by exercising that ability towards them which God has blessed you with, which, if you do, God will gather you, in His good time, to your honest and worthy progenitors. I have a quick sense of your filial favors, and you may be assured, dear son, that I am your most obliged and affectionate father,
<p style="float:right;">{{smallcaps|George Ross}}.</p>

{{smallcaps|John Ross, Esquire}}.

<center>{{smallcaps|Autobiography}}.</center>

George Ross, Rector [as he is styled in his presentation], of the Church in New Castle, was second son that came to man's estate of David Ross, of Balblair, a gentleman of moderate fortune, but of great integrity, born in the north of Scotland, in the Shire of Ross, in the Parish of Tain{{NoteTag|The version originally published in 1870 by [[William Thompson Read, son of Hon. George Read (1792-1873)|William Thompson Read]], the man who claims to have copied this letter from a manuscript, says that George was born in the parish of Fearn.{{sfn|Read|1870|pp=[https://archive.org/details/lifecorresponden00read/page/52/mode/1up 52]}} We know from documents pertaining to his father, that [[Balblair, Fearn Parish, Ross-shire|Balblair]] was, indeed, in the parish of Fearn. There was also a Balblair in the parish of Tain. {{Harmon}}, who published this version of the autobiography in 1908, appears to have been under the mistaken impression that his ancestors lived at the Balblair in Tain. He may have made the change in his transcription based on that assumption.}} [near the town of Tain], about four or five miles [from that part of] the shire between two firths, the one the Firth of Murray, and the other the Firth of Dornoch. The land lying between the two firths terminates in a noted point called Tarbatness.

He was put to school very early, and made some progress in the Latin tongue under the care of the schoolmaster [in Tain], and, being of a promising genius, his father asked him, as they were going to a farm a little distance from home: “What would he be?” To which he answered: “A scholar,” young as he was, ''credonis peratione''. “A scholar you shall be,” replied his father. When he was about fourteen years of age his eldest brother Andrew requested his father to send him to him at Edinburgh. Accordingly he was sent, but for the first twelve months little to his advantage, for instead of advancing him in his learning he made him attend his office and write from morning till night, often without his dinner — to his great disappointment, not through want of affection to his brother — but hurry of business and much company. His father, being informed of this low or no education, ordered him to be put to school and fitted for the university. Andrew lost his slave, and George was once more put in the way of being a scholar.

He took his degree of master of arts in Edinburgh in 1700. With this feather in his cap he returned home and became tutor to the Lord of May, his son, for which [tutorship] he was allowed ten pounds sterling per annum — great wages in that part of the world and at that time of day. [Having some] cash of his own, and somewhat anxious to see Edinburgh again, and taking [leave of his father] the [last time he ever saw him], not without some coolness on the son's side, for that the father did not add weight enough to his blessing, as the son expected — and even at that time he was not without the thought of foreign countries. I say, taking leave of his father, he proceeded on his journey to Edinburgh, and there entered his name among the students of divinity, worthy Mr. Meldrum being the professor. There was great hope of seeing worthy Mr. George mount the Presbyterian pulpit ; but, helas ! the closer he applied himself to reading,{{sfn|Read|Reid|1908|p=[https://archive.org/details/rossianapapersdo01read/page/157/mode/1up 157]}} the stronger his aversion grew to the party then uppermost in Scotland. He observed the leading men of that side to be some conscientious and hypocritical. He could not digest the ministers' odd gestures, grimaces, dry mouths and screwed faces in their pulpits. He could not comply with their practices even to save him from want of bread. Their “horrible ''decretum'' [as Calvin, the author of it, calls it] of reprobation,” gave him a surfeit of their principles, and as to their church government, he was satisfied it was a spurious brat [the genuine product of Core's rebellion] of proud Presbyters [revolting] against their lawful bishops.

While he passed among the students for an orthodox brother, he was diligently informing himself of the principles of the Church of England, which [he] approved of so well that he was resolved, as soon as he could find encouragement, to set out for England. Mr. Thomas McKenzie,{{NoteTag|In the version published by William Thompson Read, he is named as Æneas McKensie.{{sfn|Read|1870|p=[https://archive.org/details/lifecorresponden00read/page/53/mode/1up 53]}} The Church of Saint Andrew confirms that his name was indeed Rev. Aeneas Mackenzie.<ref name="p593">{{cite web | title=Our History | website=Church of St. Andrew | url=https://www.standrewssi.org/our-history | access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref> They tell the story, just as George himself does, that Aeneas Mackenzie arrived on Staten Island in 1705 in the service of the Church of England’s missionary organisation, that he was a native of Aberdeen, and had previously served as a chaplain to the Earl of Cromarty. This is important because it is often said that George's son Aeneas took his name from George's middle name, but we find in a letter written in 1873 by George's great-grandson, [[John Meredith Read (1837-1896)|Gen. Meredith Read]], that Aeneas actually took his name from this man, George's friend Rev. Aeneas Mackenzie.{{sfn|Read|
Reid|1908|p=[https://archive.org/details/rossianapapersdo01read/page/132/mode/1up 132]}}}} Chaplain to the Earl of Cromarty, Secretary of State for Scotland, was then at London, to whom he wrote on this subject. Mr. McKenzie [being of the same way of thinking, answered that] he might depend upon [being provided for] during the war, “the least,” says he, “you can expect.” Mr. McKenzie's letter he communicated to his brother, who, upon mature deliberation with some of the leading men of the Episcopal party in Scotland, procured him a bill of exchange for £18 11s. 9d. sterling. Thus strengthened and provided, and honored with a recommendation from the Bishop of Edinburgh, then ousted by the revolution, he bid adieu to his native country [after suffering much in the flesh by college diet among a set of canting Pharisees] and went to London, who received him very kindly and ordered him to attend the next ordination, at which he and his friend, McKenzie, with several other candidates, were put in deacon's orders. This happened nine days after his arrival at London, which proved no small mortification to the [dominant] party in Edinburgh and triumph to those of the contrary party.

He was soon promoted to a chaplaincy of eighty pounds sterling [per annum] on board a man-of-war. But the captain, being a haughty fellow, he soon grew sick of that station, and resolved to quit it as soon as he could be provided for. Returning to London, he found his friend McKenzie making application to the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, then newly incorporated, for a mission. He was easily prevailed [upon] to join him in so commendable a design. Upon the Society's being satisfied, after full trial of their character and abilities, they were both admitted missionaries : McKenzie for Staten Island, and Ross for New Castle, who arrived there in 1703 [and continued], save for a few years, when he removed for his health's sake, till this time, being in his seventy-third year. How he behaved is known from the constant regard [of the Society for him].

<div style="float:right;">{{smallcaps|George Ross}}.{{sfn|Read|Reid|1908|p=[https://archive.org/details/rossianapapersdo01read/page/158/mode/1up 158]}}</div>
|name=George Ross;John Ross;Andrew Ross;Lord of May;Mr. Meldrum;Thomas McKenzie
|place=New Castle, Delaware;Balblair, Tain;Firth of Moray;Firth of Dornoch;Tarbatness;Edinburgh;London
|related_documents=Source:Letter, Rev. George Ross autobiography (Life and Correspondence);Source:Colonial Families (George Ross autobiography);Source:Hooker Genealogy (Rev. George Aeneas Ross)
|footnotes=TRUE
|notes=In 1752, Rev. [[George Ross of New Castle (1679-1753)|Rev. George Ross]] wrote a letter to his [[John Ross Esq. of Philadelphia (1714-1776)|son John]] in Philadelphia in which he included an autobiography. This is the version published by {{Harmon}} in ''[[Rossiana]]'' in 1908.<ref name="Rossiana pp. 156-158" />

[[William Thompson Read, son of Hon. George Read (1792-1873)|William Thompson Read]], great-grandson of Rev. George Ross, first published a copy of the letter in the ''[[Life and Correspondence of George Read]]'' in 1870. He states, “The following autobiography of the Reverend George Ross, with the letter prefixed to it, was copied by the author, August, 1835, from an ancient manuscript (itself a copy) in the possession of his brother, George Read, Junior, the words contained between hooks or brackets—thus, [ ]—having been supplied by him as suggested by the context.”{{sfn|Read|1870|p=[https://archive.org/details/lifecorresponden00read/page/51/mode/1up 51]}}

When Harmon published the letter in ''Rossiana'', he included an introductory paragraph almost identical to the one written by William Read, indicating that the ''[[Life and Correspondence of George Read]]'' was the source of his transcription. The version published by Harmon, however, was not an exact copy of the one published by William Read.

First and foremost, Harmon changes “born in the north of Scotland, in the Shire of Ross, in the Parish of Fern” to “born in the north of Scotland, in the Shire of Ross, in the Parish of Tain”. It is evidenced by other statements made by Harmon that he was of the belief that his ancestors were from the [[Balblair, Edderton Parish, Ross-shire|Balblair]] in Edderton Parish which was very near Tain. Documents confirm, though, that the [[Ross of Balblair]] family lived in the parish of Fearn. [[Fearn Parish, Ross-shire|Fearn]], [[Edderton Parish, Ross-shire|Edderton]] and [[Tain Parish, Ross-shire|Tain]] were neighboring parishes in [[Easter Ross]].

Secondly, Harmon changed the name of Rev. George's friend from Æneas McKenzie to Thomas McKenzie. It's not clear why this would've happened. We know that it was Æneas McKenzie who came to America at the same time as George.<ref name="p593">{{cite web | title=Our History | website=Church of St. Andrew | url=https://www.standrewssi.org/our-history | access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref> This is an important detail because George's great-grandson, [[John Meredith Read (1837-1896)|Gen. Meredith Read]], informs us that George's son Aeneas was named after his father's dear friend, the Rev. Aeneas McKenzie, Chaplain to the Earl of Cromarty, Secretary of State for Scotland.{{sfn|Read|
Reid|1908|p=[https://archive.org/details/rossianapapersdo01read/page/132/mode/1up 132]}}

According to a letter written by the attorneys involved in the [[Shandwick succession|succession of Shandwick case]], the original of this letter, and apparently the manuscript copy once in possession of George Read, had already been lost by 1874.

::“The originals of the letter are not extant, at least they have no-where come to light, and what we have transcribed from is a copy of the three letters in a continuous paper, but evidently very old.”{{sfn|Read|Reid|1908|p=[https://archive.org/details/rossianapapersdo01read/page/105/mode/1up 105]}}

Harmon Pumpelly Read and William Thompson Read were both descended from the Rev. George Ross.
{{John Meredith and William Thompson Read family tree|state=collapsed}}
|citation_type=Other
|citation_template=Rossiana full
|full_citation=
|bibliography=* {{Read correspondence full}}
|source_level=Secondary
}}{{Timeline subobject
|event_name=Main
|entry_precedence=
|document_type=Letter
|date=1908
|person_page=George Ross of New Castle (1679-1753);Rosses of New Castle
|place_page=
|related_person=
|related_place=
|related_topic=
|timeline=1908 - {{Harmon}} published in ''[[Rossiana]]'' a version of the autobiography of [[George Ross of New Castle (1679-1753)|Rev. George Ross]] that was originally published by [[William Thompson Read, son of Hon. George Read (1792-1873)|William Thompson Read]] in 1870
|citation=[[#CITEREFReadReid1908|Read & Reid 1908]], pp. [https://archive.org/details/rossianapapersdo01read/page/156/mode/1up 156-158].
|citation_name=Rossiana pp. 156-158
}}

Source:Letter, Rev. George Ross autobiography (Rossiana) - Revision history

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