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Property "Has letter" (as page type) with input value "'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-000007F2-QINU`"'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 any blemish, it must be from themselves: no original guilt 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 towards the several branches of it, relieve them from contempt by your beneficence,'"`UNIQ--ref-000007F4-QINU`"' 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.
“'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-000007F5-QINU`"'George Ross.
“'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-000007F6-QINU`"'John Ross, Esquire.”
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 Fern [near the town of Tain], about four or five miles [from that part of] the shire between two friths, the one the Frith of Murray, the other the Frith of Dornoch. The land lying between the two friths terminates in a noted point called Tarbat-Ness.
He was put to school very early, and made some progress in the Latin tongue under the care of the school-master [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 he would be ?” to which he answered, “A scholar.” Young as he was, credo inspiratione. “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 to 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, alas! the closer he applied himself to reading, the stronger his aversion grew to the party then uppermost in Scotland. He observed the leading men'"`UNIQ--ref-000007F7-QINU`"' of that side to be sour, censorious, 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. Æneas McKenzie, 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 by sea ; and, upon his safe arrival, waited on the Bishop of 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 at 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 otherwise 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 with 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 Slaten, in Ireland,'"`UNIQ--ref-000007F9-QINU`"' 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]. '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-000007FA-QINU`"'George Ross.'"`UNIQ--ref-000007FB-QINU`"'" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.
Property "Has letter" (as page type) with input value "On the 11th of March, 1709, David Ross of Balblair disponed the Mansion House and the Wester half of the property in life rent to his wife Margaret. He was dead 21 February, 1710, when his widow had sosine of the lands.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU`"' David Ross on the 8th March, 1707, had disponed Balblair, reserving a liferent to himself and his wife, to his grandson Andrew (son of his own eldest son Andrew), and the heirs male of his body whom failing to the other heirs male of Andrew, whom failing to the Rev. George Ross and the heirs male of his body, whom failing to Hugh Ross third lawful son of the said David and the heirs male of his body.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000002-QINU`"'
After David's death his eldest son Andrew had sosine of the land of Ballon in the County of Ross as heir to his father.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000005-QINU`"' Balblair was sold before 1732, probably after the death of Andrew junior to whom it had been conveyed by his grandfather David. Andrew was living on the 31st July. 1728, and died 2nd June, 1730, when his Aunt Bessie, second lawful daughter of David Ross of Balblair, and her husband were confirmed executors dative as next of kin. I have obtained a note from a letter dated 31st March, 1764, addressed by Dr. Gordon to John Ross, Esquire, Counsellor at Law of Philadelphia, in which he says he had applied to David Monro, Writer to the Signet, grandson of David Ross of Balblair, for information, and Mr. Monro believed his grandfather to be descended from Shandwick or Little Tarrell.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000006-QINU`"'" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process.
Property "Has letter" (as page type) with input value "My dear Sir:— I beg to acknowledge receipt of your valued favor of 7th inst. and your kindness tempts me to trespass further on your time. I think I have succeeded in locating the thirteen children of Rev. George Ross, and some of their children, but as to their ages and relative position I am considerably puzzled, as I cannot get dates of birth. I am inclined to arrange them as follows:
Children of Rev. George Ross and Joanna Williams.
- David: b. ———. d. ———. m. ———. Had issue.
- Margaret: b. ———. d. ———; m.. 1st. Rev. Walter Hackett: m., 2nd, Rev. William Currie. Had issue.
- John: b. 1714; d. May 8th. 1776; m. Dec. 28th. 1735. Elizabeth Morgan. Had issue.
- Aeneas: b. Sept. 17th. 1716; d. bet. 9th and 29th of April, 1783; m. Jany. 3, 1745, Sarah Leech. Had issue.
- Anne: b. 1719: d. ———; m. ———, Jasper Yeates.
- Jacob: b. ———, d. ———; m. April 10th. 1755, Jane Sayre. Had issue.
Children of Rev. George Ross and Catherine Van Gezel.1
George: b. 1730; d. July 16th, 1779; m. Aug. 17th, 1751, Ann Lawler. Had issue. Gertrude: b. ———. d. Sept., 1802: m., 1st. ———, I. Till; m., 2nd, Jany. 11th. 1763. George Read. Had issue. Catharine: b. ———, d. Dec, 1809: m. ———, Genl. William Thompson. Had issue. Elizabeth: b. ———, d. ———; m. June 26th, 1761, Col. Edw. Biddle. Had issue. Susanna: b. ———. d. ———; m. ———, Rev. William Thompson. Had issue. Mary: b. ———, d. ———; m. Jany. 6th. 1763, Mark Bird. Had issue. James: b. ———, d. ———; m. Eleanor. Had issue.
George, Gertrude and Catharine, I am sure, were the children of Catharine Van Gezel, and I believe Elizabeth and Mary were, but I don't feel sure about either Susanna or James, although some information I have indicates they were. You will note the order in which I have placed the children of Joanna Williams, and, as this does not exactly agree with your views as expressed in your letter to Mr. Francis Nevile Reid, permit me to explain my reasons :
First. Mr. William T. Read, in his “Life of George Read,” page 62, in referring to portrait No. 10, says : “John, son of Mr. Ross’ eldest son David.”
Second. We know from records of Immanuel Church, John, son of Rev. George Ross, was baptized as an infant Oct. 21st, 1714, and that Aenaes was born Sept. 17th, 1716, an interval of less than two years, and it is, therefore, most unlikely a child was born between.
Third. David was the name of Rev. George Ross's father, and it is fair to presume he named his first son after him.
As to Margaret :
Her first husband, Walter Hackett, according to records of Immanuel Church, died March. 7th, 1793, leaving her a widow with two children, and she must certainly at that time have been 20 years old, which would make her birth antedate John's.
Mr. Francis Nevile Reid, in one of his letters, gave the name of Rev. George Ross's mother as Margaret Stronack, so that he called his first daughter after his mother.
Dr. Jacob Ross :
Appears in the records of Immanuel Church, in 1758, as a vestryman, and, I conclude, must have been at this time well past his youth. Joanna Williams is said to have had a brother, Jacob, another reason for thinking Jacob her son.
Jacob Ross was a practicing physician as early as 1752. (See letter of Rev George Ross to I. Till, " Life of George Read," p. 60.)
Will you do me the favor to inform me what you think of my deductions and supply any dates, etc., you have which will assist in completing my record. I have now, I think, a complete list of the children of the following of the Rosses : John. George. Catharine and Elizabeth. I have children of Gertrude by George Read, but do not know if she had children by Till, her first husband, or not. I have an account of three children of James, one of Mary, one of Susanna, two of Margaret (without their names), four of Aeneas, one of David and two of Jacob. As to Anne, I know nothing beyond the fact she is said to have married John Yeates. This letter will give you some idea of the present condition of my work, and, if it contains any information not before in your possession, I am most happy to have been of some service. :::Very sincerely yours, '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000841-QINU`"'Edmund H. Bell. To Gen. John Meredith Read, Paris. France.
- '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000843-QINU`"'Van Gezel Arms — Azure three boys' heads affrontee proper, on the head of each a cap argen*. Crest — A head as in the arms between two wings displayed azure.
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