John Bubenheim Bayard (11 August 1738 – 7 January 1807) was a merchant, soldier, and statesman from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He achieved the rank of colonel while serving with the Continental Army, and was a delegate for

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to the Congress of the Confederation in 1785 and 1786. Later he was elected as mayor of New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Early life

John Bubenheim Bayard was born on 11 August 1738 to James Bayard (1717–1780) and the former Mary Asheton (b. ca. 1715) at Bohemia Manor, Cecil County, Maryland. He had a twin brother, James Asheton Bayard (1738–1770). Their father James was the youngest son of Samuel Bayard (1675–1721), who was born in New Amsterdam, and Susanna Bouchelle (1678–1750), both of French Huguenot ancestry. James Bayard was educated at

West Nottingham Academy West Nottingham Academy is an independent co-ed school serves both boarding and day students in grades 9-12. It was founded in 1744 by the Presbyterian preacher Samuel Finley, who later became President of The College of New Jersey (now Princet ...

under the tutelage of the Rev. Samuel Finley, who later became the 5th President of Princeton University.

Family

Bayard's paternal line were French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

s who escaped France through the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. His 2x great-grandfather, Samuel Bayard (d. ca. 1647), the son of the Rev. Balthazar Bayard, married Ann Stuyvesant, the daughter of the Rev. Balthazar Stuyvesant, in the Netherlands in 1638. After Samuel Bayard's death, she brought their four children, of which Petrus Bayard (d. 1690), John Bayard's great-grandfather, was the eldest, to

New Netherland New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva P ...

with her brother Peter Stuyvesant in 1647. In 1698, John Bayard's grandfather, Samuel Bayard (1675–1721), moved to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and established a plantation known as Bohemia Manor in Cecil County. It remained the seat of the family for several generations of the

Bayard family The Bayard family has been a prominent family of lawyers and politicians throughout American history, primarily from Wilmington, Delaware. Beginning as Federalists, they joined the party of Andrew Jackson and remained leaders of the Democratic ...

Career

In 1755, John Bayard moved to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and became a merchant. He entered the business world in the counting-room of a merchant, John Rhea. He began making his own investments in shipping voyages, prospered, and became one of the leaders in the merchant community. When he joined his own firm, it was named ''Hedge & Bayard''. In 1765 Bayard signed the non-importation agreement in protest of the Stamp Act, even though it hurt his own business. By 1766, he had become one of the leaders of the Philadelphia

Sons of Liberty The Sons of Liberty was a loosely organized, clandestine, sometimes violent, political organization active in the Thirteen American Colonies founded to advance the rights of the colonists and to fight taxation by the British government. It pl ...

Revolutionary War

Bayard was elected to the convention of Pennsylvania in July 1774, and re-elected in 1775. This group was originally the revolutionary counter to the official assembly, but eventually replaced it as the legislature for the new government. When regiments were raised for the defense of Philadelphia in 1775, Bayard became Colonel of the second regiment. In 1776, when the convention had become a constitutional assembly, he was named to the ''Committee of Safety''. In March 1777, he became a member of the state's ''Board of War'', and the Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, and was re-elected in 1778. In the meantime, Hedge & Bayard was contracted with the Continental Congress to supply the Continental Army. Bayard fitted out a ship sent out as a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

. But, in the fall of 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia. Bayard moved his family to a farm at Plymouth. After getting them settled, he took to the field with his regiment. They fought at the Battles of

Brandywine Brandywine may refer to: Food and drink *Brandy, a spirit produced by distilling wine *Brandywine tomato, a variety of heirloom tomato Geographic locations Canada * Brandywine Falls Provincial Park, British Columbia * Brandywine Mountain, British ...

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...

, and

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

. Bayard was cited by General Washington for his gallant leadership in the Battle of Princeton. In 1781, Bayard became head of the Board of War, and as such joined the state's Executive Council. Under Pennsylvania's 1776 constitution this was a kind of combination of the roles of a governor's cabinet and the state Senate. In 1785 he was elected to the Congress of the Confederation, the successor of the Continental Congress. He served there in 1785 and 1786, attending their meetings in New York, then the temporary seat of government. In 1787, he was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

Later life

By 1788, Bayard had settled most of the debts he had run up during the war. He was forced to sell the estate in Maryland to another branch of the family, and closed down his Philadelphia business. He built a new home in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and moved there in the expectation of retiring. But in 1790, he was elected mayor of New Brunswick. Then, for many of his remaining years he sat as the judge in the court of common pleas for Middlesex County. He died at home in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on January 7, 1807, and is buried in the First Presbyterian Churchyard there.

Personal life

In 1759, he married Margaret Hodge (1740–1780), the daughter of Andrew Hodge (1711–1789), sister of Andrew Hodge and Hugh Hodge, and the aunt of Rev. Charles Hodge (1797–1878), in Philadelphia. Before her death in 1780, the couple had several children, including: * James Ashton Bayard (1760–1788), who graduated from

in 1781, and who married to Eliza Rodgers, daughter of Dr. John Rodgers, a trustee of Princeton from 1765 to 1807. * Andrew Bayard (1762–1833), who graduated from Princeton in 1779, and who married a daughter of Col. Charles Pettit * John Murray Bayard (1766–1823), who married Margaret Carrick. * Samuel Bayard (1766–1840), who graduated from Princeton in 1784, and who married Martha Pintard, daughter of Lewis Pintard and Susan Stockton (sister of Richard Stockton) * Jane Bayard (1772–1851), who married Andrew Kirkpatrick (1756–1831) * Nicholas Serl Bayard (1774–1821), who in 1798 married Anna Livingston Bayard (d. 1802), the daughter of Nicholas Bayard (1736–1798) and Catherine Livingston (1743–1775). The latter was the daughter of

Peter Van Brugh Livingston Peter Van Brugh Livingston (bp. November 3, 1710 Albany, New York – December 28, 1792 Elizabethtown, Union County, New Jersey) was a Patriot during the American Revolution who was a wealthy merchant and who served as the 1st New York State Tre ...

and his wife. After Anna's death in 1802, he married Esther McIntosh, the daughter of Gen.

Lachlan McIntosh Lachlan McIntosh (March 17, 1725 – February 20, 1806) was a Scottish American military and political leader during the American Revolution and the early United States. In a 1777 duel, he fatally shot Button Gwinnett, a signer of the Declaratio ...

and the former Sarah Threadcraft. * Margaret Bayard (1778–1844), who married

Samuel Harrison Smith Samuel Harrison Smith (13 March 1808 – 30 July 1844) was a younger brother of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Samuel was a leader in his own right and a successful missionary. Smith is commonly regarded as the first Latt ...

(1772–1845) in 1800 and became a published writer. She is best known for her posthumously published memoir, ''The First Forty Years of Washington Society'' (1906), drawn from her letters to family and friends. * Anna Bayard (1779–1869), who married Samuel Boyd. The household was enlarged after the couple adopted the three orphaned children of John's twin brother, James Asheton Bayard I (1738–1770). He had married Margaret Hodge's sister Ann, who also died young. Two young nephews and a niece joined the John Bayard household in 1770: John H. Bayard (1762–1820), Jane Bayard (b. 1765), and James Asheton Bayard II (1767–1815). He graduated from Princeton in 1784. In 1781, shortly after the death of his first wife Margaret, Bayard remarried, to Mary (née Grant) Hodgson (d. 1785). She was a widow of John Hodgson of South Carolina. After Mary's death in 1785, Bayard married for the third and final time to Johannah White (d. 1834), sister of General

Anthony Walton White Anthony Walton White (July 7, 1750 – February 10, 1803) was a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War who had previously served as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington. Early life He was born ...

(1750–1803), sister-in-law of William Paterson (1745–1806), and granddaughter of Lewis Morris (1671–1746), the Chief Justice of New York from 1715 to 1733 and

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

from 1738 to 1746.Lefferts, Elizabeth Morris, comp., ''Descendants of Lewis Morris of Morrisania'' (New York: Tobias A. Wright, 1907) She survived him and died on June 26, 1834, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Neither of the later marriages had surviving children.

Descendants

Through his eldest son, James Bayard, he was the grandfather of two, James Asheton Bayard and Anthony Walton Bayard (1737–1860). Through his second son, Andrew Bayard, he was the grandfather of six, Sarah Bayard, John Bayard (1795–1869) (a founder of the

Philomathean Society The Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania is a collegiate literary society, the oldest student group at the university, and a claimant to the title of the oldest continuously-existing literary society in the United States.This cl ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

), Elizabeth Bayard, Theodosia Bayard, James Bayard, and Charles Bayard. Through his third son, John Murray Bayard, he was the grandfather of Jane Bayard (who married A. H. Stevens). Through his fourth son, Samuel Bayard, he was the grandfather of seven, Rev. Dr. Lewis Pintard Bayard (1791–1840), Susan Bayard, Maria Bayard, Samuel John Bayard (1801–1878) (who married Jane Ann Winder Dashiel, the parents of Gen. George Dashiell Bayard (1835–1862)), William Marsden Bayard (1803–1863), Juliet Elizabeth Bayard (1806–1865) (who married William Augustine Washington II (1804–1830), son of William A. Washington), and Caroline Smith Bayard (1814–1891) (who married

Albert Baldwin Dod Albert Baldwin Dod (March 24, 1805 – November 20, 1845) was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor of mathematics. Early life Dod was born on March 24, 1805 in Mendham, New Jersey. He was the son of Daniel Dod (1778–1823) and Nanc ...

(1805–1845)). Through his fifth child, Jane Bayard Kirkpatrick, he was the grandfather of Mary Ann Kirkpatrick, John Bayard Kirkpatrick (1795–1864), George Littleton Kirkpatrick (1797–1859), Jane Eudora Kirkpatrick (who married Rev. Dr. Jonathan Cogswell in 1837, the parents of Jane Emily Searle Cogswell who married

James Grant Wilson James Grant Wilson (April 28, 1832 – February 1, 1914) was an American editor, author, bookseller and publisher, who founded the ''Chicago Record'' in 1857, the first literary paper in that region. During the American Civil War, he served as ...

in 1869), Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, Sarah Kirkpatrick, and Charles Kirkpatrick. Through his sixth child, Nicholas Serl Bayard, he was the grandfather to Nicholas James Bayard (1799–1879) (who married Sarah Harris, Sarah Glen, and Eliza Hand née King (1808–1883)), Jane Bayard (who married Rev. James Leighton Wilson), and Margaret Esther Bayard (who married Rev. James Read Eckard, the parents of Leighton Wilson Eckard who married Bessie Schofield). Through his seventh child,

Margaret Bayard Smith Margaret Bayard Smith (20 February 1778 – 7 June 1844) was an American author and political commentator in the early Republic of the United States, a time when women generally lived within strict gender roles. Her writings and relationship ...

, he was the grandfather of Julia Smith, Susan Smith, John Bayard Harrison Smith, and Anne Smith. Through his eight and youngest child, Anna Bayard Boyd, he was the grandfather of Bayard Boyd (1815–1904) (who married Manette Lansing (1817–1904)), Elizabeth Boyd, Anna Boyd, and Isabella Boyd.

External links

Bayard's Congressional biography

-> *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayard, John 1738 births 1808 deaths Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania 18th-century American politicians Mayors of New Brunswick, New Jersey

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Politicians from Philadelphia Huguenot participants in the American Revolution Burials in New Jersey People from Chesapeake City, Maryland People of colonial Pennsylvania Members of the American Philosophical Society