John Neilson (March 11, 1745 – March 3, 1833) commanded the New Jersey militia in the northern part of the state during the American Revolution , served in the New Jersey legislature during and after the Revolution, and was one of the earliest trustees of Rutgers University . He is also notable for one of the earliest public readings of the Declaration of Independence , which was recently immortalized in a statue located at Monument Square Park in New Brunswick .
14-916: John Neilson may refer to: John Neilson (colonel) (1745–1833), New Jersey officer and member of the New Jersey legislature John Neilson (architect) (c. 1770–1827), Irish-born American master carpenter, joiner and architect John Neilson (Lower Canada politician) (1776–1848), a Canadian newspaper editor and politician. John Alexander Neilson (1858–1915), Scottish rugby union player Shaw Neilson (1872–1942), Australian poet John Neilson (footballer, born 1874) (fl. 1900s), Scottish footballer John Neilson (footballer, born 1921) (1921–1988), Scottish footballer See also [ edit ] John Nielsen (disambiguation) John Neilson Gladstone John Neilson Lake All pages with titles containing John Neilson [REDACTED] Topics referred to by
28-512: A first cousin of Declaration signer Richard Stockton . With only losing one militiaman, Neilsen's forces successfully captured Major Stockton along with Captain Asher Dunham, Lieutenant Fraser, and 62 Loyalists. The officers were subsequently transferred under General Putnam's management, where Neilson was stationed 15 miles south at Princeton . Neilson's victory was noted by George Washington to Congress soon thereafter. In 1778, Neilson
42-666: A merchant. Neilson gained admission to the University of Pennsylvania in 1758, but did not complete his degree. On July 9, 1776, Neilson stood on a table in front of the White Hall Tavern on Albany Street in New Brunswick, New Jersey , and read the Declaration of Independence aloud for the third official (and approved) time. The audience included Patriots supportive of American independence who cheered at
56-560: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages John Neilson (colonel) Neilson was born in Raritan Landing, New Jersey to Dr. John Neilson, an Irish physician who emigrated to the British America in 1740, and Joanna Coeymans, who was of Dutch ancestry. Neilson's father died eight days after his birth and he was subsequently raised by his uncle James Neilson,
70-602: The Continental Congress . The Constitution of 1776 provided for a bicameral legislature consisting of a General Assembly with three members from each county and a legislative council with one member from each county. All state officials, including the governor , were to be appointed by the Legislature under this constitution. The Vice-President of Council would succeed the Governor , who served as
84-546: The 1770s and the 1820s, he enslaved, bought, and sold at least 11 different Black people, including men, women, and children. In 1768, Neilson married Catharine Schuyler Voorhees, a descendant of the Schuyler family . They had 11 children, six of whom survived past infancy: Michael Douglas (1944–), an American actor, is a descendant through his mother Diana Dill whose mother was Ruth Neilson Provincial Congress of New Jersey The Provincial Congress of New Jersey
98-598: The Council president, if a vacancy occurred in that office. The Provincial Congress ceased to function when the first session of the new Legislature convened on August 27, 1776, under the New Jersey State Constitution it had prepared. The Provincial Congress met in late May, June and August in Trenton . During their sessions in the first week, they elected from their members: Hendrick Fisher as
112-711: The beginning of the Revolution, Neilsen resented what he labeled "the attempt of a venal Parliament, bought by an oppressive minority, to tax his country." In 1775, he raised a militia and was active throughout the conflict. On August 31, 1775, Neilson was commissioned by the Provincial Congress of New Jersey and appointed Colonel of a battalion of Minutemen for Middlesex County. He achieved the rank of Brigadier General in February 1777 after achieving an early battle success. One of Neilson's earliest engagements
126-540: The body's President, Jonathan D. Sergeant as secretary, and William Paterson and Frederick Frelinghuysen as assistants. The members, or deputies of the Congress, were received at its first session on May 23, 1775. At Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1776, three Provincial Congress deputies, Abraham Clark , John Hart , and Reverend John Witherspoon , signed the Declaration of Independence , becoming of
140-644: The conclusion of the reading, though several Loyalists who opposed independence also were present. On July 9, 2017, a statue entitled The Third Reading of the Declaration of Independence depicting Neilson was unveiled at Monument Square Park in New Brunswick. Prior to the Revolution, Neilson worked as a merchant in his uncle's shipping business in New Brunswick and in ownership of a salt mine in Toms River operated by Major John Van Emburgh. At
154-406: The same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Neilson&oldid=1187345011 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
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#1732801413612168-661: Was a transitional governing body of the Province of New Jersey in the early part of the American Revolution . It first met in 1775 with representatives from all New Jersey's then-thirteen counties, to supersede the Royal Governor . In June 1776, this congress had authorized the preparation of a constitution, which was written within five days, adopted by the Provincial Congress, and accepted by
182-622: Was appointed as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress , but he chose not to serve. In 1779, Neilson represented Middlesex County in the New Jersey state legislature . John Neilson inherited several enslaved people from his uncle James Neilson. His involvement in slavery is documented in his family's archival collection at Special Collections and University Archives at Rutgers University as well as in government records for Middlesex County. At various times between
196-732: Was at the Battle of Bennett Island on the Raritan River , which was key to the defense of New Brunswick, in early 1777. Leading the Second Regiment of the Middlesex militia, he and his force of 150 militiamen, with reinforcement from General Israel Putnam and 50 Pennsylvanian riflemen, used intelligence from a defector to attack a Loyalist regiment of the New Jersey Volunteers led by Major Richard Witham Stockton,
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