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

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

to the

Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States from March 1, 1781, until March 3, 1789, during 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 (born c. 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 New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...

, and Susanna Bouchelle (1678–1750), both of French Huguenot ancestry. He also had Dutch and English ancestry as well. 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 Presbyterianism, Presbyterian preacher Samuel Finley, who later became President of Princeton University, ...

under the tutelage of the Rev.

Samuel Finley Samuel Finley (July 2, 1715 – July 17, 1766) was an Irish-born Presbyterian minister and academic. He founded the West Nottingham Academy and was the fifth president and an original trustee of the College of New Jersey (later renamed as ...

, who later became the 5th

President of Princeton University Princeton University, founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, is a private Ivy League research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. The university is led by a president, who is selected by the board of trustees by ballot. The p ...

Family

Bayard's paternal line were French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

s who escaped France through the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. His 2x great-grandfather, Samuel Bayard (died c. 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 () was a colony of the Dutch Republic located on the East Coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva Peninsula to Cape Cod. Settlements were established in what became the states ...

with her brother

Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant ( – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the Directors of New Netherland, director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, when the colony was pro ...

in 1647. In 1698, John Bayard's grandfather, Samuel Bayard (1675–1721), moved to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and established a plantation known as Bohemia Manor in

Cecil County Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The ...

. 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 ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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 p ...

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 The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

. Bayard fitted out a ship sent out as a

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding 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 o ...

. But, in the fall of 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia. Bayard moved his family to a farm at

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. After getting them settled, he took to the field with his regiment. They fought at the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and

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

. 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

, the successor of the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

. He served there in 1785 and 1786, attending their meetings in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, then the temporary seat of government. In 1787, he was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

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 New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Middlesex County. He died at home in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on 7 January 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 Charles Hodge (December 27, 1797 – June 19, 1878) was a Reformed Presbyterian theologian and principal of Princeton Theological Seminary between 1851 and 1878. He was a leading exponent of the Princeton Theology, an orthodox Calvinist theo ...

(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 Charles Pettit (1736 – September 4, 1806) was an American lawyer and merchant from New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served as a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Confederation Congress from 1785 to 1787. Biography Charles Pettit w ...

* 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 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 The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in whic ...

and the former Sarah Threadcraft. * Margaret Bayard (1778–1844), who married Samuel Harrison Smith (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 Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Conti ...

(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 the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

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 Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania is a collegiate literary society, the oldest student group at the university, and the oldest continuously-existing collegiate literary society in the United States.Columbia University's ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

), 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 ...

(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 The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

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, 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.

References

External links

Bayard's Congressional biography

-> * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bayard, John 1738 births 1808 deaths Members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania 18th-century New Jersey politicians 18th-century mayors of places in New Jersey 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 * Second E ...

Politicians from Philadelphia Huguenot participants in the American Revolution People from Chesapeake City, Maryland Merchants from colonial Pennsylvania 18th-century American merchants Members of the American Philosophical Society