Thomas Barton (1728– 25 May 1780) was an Anglo-Irish

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

clergyman who served as a missionary in Pennsylvania and was an ardent supporter of British colonial rule.

Life

Barton was a native of Ireland, but descended from an English family that settled there in the reign of

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

. He was born in

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...

, Ireland (at that time the Kingdom of Ireland) in 1730. After graduating from

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

he emigrated to America, and in 1751 opened a school at

Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough with Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area. Located ...

, around the age of 21. He was for some time tutor at the academy (now university) at Philadelphia. In 1753, Barton married Esther Rittenhouse, the daughter of a neighbouring farmer, and sister of

David Rittenhouse David Rittenhouse (April 8, 1732 – June 26, 1796) was an American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman, and public official. Rittenhouse was a member of the American Philosophical Society an ...

, the distinguished mathematician and astronomer, whose close friendship he enjoyed until his death. In 1754, Barton went to England, where he received episcopal orders. He returned to America as a missionary of the

Society for the Propagation of the Gospel United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) is a United Kingdom-based charitable organisation (registered charity no. 234518). It was first incorporated under Royal Charter in 1701 as the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Pa ...

, with which he remained connected until 1759. He accompanied, as chaplain, the expedition to

Fort du Quesne Fort Duquesne ( , ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. It was later taken over by the British, and later the Americans, and developed ...

(now Pittsburgh), which ended in the defeat and death of its leader, General Braddock.James P. Myers, ''The Ordeal of Thomas Barton: Anglican Missionary in the Pennsylvania Backcountry, 1755-1780,'' Studies in eighteenth-century America and the Atlantic world. Lehigh University Press, 2010
On leaving

York County, Pennsylvania York County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York, Pennsylvania, ...

, he settled at Lancaster as rector of St. James's. Here he remained nearly twenty years, dividing his time between the duties of his office and the pursuit of natural history. He was elected to the revived

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 ...

in 1768. At last his adherence to the royalist party compelled him to quit his post, for he was unwilling to take the oath of allegiance after the Declaration of Independence. He removed to New York, where he died, 25 May 1780, aged 50. His wife died before him on 18 June 1774.

Benjamin Smith Barton Benjamin Smith Barton (February10, 1766December19, 1815) was an American botanist, naturalist, and physician. He was one of the first professors of natural history in the United States and built the largest collection of botanical specimens in the ...

, the American physician and naturalist, was one of his children.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, Thomas 1730 births 1780 deaths Irish people of English descent 18th-century Irish educators Irish chaplains Christian chaplains Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Irish educators Irish emigrants to the United States 18th-century American educators Lancaster, Pennsylvania Loyalists in the American Revolution