George W. Read Sr. ⁸⁵¹

  General Notes:

Gertrude ROSS was born about 1732 in New Castle, New Castle Co., DE. She died on 2 SEP 1802 in New Castle, New Castle Co., DE.

She was married to George W. READ on 11 JAN 1763 in Immanuel Church, New Castle, New Castle Co., DE. George W. READ was born on 18 SEP 1733 in Cecil Co., MD. He died on 21 SEP 1798 in New Castle Co., DE. He was buried in Immanuel Church Cemetery, New Castle, New Castle Co., DE. On his burial stone are the words: George Read born A.D. 1732, Died 21 Sept. 1798, Member of the Congress of the Revolution, the Convention that framed the Constitution of the U.S. and of the first Senate under it, Judge of the Admiralty, President and Chief Justice of Delaware, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. George, an attorney, was admitted to the bar in 1753 and practiced in New Castle, DE. In 1763 he was appointed to succeed John Ross as attorney general of Delaware’s three counties. He held this office until 1775 when he was elected to the first Continental Congress.

George served in the Congress throughout the Revolutionary War and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was elected president of the convention which formed the first Constitution of the State of Delaware. When in 1777 the governor of Delaware was captured by a detachment of British troops, George discharged the governor’s duties until his release. He was a member of the first US Senate 1789-1793, and chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court for five years.
George’s father John Read was from Ireland. His mother Mary Howell was from Wales. ¹²⁵⁵

  Research Notes:

Tombstone inscription, Immanuel Protestant Episcopal Church, New Castle, New Castle Co., PA; transcribed by Carol A. (Duppstadt) Roudabush, 13 Oct 2001:

Note: George Read, 1732-1798 on front of tombstone; wife, Gertrude on left side; son, George Read, 1765-1836, and wife, Mary, on right side of same tombstone.

GEORGE READ
born A D 1732
Died 21 September 1798
Member of the Congress of the Revolution
The Convention that Framed the Constitution
of the U.S. and of
The First Senate under it.
Judge of Admiralty
President and Chief Justice
of Delaware and a signer of the
Declaration of Independence

Sign erected by DAR beside tombstone, Immanuel Protestant Episcopal Church, New Castle, New Castle Co., PA; transcribed 13 Oct 2001:

IN HONORED MEMORY
OF
GEORGE READ
SIGNER OF THE
CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
BY THE DELAWARE STATE SOCIETY NSDAR
IN THIS BICENTENNIAL YEAR 1987
===================================================================

Gertrude ROSS and George W. READ had the following children:
37 i. William READ. William was Consul General of the Kingdom of Naples.
38 ii. George READ Jr. was born about 1764. George served as U. S. District Attorney.
He married Mary Thompson, his cousin, 30 Oct 1786. She was the daughter of General William and Catherine (Ross) Thompson. They had the following children: George, bapt. 13 Jul 1788; William Thompson, bapt. 16 Dec 1792; Ann Catherine, bapt. 1 Feb 1795, aged 3 mos.; Charles, bapt. 19 Sep 1800, aged 3 mos.; John Dickinson, bapt. 25 Dec 1803, aged 11 mos.; and Mary Gertrude, bapt. 12 Jul 1806, aged 1 year. All were baptized at Immanuel Church, New Castle, DE.
39 iii. John READ was born in 1769. He died in 1854. John was the fourth son of Gertrude and George Read. The eldest son, John, named in honor of his grandfather, had died in infancy and the fourth son received the same name. He was an eminent lawyer, financier and philanthropist and one of the leaders of the Federal Party. John served as a U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania.
¹⁵³¹

George married Gertrude Ross, daughter of Rev. George Aeneas Ross and Anna Catherine "Catherine" Von Gezel, on 11 Jan 1763 in New Castle, New Castle, Delaware, USA ⁸⁵¹.^,1330 (Gertrude Ross was born in 1732 in New Castle, New Castle, Delaware, USA,⁸⁵¹ died on 2 Sep 1802 in New Castle, New Castle, Delaware, USA ^851,1330 and was buried in Immanuel Protestant Episcopal Church Cemetery (New Castle, New Castle, Delaware, USA).)

  Marriage Notes:

Immanuel Protestant Episcopal Church