Rittenhouse: The Saga of an American Family, Volume 2

By J. D. Rittenhouse

The Revolutionary War was about to begin, and tensions ran high with all involved.

David Rittenhouse was convinced to relocate to Philadelphia by Thomas Barton, and Dr. William Smith, Provost of the College of Philadelphia, to help promote his orrery.

Philadelphia did not prove to be a happy time for David, as tragedy struck his family, but he was determined to not let it hold him back from all of his potential.

Follow David, his family, and their roles during these historical events of the birth of America, and as possibly one of the most un-talked about families, in Volume II, "Saga of an American Family".

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 22, 2019
• ISBN: 9781796054095

J. D. Rittenhouse

J. D. Rittenhouse is a retired attorney who became interested in his family history as a young man when he learned of a famous poet named Jessie Rittenhouse. His parents divorced while he was still a baby. Because of the demands on women in the workforce during WWII he was placed in a home where he lived off and on until he was about 10 years old. He knew very little about the paternal side of his family. After learning of Jesse Rittenhouse he then found out that his ninth great-grandfather built the first paper mill in North America. Excited by these findings he then dug a little deeper and found that is seventh grade uncle was the first Secretary of the United States Mint. Further inquiry into his family history had to wait until his retirement from his law practice fifteen years ago. For the last 15 years Mr. Rittenhouse has been researching and writing about his family history. He was born in Flint, Michigan and spent his formative years in Lansing. Now a widower, he is currently a resident of San Diego, California.

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Copyright © 2019 by J.D. Rittenhouse.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2019912250

ISBN:           Hardcover             978-1-7960-5411-8

                     Softcover               978-1-7960-5410-1

                     eBook                    978-1-7960-5409-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Photo Credit: Mariah Shotts

Original work and research by J.D. Rittenhouse, edited by Shanna McLean ([e-mail])

Partial Revisions, additional research, and final editing by

Michelle Rittenhouse-LaSalle

Rev. date: 09/06/2019

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 1

A tall man in his middle forties cautiously peered around the corner of a shop in the Boston Square. He stayed hidden in the darkness of the shadows, careful not to let his presence be known. Over the last twenty years he had learned to be very guarded.

He heard men shouting at each other while he was on his way home. He was curious, but not to the point of exposing himself to unknown circumstances. As he looked on, he saw several Americans scuffling with three British soldiers in front of a rope maker’s shop.

He didn’t know what the argument was about, but then, in early March 1770, arguments which consisted of shouting and shoving between American and British soldiers were commonplace in Boston and other cities. In late January of that year, New York members of the Sons of Liberty clashed with 40 British soldiers who were posting broadsheets. Several men were seriously injured in the fighting.

Bostonians had been protesting and rioting since the passage of the Townshend Acts. As a result, an unusually high number of British soldiers now patrolled the city.

The man in the shadows on the night of March 2nd, was Crispus Attucks, a molatto of African and American Indian descent. About twenty years earlier he had escaped from William Brown of Framingham. Brown had owned Crispus’ entire family as slaves. After running away, he changed his name to Michael Johnson and secured employment as a harpooner on a whaling ship. He later became a laborer.

His cautious vigilance came not only from the fact that he was a runaway slave but also from the life he lived. As a seaman, he was constantly in danger of being impressed into the British Navy. As a laborer, he was in competition with British soldiers who often took jobs as part-time laborers during their off-duty hours and would work for less money.

After watching the foray between the British soldiers and the rope makers that Friday evening, he decided the fracas was nothing in which he wished to participate. He quietly and inconspicuously faded into the shadows.

The next night, March 3rd, another scuffle between the rope makers and British soldiers occurred. Crispus did not bother to make it to the square to observe that squabble. In retrospect, he thanked God that he had not been there. The scuffle that night left a British soldier with a fractured skull.

The next day, and even the day after, Crispus heard discussions and rumors indicating that more serious trouble was brewing for the city of Boston. Rumors that the British soldiers were going to get revenge and the townspeople were going to fight it out with the soldiers had been circulating for two days.

As daylight turned to dusk, on March 5th, Hugh White, a British private, stood guard as a group of Boston townsmen and British soldiers crossed paths near his sentry box. He had just finished talking to one of his captains. As the captain was leaving the sentry box, White heard a young man in the crowd, Edward Garrick, yell out, That was the fellow that won’t pay my master for addressing his hair. The captain ignored the young man and continued walking away. White, however, thought the captain’s honor should be defended. He approached Garrick and told him that as a British officer a captain would pay his bill to Garrick’s employer. Garrick, unsatisfied, began hurling insults.

White went into a rage swinging the butt of his rifle into the young man’s head. Garrick slumped to the ground. Several townspeople rushed to Garrick’s aid when they saw him fall. When it became clear that he had been hit in the head by White, the townspeople began taunting White and pelting him with snowballs.

White sought cover on the steps of the nearby Custom House while he loaded his musket. The townspeople continued their barrage of insults and snowballs aimed at White.

Suddenly, the peal of church bells could be heard. Thinking there was a fire, about 50 more men ran to the scene. White, fearing for his life, backed up to the locked front door of the Custom House and began yelling for help.

White’s calls for help were heard and soon seven British soldiers led by Capt. Thomas Preston arrived on the scene. He ordered his men to form a semi-circle around White. As the townspeople started closing in, the soldiers began waving their bayonets in an attempt to ward off any attack.

What started out as a confrontation between a British soldier and a few Bostonians now involved eight British soldiers facing off against several hundred townspeople. Crispus, responding to the church bells, had been caught up in the surge of the mass of people and was forced to the front of the mob.

When the crowd was ordered to disperse and return to their homes by Capt. Preston, their response became angrier as they hurled insults and a barrage of snowballs. Then they began taunting the soldiers by daring them to shoot. Capt. Preston indicated that he had no intention of firing into the crowd.

Without warning, a wooden club came hurtling out of the mass of humanity, striking a private by the name of Hugh Montgomery, knocking him to the ground. Montgomery rose to his feet and raised his weapon. As he discharged his musket into the air, he yelled Damn you! Fire!

One of the local rope makers, Richard Palms, struck Montgomery with a stick. Then he gave Capt. Preston a whack on the arm. Confusion reigned. Quickly the British soldiers let loose a round of musket fire. Crispus Attucks, who this night had thrown caution to the wind and joined the crowd, crumpled to the ground. Two musket balls hit him in the chest, killing him instantly. By the time the melee was over, five Bostonians lay dead in the street. Six more had been wounded.

Crispus’ body was carried to Faneuil Hall. It lay in state until Thursday, March 8, when Crispus and the other victims were buried together. All were hailed as martyrs. Later Crispus would come to be known as the first victim of the Revolution.

A few days later Preston and his men were taken into custody as a result of the protests of the townspeople over the killings. Mobs gathered, demanding punishment for the soldiers. The protesters wanted swift justice and didn’t care if that constituted a fair trial or not.

John Adams, Samuel Adams’ cousin, believed in the rebels’ cause, but also believed the soldiers should get a fair trial. Risking his reputation, and possibly his life, he teamed with attorney, Joshua Quincey, to represent Capt. Preston and his men. All were cleared of any wrong-doing except for Montgomery and a private named Matthew Kilroy who were convicted for their parts in setting off the shootings. Both men were sentenced to be branded with an M, for murderer, on their thumb with a hot iron.

The incident became known as the Boston Massacre. It also became a rallying point for the patriots. As a result of the Massacre, the colonies hovered on the periphery of war for several days. Pamphlets and essays were soon circulating among the colonies about the incident. Some were sympathetic to the Americans, while others took the side of the British soldiers.

For several weeks the Boston shootings were frequently discussed by David Rittenhouse and his brother-in-law, Thomas Barton. Barton, the consummate loyalist, saw the incident as an unfortunate conflict between Bostonian ruffians who had set out to cause trouble and British soldiers who were simply doing their duty.

David, on the other hand, believed the English government had become oppressive and the intolerant of the rights of the colonists. He saw the melee as an accumulation of frustration over the oppressive laws the crown had been imposing on Americans.

While neither one of them could understand the others point of view or be persuaded by arguments of the other, the two men remained steadfast and loyal to one another. They refused to let whatever differences they had interfere with either their personal or familial relationships.

One thing they did agree upon was the devastating effect the Townshend Acts were having on the colonies. They were at odds over the right of Parliament to impose taxes on the colonies even though America was not represented in Parliament. David, as did a majority of Americans, agreed with the concept that the colonies should not be taxed without representation in Parliament. Barton believed the English had the right to tax the colonies, but he also believed that that right was being abused and that the revenue acts should be revised to be more tolerant.

They did not realize it at the time but on the same day the Boston massacre occurred, Lord Frederick North, the new Prime Minister of England, introduced legislation in Parliament to repeal all the tea duty portion of the act. Both men congratulated each other when they learned North’s repeal was given the Royal sign of approval on April 16th.

David, while well aware of the continuing unrest in the colonies, had more immediate concerns. He was close to putting the finishing touches on his first orrery. In addition, his wife, Eleanor, was again pregnant. She expected delivery around late winter.

Barton, Smith and others had been lobbying David to move to Philadelphia where he could enjoy greater exposure. The more he delayed the greater the pressure became from those urging him to make the move.

Eleanor had noticed the strain that David had been under for several weeks. Even with her, David was slow to share his feelings. Usually she would show restraint when it came to quizzing her husband about things that were bothering him. She knew how private he was about such things. Now however, David was showing more stress than usual.

I know how private you are about things that are troubling you, but I have never seen you so stressed before. Please tell me what has you so troubled, she asked him one evening in October as they sat down to eat supper.

David looked at her for a moment, contemplating her question. Usually he did not involve her in his work or his daily life. While she was an intelligent woman, he knew the things he worked on and the things he thought about would either not interest her or, like most people, would be beyond her comprehension. But this was different. This time it involved her and he knew he did not have the right to make a decision without discussing it with her.

Thomas and Dr. Smith, and other people in the Society, and in the legislature, have been urging me for some time to move to Philadelphia. While they know we are perfectly comfortable here in Norriton, they seem to believe it would be beneficial for my work if we moved to the city. He waited for her response.

Why does that have you troubled? she asked as she sat down at the table. If you do not want to go, tell them so. If you want to go, we will move. It seems fairly straightforward to me.

I wish it were that simple. Everyone also seems to be pushing me to complete my work on the orreries as soon as possible. If we move I would have to be put them on hold while I built another workshop.

David got up from the table and walked to the kitchen window. He stood there gazing out the window for a couple of minutes. Finally he turned to Eleanor with a look in his eyes she had never seen. She waited for him to speak.

I am very concerned over the fact the move may have an adverse effect on your condition.

She assured him that if he decided to move to Philadelphia, the move would in no way imperil her, the new baby, or the girls, who now were two and four years of age. While that eased his mind a little, deep down he was still concerned, but he decided to keep his concerns to himself.

Finally in late 1770, David agreed to move himself, Eleanor, and their two baby daughters to Philadelphia. By that time David himself had come to the realization that, even though his work was applauded and recognized in wider and wider circles, he could not achieve his full promise by remaining in Norriton.

David’s younger brother, Benjamin, who still lived on their father’s farm in Worchester Township, also been making a name for himself as well. In addition to gaining notoriety as a clockmaker and a maker of surveyor’s instruments, both of which he learned from his older brother. Benjamin had also become a well-known gun smith.

Benjamin traveled from the Worchester to Philadelphia to help David construct a new workshop. It was then he informed David that a year earlier he had commenced courting Elizabeth Bull, the daughter of John and Mary Bull. Their wedding, he told David, was set for December 26.

David was familiar with John Bull’s reputation. Bull had served under a commission from Queen Anne as a captain and the Third Battalion, Pennsylvania Regiment at Fort Allen in Carbon County. He had also accompanied Brig. Gen. John Forbes and Col. George Washington in an expedition to capture Fort Duquesne from the French in 1754.

The expedition did not reach Fort Duquesne until 1758, and then, only after Bull helped in the negotiations of the Treaty of Easton which undercut the alliance between the Native Americans of the region and the French. This ultimately allowed the British to seize control of Fort Duquesne. He later retired to the farm his father had left him in the Limerick Township.

Shortly after the move David’s life in Philadelphia, socially at least, began to take hold. At the first meeting of the Philosophical Society in January, he was elected secretary and at the beginning of February he delivered what was described as a fascinating paper on the mesmerizing ability of snakes.

David’s relocation to Philadelphia, however, did not come without a price. As the days passed, it became evident to David that his beloved Eleanor was having a difficult time with her pregnancy.

I wish I had more time to spend with you, he told her one evening while they were preparing for bed. But I have so much pressure on me to complete the orrery for Dr. Witherspoon. It appears everyone in the world is waiting for it to be completed.

It’s all right, I know how important your work is to you, she said, gently patting his hand. According to Thomas, the orrery is important to the whole of America, and you must complete it as quickly as possible.

Barton was right. The whole of America, especially those involved in the philosophies, were anxiously anticipating the completion of David’s machine for the glory of the country.

At one point, the Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser printed an article praising the orrery as an American production and much more complete than anything of the–kind ever in Europe. It must give great pleasure to every lover of his country to see her rising to fame in the sublime science as well as every improvement in the arts.

In April, a prominent Philadelphia newspaper reported Dr. Weatherspoon, accompanied by some gentlemen, went on Saturday to see and converse with the ingenious artist, and being convinced of the superior advantages that must rise from this new invented orrery. And its desire is to encourage so truly great a genius, purchased it for the use of the College of New Jersey.

Dr. William Smith, Provost of the College of Philadelphia, had other ideas. He thought the first orrery should go to the college. After all Smith was instrumental in nurturing David’s reputation to the point of intercontinental notoriety. In addition, the college of Philadelphia was the first to convey an honorary degree upon David. This created a dilemma for David who had agreed to sell the first orrery to Dr. Weatherspoon.

To resolve the dilemma, Weatherspoon agreed to provide the orrery for display in Philadelphia when it was completed, giving David and Dr. Smith the opportunity to hold lectures on the orrery. The lectures were meant as a way of raising money which would allow the College of Philadelphia to purchase