As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration Of Independence, it seems timely to note how many signers were Scottish born, or were of Scottish descent or were Scots-Irish. These two men were born in Scotland:
Rev. John Witherspoon, (New Jersey) born in Yester, Scotland in 1722, was a member of the New Jersey delegation to The Continental Congress and president of the College of New Jersey (later named Princeton). He was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration.
James Wilson, (Pennsylvania) born in Fife, Scotland, in 1742, a former judge, was as an important ally for his fellow member of the Pennsylvania delegation; Benjamin Franklin and a respected legal scholar.
The following signers had Scottish Ancestry:
William Hooper (North Carolina), George Ross (Delaware) Thomas Nelson Jr., (Virginia), and Philip Livingston (New York).
Several signers were Ulster-Scots having been born in Scotland but settled, briefly, in Northern Ireland: Mathew Thornton (New Hampshire), James Smith (Pennsylvania), George Taylor (Pennsylvania), Edward Rutledge (South Carolina), and Colonel Thomas McKean (Delaware) whose character, speaking with a full brogue, is featured prominently in the play and movie about the Declaration of Independence; “1776.”
While he voted for independence in July, he left immediately to serve as a colonel of a Pennsylvania militia and likely signed the formal document later, possibly as late as 1781, making him perhaps the final signer.