Honest John

Angela Guiao
MSMU Class of 2021

(7/2021) On August 2, 1776, 56 men gathered together and signed the Declaration of Independence, declaring the 13 American colonies separate from Great Britain. Among those 56 men were some of the most influential figures of the time: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. Although, there were a great number of men whose job was equally as important. In fact, there is one man in particular who deserves to be recognized. He was a farmer and an influential politician who held office for the great state of New Jersey: Honest John, also known as John Hart.

John Hart was born in the early 1700’s, though historians are not sure where and when exactly he was born. His father, Captain Edward Hart, was a Justice of the Peace, but also a farmer, local militia leader, and public accessor.

John found success in farming. In 1740, he bought 193 acres of land in his hometown of Hopewell, New Jersey. He officially became one of the largest landowners in Hopewell a few years later, in the 1770’s, when he bought over 600 acres of more land. He also co-purchased a mill with his brother and another mill with his son-in-law. In 1747, John donated some of his land to the Baptists as funding for a new church and cemetery, and it is currently where he and his wife lay to rest.

The first time John Hart was elected to public service was in 1750 when he joined the Hunterdon County New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders. Soon after, in 1755, he became the Justice of the Peace. John Hart represented Hunterdon, Morris, and Sussex counties on the Colonial Assembly from 1761 to 1771. And afterwards, he was elected to the Court of Common Pleas in 1768. This was followed by several more appointments, including the New Jersey Committee of Correspondence, the Committee of Safety, and the New Jersey Provincial congress. But it was when he was appointed to sign the Bill of Credit notes that issued money from New Jersey that he earned the name Honest John, as he had signed each note by himself for a grand total of 25,000.

In 1776, New Jersey decided to replace the delegation in the First Continental Congress, as most of those appointed to it were opposed to independence from Britain. John Hart was one of the those chosen to replace the original delegation, creating the Second Continental Congress. He was able to join just in time for the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Afterwards, John Hart was chosen as the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly. Eventually, he also acted as the Treasurer of the Council of Safety, President of the Joint Meetings of the New Jersey Congress, and the Commissioner of the State Loan Office.

In 1776, John Hart’s wife, Deborah Scudder passed away, leaving him behind along with their twelve children. They originally had thirteen children, but one of their daughters passed away at birth. It is said that when John courted his wife, he would ride his horse about 30 miles round trip in order to see her. They eventually got married in 1739. Deborah Scudder is said to be the great-granddaughter of John Scudder, one of the original pilgrims to arrive on the James ship in 1635 from England.

In the same year that John’s wife passed away, the British took over New Jersey. This forced John into hiding. His status as Speaker of the Assembly made him a desired target. He hid anywhere he could, including the woods, caves, and the Sourwood mountains. He was eventually able to return home when the Americans won the battle in Trenton on December 26.

From June 22, 1778 to June 24, 1778, General George Washington, the first President of the United States, and the Continental Army camped at John Hart’s farm. Washington had accepted an invitation that John sent a few days before the Battle of Monmouth, an important battle that ended in a victory. 12,000 men camped on his land, and it was said George Washington even joined him for dinner.

On May 11, 1779, John Hart passed away. He died of kidney stones from which he suffered for a very long time before finally being laid to rest. Despite his success on his farm, he died with a great amount of debt and his land was sold much less than it was worth. His obituary was published on May 19, 1779 in the New Jersey Gazette where they stated, "The universal approbation of his character and conduct among all ranks of people, is the best testimony of his worth, and as it must make his death regretted and lamented, will ensure lasting respect to his memory." A fellow signer named Benjamin Rush said of John when he passed, "[John was] a plain, honest, well-meaning Jersey farmer, with but little education, but with good sense and virtue enough to pursue the true interests of his country".

John Hart is the perfect representation of the American people at the time. He had little education, like most men of the time, but loved his country. While he was not very skilled at writing, he was well read and ambitious. He worked hard for everything he had, and he proved himself worthy enough to stand alongside the likes of our founding fathers. Without him, the Declaration of Independence would not have passed, and America would never had grown into the country that it is today.

While it is easy to focus only on the famous signers of the Declaration, we must not forget the lives led and stories of all the signers that made our independence a reality. Honest John believed in the strength of America. He believed in the greatness of our country and trusted that we would be able to stand on our own two feet. He devoted his life to serving our government and our people, and despite his lack of formal education, he had a deep understanding of our nation’s laws and regulations. He was an inspiring man, and his story should not be forgotten.

Read other articles by Angela Tongohan