Person:William Dewees (7)

Information on Dewees family from FamilySearch Submitter: Connie Sue CROSS-HARRIS 14852 E. Crestview Court Scottsdale, AZ 85268

[HODGKISS-DEWEES.FTW]

[HODGKISS, Sarah from terep.ged]

DeWees’ and the Declaration of Independence

                                                  Information derived from:

                                            DeWees Family Association Newsletter
                                               Ted DeWees, Editor & Publisher
                                                      P.O. Box 218
                                                  Dallas OR, 97338-0218

In June of 1776 delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania voted to have a Declaration of Independence drawn up. The Congress appointed 33 year old Thomas Jefferson to draft the declaration and much of that draft was used in the final document approved by the Continental Congress. They could not have made a better choice.

With some changes (minor in nature) by Ben Franklin and John Adams, the document was accepted and passed as a resolution. John Hancock, President of the Congress, signed it on the 4th of July 1776. During the next two days copies were prepared and sent to each of the governing bodies in the various American colonies. Instructions accompanying the copies included a resolve which read in part as follows:

"Resolved, That copies of the Declaration be sent to the several Assemblies, Conventions and Councils of Safety, and to the several commanding officers of the Continental Troops, that it be proclaimed in each of the United States, and at the Head of the Army

On 6 July 1776, in Pennsylvania, The Committee of Safety passed a resolve, in order to comply with the resolution of Congress:

"Resolved That the Sheriff of Philadelphia read or cause to be read and proclaimed at the State House, in the City of Philadelphia, on Monday the Eighth day of July instant at 12 O1clock at noon of the same day, the Declaration of the Representatives of the United Colonies of America, and that he cause all his officers and the Constables of the said city to attend the reading thereof." As it turned out, this was to be the first public reading anywhere, of the Declaration of Independence.

If you check the DeWees family tree posted on this site you will discover that William DeWees, father of Col. William DeWees the owner of Valley Forge, was High Sheriff of Philadelphia at this time. This information comes to us via the DeWees Family Association Newsletter. Since William DeWees was serving as High Sheriff at the time(and since the Committee specifically ordered it to be so) the document was entrusted to Sheriff DeWees.

Again, according to the Newsletter, In carrying out his instructions William DeWees caused John Nixon, a prominent member of the Committee of Safety, to do the reading. Why this happened is simply a matter of conjecture, but one writer speculates that it was an honor given to Nixon for his outstanding service on the Committee.

On 8 July 1776, at the appointed hour, John Nixon read the declaration to a large crowd of listeners including citizens, Committee of Public Safety members, the Sheriff and his men, members of Congress and various militia units gathered on the grounds. One wonders what were the crowds emotions as Nixon read from the document that changed the world, "When in the Course of human events……..

We now know that on the very first 4th of July celebration which took place on the 8th of July, 1776 at the State House in Philadelphia the DeWees family was well represented on that occasion. Now the question ought to be "Who got the copy Sherrif DeWees caused to be read? It is worth about a million dollars or more in todays market.....[DeWees, Sarah 1744 terep.ged]