The Rigdon Connection to the 1775 Declaration of Independence
We all know that on July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed. It was written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, adopted by the Continental Congress and signed by 56 delegates from the thirteen British colonies.
But did you also know that on March 22, 1775, a Declaration of Independence was written, signed and adopted by 34 duly elected citizens in Harford County, Maryland? The document is commonly called the “Bush Declaration”. At that time the county seat was Harford Town, (or Bush, named for its location in "bush country" as compared to most colonial towns on the waterfront of Chesapeake Bay). Harford County separated from Baltimore County just a year earlier and there was considerable patriotic fervor against the British and their blockade of Boston and other problems, like taxation. This committee in Harford County decided to show their support for Boston and their disdain for King George by signing this document "at the risque of their lives and fortunes."
This document has been characterized as the first Declaration of Independence. It was adopted just three days before Patrick Henry made his well-known speech and just three weeks prior to the Battles of Lexington and Concord which signaled the beginning of the American Revolution. The Bush Declaration expressed support for the Patriot cause and the emerging American Revolution. The Bush Declaration was probably the most influential single sentence in the history of American independence from Britain. The citizens of Harford pledged all they had to the cause of liberty. It would be more than a year before the Declaration of Independence would be signed in Philadelphia, on July 4, 1776.
But did you also know that on March 22, 1775, a Declaration of Independence was written, signed and adopted by 34 duly elected citizens in Harford County, Maryland? The document is commonly called the “Bush Declaration”. At that time the county seat was Harford Town, (or Bush, named for its location in "bush country" as compared to most colonial towns on the waterfront of Chesapeake Bay). Harford County separated from Baltimore County just a year earlier and there was considerable patriotic fervor against the British and their blockade of Boston and other problems, like taxation. This committee in Harford County decided to show their support for Boston and their disdain for King George by signing this document "at the risque of their lives and fortunes."
This document has been characterized as the first Declaration of Independence. It was adopted just three days before Patrick Henry made his well-known speech and just three weeks prior to the Battles of Lexington and Concord which signaled the beginning of the American Revolution. The Bush Declaration expressed support for the Patriot cause and the emerging American Revolution. The Bush Declaration was probably the most influential single sentence in the history of American independence from Britain. The citizens of Harford pledged all they had to the cause of liberty. It would be more than a year before the Declaration of Independence would be signed in Philadelphia, on July 4, 1776.
The Declaration:
“We, the Committee of Harford County, having most Seriously and maturely Considered the Resolves and Association of the Continental Congress, and the Resolves of the Provincial Convention, do most heartily approve of the same, and as we Esteem ourselves in a more particular manner intrusted by our Constituents to see them carried into Execution, we do most solemnly pledge ourselves to each other, and to our country, and engage ourselves by every tie held sacred among mankind, to perform the same at the risque of our lives and fortunes.”
Alexander Rigdon ------ Signer of the Bush Declaration
Among the 34 signers was Alexander Rigdon, born in 1743 to Thomas Baker Rigdon and Ann Lacy. Rigdon died in 1820 in Harford County, Maryland. His grandparents were George Rigdon (1680 – 1755) and Elizabeth Baker.
The Rigdon Connection
The Grandfather of Alexander Rigdon was George Rigdon. John and Thomas Baker Rigdon were brothers, making John, Alexander’s uncle, and Baker was Alexander’s cousin. John Henry Rigdon descendants are also descended from George Rigdon as follows:
George Rigdon (1680 - 1755)
John Rigdon (1716 - 1766)
Baker Rigdon (1750 - 1820)
Baker Rigdon Jr (1790 - )
Eli S rigdon (1819 - 1905)
Dallas F Rigdon (1846 - 1918)
John Henry Rigdon (1877 - 1941)
Descendants of John Henry Rigdon and Anna Elizabeth Barron
Resources:
Henry C. Peden, Jr. Harford County Maryland Genealogist
Walter Wilkes Preston, History of Harford County, Maryland
Christopher Smithson, Heredity Order of the Signers of the Bush Declaration
C. Milton Wright, Our Harford Heritage
Prepared by Karla Wright for the Descendants of John and Anna Rigdon, July 2013
Henry C. Peden, Jr. Harford County Maryland Genealogist
Walter Wilkes Preston, History of Harford County, Maryland
Christopher Smithson, Heredity Order of the Signers of the Bush Declaration
C. Milton Wright, Our Harford Heritage
Prepared by Karla Wright for the Descendants of John and Anna Rigdon, July 2013
The signing of the Bush Declaration on March 22, 1775 as painted in this mural by artist, Marion Butler Ewald dated 1934. The mural is on display at the Harford County Circuit Courthouse in Bel Air, Maryland.
This is a key to where each signer is placed in the original picture by Marion Ewald. Numbers of heads identify them. Alexander Rigdon is number 31.
Historical Road Side Marker near the site of the signing of the Bush Declaration.
Monument at site of Bush Declaration signing.