There are many myths circulating about Gifford’s most famous son, the Rev. John Witherspoon, a Founding Father of the United States of America. These include claims that he was born in Beith, Ayrshire, that he was the ancestor of Reese Witherspoon, and that he was descended from the Rev John Knox. But can any of these claims be verified?
John Witherspoon (05 February 1723 – 15 November 1794) was a Scottish American Presbyterian minister and a Founding Father of the United States. Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense realism, and while president of the College of New Jersey (1768–1794; now Princeton University), became an influential figure in the development of the United States’ national character. Politically active, Witherspoon was a delegate from New Jersey to the Second Continental Congress and a signatory to the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence. He was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration. Later, he signed the Articles of Confederation and supported ratification of the Constitution. In 1789 he was convening moderator of the First General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.
John Witherspoon was a supporter of the Hanoverian Electors and following the Battle of Falkirk on 17 January 1746 he was taken prisoner and imprisoned at Doune Castle. He was the Minister of Beith parish in Ayrshire from 1745 to 1758 and there he married Elizabeth Montgomery on 14 August 1748.
1. Was the Rev. John Witherspoon born in Beith in Ayrshire?
According to Wikipedia: “John Witherspoon was born in Beith, North Ayrshire, Scotland, as the eldest child of the Reverend James Alexander Witherspoon and Anne Walker.”
Witnesses Sir Richard Newton, George Logan of Birncastle & Mr Da: Walker
However, the Old Parish Register of Births & Baptisms reveal that John Witherspoon was baptised on 30 February 1723 in Yester parish in East Lothian.
John’s father James Witherspoon was “Minister of the Gospel” of Yester parish and a plaque in Gifford commemorates the birth of John Witherspoon at the Manse in Gifford.
John Witherspoon’s place of birth is also correctly identified in Maclean, John, Jr. (1877). History of the College of New Jersey: From Its Origin in 1746 to the Commencement of 1854. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. Vol. 1, p384. (see section highlighted in blue.)
Conclusion: John Witherspoon was not born at Beith in Ayrshire, but at the Manse of Gifford in Yester parish in East Lothian.
2. Is Reece Witherspoon descended from the Rev. John Witherspoon?
Reese Witherspoon was born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon on 22 March 1976 at Southern Baptist Hospital, in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, while her father, John Draper Witherspoon, was a student at Tulane University medical school. Her mother, Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Witherspoon (née Reese), is from Harriman, Tennessee, USA.
Reese Witherspoon has claimed descent from Scottish-born John Witherspoon, who signed the United States Declaration of Independence;[1][2] however, this claim has not been verified by the Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence genealogists.[1]
Conclusion: The claim that Reese Witherspoon is descended from John Witherspoon could not be verified.
3. Was Rev. John Witherspoon a descendant of the Rev. John Knox?
According to Wikipedia “John Witherspoon was … a descendant of John Welsh of Ayr and John Knox.” However Wikipedia continues: “This latter claim of Knox descent though ancient in origin is long disputed and without primary documentation.“
John Witherspoon’s descent from Rev. David Walker is well supported by documentation – his mother, Anna Walker was the daughter of the Rev. David Walker.
According to Maclean, John, Jr. (1877). History of the College of New Jersey: From Its Origin in 1746 to the Commencement of 1854. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. Vol. 1, p384 (see section in red) John Witherspoon was descended from Elizabeth, youngest daughter of John Knox.
The Knox descent depends upon John Witherspoon’s maternal grandfather, the Rev. David Walker, Minister of Temple, being the son of the Rev David Walker senior.
However, according to Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae, John Witherspoon’s maternal grandfather, the Rev. David Walker, Minister of Temple, was not the son of the Rev David Walker sr, but of Archibald Walker, a cordiner. It is interesting to note that the shoemaker in question was from Leslie in Fife, where Rev. David Walker sr, supposed father of Rev David jr was baptised in 07 February 1630 and this common connection with Leslie may be where the confusion originated.
Conclusion: There is no documentary evidence to support the claim that John Witherspoon was descended from John Knox.
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