Joseph Reed (1741 - 1785)

Born 27 Aug 1741 in Trenton, New Jersey, American Colonies

Ancestors

Husband of Esther (de Berdt) Reed — married 22 May 1770 in City of London, England

Descendants

Died 5 Mar 1785 at age 43 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

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Preceded by 2nd President George Bryan

Joseph Reed 3rd President of Pennsylvania 1778—1781

Succeeded by 4th President William Moore

Joseph Reed participated in the American Revolution. Join: 1776 Project Discuss: 1776

Biography

Joseph Reed is Notable.

General Joseph Reed served with American Founding Fathers during the American Revolution.

Joseph Reed is an NSSAR Patriot Ancestor.
NSSAR Ancestor #: P-276774
Rank: General

Joseph Reed is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A094557.

Joseph Reed was a prominent figure of the American Revolution, a Congressional Delegate from Pennsylvania, and a signer of the Articles of Confederation.

He was born in Trenton, New Jersey, August 27, 1741 and attended Philadelphia Academy. He later studied law at and graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1757. He was admitted to the bar in 1762, but soon went to the Temple in London to continue his studies.

During the course of his studies in London, Reed became romantically attached to Esther de Berdt, the daughter of the agent for the Province of Massachusetts Bay, Dennis de Berdt. De Berdt, though very fond of Reed, was aware of the law student's intention to return to Philadelphia and initially refused consent for Esther to marry Reed. Reed returned to the Colonies in 1767 with only a tenuous engagement to Esther, and with an understanding that he would return to settle permanently in Great Britain shortly after. He began a legal practice in Trenton, New Jersey. After the death of his father, Reed finally returned to London to find that Esther's father had died during Reed's return trip to Britain. Joseph and Esther married in May 1770 at Saint Luke's, Cripplegate, near the City of London. Finding the de Berdt family in financial difficulties, Reed remained in London long enough to help settle his wife's family's affairs. Together with the widowed Mrs. de Berdt, Esther and Joseph Reed sailed for Philadelphia in October 1770.

After settling in Pennsylvania, he became a member of the committee of correspondence in 1774. He was made president of the Pennsylvania Congressional convention in January 1775. By this time he was known personally and professionally to General George Washington, who in summer of 1775 prevailed upon Reed to give up his legal practice in order to accompany the General to Cambridge as his aide-de-camp, intelligence officer, and military secretary. Reed served during the campaign of 1776 as adjutant general of the Army from June 5, 1776, to January 22, 1777.

An excerpt from The Battles of Trenton and Princeton describes his relationship to George Washington: “No man was more freely admitted to the counsel of General Washington than his friend Reed and to no man did he more frequently refer for advice. To him Washington always wrote with a familiarity and frankness which he never used toward any other officer. Colonel Reed was always energetic and brave, a model staff officer, a wonderfully quick penetrating genius and an accomplished gentleman. Who has not heard the indignant answer which he made to George Johnston, the English diplomatist, who had tried to bribe him to return to the support of the English Crown: ‘I am not worth purchasing, but such as I am, the King of Great Britain is not rich enough to do it.’ “

General Washington stood as godfather to Joseph Reed's youngest son, born in 1780, who was named George Washington Reed. This fact should be noted when evaluating accusations of cowardice on the battlefield that have sometimes been levied against General Joseph Reed. Scholars who have closely examined these accusations have concluded that they result from confusion with a man named Reed who lived in New Jersey and was later found to have conspired with the British during the course of the Revolution. General Reed is known to have placed himself in the thick of battle several times, having had multiple horses shot out from under him. The fact that George Washington agreed to become godfather to Reed's youngest son attests to the enduring warm friendship between Washington and Reed, and to Washington's full trust and faith in Reed.

Reed is also notable for being the first person to accuse Benedict Arnold of betraying the Revolutionary cause. He publicly accused Arnold of treachery in a session of the Continental Congress, but at the time Arnold enjoyed esteem and respect as a capable military leader. Reed's accusations were not believed and Arnold was exonerated.

He went on to become a Member of the Continental Congress in 1778, and president of the supreme executive council of Pennsylvania from 1778-1781 - a position that is equivalent in modern times to the governorship. He also served as trustee of the University of Pennsylvania from 1782-1785. He died a widower with several young children in Philadelphia, March 5, 1785. He was buried in the Arch Street Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

Sources

• Joseph Reed on Wikipedia
• The Battles of Trenton and Princeton, by William Scudder Stryker, pp. 6-7
• Find A Grave Memorial# 20308
• Ancestry.com. History of Coshocton County, Ohio : its past and present, 1740-1881 : containing a comprehensive history of Ohio, a complete hi [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Hill, N. N.. History of Coshocton County, Ohio : its past and present, 1740-1881 : containing a comprehensive history of Ohio, a complete history of Coshocton County, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, societies, industries, statistics, etc., a history of its soldiers in the late war, portraits of its early settlers and prominent men, views of its finest buildings and various historic and interesting localities, miscellaneous matter, map of the county, biographies and histories of pioneer families, etc., etc., etc.. Newark, Ohio: A.A. Graham & Co., 1881. page 470

Sons of the American Revolution Patriot #P-276775

Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed July 12, 2015), "Record of Joseph Reed", Ancestor # A094557.