Show Corner in Ancestors Ii I FAMILY In Bo no of Gothic John time the S Signer ncr Virile j I Fig Wc Family J Association Has Valuable Coll Coat Armor Symbolizes Magnanimity Sincerity und cud Elevation Eleva Eleta tion of or Mind lInd BY ELEANOR OR LEXINGTON Cosmo Inn Innes s. s tho eminent authority on Scottish surnames believes that tha WItherspoon Is a name derived from froma troma a locality In III Scotland Variations o othe of at atthe the tho name found In iii records are aro Wed Wod Voth Welther and on seems to 1 bo be 0 a a. name mianie rather closely r related If It one ono go back back to the tho old Gothic word vidus vIdu perhaps we get at the origin of the tho name namo From vidus i comes tho the old German Itu and nd the Saxon Anglo all alJ all these vidus mean a grove With Is the Danish for grove or 01 forest am and ancl I Wither or was a 0 tE tenant mt whose name Is Ie recorded In Book Bool One who lived ll In or near a Q grove gro would bo designated is ns o or 01 Wither or using the word wood for forest t. t or odder Then again In iii trying to finn find an I origin for the thc first syllable of ot the tho name wither Is old German for arm army or wit Is a word meaning knowledge from which wo we ma may have I wither r. r A As to tho last part of oC the name spoon name spoon U may come from tram an Qi anold anold old Roman ROnlan word meaning promised or a Q bond Still sun a again ln If we c may theorize fur fur- ther regarding the origin o of the tho name or or the last syllable Hable In ono ouo of the stories of at the day Tho Tue Post Girl wo we find thu wor word meaning ono mo who go goes s t to the country or to a summer resort It teems seems that this i ia Is Isa a n. word In use UC in some ome parts of En Eng Eng- land particularly Yorkshire I It comes from Crom the word Spa or a town in Belgium noted for Its Us minerai min min- era cral springs ono one of the thu oldest it in Europe and mentioned by Pliny A Aspa Aspa Aspa spa then became a place of springs and is thus titus used mused In some come verses b bj by Beaumont and Fletcher We e have havo Imported the word for tor we often otten sec ace Ballston Spa or 01 Saratoga Spa Is an old spelling It Is no not possible that what Is now spoon was was once spa or 01 spa and Witherspoon Witherspoon Wither Wither- spoon was originally or a a spring In a g grove o c One Ono who lived lI near such a a locality was as designated accordingly and well and well enough said thu writer merely sug gUs goats that this Is It her theory One Immigrant ancestor Johi Johll Witherspoon born In Scotland to South Carolina in 1734 on the ship Good Intent His HIM wife wire Janet died on the voyage He brought children an- an and grandchildren with him We Wo will lo lOt ono of at the grandsons tell teU something o otho of tho the experiences of oC their first years cars here Another alarming stance stanco was the Indians The They were in great numbers like the E locust and wo we were vere oppressed with fears s of being killed hilled b by the Indians or bit by snakes malc or torn by wild wile beasts or being lo lost and perishing In Inthe Inthe the time woods Dr John WItherspoon signer was a 11 lineal descendant of at John Knox and through this line the 1 Is traced to Robert the Bruce John JohnJ J Knox nox reformer marri married d Lady Margaret Margaret Mar Mar- garet Stewart daughter of oC Lord Ochiltree Ochil- Ochil tr tree e who through tho the Earls of or Arran the Earls of at Lennox the noble hOU houses 3 of or Hamilton and Avondale traced back to the Bruce One daughter of at Knox and La Lady y Margaret 1 was Elizabeth ElIzabcth who married Rev John Welsh of or Ayr Ar an and their daughter Luc Lee Lucy or 01 Belt Bett Betty married Rev nev John or This is where the Witherspoon and Knox connection begins and Rev nev John the signer was WIlS of ot this Ia I-Ia Ic was a leader of ot his church lu in Scotland Scotland Scot Scot- lan land 1 and his high standing there was the thc reason to hl his being elected pre president l- l dent of Princeton college N. N J. J In 1768 when he was 46 16 years of age ho be lu entered upon his duties Ho He a a. true son of or countr country and when war was declared he entered heart and soul into the cause of or tho tIme colonies He lie was waa a member of ot the New Jersey provincial congress and a 0 delegate to the Continental congress s. s Who Vho can ever f forget his ringing words word when oh on July 4 1776 time thu Declaration of ot Independence was called up for final action In the time course oC or his memorable speech spec ho said eald There Is a tide in inthe inthe the tho affairs of ot men men men-a a nick of time We perceive It now before us That no noble lc instrument should be subscribed this very morning by every pen lu In the house Ho lIo who will not nol respond to its accents and amid strain every nerve to carr carry arry into Ito effect Its provisions is unworthy unworthy un- un worthy the tho name of at freeman For m my myown myown own part of oC property 1 have havo some Borne of ot reputation more that reputation is i is ii pledged on 0 sluiced that staked that property the he Issue of this contest 1 He was waa the only clergyman who ho I signed nell the Declaration and the tho only I Ione one who eat sat In lu tho the Continental con- con He W was waa also one of the tho mo most t tIn In influential ut members of or that body B By Bythe the he enemy h he lie wa wan wae called time political who perhaps had hall not less share Bhare In the tho Revolution than Wasn- Wasn In ington ton himself The chief framer of ot tho the federal t Constitution James Madl- Madl con uon was his bis pupil Rev Rov Johns John's wife was Elizabeth daughter of ot Robert o 01 of and find they sent their sons sonso to o help light fIght the tho battles of the Rove Rove- hutton One daughter Ann married Rev R Dr Samuel Smith who became president of It Princeton in lit 17 1793 Their daughter l Frances was wa tho timo mother o of a avice vice president nt of ot the tho United States States- John ohn Cabell Er A statue of or John stands on n ne Londo drive park Philadelphia and there Is a handsome modern building bearing his name mimo In Inho Inho ho tho city Ills HIs grave gra la Js with those thos of ot the ho other presidents of or Princeton In Princeton cemetery halt hall at the university Is la named in his hid Ii honor jonor on or The Memorial association lon tion proposes to erect a R. statute to his memorY nemory at tho the national capital on Connecticut avenue in front of ot tho the Church of or tho the Covenant The Wither Wither- spoon poon Family a association keeps keens green tho ho memory of ot forefathers and Is constantly can can- adding data lata of or great value to td tots Its ts already largo large and Important lon tien An Interesting family relic Is a BIble Bi Bile Elbic El- El ble bic le handed down o n from father r to son sonho sonho son son- ho tho Manuscript Bible it Is cAned It ItIs Itis Is B In Latin Lutin on parchment and rusted and the tho work worle of or a a. monk who lived In tho the ninth century Heltman's Heitmans Officer of ot the Revolution selves gives the name na-me j of Major Majr James ames son of Rev nev John J Johnf of f Princeton lie was killed at Ger- Ger 1777 1177 Another October t 1 James Captain ames Captain James of or South Caro Caro- receIved mica received hi hi commission from General Marion Marlon April 4 1782 1782 General Marion Manon write In these times Umes when our ur country c calls Is for tor men of ot bravery cry and nd nb ability II It such as you no pr- pr prod god od Ulan mann ought to shun tho the service nn and It gives Ives me ic pleasure to see oo you OU at tho the head heal of f a Q company compan w which I know will hii ho holed led ed on by a a. man whose conduct and ami SpirIt I have havo b been en an on eye e witness of ot whom I have hn always had tho the highest opiniOn pinion of ot and tho the greatest regard tot for Dr John son of ot tho the president ot or Princeton WitS cas In tho the Continental army and nd before the close cloo of or the war var he was WIP sent tn to England on a a. matl dIDI mission While there thero ho was placed In n prison presumably on num account of time the ic prominence of ot his father mm Franklin a friend of or tho the family baIled ailed him out of ot jail John la lj also a common name In t the history of ot tho the ons In Now New I England Ono One of ot the officers of ot thE th Revolution was Wl David Divid Witherspoon t r Chester Chatter N. N II 11 His wife was Acnes Linn York Maine Mahie was wab another nother early carly homo home of or tho time Stron Strongholds of t-o t It In South Carolina havo have been Williams- Williams 1 I I burk Abbeville Sumter- Sumter an and In North orth Carolina Newborn among other othel places The family have been lleen pioneers In Virginia Kentucky Tennessee and Florl Florida a. a Amon Among Among- marriage connections of the tho we wc may mention the time families of at Ramsey Laurena Price Williams White Fleming Fleming- Hollins- Hollins head Anderson and Frierson Gavin GaIn Ga In Is 18 a 0 favorite t Christian name also David David Da Da- Da- Da vid Robert Hobert and James and Janot lanet or Janette and ani Elizabeth Regarding of or tho the wo we cannot do rIo better p pr- pr haps hapa than Hum give 01 th the following extract relatIve to early fathers for the noble traits trails of or character are aro common to I many of ot the family They The were servers servers I ers ors of or God they were ice well acquainted with the Scriptures the they were much In prayer they strict o observers of or the tho Sabbath In a a. wor word they were A Ft stock that studied outward piety and Inward purity A b bold ld nothing nothing- could rould daunt aunt him hum or break his purpose purpose- he has been said of or one The of coat-of-arms Illustrated In If blazoned or or- or on eq A cross ClOSS between between between be be- tween four crescents sui gules En a 3 mascle mascie argen argent argentA t. t A hand hane holding a laurel l wreath proper In a a. natural coloring I Motto Motto- Dec Deo God JU God helping I or assisting assisting- Th rue Tho cro cross s and crescents of the arms point to Crusa Crusader er ancestry denotes possession of ot land The Time nine nine- cIa clo or charge chale represents the tho mesh of or a not net and s persuasion per suasion n whereby men are Induced to verity and virtue and so may seem to tobe tobe tobo be bo caught h t. t Time The maecle macie Is a u bearing of or hl high h hOD honor boner or The fhe hand Is a a. symbol of or Justice tho the laurel wreath of or somo some notable exploit As to the colors or gold symbolizes generosity and ani elevation ele ele- of ot mind re red military fortitudes fortitude and ma magnanimity argent anent p acc and sincerity |