JOHN HART, Portrait of a Patriot

At the crossroads between New York and Philadelphia, New Jersey lay at the center of the War for Independence. And John Hart was in the thick of things. No decision coming in or out of New Jersey was being made that did not have his stamp on it. Beginning in 1774 from his home in Hopewell, he worked tirelessly on Committees of Correspondence and Safety networking with other New Jersey communities, providing for their general protection through the procurement and allocation of funds for ammunition and supplies. Traveling down the well-worn roads between Trenton and Philadelphia during the summer of 1776 he discharged his duties with cool, self-assurance as a member of the Continental Congress during the lively proceedings leading to his signing of the Declaration of Independence and as a leading figure in the New Jersey Provincial Congress. By the fall of 1776, newly elected as the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, Hart was actively engaged in all discussions and debates regarding the defense of his besieged state by the enemy, who were by this time ensconced on New Jersey soil. During the Hessian occupation of Trenton and the surrounding area in the winter of 1776-77- with a price on his head-he took refuge alone in the wilds of the Sourland Mountains rather than surrender the principles of liberty and independence that he so deeply valued. In June 1778 on eve of the Battle of Monmouth General Washington's troops found themselves encamped on Hart's Hopewell property enjoying the bounty of their host's farm. Less than a year later while the war raged on John Hart's story came to an unfortunate end dooming this quiet un-assuming patriot's deeds to historical obscurity.