[FOUNDING FATHERS THE]: WITHERSPOON JOHN: (1723-1794) Scottish-American Presbyterian minister and educator, a Founding Father of the United States who was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence on 4^th July 1776, being the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration. An extremely rare series of autograph manuscript notes, unsigned, one page, 8vo, n.p. (Scotland), n.d. (January; 1763). Witherspoon's notes are written to the verso of a printed page removed from an almanac, and provide an account of his activities as a Church of Scotland minister, in part, 'Sabbath Jan[uary] lectured on the ordinary Ps[alm] 145.13 to the Lord, Mr. Simpson preached for me….Afternoon, preached on 1. Sam[uel] 25.6 And thus shall ye say….Tuesday Jan[uary] 4. Preached the sermon before the Society for Reformation of Manners on Jer[emiah] 5.26 For among my people are found crooked men. No sermon this week on Thursday……Thursday Jan[uary] 13 Mr Baines preached in the Laigh church….' With a contemporary annotation in an unidentified hand to the verso, 'autograph of the Rev. Doctor John Witherspoon'. Some light age wear and a few minor stains, the left edge a little irregularly torn. About VG

The page was evidently removed from an Almanac printed in Scotland (as it provides the high water information for Leith) and states that January begins on Saturday. This information, coupled with Witherspoon's references to Laigh Kirk church in Paisley, of which he was the minister from 1758-68, means that the notes can be reasonably dated to 1763.