Rev. George Aeneas Ross, M.A.

Rev. George Ross was born 1679 in Balblair, RossShire, Parish of Tain, Scotland, and died 18 NOV 1754 in New Castle Co., DE. He was buried in Under chancel of Immanuel Church--unmarked grave. He was the son of David 2nd Lord of Balbair Ross and Margaret Stronach. "

"Rev. George Aeneas, the 5th Laird Balblair Ross had 2 wives and 16 children, and was an Anglican clergyman who had emigrated from Scotland. The paternal line is reputed to go back to Farquhar Ó Beólláin (1173–1251) whom King Alexander II of Scotland named 1st Earl of Ross in 1226 after great victories in battle." ~• adapted from wikipedia. (see: Fearchar Mac an t-Sagairt, Earl of Ross )

~• this ancient line is traditionally linked to Tain, Scotland's oldest royal burgh.

~• a descendant of Scottish Royalty including Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots : Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots is Rev. George Aeneas Ross, M.A.'s 6th great grandmother. And, thereby, to Edward III, king of England

https://www.geni.com/list/ancestors/6000000001467087013#18 = a listing of ancestors that includes the designation "king" 237 (two hundred and thirty-seven) times! Many are duplicate profiles due to intermarriage of distant cousins.

~• Other leaders of associated parishes are included in this list.

~• some of his whereabouts are covered in an early history of the SPG (see <project> , in particular: An account of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign Parts, established by the Royal Charter of King William III (1706); printed by order of John Chamberlayne , sec. of the SPG)

"He married Joanna Williams ABT. 1707 in New Castle, New Castle Co., DE. She was born 1680 in RI, and died 29 SEP 1726 in New Castle, New Castle Co., DE. She was buried in Immanuel Church, New Castle, New Castle Co., DE.

He married Anna Catherine Van Gezel ABT. 1729 in New Castle, New Castle Co., DE. She was born 20 SEP 1689 in New Castle, DE, and died AFT. 1748 in New Castle, DE.

~• his grand-daughter-in-law was: Betsy Ross

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George arrived in New Castle, DE in Jul 1705 from Missionary for the Society of the Propagation of the Gospel. (Source: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~angelasattic/ALL/pafg33.ht...)

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Rev. Gerge Ross was born in 1679 in Balbair, Scotland. He died 18 Nov 1753 in New Castle DE. He came to America in 1705 and settled in New Castle, Delaware. He was a missionary for the English Anglican Church. His parents are David Ross and Margaret Stronach.

His right to the Balbair estate was extiguished by his uncle's sale of the property in Scotland. {see 4th Balbair}
Also: In a direct ine of descent from: Gilbert Magnússon, jarl of Orkney (c.1185-1239)

many details of life

George married Joanna Williams in about 1705. She was born in about 1690 and died on 23 Sept 1725. They had 6 children:

1. David Ross was born in 1708. He married Sarah Rolfe on 12 Feb 1731 in New Castle, DE.

2. John Ross was born in 1711 in New Castle, DE and died 8 May 1776 in Philadelphia, PA. He married Elizabeth Morgan on 28 Dec 1731.

3. Margaret Ross was born in 1712 and died 20 Aug 1766. She married Walter Hackett and William Currie.

4. Aeneas Ross was born 17 Sep 1716 in New Castle, DE and died in Apr 1782 in New Castle, DE. He married Sarah Leach on 3 Jan 1745.

5. Ann Catherine Ross was born in 1719. She married John Yeates.

6. Jacob Ross was born in 1726. He married Jane Syre.

George also married Anna Catherine van Gezel. She was born in 1689 in Newcastle, DE. She was baptized on 20 Oct 1689. Her parents are Jacob van Gezel and Gertrude Reynier. They had 7 children:

7. George Ross was born 10 May 1730 in New Castle, DE and died 14 Jul 1779. He married Ann Lawler on 17 Aug 1751. He signed the Declaration of Independence.

8. Gertrude Ross was born in about 1732 and died in Sept 1802. She married Rev. Isaac Till. She married George Read on 11 Jan 1763.

9. Catherine Ross was born in about 1734 and died in Dec 1809. She married Gen. William Thompson on 29 Mar 1762.

10. Elizabeth Ross was born in about 1735. She married Col. Edward Biddle on 26 Jun 1761.

11. Susanna Ross was born in 1737 and died on 1 Mar 1801. She married Rev. William Thompson.

12. Mary Ross.

13. James Ross was born in about 1742. He married Eleanor Reynolds.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~billingsdj/families/Ross/G...

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DNA Evidence

There is an ongoing Ross Surname Project at FamilyTreeDNA. Many Ross men have tested, but none of them can prove themselves to be a descendant of Rev. George Ross.

The 'Paternal Ancestor' listed by several Participants in this Project indicate descent from either Rev. George Ross or his brother Hugh. The DNA indicates, though, that these Participants are not related to each other. Therefore, they cannot all be descended from this family.

So far, no Participants can prove descent, beyond a shadow of a doubt, from the Rosses of Balblair, therefore the genetic signature of this family is still unknown.

There are no living descendants of George Ross, the Signer, that would still carry his Y-DNA, but there are living male descendants of several other sons of Rev. George. These are the men that we need to test in order to determine the Y-DNA of this family.

for Revolutionary War Buffs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ross_(British_Army_officer,_died_1809) would be interesting to trace. Some American Tory Ross family were loyal to the crown. See, for instance, Ross Currie of New Brunswick

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Birth: 1680, Scotland Death: 1755 New Castle County Delaware, USA

"First Rector of this Church, sent as a missionary in 1705, by the society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign parts. He was the son of David Ross of Balblair, Ross-shire, Scotland, Born 1680. He graduated at the University of Edinburgh in 1700, and after serving this parish faithfully for fifty years, died at New Castle in the 75th year of his age. He was eminent for his piety, learning and zeal for the cause of Christ."

First Wife, and mother to (belived to be) six children: Joanna Williams.

Second Wife, mother to (believed to be) seven children: Catherine Von Gezel.

The church of Immanuel on the Green does not believe he is buried here. This is a marker on the wall inside the church "Erected by his great-granddaughter Mary Ross of Lancaster, Pennsylvannia."

Family links:

Spouse:

 Joanna Williams Ross (1682 - 1726)*

Children:

 Margaret Ross Milton (1716 - 1811)*

 Aeneas Ross (1716 - 1782)*

 George Ross (1730 - 1779)*

 Gertrude Ross Read (1735 - 1802)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Immanuel Episcopal Churchyard New Castle New Castle County Delaware, USA Plot: Inside the Church building

Find A Grave Memorial# 24919812 findagrace 24919812

The Life of the Reverend George Ross

George Ross Rector (as he is styled in his Presentation) of the Church of New Castle was the second son, that came to mans Estate, of David Ross of Balblair, a gentlemen of moderate fortune, but of great integrity, and Margaret his wife born in the north of Scotland, and in the Parish of Fern, in the Shire? of Ross, about 4 or 5 miles from the shire between two arms of the sea. The Firth f___tum of Murray (Moray), the other of Dornoch. The land laying between the two firths, terminates in a noted point, called Tarbat Ness.

He was put to school very early, and made progress in the Latin tongue, under the care of the schoolmaster in Tain, and being of a promising genius, his father asked him, as they were going to a farm, a little what he would be, to which the son answered a scholar, (young as he was into? inspiration) a scholar you shall be replied the father. When he was about fourteen years of age, his oldest brother, Andrew, requested his father to send him, to him, to Edinburgh. Accordingly he was sent, but for the first twelve months, little to his advantage, for instead of advancing him in his learning, he made him attend to his office, and write from morning till night, often without his dinner, to his great disappointment, not through want of affection to his brother, but through hurry of business and much company. The father being informed of this low, or no education, ordered him to be put to school, and fitted for the university. Andrew lost his slave, and George was once more, put in the way of being a scholar. He took his degree of Master of Arts at Edinburgh in the year 1700--- with this feather in his cap, he returned home, and soon after became Tutor to the Lord of May, his son, for which he was allowed ten pounds sterling per annum, great wages in that part of the world, and at that time of day. Having some

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cash of his own, and some what to see Edinburgh again & taking leave of his father (the last time he ever saw him) not without some coolness on the sons side, for that the father didn't add weight enough to his blessing as the son expected; (and even at this time, he was not without thought, of seeing foreign countries.) I say taking leave of his father, he proceeds in his journey to Edinburgh, and there entered his name among the students of Divinity, the worthy Mr. Meldrum being Professor. There were great hopes of seeing Mr. George mount the Presbyterian Pulpit, but alas the closer he applied himself to reading, the stronger his aversion grew, to the party then uppermost in Scotland. He observed the leading men of that side to be sour, censorious & hypocritical. He could not digest, the ministers odd gestures, grimaces, dry mouths & screwed faces in their pulpits. He could not comply with their practices, even to save him from a want of bread. Their Horrible Decretum (as Mr. Calvin the author calls it) of Reprobation gave him a surfeit of their Principles, and as to their Church Government, he was satisfied that it was a spacious? Beast?, the genuine product of Core's? Rebellion, of proud Presbyterians against their Lawful Bishops. While he prayed among the students as an orthodox brother, he was diligent in informing himself, of the principles of the Church of England, which he approved of so well, that he was resolved as soon as he could find encouragement to set out for England. Mr. Aneas McKenzie, Chaplin to the Earl of Cromarty, Secretary of State for Scotland, was then at London to whom he opened himself upon that head; Mr. McKenzie being of the same way of thinking answered him that he might depend upon being employed as a Chaplin on board a man of war the least says he you can expect. Mr. McKenzie's letter he communicated to his brother, who upon mature deliberation, with some leading men of the Episcopal party, procured him a bill of exchange, for L18 11s 9d sterling thru straight away and provided & honoured with a recommendation from the Bishop of Edinburgh then outed by the Revolution, he bid adue to his native country, after suffering much in the flesh, by colledge diet, among a set of canting Pharisees, and went to London by sea, and upon his safe arrival waited upon the Bishop of London, who received him very kindly, and ordered him to attend the next ordination, at which his friend McKenzie with several other candidates were put into Deacons orders. This happened nine days after his arrival in London, which proved no small mortification to the winning part at Edinburgh, and a triumph to those of the contrary party. He was soon promoted to a Chaplainship of L80. Stealing on board a man of war, but the Chaplin being a haughty fellow, he grew sick of his station, & resolved to quit it, as soon as he could be otherwise provided for. Returning to London he found his friend McKenzie, making application to the society for the propagation of the Gospel (then newly Incorporated) for a mission. He was easily persuaded to engage with him in so commendable a design. Upon the societies being satisfied (after full trial) with their character & abilities they were both admitted missionaries. McKenzie for Staten Island and Ross for New Castle, who arrived there July 1705. And continued in the said societys service (save a few years he resided at whither he removed for his healths sake) ever since. He now being in his 73 year, how he behaved himself is best known, from the constant regard of his parishioners. Geo. Ross

NOTES: David Ross, Sr. died April 1710 in Scotland David Ross, Sr. married Margaret STRONACH George's letter and autobiography was written to his son John in 1752 Rev. George died 1753/54 Typed as the Rev. George wrote it, as best could

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• Rossiana; papers and documents relating to the history and genealogy of the ancient and noble house of Ross, of Ross-shire, Scotland, and its descent form the ancient earls of Ross, together with the descent of the ancient and historic family of Read, from Rede of Trough-end, Reade of Barton Court, Berks, and Read of Delaware. Also some account of the related families by Read, Harmon Pumpelly, 1860- [from old catalog]; Reid, Francis Nevile, 1826-1892 Publication date 1908 page 45
• Reference: RootsWeb's WorldConnect - SmartCopy: Nov 16 2017, 21:34:33 UTC
• Asbill family history. Author Bennett, George T. Page 37-38. “The Ross Family.” Archive.Org

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GEDCOM Note

First Rector of this Church, sent as a missionary in 1705, by the society for Propagating the Gospel in Foreign parts. He was the son of David Ross of Balblair, Ross-shire, Scotland, Born 1680. He graduated at the University of Edinburgh in 1700, and after serving this parish faithfully for fifty years, died at New Castle in the 75th year of his age. He was eminent for his piety, learning and zeal for the cause of Christ."

First Wife, and mother to (belived to be) six children: Joanna Williams.

Second Wife, mother to (believed to be) seven children: Catherine Von Gezel.

The church of Immanuel on the Green does not believe he is buried here. This is a marker on the wall inside the church "Erected by his great-granddaughter Mary Ross of Lancaster, Pennsylvannia."

Sources

Rossiana; papers and documents relating to the history and genealogy of the ancient and noble house of Ross, of Ross-shire, Scotland, and its descent form the ancient earls of Ross, together with the descent of the ancient and historic family of Read, from Rede of Trough-end, Reade of Barton Court, Berks, and Read of Delaware. Also some account of the related families Year: 1908 (1900s)
Authors: Read, Harmon Pumpelly, 1860- (from old catalog) Reid, Francis Nevile, 1826-1892