foundingfatherjohnlaurens

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On this day in 1777, “Frances Eleanor, daughter of John and Martha Laurens” was baptized at Saint Andrew Undershaft church in London. This record of her baptism is from the London Metropolitan Archives.

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December 31, 1781

Henry Laurens was traded for Lord Cornwallis after 15 months of imprisonment in the Tower of London.

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December 19, 1953

Sabina Elliott Ramsay Pinckney died in Charleston at the age of 60. Sabina was the daughter of David and Martha Laurens Ramsay, making her John’s niece. In an interesting twist, Sabina was the name of David’s first wife. Martha was his third and the only wife to bear his children.

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December 8, 1792

Henry Laurens died at home in Charleston. His daughter, Martha was at his side. She woke with a sense that she needed to see her father immediately and headed to his home by carriage. Within hours he suffered what sounds like a stroke and was attended to by his doting daughter until he expired.

Photo via: University of South Carolina digital library.

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December 4, 1777

John Laurens to Henry Laurens

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November 30, 1797

Francis Henderson was born to Frances Eleanor Laurens Henderson and Francis Henderson (this family and names🙄) This is the baptism record for Francis, indicating his date of birth. Source: London Metropolitan Archives

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November 29, 1777

Unofficial gossip of the American Revolution John Laurens wrote to his father about the “misbehaviour” of the Navy, being reunited with forces under Greene, and a set of gloves gifted by a lady.

[foundingfatherjohnlaurens]

So why do you think Laurens was less affectionate than Hamilton in their letters?

Oh, hi anon. @yr-obedt-cicero already replied with two links which you should take a look at (the point about how much correspondence is missing being crucial), but beyond that...

I don't agree with the premise of this question, myself.

Putting aside the question of how we measure degrees of affection, there's also the matter of how it's shown.

Hamilton's 'cold in my professions' letter is all over the place, blustery and long-winded, and I think his rambling, as well as his closing of that letter (where he is being more open and self-aware) is a greater testament of his affection than the almost-offended 'how dare you steal into my affections' at the start.

Laurens, meanwhile, is rarely effusive in his writing, and when he is, it's usually about negative emotions (guilt, grief or anger). His most honest correspondence is probably with his uncle James, where he expresses rawer emotions that the carefully tailored ones he shows Henry. But he's equally frank with Hamilton - sharing his doubts and fears, his conflicted feelings, asking for his advice and reassurance. He's perceptive and vulnerable and familiar, and that's as affectionate as Laurens gets.

[foundingfatherjohnlaurens]

also another question! do you think John Laurens would have become sectary of state instead of Jefferson if he lived?

Nnnno.

That's it, roll credits.

No, I'm joking. But I don't believe Laurens would have held any federal position if for some reason he lived past the war (which I don't think is possible because yk. John reasons).

Laurens most likely would have finished his education in law, went on to be a lawyer, and stayed in local politics. He didn't have the diplomatic skills to rise that high, especially not for an office like Secretary of State, which requires diplomacy.

Jefferson was very suited to the job. He was well-known, well-liked, and his diplomatic career was far more successful than Laurens'. This is easy to compare because they both held diplomatic positions in the French court. Laurens' mission was just barely completed, and had many mistakes and missteps because he didn't really want nor like the job, he just wanted to get it over with as fast as possible. And I'm sure we all know how much Jefferson liked France.

Laurens even going to law school was pushing it. He joined the war to escape his life which was supposed to be the standard life of an eldest son in the 18th century: a wife, a child, a career, and an overbearing father. He didn't want any of those things (except maybe the father, but not the overbearing part), and so the war was an extreme act of rebellion for him. If he survived the war, another, more extreme act of rebellion would follow. So, yeah, being in the cabinet wouldn't really be an option for him. Though, the idea of him and Hamilton being in the same cabinet is fluffy and sweet, it wouldn't happen. Thank you for the ask

[foundingfatherjohnlaurens]

November 21, 1842

Eliza Rutledge Laurens died in Charleston, age 66. Eliza married Harry, bringing together the Laurens’s and the Rutledge’s. She’s buried in the Laurens cemetery in Moncks Corner.

[foundingfatherjohnlaurens]

November 20, 1765

Jemmy was born in Charleston to Henry and Eleanor Laurens. 😭

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So broody…

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Gosh he looks like Henry in this one. 😳

A portrait of Laurens

Doing some research with Ancestry and specially Newspapers.com by Ancestry, I have found one portrait of John Laurens which I haven't seen before, so I'm bringing it to your eyes. The quality isn't excellent, but for what I can see, this portrait could be easily my favorite.

This was published by The Columbia Record on December 14, 1920.

The title of the article is "PORTRAIT OF COL. JOHN LAURENS, HERO OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, UNVEILED IN COLUMBIA JANUARY 13". According to the new, it would had been placed in the State House.

In my opinion, it looks like a pretty portrait, at least nicer than Peale's one, who knows, maybe I'll try to search what happened with this one and if it is still there.

The use of this image is exclusively for personal uses, the credit for the digitalization and preservation of it belongs to the Ancestry website.

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Extract from an article in the Barbados Mercury, and Bridge-Town Gazette, 22 November 1808

The article, a reprint of a piece published in a US paper, is calling on citizens to vote for South Carolina Federalist candidate Charles Cotesworth Pinckney in the upcoming presidential election, over incumbent Thomas Jefferson.

It's heartening that John Laurens was still being invoked in the name of the patriotic causes he supported 26 years after his death - a legacy almost as long as his entire life - and alongside legendary figures like Joseph Warren, Richard Montgomery and George Washington. It speaks to how well-known and respected he was for the sacrifices he made in the name of his ideals.

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The 3rd record on this document from the City of Westminster’s archives department is a record of the marriage of Frances Eleanor to Francis Henderson on this day in 1795.

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John Laurens' London address

John lived in London for two stretches of time - after first arriving in England in 1771-2, and then when he returned from Geneva in 1774.

During the first period, he lived with Henry in Chelsea and then Fludyer Street in Westminster - a street that ran parallel to Downing Street and led directly onto St James's Park. It doesn't exist anymore.

When John returned to start his studies at Middle Temple, he moved in with Charles Bicknell and his family in Chancery Lane. Historically, it was rare to give more than just the family and street names when directing post, but I wanted to see if I could track down the exact location of Bicknell's house - and I think I've come pretty close!

After a considerable amount of digging, I found an insurance record for Charles Bicknell, giving his address as "opposite the Rolls Tavern" on Chancery Lane. The 'Rolls Tavern' is actually the Crown and Rolls Tavern, a popular meeting place for lawyers and debating societies in the late 18th century.

But of course, that address is also hard to come by. Here we have two clues.

The first is that further digging into insurance records seems to indicate that the tavern was at number 9 Chancery Lane - though that's not incredibly helpful, because there are several number 9s on the street.

The second is that taverns and public houses were often named after significant nearby landmarks - and indeed, the area towards the southern end of Chancery Lane, where it meets Fleet Street, is part of the Liberty of the Rolls district, which included the Chapel of the Rolls, and the Rolls Court and Gardens (all named after the fact that the court rolls, or legal records, were kept in storage there).

If we put this together, we do in fact find a number 9 backing on the Rolls Court, which might well have been the location of the Crown and Rolls Tavern. As for what would count as "opposite", that narrows it down to a few homes on Horwood's Plan of London:

None of the original buildings from the time period survive, but...

I'm taking the 🏳️‍🌈 as a sign!

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And that soldier is staring at his ass. 😂

A copy of Charles Fraser’s portrait of John Laurens, which hangs in the Middle Temple in London (source 1; source 2)

Click here to view the full-size image - the detail is incredible.