| Notes |
- Governor John Reading, son of Colonel John Reading, and his sister Elsie were sent with their mother to England to be educated; they remained there several years. The education of the son appears to have been of a superior character, from the fact that he was a member of the governor's council at the age of thirty-two, and that he rose to greater distinction than did any other of the native born sons of the early New Jersey colonists. Little is known of the early life of Governor Reading, but it is thought that he probably assisted his father in the management of his extensive landed interests. He inherited a large patrimony, especially in lands, which with the estate he had previously acquired in his own right made him the wealthiest man in Hunterdon county.
November 3, 1718, he was nominated by Governor Hunter to a seat in the provincial council, and while the nomination was pending before the king he was named by the governor one of the commissioners to run the north boundary line between New Jersey and New York, and also to run the lines between East and West New Jersey. In July, 1719, Governor Hunter went to England and never returned. His Majesty commissioned William Burnet governor, and he began his administration September 22, 1720. On March 25, 1721, Mr. Reading was sworn in to the governor's council, which office he retained until 1758, when he resigned. On February 10, 1727, he was commissioned colonel of ye military regiment of foot. On August 14, 1727, he was commissioned surrogate for Hunterdon and Summerset counties, and November 6, 1728, was appointed by the crown one of the judges to try pirates. In addition to these he was justice of the peace throughout the time of his councillorship. April. 8, 1740, he was appointed one of the officers for Hunterdon county to enlist men in the king's service in the war then raging against Spain. He was also one of the commissioners chosen to fix the boundary line between the colonies of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
On the death of Lewis Morris, governor of the province, May 21, 1746, he was succeeded by Colonel John Hamilton, who remained until his death, June 17, 1747. Mr. Reading then became president of the council, and as such succeeded Colonel Hamilton as acting governor and commander-in-chief. He was the first native born Jersey man to govern the province. His administration was a brief one, being succeeded by Jonathan Belcher, of Massachusetts, who continued until his death, August 31, 1757. President Reading was still the senior member of the council, and the administration of right devolved upon him. Early in 1758 he received a letter from his Majesty's secretary of state, setting forth the purpose of his Majesty to vigorously prosecute the then pending war and calling upon the provincial governments to raise troops to unite with the King's forces in offensive operation against the enemy. He responded immediately to the King's calls and summoned a special meeting of the assembly for March 23, when he issued a proclamation for the raising of a regiment for immediate service. He also appointed a day of fasting and prayer. He proved equal to the emergencies, giving to the work his best efforts, and exhibited a degree of patriotism and fitness for executive service unsurpassed by his predecessors or successors in office. June 15, 1758, he was succeeded by Hon. Francis Bernard. On his release from public office, President Reading retired to private life, in which he remained until his death, November 5, 1757.
President Reading married, November 30, 1720, Mary, daughter of George and Anna (Schoub) Ryerson. She was baptized July 29, 1696, at the Old Dutch Reformed Church, New York City, and (died in Amwell township, Hunterdon county, New Jersey, April 11, 1774. Their children were : John, born March 30, 1722, married Isabella Montgomery, died 1766; Ann, baptized July 21, 1723, became the wife of the Rev. Charles Beatty, and died March 22, 1768; George, born February 26, 1725, married Rebecca Mullen, and died August 12, 1792; Daniel, born February 2, 1727, married Euphemia Reid, and (died October 15, 1768; Joseph, born November 23, 1730, married Amy Pierson, died November 15, 1806; Elizabeth, baptized January 31, 1732, married John Hackett, Esq., died in 1781; Richard, born December 8, 1732, married Catherine Reid, died in 1781; Thomas, born September 27, 1734, married Rebecca Ellis, died December 14, 1814; Mary, baptized August 8, 1736, married the Rev. William Mills, died April 4, 1794; Sarah, baptized October 29, 1738, married Augustine Reid, died July 10, 1809; and Samuel, born October 25, 1741, died August 18, 1749. Elsie, the only sister of Governor Reading, was born in Gloucester, Gloucester (now Camden) county, New Jersey, and died in Hunterdon county, New Jersey. By her marriage to Daniel Howell the following named children were born: Elizabeth, Daniel, John, Joseph, Benjamin, and Mary. The children of Gov. John Reading and Mary Ryerson (all b. in Old Amwell and bap. in the Dutch Reformed Church at Readingtown, Hunterdon Co., N. J., )
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Col. John READING was a member of the Council of Proprietors of West Jersey and a member of the Royal Council of New Jersey.
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He was a judge of the Supreme Court of the Province.
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He was a lieutenant colonel in the Hunterdon Co., NJ Militia in 1715.
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Davis Uriah I | Born 1707
1686 - 1767 (81 years)