William Ellery

A oil drawing of William Ellery painted as an older man. No portait of Ellery was painted in his liftime, however this is likely how Ellery would have appeared later in his legal career, when he was serving as a judge in Rhode Island. This likeness was produced by Samuel Waugh around the time of the Centennital Celebration in 1876. 

http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/courses/2017/hist1002/files/original/3e4d6f9da77483b3a6ae290987cee25c.pdf

An advertisement pubished by William Ellery in the Newport Mercury. The advertisment comes seven months after the death of his father, Wiliam Ellery Sr. in March of 1764. The advertisement advises all individuals who owed Ellery's father money to repay their debts promptly or face legal consequneces. The method of reaching out to debtors in a public newspaper indicates the magnititude of William Ellery, Sr.'s influence and prominence in the Newport community. Ellery Sr. was also the Deputy Governor of the colony at the time of his death. 

http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/courses/2017/hist1002/files/original/c1fd627fff4c469f1819e032b33902d9.pdf

A newspaper advertisement published by William Ellery in the Newport Mercury, follwing his transition from merchant to lawyer. The advertisment offers a glimpse into Ellery's legal practice managing will and estates of the recently deceased, which seems to constitute a large portion of his buisness. Furthermore, this particuar advertisement for 14 acres of available land appeared several times in various iterations, possibly indicating that farmland was not in high demand in a trading town such as Newport. 

http://dighist.fas.harvard.edu/courses/2017/hist1002/files/original/c24e57d1e0485f4d8a962883ccd63a18.pdf

A list of members of Continential Congress in 1779, published by the loyalist newspaper The Royal Gazette in British occupied New York City. The newspaper terms Continential Congress with the more condemnatory name "Rebel Congress." Ellery was appointed as a Rhode Island delegate to Continental Congress in early 1776 and was a signatory to the Declaration of Independence. It is possible that Parlimentary acts such as the Townshend Acts both drove Ellery from the merchant profession and towards the Patriot cause for independence. 

     William Ellery, a signatory to the Declaration of Independence was a native of Newport, Rhode Island. Ellery was both born in Newport and made the city the site of his professional life as well. Although he began as merchant, around 1770 Ellery changed his mind and pursued a legal career instead. Based on available accounts in newspapers, particularly in the Newport Mercury, Ellery seems to have abandoned the career field not for lack of opportunity, but instead for political reasons linked to the tension between Parliament and the colonies.

     William Ellery was born in Newport, Rhode Island to a man named William Ellery, Sr. His father was a wealthy merchant based Newport, and like the sons of many upper-class children, Ellery matriculated to Harvard College. While there he developed strong interest in Greek and Latin before graduating in 1747. [1] After finishing college Ellery returned to Newport to being a career as a merchant, like his father. There is little in the historical record about Ellery during the 1750s and early 1760s. The local newspaper in Newport Rhode Island, The Newport Mercury does not any advertisements of his inventory during his time as a merchant. The lack of advertisements in the local newspaper possibly indicates that Ellery was an unenthusiastic merchant, as stipulated by The American National Biography Online [2]. It is also possible that Ellery’s business was impacted by the turbulent political climate surrounding the various regulations on trade passed by Parliament in the 1760s. No records exist of which specific goods Ellery traded, making it difficult to speculate exactly how his business was effected by events such as the Stamp Act and the Sugar Act. Another possibility is that Ellery, like other wealthy colonials, may have been an illegal smuggler. This possibility would account for both his reluctance to advertise his business, as well as his failure as a merchant in the later 1760s, when laws passed by Parliament damaged smugglers’ abilities to operate.

     Obituaries in the Newport Mercury indicate that Ellery’s father died in 1764 [3]. Interestingly, not long after his father’s death, Ellery published advertisements in the Mercury instructing his father’s many debtors to “make speedy payment” or risk being sued [4]. The advertisement appeared several times in slightly different iterations in the Newport Mercury for several months following his father’s death. The repeated appearance of the threat indicates that Ellery was likely somewhat unsuccessful at initial attempts to recover money from his late father’s debtors. It also hints at the large number of people who owed his late father money. More significantly, however, the nature of communicating with his father’s debtors through a newspaper possibly stands as a testament to his father’s financial success and significance in the community. Essentially, as his father’s business contacts were so numerous and widespread, the most economical manner of communicating with them was via a broadcast to the general public in a newspaper. This can be further expanded to a statement about the importance and impact of the merchant class in general in a port-city such as Newport, which was deeply integrated into the Atlantic trading network. Additionally, a notice in the New London Gazette indicates that Ellery’s father died Deputy Governor of the colony of Rhode Island [5], indicating how status as a successful merchant could translate to political power and success.  Furthermore, it shows how well established Ellery was in the field, as the son of such a consequential merchant. The coupled importance of merchants in Newport in general as well as Ellery’s advantageous starting position further raises the question of why Ellery switched careers.

     American National Biography Online indicates that in 1767, at this age of 43, Ellery ceased to work as a merchant and assumed a career in law [6]. The business of managing the wills and estates of the recently deceased appears to be the focus of Ellery’s early legal career in Newport. The presence of wealthy citizens—many merchants—with large estates which require professional legal management may be indicative of the lucrative rewards of a career in the Atlantic trading networks. Using advertisements in The Newport Mercury as a metric of success, it appears that Ellery was a more successful lawyer than he was a merchant. In 1773, an advertisement appears in the Newport Mercury detailing a “dwelling-house…in Newport, late the estate of Samuel Holmes, merchant, deceased and now in the possession of Henry Bowers” which was available for rent. The advertisement directs anyone interested in the property to contact Ellery [7]. A similar advertisement appeared in the Newport Mercury one year detailing a fourteen-acre plot of land which had recently become available for purchase following the death of its owner [8]. This advertisement first appeared in the Newport Mercury in August of 1774, and was repeated no less than five times until January of 1775 [9]. The property outlined in the advertisement is farmland, described as “well fenced and well watered”, the Ellery’s difficulty in selling the property likely indicates that farmland was not in high demand in a primarily trading city such as Newport.   

     Ellery was an associate of Samuel Ward, a member of the Rhode Island delegation to the Continental Congress. When Ward died suddenly, the Rhode Island Assembly elected Ellery as Ward’s replacement. Ellery would remain one of Rhode Island’s delegates to the Continental Congress for the remainder of the war, and even became a signer of the Declaration of Independence [10]. The Royal Gazette published in British-occupied New York City identified Ellery as a member of the “Rebel Congress” in a publicly published list in 1779 [11]. In addition to repelling him from trade as a merchant, it is conciveable that the actions of Parliament also propelled Ellery to sympathize with the Patriots.

    The historical records of advertisements in the Newport Mercury reveals first failed career of Ellery as a merchant and followed by the seemingly far more successful career as a lawyer. American National Biography Online corroborates this view stating that by 1770 he had “completely” abandoned his career as a merchant in favor of increased involvement in law and politics [12]. Although it is a possible that Ellery changed careers at age 43 simply due to a lack of personal interest in being a merchant, it is also highly probable that Ellery’s professional decisions were informed by the politics of the time. The newspaper records substantially establish the vital and central role that merchants played in Ellery’s hometown of Newport, and further illustrates that Ellery was the son of a particularly successful and prominent merchant. It is likely no coincidence that such a well-connected man such as Ellery with a promising career in a lucrative field abandoned the trade shortly after the Townshend Acts took effect. Without more evidence in the written record, a definitive causal relationship is impossible to establish, however the correlation seems to indicate, at the very least, that the changing political environment attracted Ellery to the legal field. More, it is hightly concievable that his prospective career as a merchant was directly hindered by acts of Parliament which drove him to both a legal career and support for the Patriot cause.  

[1] William M. Fowler. "Ellery, William." American National Biography Online Feb. 2000, accessed March 22, 2017. http://www.anb.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/articles/01/01-00261.html

[2] William Fowler, American National Biogrpahy Online. 

[3] "William Ellery ” The New-London Gazette (New London, Connecticut), March 23, 1764, accessed 22, March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (103BBE634A8FD966). 

[4] "All Persons Indebted" The Newport Mercury (Newport: Rhode Island), October 1, 1764, accessed 22, March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1070245540DB3918). 

[5] "All Personons Indebted" The Newport Mercury. 

[6] William Fowler, American National Biogrpahy Online. 

[7] "To Be Let" The Newport Mercury (Newport: Rhode Island), August 30, 1773, accessed 22, March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1070277E85DDC908). 

[8] "To Be Sold" The Newport Mercury (Newport: Rhode Island), August 1, 1774, accessed 22, March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1070280B23769530). 

[9]  "To Be Sold" The Newport Mercury (Newport: Rhode Island), January 30, 1775, accessed 22, March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1070283C00DB5C40). 

[10] William Fowler, American National Biogrpahy Online.

[11] “A List of the Rebel Congress as Chosen for the Year 1779” The Royal Gazette (New York, New York), March 3, 1779. Accessed March 22, 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1043ED89B723A26B). 

[12] William Fowler, American National Biogrpahy Online.

Bibliography: 

“A List of the Rebel Congress as Chosen for the Year 1779” The Royal Gazette (New York, New York), March 3, 1779. Accessed March 22, 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1043ED89B723A26B). 

 “All Persons Indebted” The Newport Mercury (Newport, Rhode Island), October 1, 1764. Accessed 22 March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1070245540DB3918). 

 “To Be Let,” The Newport Mercury (Newport, Rhode Island), August 30, 1773. Accessed 22 March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1070277E85DDC908). 

 “To Be Sold,” The Newport Mercury (Newport, Rhode Island), August 1, 1774. Accessed 22 March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1070280B23769530). 

“To Be Sold,” The Newport Mercury (Newport, Rhode Island), January 30, 1775. Accessed 22 March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (1070283C00DB5C40).

Waugh, Samuel B. "William Ellery." Digital image. National Park Service. July 4, 2004. Accessed March 22, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/declaration/bio9.htm.

“William Ellery” The New-London Gazette (New London, Connecticut), March 23, 1764.  Accessed 22 March 2017. NewsBank/Readex, Database: America's Historical Newspapers (103BBE634A8FD966). 

William M. Fowler. "Ellery, William." American National Biography Online Feb. 2000. Accessed March 22, 2017. http://www.anb.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/articles/01/01-00261.html

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