What Does Our Family Have To Do With the Great Seal of the United States???

Here's a bit of trivia for you - Who designed the Great Seal of the United States?

Answer - Charles Thomson. (Yes, it's spelled right)

And he's related how?, you ask. Well, he's my 6th great-grand uncle.....which means he was the brother of my 6th great grandfather, David Thompson. (Yes, it's spelled right.)

Sit back, kick your shoes off and I'll tell you the story...............

A long, long time ago, in the very early 1700s to be exact, in County Londonderry, Ireland a family by the name of Thomson lived. However, just because the family lived in Ireland, and some of the children were born there, they were actually Scottish.

A little info here - many families from Scotland moved, or were driven out of Scotland, and went to Ireland due to religious persecution. The term Scot-Irish was given to them. HOWEVER, they were NOT Irish. The true Scot-Irish NEVER intermarried with the Irish and kept their Scottish bloodlines true.

Anyway, back to the story............

Charles Thomson was born in 1729. He had two or three brothers, one of which was David. Their mother died sometime around 1739 and his father and the boys left Ireland for America. The father died at sea and the boys were left orphaned and penniless and when they reached America they were seperated.

Not much is known of how my David had to spend his childhood, but he acquired land in Frederick County, Virginia (now Mineral County, West Virginia) in 1749. In this same area, five miles from David's home, were the Thomas Hanks family (Grandfather of Abraham Lincoln)and Rebecca Bryan Boone's parents. (Wife of Daniel Boone) David farmed and raised a large family of 8 children with his wife, Mary. Their son, David Jr. was my line.

However, this story is about my 6th great-granduncle, Charles. You notice that Charles and David spelled their last names differently. Charles chose to keep the original spelling of the name and David chose to add the "p".

When Charles was seperated from his brothers after landing in America he was cared for by a blacksmith in New Castle, Delaware and was educated in New London, Pennsylvania. In 1750 he became a tutor in Latin at the Philadelphia Academy. He was also the founder of a group that became the American Philosophical Society. But that's not all...............

Charles was a good friend to the Indians and during the French and Indian War he was an opponent of the Pennsylvania proprietors' American Indian policies. He also became a leader of the Philadelphia Sons of Liberty. And that's not all.............

In the 1770s he was a leader in the revolutionary crisis. John Adams refered to him as "the Samuel Adams of Philadelphia." He also served as secretary of the Continental Congress through it's entirety (15 years). Along with John Hancock, who was the president of the Continental Congress, Charles' name appeared on the first published version of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. (He signed as secretary) Charles was also considered "The Prime Minister of the United States" as he was so involved in the conduct of foreign affairs. And that's not all...........

Charles was also the most responsible for coming up with the Great Seal of the United States. It seems that three seperate committees had tried to come up with a suitable design for the national seal that would satisfy the Continental Congress and they couldn't do it. Charles took it upon himself to take designs elements from the three committees and combined them into one work. Once he had the basic idea, William Barton refined it and the Congress accepted it and that's what serves as our national seal today.

From other sources ---

Charles Thomson – Principal Designer of the Great Seal
Although few people today have heard of Charles Thomson (1729-1824), he was one of America's most significant and influential Founding Fathers – a man very well qualified to translate the idea and ideals of America into symbolic imagery.

As the only Secretary of the Continental Congress for its entire fifteen years, Thomson was a tremendous unifying factor. He kept the minutes of all sessions of Congress, including special minutes of all the secret affairs. His journals and files became the archives of our nation.

From www.greatseal.com --
"No person in the world is so perfectly acquainted with the rise, conduct,
and conclusion of the American Revolution." – John Jay

Not Your Father's Secretary
Before the Constitution took effect in 1789, the Continental Congress was both the Executive and the Legislature. There was no President of the United States, only a President of Congress (elected by Congress).

Thomson's job combined what are now the domestic duties of the Department of State, the duties of the Secretary of the Senate. and the Clerk of the House of Representatives.

"It's as true as if Charles Thomson's name were on it."
As Secretary, Thomson's name was regarded as an emblem of truth. In all the factional disputes of the Revolutionary period, his judgment was respected. During the rumors and uncertainties of the Revolutionary War, Thomson helped the Continental Congress retain the faith and support of the people by insisting that full and honest reports be issued, under his signature, concerning all battles and engagements whether won or lost.

His reputation was such that his reports were in great demand. When a Congressional paper appeared containing his signature the expression was frequently heard, "Here comes the Truth."

Ranked closely to the President, Thomson stands to the right of John Hancock in the painting of the Declaration of Independence seen on the two-dollar bill. In fact, Hancock's and Thomson's are the only two names on the Dunlap broadside, the copy of the Declaration printed the night of July 4th – the only version made public for the next six months.

John Adams said Charles Thomson was
"the Sam Adams of Philadelphia, the life and cause of liberty."

Thomson was keenly aware of the slavery problem.
Writing to Jefferson in 1785: "It grieves me to the soul that there should be such just grounds for your apprehensions respecting the irritation that will be produced in the Southern States by what you have said of slavery. However, I would not have you discouraged. This is a cancer we must get rid of. It is a blot on our character that must be wiped out. If it cannot be done by religion, reason, and philosophy, confident I am that it will be one day by blood.

He was largely responsible for the establishment and continuation of the American Philosophical Society, a key vehicle for colonial communication and unification. A man of high intelligence, Thomson was avid promoter of useful knowledge – especially scientific agriculture, which he put into practice on his farm for thirty years.

And, last but not least, Charles Thomson purchased a farm that another one of my ancestors had settled on. Rowland Ellis, my 7th great-grandfather, built the house and farmed the land that Charles Thomson eventually bought and lived out his life on. The farm is near Bryn Mawr, PA.

If you ever need to do a report on someone for history, this is your man.