William Hurrie was probably in a “hurry” when he ascended the stairs of the State House in Philadelphia (Independence Hall) on July 8, 1776.  He was going to ring the bell now known as the Liberty Bell to signal that the Declaration of Independence had been finalized and would be read.

He may also have been in a “hurry” to help get the Liberty Bell out of Philadelphia when the townsmen removed the bell and others in the city to keep them out of the hands of the British. The patriots didn’t want the British to melt down the bells and make them into cannonballs.  It is known that the Liberty Bell was snuck out of Philadelphia and hid under the floor of a church in the Allentown area.  However, it isn’t documented as to whether William was part of the effort.  However, it seems very likely given he cared  for the State House.

William may have also been in a “hurry” when he signed the call for Reverend George Duffield at the Presbyterian Church on Pine Street (now known as Old Pine Presbyterian Church).  Why?  He may have had duties at the church or perhaps it was just coincidence, but he was one of the first men to sign the document.

So, Why Hurrie?

Many names originated from a location, a trade, or another name.  For example, people who lived near a grove of Ash trees might have been given the name Ash.  Similarly, someone who made barrels might have gained the name Cooper.  And, of course, the ever common names that are a representation of “son of” or “daughter of” a specific person.  Thus, it seems reasonable to assume that the name Hurrie is simply a version of the word “hurry” and has the same meaning.

However, despite speculation as to the origin of the name Hurrie, I have found no one that indicated that it might have anything to do with rushing.  Instead, information on the name specifies that it one of the forms of the name Urri, which first appeared in Ayrshire, Scotland around 1260. The name took on several forms including: Urri, Urie, Ure, Urey, Urry, Orry, Ourry, Hurrie, Hurry, Horrey, Orrey, and Hurrey.

The names Hurry, Hurrie, and Hurrey appear to be more popular in England than Scotland, although specific spellings are not used exclusively in any location. And, none of the names are among the most common in the United Kingdom or the United States.

Now, Back to William

William is said to have been born in Scotland in 1721, which is consistent with where the name originated.  He personally used the “Hurrie” spelling and some members of the family and his tombstone used the “Hurry” spelling.

He immigrated to America by the 1750s.  However, no records have been found in this regard.  It is unknown exactly when and where he married Mary (surname unknown) or where his children were born. 

The earliest record for William is a  tax record in 1769 in Southwark, which is an area only a short-distance from Independence Hall and Old Pine Church. 

In the early 1770s,  he begins to show up in records at the Presbyterian Church, where he was selected as sexton.  Part of his job was to collect pew rents from church members.  It is said that pew selection was often by social status. However, looking at the records from Old Pine, it appears that it is based on financial status  or willingness to pay, as the pews at the front are more expensive than those further back.  William’s sons-in-law were in pew 70 in 1773 and later moved to pew 83 indicating that they were of less social or financial status.

It was at the Presbyterian Church, now known as Old Pine Church, where William began rubbing shoulders with many Revolutionary patriots. It is likely that his connections at the church led to him ringing the Liberty Bell that day in 1776 and serving as doorkeeper to Congress in the years following.

Read more about William Hurrie’s fame as ringer of the Liberty Bell . . . . here.

Revolutionary Soldiers are buried in various cemeteries and graveyards with some near battle grounds and others near lands where they moved after America gained its independence from England.  When traveling in Pennsylvania, we visited two graveyards that, although not dedicated to Revolutionary War soldiers, contained the remains of numerous men who fought for independence.  They are very different graveyards.  Yet, both are intriguing.

Newtown Presbyterian Church Graveyard

The Church

The reason for our visit to the Newtown Presbyterian Church in Newtown, Pennsylvania was that it was the location where Rod’s 6th-great grandparents Stephen Stackhouse and Amy Van Dyke got married in 1784.  It was built in 1769 to replace the original church.  It has been remodeled since and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

The church secured its place in history in 1776, when George Washington decided to use it as military facility during the Revolutionary War.  It was used as a hospital, jail, and POW camp.

To read more about Historic Newtown Presbyterian Church . . . Click here.

The Graveyard

Behind the church lay a graveyard that was worthy of attention.  It was sparse in spots as many of the stones had given away to nature and time.  Fortunately, many had not been destroyed, but simply could not stand where originally place. Instead, many gravestones lined the back of the church and the fence row. 

Despite the sparse nature of the graveyard, the American flag could be seen gracing various stones throughout.  What was really intriguing was the British flags, which were scattered throughout.  Sometimes they were very close to graves with American flags.  Research shows that  28 U.S. flags fly over the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers and 8 British flags fly over the graves of soldiers of the French and Indian Wars, which pre-dated America’s independence.

To our knowledge, we do not have any relatives buried in the graveyard.  However, I found that a young child with the last name of Buckman was buried there in 1760.  I have ties to this family in Bucks County.  However, my particular line belonged to the Quaker faith and would likely have buried their family members in the Quaker cemetery.

We spent less time in the graveyard that we wanted as light rain was coming down.  We do plan to go back one day as both of us felt at home in Newtown and we both have long ago relatives that lived around that area.  Matter of fact, Rod had relatives that lived right across the street from the church.  But, that is a story for a different day.

Old Pine Presbyterian Church Graveyard

The Church

Our first visit to Old Pine was a drive-by visit in 2007 to see the Church of the Patriots and graveyard where several of Rod’s ancestors are buried.  Our second visit was in 2018 for the 250th Anniversary of the church.  We were invited to join the celebration as Rod’s 7th-great grandfather William Hurrie/Hurry, who was the sexton of the church, keeper of the State House, and ringer of the Liberty Bell was an early member of the church and is buried in the graveyard.

Buried along with William and other family members were his two son-in-laws John McGinley, Rod’s 6th-great-grandfather, and Joseph Fry.  Both men served in the war effort and Joseph Fry succeeded William as keeper of the State House.

William and his son-in-laws were among the many men of Old Pine who supported and fought for America.  Approximately 500 men who fought for our country are associated with Old Pine Church and/or Graveyard.

Old Pine was used, not by the American militia, but by the British during the occupation of Philadelphia.  The British gutted it, made it into a hospital, and even bedded their horses in the lower level of the church.

To read more about the history of Old Pine Church . .  . Click here.

The Graveyard

The graveyard at Old Pine is anything, but sparse.  Matter of fact, bodies are buried up to six people deep (and maybe more). They basically buried people head to toe, shoulder to shoulder.  And, some places it doesn’t appear that there is that much space between where the bodies are said to have been buried.

In the early 1900s, the sexton of the church was instrumental in finding William Hurrie’s gravestone.  His name was spelled “Hurry” on the stone and at the time only the “ry” was showing as the stone had sunk.  When the sexton investigated, he found that it belonged to William Hurrie and some others in his family.  Prior to that it was believed by historians and the church that William was buried in the graveyard, but the exact location was unknown.

This find was of great historical significance since William Hurrie is believed to have been the person who rang the Liberty Bell  to call people to the State House to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence after it had been signed. The determination that he was the ringer of the Liberty Bell is told in family tradition as well as by the park rangers when visiting the Liberty Bell and other historical locations. 

Some controversy still  exists because William was not the keeper of the State House until early the following year.  However, it was known that  Andrew McNair, the keeper of the State House, was absent one day in that pay period and historians have determined that he happened to be absent on the historical day (July 8, 1776) that the Declaration of Independence was publicly read.  Thus, they have credited William with ringing the bell that day much to the displeasure of the McNair family.  To read more about what I have discovered about William Hurrie and the Liberty Bell . . . Click here.