John Laurance (1750-1810)

He was born at Falmouth in England and settled in New York City in 1767. His named was also spelt Lawrance or Lawrence. He studied law and was admitted to the Bar in 1772. During the Revolution he served as aide-de-camp to Brig. Gen. Alexander McDougall and as Judge Advocate-General at the trial of Major John André. He served in the Continental Congress (1785-87); the State Legislature (1788-90); the U.S. Congress (1789-93); and, the U.S. Senate (1796-00), and was briefly President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Shortly before the Revolution, he married Elizabeth McDougall (d.1790), daughter of his wartime commander. In 1791, he married Elizabeth, the widow of James Allen, of Trout Hall. He left "a considerable fortune" to his children by both marriages.