Ashbel Green

Ashbel Green (July 6, 1762 – May 19, 1848) was an American Presbyterian minister and academic.

Early life and education Green was born in Hanover Township, New Jersey. He served as a sergeant in the New Jersey militia during the American Revolutionary War, and went on to study with John Witherspoon and graduate as valedictorian from the College of New Jersey, known since 1896 as Princeton University, in 1783. after having been one of its founding members in 1808.

In 1789, Green was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society. In 1814, he joined the American Antiquarian Society.

He emancipated his family's slave Betsey Stockton in 1817, taught her and recommended her as a missionary to the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, making her the first single female overseas missionary. He also published Christian Advocate, a periodical.

Personal life Green married Elizabeth Stockton on November 3, 1785. They had three children: Robert Stockton Green (1787–1813), Jacob Green (1790–1841), and James Sproat Green (1792–1862), the latter of whom served as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and was the father of Robert Stockton Green (1831–1895), Governor of New Jersey.

After his first wife died in January 1807, he married Christina Anderson in October 1809. They had one child: Ashbel Green Jr. (b. 1811).

Death Green died in Philadelphia, on May 19, 1848.

Archival collections The Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia has a collection of Ashbel Green's original papers, including sermons and correspondence.