Manuel Eyre

1736 - Yes, date unknown

• Name	Manuel Eyre  [1, 2]
  Birth	11 Sep 1736	Burlington, New Jersey, USA   [3]
  Gender	Male
  Death	Yes, date unknown
  Person ID	I7923	Ancestrees
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2026

  
  

  Family	Mary Wright,   b. 1743, Kensington, , PA d. 18 Sep 1798, Kensington, , PA (Age 55 years)
  _MARRIED	N
  Children	1. Mary Eyres,   b. 8 Jun 1762, Burlington, NJ  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F1556	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2026

  
  

• Notes

  Liz Liu had the family tradition that one of her ancestors built the boats that Washington used to cross the Delaware. It turns out that this Manuel Eyre, her ancestor, was " a. a ship builder who built ships for the Continental Congre. a patriot active in the Revolution, c. in the right place geographically, and d. his son-in-law (Thomas Robinson, Mary's 2nd husband) was an officer on Washington's staff." She therefore theorizes that he built the boat that Washington used to cross the Delaware. He is listed as a Ship's carpenter in a book called "Growth of Philadelphia from the Declaration of Peace, 1784-1794" at ancestry.com. The following additional detail is provided by his descendant, Shawndel Wilson of Ohio: "Manuel Eyre (shipbuilder with his brothers John and Benjamin - built the Randolph; first American Frigate of War in 1776 in Philadelphia which was blown up on March 7, 1778 after 20 minutes of battle with the HMS Yarmouth in the West Indies killing Captain Nicholas Biddle and all but four of the 315 men on board. They also built certain vessels of war for the Council of Safety of Pennsylvania. Delegate to the provincial Convention at Philadelphia in 1775. He formed a company for the army and was appointed Captain, serving under General John Cadwalder. He was a member of the Committee of Correspondence in 1775, was in the battle of Trenton in 1776, was a member of the historic Navy Board in 1777, he subscribed to the oath of allegiance in 1777, was elected a representative in the General Assembly of Pennsylvania in 1784. He died in1805.)"

  
  

• Sources

  [S2049] Liu, Liz, Email dated 2002 from LLIU@TWMI.RR.COM. [S119] Ancestry.com, U.S., Family History Books, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Lehi, UT, USA; Date: 2025;), Descendants of Gervaise Eyre. [S1806] Liu, Elizabeth, Email dated 2002 from LLIU@TWMI.RR.COM.