Signing a third person receipt, Norwich, Connecticut, February 20, 1750/1, as “Jon. Trumble of Lebanon,” following the spelling of his birth to Joseph and Hannah Trumble of Lebanon; Trumbull changed the spelling in 1765. Born into family of merchants, Trumbull followed that path, entered politics, and served as colonel of a Connecticut regiment in the French and Indian War; he became Royal Governor of Connecticut in 1769 and remained in that position at the onset of war, one of only two governors to serve both the crown and then new nation, also serving as advisor to George Washington, earning the nickname “Brother Jonathan.”