Hi every one.... I rec'd this, this p.m... have a houseful of company and haven't had a chance to review it, but thought that the rest of you may want to...... Sounds interesting to me..... and I will get to it as soon as I can... we are never to old to learn new things..... Jeannie <>< list mom -----Original Message----- From: Jim Elbrecht [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, July 03, 2001 12:14 PM To: Jeannie Dalrymple Subject: Re: PML Search Result matching ("declaration of independence" or DOI) and (signer or signers or signed) Jeannie, I'm sure your heart is in the right place-but if you're interested in history, you might be surprised to learn that most of 'facts' in that piece are stretching things. The biggies; Only one of the signers captured was not performing his duties as a soldier when captured. [and probably 6 or more were captured in all] Nine died during the revolution-but none at the hands of the British. [though a few were wounded in military actions] None lost 'all he owned' -- most particularly, not Thomas Nelson- who did certainly contribute massive sums of money as well as his expertise at great personal sacrifice.. . But in spite of the war he died one of the wealthiest men in VA in 1789. Most of all-I have yet to find any indication that the British paid any attention at all to the Declaration or its signers during the war. [actually, we paid little mind to it ourselves until the 1820s, which is why it is so difficult to track down facts about the Signers] I have detailed corrections to the published essay which most closely resembles this email at http://home.nycap.rr.com/elbrecht/signers/HARVEY-reb.htm and a bibliography page if you'd like to read more about the Signers at http://home.nycap.rr.com/elbrecht/signers/BIBLIOG.htm Jim On Tue, 3 Jul 2001 11:15:22 -0600, you wrote: >===================================================================== >A result of your requested PML search. To refine or cancel this >search, please visit http://pml.rootsweb.com/ >===================================================================== >Source: [email protected] >Subject: [KYNICHOL] tid-bits, R.W.& B. ..... jd <>< list mom > > >Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the >Declaration of Independence? >Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before >they died. >Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. >Two lost their sons serving in the Continental Army; >another had two sons captured. >Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary >War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their >sacred honor. >What kind of men were they? >Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. >Eleven were merchants >Nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. >But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the >penalty would be death if they were captured. >Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader saw his ships swept >from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay >his debts, and died in rags. >Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his >family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his >family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty >was his reward. >Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, >Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. >At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British >General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. >He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was >destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. >Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his >wife, and she died within a few months. >John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 >children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to >waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home >to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died >from exhaustion and a broken heart. >Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. >Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were >not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means >and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing >tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this >declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, >we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred >honor." >They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books >never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We >didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time, and >we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for >granted, but we shouldn't. >So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently >thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. >Remember freedom is never free! It's time we get the word out that >patriotism is not a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, >picnics, and baseball games. >