Subject: Re: Signers of the Declaration of Independence I got an email from a guy concerning this. I should not send messages late at night. Always seem to goof somewhere. Anyway, I tried to compensate by sending his url. Sorry. http://home.nycap.rr.com/elbrecht/signers/signerindex.html Roland Elliott wrote: > > This has been floating around for awhile>I won;t go into the specifics,but > it is less than 20% true,it is not hard to look up what happened,but this > did not happen.R > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Barb & Ken Marshall" <marchado@pacbell.net> > To: <NORCALCHAT-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2000 0 03 AM > Subject: Signers of the Declaration of Independence > > > 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 Revolutionary 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! > > > > I read this on another list and thought I'd share it. > > > >