# Who signed the  Declaration of Independence?



## Ken N Tx (Feb 11, 2015)

History 101

 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.

 Remember: freedom is never free! We thank these early patriots, as well as 
 those patriots now fighting to KEEP our freedom!


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## Ameriscot (Feb 11, 2015)

Thanks for the posting that.  I'm going to do some reading before we visit Boston this summer.


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## Ameriscot (Feb 11, 2015)

When we visited DC for the first time in 2010 and we saw the original Declaration and the Constitution I had tears in my eyes.


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## DoItMyself (Feb 12, 2015)

That's been running around in an email for quite some time.  There are a lot of inaccuracies in it-for example, Thomas McKean wasn't hounded by the British, he was elected Governor of Pennsylvania 3 times.  He spent his retirement writing about political theory and died quite wealthy.

Most of Carter Braxton's problems were because of bad investments.  He held interests in a number of ships, many of which were privateers.  In 1780 the Continental Congress censured Braxton for his role in the Phoenix affair-his privateer seized a neutral Portuguese vessel from Brazil and prompted an international incident.  A number of his ships were lost at sea, but in that era that wasn't uncommon.

While it is true that Thomas Nelson Jr. did offer 5 guineas to the first person to hit the Nelson House while it was occupied by Cornwallis, the house was not destroyed, and is currently standing and on the Nation Register of Historic Places. 

There are a number of other "embellishments", but you get the general idea-it's not terribly accurate.


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## Josiah (Feb 12, 2015)

I'm a direct descendant of Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire who was the first to sign after John Handcock. He was one of two physicians among the 56 signers.


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## Ameriscot (Feb 12, 2015)

Josiah09 said:


> I'm a direct descendant of Josiah Bartlett of New Hampshire who was the first to sign after John Handcock. He was one of two physicians among the 56 signers.



How exciting!


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## oakapple (Feb 13, 2015)

DoItMyself said:


> That's been running around in an email for quite some time. There are a lot of inaccuracies in it-for example, Thomas McKean wasn't hounded by the British, he was elected Governor of Pennsylvania 3 times. He spent his retirement writing about political theory and died quite wealthy.
> 
> Most of Carter Braxton's problems were because of bad investments. He held interests in a number of ships, many of which were privateers. In 1780 the Continental Congress censured Braxton for his role in the Phoenix affair-his privateer seized a neutral Portuguese vessel from Brazil and prompted an international incident. A number of his ships were lost at sea, but in that era that wasn't uncommon.
> 
> ...



 Glad that you posted this, now I can come out from the back of the sofa without fear of being lynched [as a Brit.]Never let the truth get in the way of a good story eh?layful:


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## AZ Jim (Feb 13, 2015)

[h=2]Who signed the  Declaration of Independence?[/h]
Don't look at me I wasn't even here yet!


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## Ameriscot (Feb 13, 2015)

oakapple said:


> Glad that you posted this, now I can come out from the back of the sofa without fear of being lynched [as a Brit.]Never let the truth get in the way of a good story eh?layful:



My husband likes to take the pish and says Americans were unruly rebels back then.

I've been jokingly accused of being anti-British for celebrating the 4th of July, although that was before I got UK citizenship.


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## oakapple (Feb 13, 2015)

Ameriscot said:


> My husband likes to take the pish and says Americans were unruly rebels back then.
> 
> I've been jokingly accused of being anti-British for celebrating the 4th of July, although that was before I got UK citizenship.



Takes the pish? Does Mr Ameriscot really sound like Sean Connery?


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## Ameriscot (Feb 13, 2015)

oakapple said:


> Takes the pish? Does Mr Ameriscot really sound like Sean Connery?



Everybody says take the pish in Scotland.    No, he doesn't sound like Sean as he's from Edinburgh.  He's got a 'soft' Glasgow accent.


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## oakapple (Feb 14, 2015)

Like Rab C Nesbit?layful:


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## Ameriscot (Feb 14, 2015)

oakapple said:


> Like Rab C Nesbit?layful:



No way!  Nothing like Rab! layful:  Some of his relatives have the thick accent but he hasn't lived in Glasgow since he was about 20.  And spent 18 years in London during which he needed to be understood so softened his accent.


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## drifter (Feb 18, 2015)

I didn't sign it. Was out of town when it happened.


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## oakapple (Feb 20, 2015)

Ameriscot said:


> No way!  Nothing like Rab! layful:  Some of his relatives have the thick accent but he hasn't lived in Glasgow since he was about 20.  And spent 18 years in London during which he needed to be understood so softened his accent.


I'll believe ye hen!


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