4 July

Our 4th Of July:



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.



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! We thank these early patriots, as well as those patriots now fighting to KEEP our freedom!

Happy 4th one & all. Take care & stay safe Hoser.