Happy Fourth Of July

[greatfolios sysop]

(found this in my mail box today....)

 

 

THE 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 BritishGeneral 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.

 

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!

[TCH-Don]

Thank you William,

the fact that they knew how much danger they and their families would be in,

shows how brave they really were.

 

They went ahead and pursued their vision of liberty,

not just for them self but for future generations.

It is because of their courage, that we can celebrate our freedom!

 

Hope everyone enjoyed the 4th