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 for a week before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;
another had two sons captured and scalped.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships due too 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 four ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
pay his debts, he later died of his wounds dressed 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 and Army without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
his home and farm laid waste, poverty was his only reward.

Vandals or British 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. Nelson quietly urged General
George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,
and Nelson later died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, where she was raped and otherwise badly abused, she died within a few months still in prison.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she lay 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, hunted like an animal by the British. Upon returning
home he found his home and farm laid waste, his
wife lay dead and his children had 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!