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SIGNERS OF THE

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

56 Men Who Risked It All Life, Family, Fortune, Health, Future

Compiled by Bob Hampton First Edition - 2014

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SIGNERS OF THE UNITED STATES DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTON Page

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………...………………2 Overview………………………………………………………………………………...………..5 Painting by ……………………………………………………………………...7 Summary of Aftermath……………………………………………….………………...……….8 Independence Day Quiz…………………………………………………….……...………...…11

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Josiah Bartlett………………………………………………………………………………..…12 ...... 15 ……………………………………………………………………...…...... 18

MASSACHUSETTS

Samuel Adams………………………………………………………………………………..…21 ………………………………………………………………………………..……25 ………………………………………………………………………………..….29 ………………………………………………………………………….….32 ……………………………………………………………………....…….……35

RHODE ISLAND

Stephen Hopkins………………………………………………………………………….…….38 ……………………………………………………………………………….….41

CONNECTICUT

Roger Sherman…………………………………………………………………………..……...45 Samuel Huntington…………………………………………………………………….……….48 William Williams……………………………………………………………………………….51 …………………………………………………………………………….…….54

NEW YORK

William Floyd………………………………………………………………………….………..57 …………………………………………………………………………….….60 …………………………………………………………………………....…..…..64 ………………………………………………………………………………….…67

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NEW JERSEY

Richard Stockton……………………………………………………………………………….70 ………………………………………………………………………………73 ……………………………………………………………………...………77 John Hart………………………………………………………………………………...……...80 ………………………………………………………………………...……….83

PENNSYLVANIA

Robert Morris……………………………………………………………………………….…..86 ………………………………………………………………………………….89 …………………………………………………………………………...…92 John Morton…………………………………………………………………………….………97 ……………………………………………………………….………….….…100 James Smith……………………………………………………………………………………103 George Taylor……………………………………………………………………………….…106 James Wilson…………………………………………………………………………..………109 George Ross……………………………………………………………………………………113

DELAWARE

George Read………………………………………………………………………………...…116 ……………………………………………………………………...…………119 Thomas McKean………………………………………………………………………………123

MARYLAND

Samuel Chase……………………………………………………………………………….…126 ………………………………………………………………………………...…129 ………………………………………………………………………….………132 Charles Carroll…………………………………………………………………………...……135 (of Carrollton)

VIRGINIA

George Wythe……………………………………………………………………………….…138 ……………………………………………………………………………143 …………………………………………………………………………...…147 ……………………………………………………………………………152 Thomas , Jr………………………………………………………………………….…155 …………………………………………………………………………158 ………………………………………………………………………...………161

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NORTH CAROLINA

William Hooper…………………………………………………………………………..……164 ...... 168 John Penn………………………………………………………………………………...……171

SOUTH CAROLINA

Edward Rutledge………………………………………………………………………...……174 Thomas Heyward, Jr...... 177 , Jr…………………………………………………………………………..…180 ………………………………………………………………...……………183

GEORGIA

Button Gwinnett……………………………………………………………….………………187 ……………………………………………………………………………….……190 ……………………………………………………………………………...…193

Notes 1. ORDER - The names are listed in the order of their signatures that appear at the bottom of the Declaration within each Colony – from the north to south by colonies, as was the custom at the time. 2. NON-SIGNERS – Examples of Founding Fathers who were not Signers because they were not delegates in the summer of 1776 include George , Alexander , , , , , , . was a member of the representing . He chose not to vote for the Declaration or sign it and left the Congress soon after.

Disclaimer – There is a considerable amount of information presented in this document. Every effort has been made to make it as complete and accurate as possible based on available secondary sources. However, there may be some instances where the document needs to be updated with more accurate information. This is particularly true with the information identifying children and birth and death dates. If you know of a change that needs to be made, please email it to Bob Hampton – Email [email protected].

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OVERVIEW

Purpose – The purpose of this document is the assemble and present information on the Signers of the United States Declaration of Independence that should be the most interesting to descendants, students, teachers, historians, tourists, etc. This includes:

- BORN – date, location, parents, brothers and sisters. – DIED – date, location, cause, burial site. – APPEARANCE – physical appearance, demeanor, strengths, weaknesses. – FAMILY – wife, children. – OCCUPATION – professions, schooling, Congress. – AT SIGNING – age, event. – AFTER SIGNING – events, hardships. – HISTORIC SITES – home, gravesite, other. – PICTURE – prominent site and description.

Goals - The goals are to:

– COMPLETE – Assemble a document and website that is complete, yet concise. – SPECIFICS – Include dates, locations, names, etc. – CURRENCY – Include addresses, telephone numbers, websites, etc. – INTEREST – Include pictures, the human side, etc.

Process - The process has been comparable to assembling a picture puzzle, involving many pieces. There is no new information. The major contribution of the document is that it assembles the most interesting information – all in one place and in a uniform format.

Insights – What have we learned about these people?

– PATRIOTS - Were all prominent people - who were willing to risk it all. The last line of the Declaration above the signatures reads – “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

– EVOLVED - Over time from concern and reconciliation with Britain to action – independence and revolution. The events in 1775 and 1776, in New – Lexington, Concord, Siege of , City - had a major impact on the shift of their feelings toward taking action.

– ANCESTRY – Almost all were of English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish ancestry.

– LAWYERS - 24 of the 56 were judges and lawyers.

– YOUTH – 20 were under the age of 40 at the time of signing and 3 were in their 20’s.

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– CONGRESS – There was no Executive Branch of the Federal government. Congress had to perform legislative duties and perform executive duties in managing and supporting the war effort which was very time consuming.

– LONGEVIY – In the 1700’s, people did not live very long. 18 of the 56 signers died before age 60. Many children never reached adulthood for a variety of reasons including cholera, , malaria (called Ague), smallpox, typhus, measles, mumps, whooping cough, etc.

– TIME AWAY – Travel was difficult and took a long time. In addition, the Signers spent a considerable amount of time away from their homes while serving in Congress and during the war.

– RELIGION – Most of the Signers were very religious. Over half (57%) were Anglican / Episcopalian.

Primary References – Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence (DSDI) – www. www.dsdi1776.com. Lawrence McMahon Croft, President-General. – “Genealogical Register of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence” (Pyne’s Registery), Rev. Frederick Wallace Pyne, Picton Press. Seven Volumes. - ”Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence”, by Reverend Charles A. Goodrich, William Reed & Co., New York, 1856. -“The Signers: The 56 Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence”, by Denis Brindell Fradin, Walker and Company, 2002. -“Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence”, by B.J. Lossing, Wall Builders Press, 2007. – “Biographical Directory of the .” - “The Who Risked Everything”, Speech by Rush Limbaugh, Jr., 2000. - Biographies and documents on individual Signers.

Websites – DSDI - www.dsdi1776 - DAR – www.dar.org - NPS - www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/declaration/site5.htm - WAR - www.-war-and-beyond.com

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PAINTING BY JOHN TRUMBULL (1819)

Painting by John Trumbull (1819). Large (12 by 18 foot) located in the Rotunda of the U. S. Capitol building. Based on a small painting located at the Art Gallery.

The painting of the first page was painted by John Trumbull and is titled “Declaration of Independence. It depicts the presentation of the draft of the Declaration to Congress by the five member drafting committee on June 28, 1776, six days before its approval. Trumbull painted many of the figures in the picture from life and visited as well to depict the chamber where the Continental Congress met. The painting was commissioned in 1817, purchased in 1819, and placed in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in 1826. The painting also appears on the back of the two dollar bill.

The painting shows 42 of the 56 signers of the Declaration. Trumbull originally intended to include all 56 signers, but was unable to obtain likenesses for all of them. He also decided to depict several participants in the debate who did not sign the document, including John Dickinson, who declined to sign. Trumbull also had no portrait of to work with. Son Benjamin Harrison VI was said to have resembled his father, so he was painted instead. Because the Declaration was debated and signed over a period of time when membership in Congress changed, the men in the painting had never all been in the same room at the same time.

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SUMMARY OF AFTERMATH

RESOLVE – Each Signer had more to lose from signing the Declaration than he had to gain. With few exceptions, these were men with substantial property. All but two had families. Most were men with education and standing in their communities. They had economic security as few men had in the 1700’s. They knew what they risked. The penalty for treason was death by hanging by the British and at the time a large British fleet was already at anchor in New York Harbor. In the end, not one defected or went back on his pledged word.

Sign / Death After Signing

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Josiah Bartlett…….…....46 / 65…Home burned by Loyalists in 1774. Fought at Bennington. William Whipple……….46 / 55…Served in Congress. General in Army. Fought at Saratoga. Matthew Thornton…..…62/ 89…Served in Congress until 1777.

MASSACHUSETTS

Samuel Adams……….…54 / 82…Served in Congress until 1781. John Adams…………..…40 / 90....Served in Congress until 1778. John Hancock……….…..39 / 56....Served in Congress until 1780, spent heavily on war. Robert Treat Paine….….45 / 83…Served in Congress until 1778. Elbridge Gerry……….…32 / 70....Served in Congress until 1780, spent heavily on war.

RHODE ISLAND

Stephen Hopkins………..69 / 78….Left Congress in 1776 due to declining health. William Ellery...... 50 / 92.....Home and property destroyed, spent heavily on war.

CONNECTICUT

Roger Sherman…………55 / 72….Served in Congress until 1781. Samuel Huntington……..44 / 64….Served in Congress until 1783. William Williams………..45 / 80…Served in Congress until 1778. Oliver Wolcott...... 49 / 71.....Served in Congress, General in Army. Fought at Saratoga.

NEW YORK

William Floyd...... 41 / 86.…Family fled to Connecticut, home ravaged. Philip Livingston...... 60 / 62….Died in 1778, properties seized, spent heavily on war. Francis Lewis………..….66 / 89….Home destroyed, wife imprisoned, spent heavily on war. Lewis Morris………...... 50 / 71….Home looted and burned, spent heavily on war.

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NEW JERSEY

Richard Stockton…….....45 / 50…Imprisoned from 1776-1777, home occupied, died in 1781. John Witherspoon………53 / 71…Son killed, home pillaged, Princeton damaged/closed. Francis Hopkinson……...38 / 53…Sought by British, home ransacked. John Hart……………...... 65 / 68....Fled from British, home ravage by Hessians, died in 1779. Abraham Clark…………50 / 68…Property destroyed by British. Two sons imprisoned.

PENNSYLVANIA

Robert Morris………....42 / 72.….Known as “Financier of Rebellion”, spent heavily on war. Benjamin Rush……..…30 / 67…..Fled to MD. Several narrow escapes from British. Benjamin Franklin…....70 / 84…..Known as “The First American.” John Morton……….….51 / 52…..Died 8 months later in 1777, family fled home from British. George Clymer………...37 / 73….Fled from British, home ransacked, spent heavily on war. James Smith…………...76 / 86…..Served in Congress until 1778 and the PA Militia. George Taylor…………60 / 65…..Served in PA Militia and supplied army from Ironworks. James Wilson……….….34 / 55…..Served in Congress until 1777, spent heavily on war. George Ross……….…...46 / 49…..Served in PA Militia, died in 1779.

DELAWARE

George Read...... 42 / 65….Fled for six years. Wife captured and treated badly. Caesar Rodney……...…47 / 55…..General in DE Militia, died in 1784. Thomas McKean…...….42 / 83..…Served with the DE Militia in DE and NJ.

MARYLAND

Samuel Chase……….…35 / 70…...Served in Congress until 1778. William Paca…………...35 / 58…..Served in Congress until 1779, spent heavily on war. Thomas Stone…………..33 / 44.….Served in Congress unitl 1784. Charles Carroll………...38 / 95.….Served in Congress until 1785, spent heavily on war. (of Carrollton)

VIRGINIA

George Wythe…………...50 / 80…..Served in Congress until 1777. Threatened by capture. Richard Henry Lee……...44 / 62…..Served in Congress until 1779. Thomas Jefferson……….36. / 83…..Fled Richmond and from British. Benjamin Harrison……...50 / 64…..Fled from British, plantation ravaged, spent heavily on war Thomas Nelson, Jr………37 / 50…...Army General, fought at Yorktown, spent heavily on war. Francis Lightfoot Lee…...41 / 62…...Served in Congress until 1779. Carter Braxton...... 39 / 61...... Plantation destroyed, spent heavily on war.

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NORTH CAROLINA

William Hooper…….....…34 / 48…...Sought by British, two homes destroyed, arm injured. Joseph Hewes………….....46 / 49…...Served in Congress until 1777. Spent heavily on War. John Penn…………..….…35 / 47…...Served in Congress until 1780 and NC .

SOUTH CAROLINA

Edward Rutledge……...…26 / 50……Imprisoned 1780-1781. Thomas Heyward, Jr….....29 / 62……Imprisoned 1780-1781, home pillaged. Thomas Lynch, Jr...... 26 / 30…....Returned home due to ill health, lost at sea in 1779. Arthur Middleton……...…34 / 44…...Imprisoned 1780-1781, home pillaged, spent on war.

GEORGIA

Button Gwinnett…………..41 / 42…...Plantation seized, killed in duel in 1777. Lyman Hall………………..52 / 66...... Home destroyed in 1778, family fled to Connecticut. George Walton……...27-33 / 55-64…..Wounded, imprisoned 1778-1779.

Notes 1. SIGNERS - Nine died from wounds and hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned and brutally treated. All victims of man-hunts and driven from their homes. 2. FAMILIES - Several lost family members. Two wives were brutally treated. 3. PROPERTY – Twelve had their homes completely burned. Many spent heavily of their own wealth to support the American Army during the war. Seventeen lost everything they owned.

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INDEPENDENCE DAY QUIZ

1. Who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence? Who was he influenced by? Who were the “” – (1) Thomas Jefferson. (2) He was influenced by the writings of – e.g. freedom of the individual, supply and demand, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”. (3) John Adams (MA), Roger Sherman (CT), Robert Livingston (NY), Thomas Jefferson (VA), Benjamin Franklin (MA).

2. Where was the Continental Congress meeting when the Declaration was adopted? - Independence Hall in .

3. What were the original 13 colonies? - NH, MA, RI, CN, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, NC, SC, GA.

4. What was the total population of the Colonies at the time of the adoption of the Declaration? - 2.5 million people.

5. How many words are there in the Declaration? – 1328 words, 1337 with headers, 1478 with headers, signers names and states.

6. How many Signers were there of the Declaration? How many of the 56, were later Signers of the U.S. Constitution? – 56 and six.

7. What was the date of signing the Declaration? – It was voted on and approved on July 4, 1776. Fifty members of Congress who were present at the time signed the parchment copy of the Declaration on August 2, 1776. The remaining six members signed as they arrived back in Philadelphia.

8. Where is the original signed copy of the Declaration? – The draft copy that was approved on July 4, 1776, is lost. The parchment copy which started to be signed on August 2, 1776, is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of the “Dunlop Broadside” copies (unsigned) printed soon after July 4th and were distributed to the 13 colonies and military commanders. 26 of the Dunlop copies are known to survive and are located at the National Archives, , libraries and private collections.

9. Who was the oldest Signer and youngest? - Oldest – Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania (age 70), Youngest – Edward Rutledge of South Carolina (age 26) – 44 years difference in age.

10. Why do portraits do not show the subject smiling? – A major reason is that back in the 1700’s dental health was non-existent. Many people had deteriorating and unsightly teeth – e.g. .

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JOSIAH BARTLETT – NEW HAMPSHIRE

BORN - November 21, 1729, at Amesbury, MA. Parents (English ancestry) – Stephen Bartlett (1691-d1773) and Hannah Mary Webster Bartlett (b1692-d1768). Seven Children – Hannah Bartlett (b1715-___), Stephen Bartlett (b1717-___), Joseph Bartlett (b1720-___), Mary Bartlett (b1726-___), Simeon Bartlett (b1727-___), Josiah Bartlett (b1729-d1795), Levi Bartlett (b1732-___).

DIED - May 19, 1795 (age 65) at his home in Kingston, NH. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried – Plains Cemetery in Kingston, NH.

APPEARANCE - Tall, well built, with a fine figure and auburn hair. Dignified, kind and compassionate. Particular about his dress - wore his hair in a queue, a white stock at his throat, ruffles at his wrists, short clothes, silk hose, low shoes with silver buckles.

FAMILY – Married - Mary Bartlett (b1734-d1789) in 1754. Twelve Children – Mary Bartlett Greeley (b1754-d1826), Lois Bartlett (b1756-d1798), Miriam Bartlett Calef (b1758-

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d1785), Rhoda Bartlett True (b1760-d1794), Hannah Bartlett (b1762-d1762, as infant), Levi Bartlett (b1763-d1828), Josiah Bartlett (b1765-d1765, as infant), Josiah Bartlett Jr. (b1768- d1838), Ezra Bartlett (b1770-d1848), Sarah Bartlett Gale (b1773-d1847), Hannah Bartlett (b1776-d1777, as infant) and a child that was never registered. All three of his sons and seven of his grandsons would follow Josiah as physicians.

OCCUPATION – PHYSICIAN, FARMER, SOLDIER, LEGISLATOR, NH , JUDGE. Apprenticed to a physician in Amesbury. Established medical practice in Kingston in 1750. Served as a Colonel in the in 1775. Member of the Continental Congress representing New Hampshire from 1775 to 1776, and again in 1778 to 1779. Served as Governor of New Hampshire from 1790 to 1794. Founded the New Hampshire Medical Society.

AT SIGNING – Age 46 at signing. Second to sign the Declaration after John Hancock and first of the delegation from New Hampshire to sign. On July 2, 1776, he was the first Congressman to vote for independence, and two days later, he was the first man to vote to approve the Declaration of Independence.

AFTER SIGNING – Home in Kingston was burned to the ground by Loyalists in 1774. During the war he worked to build the American Navy and treated wounded soldiers. Declined a return to the Congress because he was too exhausted to attend in 1777, but later in the year served in the as a physician.

HISTORIC SITES

Kingston Home – Josiah Bartlett House, Kingston, NH (1774). Located at 156 Main Street, Kingston, NH 03848, across from the Town Hall. Privately owned.

Gravesite – Plains Church Cemetery (Universalist Church on the Plains), Kingston, NH. Located on Main Street behind the church, Kingston, NH 03848, Phone 603-642-8880, Website www.churchontheplains.org

Monument – Statue (1888). Located at Huntington Square in Amesbury, MA, 10 miles south of Kingston.

Battlefieeld – Bennington State Historic Site, Walloomsac, NY (1777). Located at Walloomsac, NY to miles northwest of Bennington, VT, Phone 518-686-7109, Website www. nysparks.com/historic-sites. Decisive American victory fought on August 16, 1777.

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HOME OF JOSIAH BARTLETT, KINGSTON, NH (1774)

Home of Josiah Bartlett, Kingston, NH (1774). Located at 156 Main Street, Kingston, NH 03848, across from the Town Hall. Privately owned.

The roadside historic marker reads – “JOSIAH BARTLETT – 1729 – 1795 – Distinguished participant in the founding of the Republic as signer of the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation, and prominent in this State as Chief Justice of two courts and first holder of the title of Governor. An innovator in medicine, he practiced in this town for forty-five years.” In 1774, the house was burned to the ground by Tories and soon rebuilt by Dr. Bartlett. A large spreading linden tree which was brought back on horseback from Philadelphia by Bartlett in the 1770’s, grows in front of the house.”

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WILLIAM WHIPPLE – NEW HAMPSHIRE

BORN - January 14, 1730, at the Whipple Garrison House in Kittery, north of Portsmouth, NH. Parents (English ancestry) – William Whipple (b1695-d1751), Mary Cutt Whipple (b1698-d1727). Seven Children – William Whipple (b1723-d1725), Hannah Whipple (b1725-d1730), Mary Whipple Traill (b1728-d1791), William Whipple, Jr. (b1730-d1785), Hannah Whipple Brackett (b1734-d1805), Robert Cutt Whipple (b1736-d1761), Joseph Whipple (b1738-d1816).

DIED – November 28, 1785 (age 55) in Portsmouth, NH from a heart ailment. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried – Old North Burial Ground, Portsmouth, NH.

APPEARANCE – Strong mind, quick discrimination, easy and unassuming manners, correct habits, friendships constant.

FAMILY – Married – Katharine Moffatt (b1734-d1821) in 1767. One Child – William Whipple Jr. (b1772-d1773, age one).

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OCCUPATION – SEA CAPTAIN, MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR, SOLDIER, JUDGE. Attended public school and was tutored. Established a successful merchant business in Portsmouth, NH in 1759. Member of the Continental Congress representing New Hampshire from 1776 to 1779. Served as a Judge in the New Hampshire Superior Court.

AT SIGNING – Age 46 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1779. General of the NH Militia in 1777. Participated in the successful expedition against the British at the battles of Stillwater and Saratoga, NY. Led another NH Militia brigade at the in 1778.

HISTORIC SITES

Portsmouth Home – Moffatt-Ladd House (1763). Located at 154 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, Phone 603-436-8221, Website www.moffettladd.org. William Whipple lived in the house from 1768 until his death in 1785.

Birthplace – Whipple (Cut) Garrison House, Kittery, ME (1665), on a small cove along the Piscataqua River. Located at 88 Whipple Street, Kittery, ME 03904. Birthplace of William Whipple.

Gravesite - Old North Burial Ground, Portsmouth, NH (1753). Located on Maplewood Avenue in Portsmouth, NH. Church – North Church of Portsmouth (1713 / 1854). Located at 2 Congress Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, Phone 603-436-8220, Website www.northchurchportsmouth.org. William Whipple was a member of the church. Battlefield – Saratoga National Historical Park, Stillwater, NY (1777). Located at 648 NY Route 32, Stillwater, NY 12170, Phone 518-664-9821, Website www.nps.gov/sara. General Whipple fought in the battle in 1777, which resulted in a decisive American victory and turning point in the war.

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HOME OF WILLIAM WHIPPLE, MOFFATT-LADD HOUSE, PORTSMOUTH, NH (1763)

Home of William Whipple, Moffatt-Ladd House, Portsmouth, NH (1763). Located at 154 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH 03801, Phone 603-436-8221, Website www.moffettladd.org.

The house was built for merchant John Moffatt (the father of William Whipple’s wife, Katharine) in 1763. William Whipple lived in the house from 1768 until his death in 1785. Portraits, furnishings, letters, manuscripts, and textiles tell the story of 150 years of family history at the site. Outside is a horse chestnut tree which Whipple planted in 1776 with seeds that he brought back from Philadelphia.

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MATTHEW THORNTON – NEW HAMPSHIRE

BORN – March 3, 1714 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. Came to America about 1718. Parents (Scotts-Irish ancestry) - James Thornton (b1684-d1754) and Elizabeth Jenkins Thornton (b1690- d1741). Eight Children – James Thornton (b1710-d1768), Andrew Thornton (b1712-d1768), William Thornton (b1713-d1790), Matthew Thornton (b1714-d1803), Agnes Thornton Wasson (b1717-d1774), Samuel Thornton (b1720-d1796), Hannah Thornton Wallace (b1722-___), Esther Thornton (b1724-___).

DIED - June 24, 1803 (age 89), in Newburryport, MA, while visiting his daughter. Religion – Presbyterian. Buried - Thornton Ferry Cemetery in Merrimack, NH. His tombstone reads “An Honest Man.”

APPEARANCE - Exceeded six feet in height, dark complexion, eyes black and piercing. At the age of 61 he was described as tall, clear-eyed, handsome and charming.

FAMILY – Married - Hannah Jack (b1742-d1786) in 1760. Five Children – James Thornton (b1763-d1817), Andrew Thornton (b1766-d1787), Mary Thornton Betton (b1768-d1845), Matthew Thornton Jr. (b1770-d1804), Hannah Thornton McGaw (b1774-d1846).

OCCUPATION – PHYSICIAN, SOLDIER, LEGISLATOR, JUDGE, FARMER, FERRY OPERATOR. Family immigrated from Ireland to America in 1718 (Matthew age 3). Attended

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Worcester Academy and studied medicine at Leicester, MA. Established a medical practice in Londonderry, NH in 1740. Served as a surgeon in the New Hampshire Militia during the successful expedition against the French Fortress Louisbourg, Nova Scotia in 1745, during the . Member of the Continental Congress representing New Hampshire from 1776 to 1777. Judge in the New Hampshire Superior Court. Moved to Merrimack in 1780, where he became a farmer and ferry operator.

AT SIGNING – Age 62 at signing. Signed the Declaration on November 2, 1776, the day he arrived in Philadelphia and took his seat in Congress. Was the second to last Signer of the Declaration. The space directly below the signatures of New Hampshire’s other two Signers was already taken by Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, so Thornton signed his name at the bottom of the right-hand apart from the other two members from New Hampshire.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to service in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777.

HISTORIC SITES

Derry Home – Matthew Thornton House, , NH (1740). Located at 2 Thornton Street, Derry, NH 03038. Thornton and his family lived in the house from 1740 to 1779. Privately owned.

Gravesite – Thornton Ferry Cemetery in Merrimack, NH. Thornton and other family members are buried in the cemetery and not under the obelisk next to the cemetery.

Merrimack Home – Common Man Restaurant, Merrimack, NH. Located at 304 Highway, Merrimack, NH 03054, Phone 603-429-3463, Website www.thecman.com. The house was a wedding present from his father. Matthew Thornton never lived there. He lived down by the river next to the Thornton Ferry site.

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HOME OF MATTHEW THORNTON, DERRY NH (1740)

Home of Matthew Thornton, Derry, NH (1740). Located at 2 Thornton Street, Derry, NH 03038. Privately owned.

Matthew Thornton and his family lived in the house from 1740 to 1779. They moved to Merrimack, NH in 1780.

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SAMUEL ADAMS – MASSACHUSETTS

BORN – September 27, 1722, at the family mansion on Purchase street overlooking Boston harbor in Boston, MA. Parents (English ancestry) - Samuel Adams, Sr. (b1689–d1748), and Mary Fifield Adams (b1694-d1748). Twelve Children (three surviving to adulthood) – Richard Adams (b1716-d1717, age one), Mary Adams Allen (b1717-___), Hannah Adams (b1720-d1721, as infant), Samuel Adams (b1722-d1803), John Adams 1 (b1724-___), John Adams 2 (b1726- d1727, age three), Joseph Adams (b1728-___), 1 (b1730-___), Thomas Adams (b1731-d1732, as infant), Sarah Adams (b1733-d1734, as infant), Abigail Adams 2 (b1735- d1736, age one), Mehitable Adams (b1740-d1741, as infant), . Samuel Adams was a second cousin of fellow Signer and 2nd President of the U.S. - John Adams.

DIED – October 2, 1803 (age 82) in Cambridge MA, next to Boston. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan) / Calvinist. Buried - Old , Boston, MA.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Samuel Adams (age 50) painted by in 1772. Adams is pointing at the Massachusetts Charter, which he viewed as a constitution that protected the peoples’ rights. His personal appearance was described by biographer W.V. Wells in “Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams” - "His stature was a little

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above the medium height. He wore a tie-wig, cocked hat, buckled shoes, knee breeches, and a red cloak, and held himself very erect, with the ease and address of a polite gentleman. On stopping to speak with any person in the street his salutation was formal yet cordial. His gestures were animated, and in conversation there was a slight tremulous motion of the head. His complexion was florid, and his eyes dark blue. The eyebrows were heavy, almost to bushiness, and contrasted remarkably with the clear forehead, which, at the age of seventy, had but few wrinkles. The face had a benignant but careworn expression, blended with a native dignity (some have said majesty) of countenance which never failed to impress strangers."

FAMILY – Married – Elizabeth Checkley (b1725-d1757) in 1749. Six Children (two living to adulthood) – Samuel Adams 1 (b1750-d1750, after 18 days), Samuel Adams 2, Jr. (b1751- d1788), Joseph Adams (b1753-d1753, after 1 day), Mary Adams (b1754-d1754, after 3 months), Samantha Adams (b1756-d1773, age 17), Unnamed son Adams (b1757-d1757, stillborn). First wife Elizabeth died from childbirth in 1757. Married – Elizabeth Wells (1735-1808) in 1764. No Children.

OCCUPATION – BREWER, TAX COLLECTOR, LEGISLATOR, GOVERNOR. Known as The Father of the . Graduated from (now ) in 1740. Helped organize the . Member of the Continental Congress representing Massachusetts from 1774 to 1781. Member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Governor of Massachusetts from 1794 to 1797.

AT SIGNING – Age 54 at signing. First of the delegation from Massachusetts to sign.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve Congress in Philadelphia until 1781.

HISTORIC SITE

College – Massachusetts Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (1720). Located at 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, Phone 617-495-1000, Website www.harvard.edu.

Gravesite – Old Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA (1660). Located at 100 , Boston, MA 02111, next to the and near the site of the , Phone 617-635-4505, Website cityofboston.gov.

Boston Home – The plaque reads – “SAMUEL ADAMS HOUSE SITE - The patriot and propagandist Samuel Adams (1722-2803) lived in a house on this site from 1784 until his death. A cousin of John Adams, Samuel Adams wrote many criticisms of the British government, advocated separation from Great Britain, and was instrumental in the organization of the Boston Tea Party. Adams was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and served as governor of Massachusetts from 1794 to 1797. He was born on nearby Purchase Street."

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Church – , Boston, MA (1729). Located at 310 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108, Phone 617-482-6439, Website www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org. Samuel Adam’s Church and located of mass meetings too large for .

State House - , Boston, MA (1713). Located at 206 Washington Street Boston, MA 02109, Phone 617-720-1713, Website www.bostonhistory.org. Seat of the Massachusetts legislature from 1713 to 1798.

Statue – Statue of Samuel Adams in front of Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA. Located at One Faneuil Hall Square, Boston, MA 02109, Phone 617-635-3105, Website www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com. The Hall was the home of the Boston .

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MASSACHUSETTS HALL, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MA (1720)

Massachusetts Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (1720). Located at 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, Phone 617-495-1000, Website www.harvard.edu.

Founded in 1636, Harvard University in the oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S. Massachusetts Hall is the oldest surviving building at Harvard and the second oldest academic building in the U.S. after the at the College of William & Mary. It was originally a dormitory containing 32 chambers and 64 small private studies for the 64 students it was designed to house. Founding fathers who lived in Massachusetts Hall include Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock, Elbridge Gerry, and James Otis.

The colonial colleges founded before the Revolutionary War are – Harvard (1636), William & Mary (1693), Yale (1701), Princeton (1746), Pennsylvania (1740), Columbia (1754), Brown (1764), Rutgers (1766), Dartmouth (1769).

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JOHN ADAMS – MASSACHUSETTS

BORN - October 30, 1735, in the “Northern Precinct” of Braintree (now Quincy), MA. Parents (English ancestry) – John Adams, Sr. (b1691-d1761) and Susanna Boylston Adams (b1708- d1797), Three Children – John Adams, Jr. (b1735-d1826, eldest), Peter Boylston Adams (b1738-d1823), Elihu Adams (b1741-d1776).

DIED – July 4, 1826 (age 90), at his home, , in Quincy, MA, of pneumonia and heart failure. John Adams and fellow signer, Thomas Jefferson were political adversaries, but became good friends and corresponded regularly in their later years. Both died on the same day – July 4 (exactly 50 years after the approval of the Declaration). On his deathbed at his home in Quincy, MA, Adams’ last words were – “Thomas Jefferson still survives.” He was mistaken. Jefferson had died five hours earlier at Monticello. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan) / Unitarian. Buried – Family crypt in the of the United First Parish Church, Quincy, MA. He was originally buried across the street from the church and later reburied in the basement of the church.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of John Adams (age 56 to 58) painted by between 1791 and 1794. Adams was described by his nineteen year old

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grandson Charles Adams, as “ scarcely exceeding middle height, but of a stout, well-knit frame, denoting vigor and long life, yet as he grew old, inclining more and more to corpulence. His head was large and round, with a wide forehead and expanded brow.”

FAMILY – Married – Abigail (Nabby) Smith (b1765-d1813) in 1764. Five Children (three surviving to adulthood) – Adams (b1767-d1848), Susanna (Sulky) Boylston Adams (b1768-d1770, age one), Charles Adams (b1770-d1800), Thomas Boylston Adams (b1772- d1832), Elizabeth Adams (b1777-d1777, stillborn). was the 6th President of the U.S.

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT. Graduated from Harvard College (now Harvard University) in 1755. Established law practice in Boston 1758. Was the successful defense attorney at the trial of British soldiers after the Boston Massacre in 1770. Beat the prosecuting attorney, fellow future signer Robert Treat Paine and the soldiers were set free. Member of the Continental Congress representing Massachusetts from 1774 to 1778, U.S. Ambassador to (from 1778 to 1779), (from 1782 to 1778) and Great Britain (from 1785 to 1788). First Vice President of the U.S. from 1789 to 1797. Second President of the U.S from 1798 to 1801.

AT SIGNING – Age 40 at signing. Member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration.

AFTER SIGNING – Attended the Peace Conference with Benjamin Franklin, Edward Rutledge and the British on September 11, 1776. Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. Nominated George Washington to be Commander-In-Chief of the which helped persuade the southern states to join the war effort. One of the chief negotiators of the Treaty of ending the war in 1783.

HISTORIC SITES

Quincy Home – Peacefield (The Old House), Adams National Historical Park, Quincy, MA (1731). Located at 135 Adams Street, Quincy, MA 02169, Phone 617-773-1177, Website www.nps.gov/adam. Home of John Adams from 1787 to his death in 1826.

Birthplace – John Adams House, Adams National Historical Park, Quincy, MA. Located at 133 Franklin Street, Quincy, MA 02169-1749, Phone 617-773-1177, Website www.nps.gov/adam. House where John Adams was born and later lived here until he married Abigail in 1764.

Gravesite – Family crypt in the basement of the United First Parish Church, Quincy, MA (1827). Located at 1306 Hancock Street, Quincy, MA 02169, Phone 617-773-1290, Website www.ufpc.org.

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Wife Abigail – Abigail Smith Adams Birthplace, North Weymouth, MA (1685). Located at 180 Norton Street, North Weymouth, MA 02191, Phone 781-277-1271, Website www.abigailadamsbirthplace.com.

Other Homes – John Adams Homes Town Home – Amsterdam, the Netherlands - 1781 to 1782. Town Home – Leiden, the Netherlands. Home – Auteuil (near Paris), France – 1784 to 1785. Home – Grosvenor Square (U.S. Embassy, , England - 1785 to 1788. Home – Richmond Hill, NY – 1789, beginning of his first term as the U.S. Vice President. Home – President’s House, Philadelphia, PA – 1797 to 1800, as the U.S. President. Home – Executive Mansion (), Washington, DC – 1800 to 1801.

White House – Executive Mansion, Washington, D.C. (1800). Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC, NW, 20500, Phone 202-456-1111, Website www.whitehouse,com. John Adams moved from Philadelphia to Washington, DC and was the first President to live in the newly completed White House from 1800 to 1801.

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HOME OF JOHN ADAMS, PEACEFIELD ADAMS NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, QUINCY, MA (1731)

Home of John Adams, Peacefield, Adams National Historical Park, Quincy, MA (1731). Located at 135 Adams Street, Quincy, MA 02169-1749, Phone 617-773-1177, Website www.nps.gov/adam.

The Park preserves the home of Presidents of the United States John Adams and John Quincy Adams, of U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain, Charles Francis Adams, and of the writers and historians and . In addition to Peacefield (shown in the picture above), home to four generations of the Adams family, the park's other historic features include the , the nearby John Quincy Adams Birthplace, and the Stone Library. The library houses the books of John Quincy Adams and believed to be the first presidential library), containing more than 14,000 historic volumes in 12 languages.

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JOHN HANCOCK – MASSACHUSETTS

BORN – January 23, 1737, in Braintree (now Quincy), MA. Parents (English ancestry) – John Hancock, Jr. (b1702-d1744) and Mary Hawke Thaxter Hancock (b1711-d1783). He was Mary’s second husband and she would marry a third time after his death. She had a half-brother and sister to John with her third husband, a boy and a girl which were stillborn. Children – Mary Hancock Perkins (b1735-d1779), John Hancock (b1737-d1793), Ebenezer Hancock (b1741- d1819), Lucy Hancock (b1744-___).

DIED - October 8, 1793 (age 56) at his home, , in Boston, MA. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan), Member of the Brattle Street Congregationalist Church, Boston, MA. Buried - Old Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA.

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APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of John Hancock (age 33 to 35) painted by John Singleton Copley in 1770 to 1772.

FAMILY – Married - Dorothy (Dolly) Quincy (b1747-d1830) in 1775. Two Children – Lydia Henchman Hancock (b1776-d1777, as infant), John George Washington Hancock (b1778- d1787, age 8).

OCCUPATION – BUSINESSMAN, LEGISLATOR. Graduated from Harvard College (now Harvard University) in 1754 (Classic Studies). Managed and inherited a profitable mercantile business (House of Hancock) from his uncle (Thomas Hancock) along with 22,000 acres in MA, CT, ME, making him one the wealthiest men in the Colonies. Member of the Continental Congress representing Massachusetts from 1774 to 1780. President of the Second Continental Congress in 1775. General in MA Militia. Governor of MA from 1780 until his death in 1793.

AT SIGNING – Age 39 at signing. Was president of Congress when the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed. Primarily remembered by Americans for his large, flamboyant signature on the Declaration, so much so that "John Hancock" became, in the United States, an informal synonym for signature. According to legend, Hancock signed his name largely and clearly so that King George could read it without his spectacles. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve as the President of Congress in Philadelphia until 1780. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune.

HISTORIC SITES

Lexington Home - Hancock-Clarke House , Lexington, MA (1738). Located at 35 Hancock Street, Lexington, MA 02420, Phone 781-861-0928, Website www.lexingtonhistory.org. John Hancock lived here from 1744 to 1750, with his grandfather, after his father died.

Gravesite - Old Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA (1660). Located at 100 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02111, next to the Park Street Church and near the site of the Boston Massacre, Phone 617-635-4505, Website cityofboston.gov.

Brother’s Home - Ebenezer Hancock House, Boston, MA (1767). Located at 10 Marshall Street, Boston, MA 02108. Home of John Hancock’s younger brother. Only dwelling still standing in the city of Boston that can be associated with John Hancock.

NY Home – John Hancock Replica House Museum, Ticonderoga, NY (1925). An exact replica of the Hancock, Manor, originally located on Beacon Hill, Boston, MA where the state capitol building now stands.

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HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE MUSEUM, LEXINGTON, MA (1738)

Hancock-Clarke House Museum, Lexington, MA (1738). Located at 36 Hancock Street, Lexington, MA 02420, Phone 781-861-0928, Website www.lexingtonhistory.org.

This house is the only surviving residence associated with John Hancock. He lived here from 1744 to 1750, with his grandfather, after his father died. The house played a prominent role in the Battle of Lexington and Concord as both John Hancock and Samuel Adams, leaders of the colonials, were staying in the house before the battle. Arriving separately, Paul Revere and William Dawes stopped to warn Hancock and Adams around midnight of the advancing British troops, then set off for Concord.

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ROBERT TREAT PAINE – MASSACHUSETTS

BORN - March 11, 1731, on School Street, near the Old City Hall in Boston, MA. Parents (English ancestry) – Thomas Paine (1694-1757) and Eunice Treat Paine (b1704-d1747). Five Children – Abigail Paine Greenleaf (b1725-d1810), Robert Treat Paine #1 (b1727-d1727, as infant), Thomas Paine, Jr. (b1729-d1730, as infant), Robert Treat Paine #2 (b1731-d1814), Eunice Paine Greenleaf (b1733-d1803).

DIED - May 11, 1814 (age 83), Boston, MA. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan) / Unitarian. Buried - Old Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA, two blocks from his birthplace.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Robert Treat Paine (age 71) painted by Edward Savage in 1802 and finished by John Coles, Jr. in 1822. Great powers of mind, profound knowledge of the law and habits of thorough investigation.

FAMILY – Married - Sally Cobb (b1744-d1816) in 1770. Eight Children – Robert Paine (b1770-d1798), Sally Pain (b1772-d1823), Thomas Paine (b1773-d1811) named changed to Robert Treat Paine, Jr. in 1801, Charles Paine (b1775-d1810), Henry Paine (b1777-d1814), Mary Paine Clap (b1780-d1842), Maria Antoinetta Paine Greele (b1782-d1842), Lucretia Paine (b1785-d1823).

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OCCUPATION – LAWYER, MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR, ATTORNEY GENERAL, JUDGE. Graduated from Harvard College (now Harvard University) in 1749. Established a law practice in Taunton, MA in 1761 and then Boston in 1780. Was the unsuccessful prosecuting attorney at the trial of British soldiers after the Boston Massacre in 1770. Lost to the defense attorney, fellow future signer John Adams and the soldiers were set free. Member of the Continental Congress representing Massachusetts from 1774 to 1778. First Attorney General of Massachusetts from 1777 to 1790. Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Court from1790 to 1804.

AT SIGNING – Age 45 at signing. Although Paine has been alleged to be the only signer whose signature shows a slip of the quill, as there seem to be two “e”s in Paine, the second loop is actually a flourish. Other surviving samples of Paine’s signature also include a flourish after the letter “e”.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in the Congress in Philadelphia until 1778.

HISTORIC SITES

Statue – Statue of Robert Treat Paine, Taunton, MA (1904). Located Church Green in front of City Hall, Taunton, MA.

Gravesite - Old Granary Burying Ground, Boston, MA (1660). Located at 100 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02111, next to the Park Street Church and near the site of the Boston Massacre, Phone 617-635-4505, Website cityofboston.gov.

Boston Home – Boston Home Site, Boston, MA. Located near the corner of Milk and Devonshire Streets, Boston, MA. The historical marker reads – “On this site stood the house of Robert Treat Paine, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In this house he died on the 11th of May 1814.”

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STATUE OF ROBERT TREAT PAINE, TAUNTON, MA (1904)

Statue of Robert Treat Paine, Taunton, MA (1904). Located Church Green in front of City Hall, Taunton, MA.

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ELBRIDGE GERRY – MASSACHUSETTS

BORN - July 17, 1744, at Marblehead, MA. Parents (English ancestry) - Thomas Gerry (b1702-d1774) and Elizabeth Greenleaf Gerry (b1716-d1771). Five Children – Thomas Gerry (___), John Gerry (___), Elbridge Thomas Gerry (b1744-d1814), Elizabeth Gerry Russell (___), Samuel Russell Gerry (___).

DIED - November 23, 1814 (aged 70), at a boarding house in Washington, D.C. from a heart attack. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C. He is the only signer of the Declaration that is buried in the Washington, D.C.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Elbridge Gerry (age ___) painted by James Bogle in 1861, after a portrait by John ___. A small, dapper gentleman with pleasant manners. Never very popular because of his aristocratic traits. No sense of humor, frequently changed his mind on important issues, and was suspicious of the motives of others. Was a conscientious businessman who paid attention to detail. His patriotism and integrity could never be questioned.

FAMILY – Married – Ann Thompson (b1763-d1849, was the last surviving widow of a Signer) in 1786. Ten Children (nine surviving to adulthood) – Catharine Gerry Austin (b1787-

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d1850), Eliza Gerry Townsend (___), Ann Gerry (b1763-1849), Elbridge Thomas Gerry, Jr. (b1793-d1867), Thomas Russell Gerry (b1794-d1848), Helen Maria Gerry (___), Gerry (___), Eleanor Gerry Stanford (___), Emily Louise Gerry (b1802-d1894), Unknown Gerry (___). Emily Louise was the last surviving daughter of a Signer.

OCCUPATION – MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR, U.S. CONGRESSMAN, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT. Graduated from Harvard College (now Harvard University) in 1762. Joined his father’s counting house business. Member of the Boston Tea Party. Member of the Continental Congress representing Massachusetts from 1776 to 1780. Served at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. One of three men (Elbridge Gerry, George Mason, ) who refused to sign the U.S. Constitution because it did not then include a Bill of Rights. Governor of Massachusetts from 1810 to 1812. Gerry is best known for the word “gerrymander” which came from his redrawing of electoral districts during his term as governor to favor a political party. U. S. Congressman from 1789 to 1793. 5th U.S. Vice President under James Madison from 1813 to his death in 1814.

AT SIGNING – Age 32 at signing. Signed sometime after August 2, when he arrived back in Philadelphia. John Adams wrote of him during the debates, "If every Man here was a Gerry, the Liberties of America would be safe against the Gates of Earth and Hell."

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in the Congress in Philadelphia until 1780. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune.

HISTORIC SITES

Cambridge Home – Elmwood, Cambridge, MA (1767). Located at 33 Elmwood Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. The home of Elbridge Gerry and his family from 1787 until his death in 1814. Privately owned.

Gravesite – Congressional Cemetery, Washington, D.C.(1807). Located at 1801 E Street Southeast, Washington, DC 20003, Phone 202-543-0539, Website www.congressionalcemetery.org.

Birthplace – Elbridge Gerry House, Marblehead, MA (1730). Located at 44 Washington Street, Marblehead, MA 01945. Birthplace and childhood home of Elbridge Gerry. It is uncertain whether the existing house was the actual house of his birth or an earlier structure on the same site. Privately owned.

Gerry’s Landing – Located near the present day Eliot Bridge, Watertown (Cambridge), MA. Property purchase by Gerry from a relative who operated a landing and storehouse.

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HOME OF ELBRIDGE GERRY, ELMWOOD, CAMBRIDGE, MA (1767)

Home of Elbridge Gerry, Elmwood, Cambridge, MA (1767). Located at 33 Elmwood Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. Privately owned.

Elmwood, also known as the also the Oliver-Gerry-Lowell House, was the home of Elbridge Gerry and his family between 1787 and his death in 1814. He rented out large portions of the 100 acre estate to tenant farmers. In the aftermath of the XYZ Affair, for which Gerry was unjustly criticized, Elmwood was the scene of protests in which Gerry was burned in effigy. Today, Elmwood is the home of the Harvard University President.

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STEPHEN HOPKINS – RHODE ISLAND

BORN - March 7, 1707, in Providence, RI Parents (English ancestry) – William Hopkins (b1681-d1738) and Ruth Wilkinson Hopkins (b1684-d1738). Nine Children – Williams Hopkins (b1700-d1725), Stephen Hopkins (b1707-d1785), Hope Hopkins (b1716-___), (b1718-___), Samuel Hopkins (b1720-___), Abigail Hopkins (b1723-d1772), Susanna Hopkins (b1724-d1741, age 17), William Hopkins (___). Stephen Hopkins was a cousin of .

DIED - July 13, 1785 (age 78), at his home in Providence, RI. Religion – Quaker. Buried – Old North Burial Ground, Providence, RI.

APPEARANCE – The portrait in the picture above is believed to have been painted of a cousin of Stephen Hopkins who was said to have strongly resembled him.

FAMILY – Married – Sarah Scott (b1707-d1753) in 1726 (both were age 19). Seven Children (five surviving to adulthood) – Rufus Hopkins (b1727-d1813), John Hopkins (b1728- d1753), Ruth Hopkins (b1731-d1735, age 4), Lydia Hopkins Tillinghast (b1733-d1793),

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Sylvanus Hopkins (b1734-d1753), Simon Hopkins (b1736-d1743, age 7), George Hopkins (b1739-d1775). Wife Sarah died in 1753. Married – Anne Smith - widow (b1717-d1782) in 1755. No Children.

OCCUPATION – SURVEYOR, MERCHANT, EDUCATOR, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR, GOVERNOR. Known as Rhode Island’s Greatest Statesmen. Learned to read and write from his mother, no formal schooling. Grew up on a farm in Scituate, RI. Self-educated. Moved to Providence in 1742. Chief Justice of RI Supreme Court from 1751 to 1756 and 1770 to 1775. Governor of RI on and off from 1755 to 1768. First Chancellor of the College in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (now ) from 1764 to 1785. University Hall is shown in the upper right of the picture above. Wrote and published a widely read pamphlet titled “The Rights of Colonies Examined” in 1764. Member of the Continental Congress representing Rhode Island from 1774 to 1776.

AT SIGNING – Age 69 at signing. First of the delegation from Rhode Island to sign. Second oldest along with Benjamin Franklin. His signature was shaky. A palzy condition required Hopkins to use his left hand to guide his right as he signed. Wanting everyone to know that he was not shaking from fear, as he signed, he said - "my hand trembles, but my heart does not."

AFTER SIGNING – Left Congress in 1776, due to declining health.

HISTORIC SITES

Providence Home – Stephen Hopkins House Museum, Providence, RI (1708). Located at 15 Hopkins Street, Providence, RI 02903, Phone 401-421-0694, Website nscda.org/museums2/ri- hopkins.html. Home of Stephen Hopkins from 1743 until his death in 1785.

Gravesite – Old North Burial Ground, Providence, RI (1700). Located at 5 Branch Avenue, Providence, RI 02903, Phone 401-331-0177, Website www.providenceri.com/parks-and- rec/north-burial-ground

College – University Hall, Brown University, Providence, RI (1770). Located on the campus of Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, Phone 401-863-1000, Website www.brown.edu.

State House – Old State House, Providence, RI (1762). Located at 150 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02903, Phone 401-222-2678, Website www.preservation.ri.gov. Served as the seat of the Rhode Island Legislature and courthouse.

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STEPHEN HOPKINS HOUSE MUSEUM, PROVIDENCE, RI (1708)

Stephen Hopkins House Museum, Providence, RI (1708). Located at 15 Hopkins Street, Providence, RI 02903, 401-421-0694, Website nscda.org/museums2/ri-hopkins.html.

Built in 1708, the house is one of the oldest buildings in Providence. Stephen Hopkins purchased the house in 1743 and lived there until his death in 1785 (42 years). He built a large two story addition to the back of the original house. George Washington is known to have visited Hopkins at the house. The house was originally located at the corner of Hopkins and South Main Streets. In 1927, it was moved to its current located at 15 Hopkins Street on the edge of the Brown University campus.

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WILLIAM ELLERY – RHODE ISLAND

BORN - December 2, 1727, in Newport, RI. Parents (English ancestry) - William Ellery Sr. (b1701-d1764) and Elizabeth Almy Ellery (b1703-d1783). Six Children – Abigail Ellery 1 (b1723-d1726, age 3), Benjamin Ellery (b1724-d1797), William Ellery (b1727-d1820), Abigail Ellery (b1729-d1729, as infant), Ann Ellery (b1732-___), (b1736-d1789).

DIED - February 15, 1820 (aged 92), in Newport, RI. At the time of his death he was sitting in his chair reading De Officiis. It is an essay by Marcus Tullius Cicero which describes his conception of the best way to live, behave, and observe moral obligations. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried – He was initially buried in the Coggeshall Cemetery at the corner of Victoria and Coggeshall Avenues in Newport. He was later reburied in a tomb in the Common Burying Ground on Farewell Street.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of William Ellery (age ___) painted by James Reid Lambdin in 1873, based on the image in the earlier painting by John Trumbull titled “Declaration of Independence”. Five feet tall, chubby, balding, and nearsighted. Known as a gentle and kindly man. At the signing, it has been reported that Benjamin Harrison, a large man,

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said to the thin-framed Ellery, “I shall have a great advantage over you, Mr. Ellery, when we are all hung for what we are now doing. From the size and weight of my body, I shall die quickly, but from your lightness of body, you will dance for some time before you are dead.” (In other versions of this story, Elbridge Gerry, another smallish delegate with a slight build, plays the part of William Ellery)

FAMILY – Married – Ann Remington (b1723-d1764) in 1750. Nine Children – Elizabeth Ellery Dana (b1751-d1807), Lucy Remington Ellery Channing (b1752-d1834), Ellery 1 (b1754-___), Ann Ellery (b1755-d1834), William Ellery 1 (b1757-___), Almy Ellery Stedman (b1759-d1839), William Ellery 2 (b1761-d1836), Edmund Trowbridge Ellery 2 (b1763-d1847), Ellery (___). His wife Ann died in 1764. Married - Abigail Cary (b1742-d1793) in 1767. Ten Children (five surviving to adulthood) - Abigail Ellery 1 (b1768-d1768, as infant), Nathaniel Ellery (b1769-d1839), John Wilkins Ellery (b1770- d1770, as infant), Abigail Ellery 2 (b1772-d1772, as infant), Ruth Champlin Ellery 1 (b1773- d1777, age 4), Susanna Kent Ellery (b1775-d1828), Philadelphia Ellery (b1776-d1856), Ruth Champlin Ellery 2 (b1779-d1779, as infant), Mehetable Redwood Ellery Anthony (b1784- d1832) George Wanton Ellery (b1789-d1867).

OCCUPATION – MERCHANT, LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, DEPUTY GOVERNOR, JUDGE. Graduated from Harvard College (now Harvard University) in 1747. Worked as a merchant for 20 years. Deputy Governor of Rhode Island from 1748 to 1750. Became a lawyer in 1769. Member of the Continental Congress representing Rhode Island, replacing Samuel Ward who died from smallpox on and off from 1776 to 1785. Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court from 1785 to 1786. Collector of Customs for Newport, RI, from 1790 until his death in 1820.

AT SIGNING – Age 50 at signing. He wrote the following about this famous event - ”I was determined to see how they all looked as they signed what might be their death warrant I placed myself beside the Secretary and eyed each closely as he affixed each name to the document. Undaunted resolution was displayed in every countenance.”

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to service in Congress in Philadelphia, on and off, until 1785. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune. Newport occupied by the British in 1776. His home and much of the town was burned to the ground. Member of the Continental Congress, on and off, until 1785. Important people usually traveled by carriage. Ellery preferred to travel by horse, and became known as the "Congressman on Horseback".

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – Common Burying Ground, Newport, RI (1640). Located on Farewell Street, Newport, RI 02840, Phone 401-846-0432, Website www.newporthistorical.org.

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Newport Home – Commemorative Plaque (The house no longer exists). Located at 92 Division Street, Newport, RI 02840, across the street from the William Ellery Park, the site of the Tree of Liberty.

Church – Clarke Street Meeting House (also known as the Second Congregational Church of Newport), Newport, RI 02840 (1735). Located at 15 Clarke Street, Newport, RI 02840. William Ellery was a member of the church.

State House – Old Colony House, Newport, RI (1741). Located at Washington Square, Newport, RI 02840, Phone 401-846-2980, Website www.newporthistorical.org. Served as the seat of the Rhode Island Legislator and couthouse.

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GRAVESITE OF WILLIAM ELLERY, COMMON BURYING GROUND, NEWPORT, RI

Gravesite of William Ellery, Common Burying Ground, Newport, RI (1640). Located on Farewell Street, Newport, RI 02840, Phone 401-846-0432, Website www.newporthistorical.org.

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ROGER SHERMAN – CONNECTICUT

BORN – April 19, 1721, in Newton, MA. Grew up in Stoughton (now Canton), MA. Parents (English ancestry) – William Sherman (b1691-d1741) and Mehitable Wellington Sherman (b1688-___). Eight Children – William Sherman (b1716-d1756), Mehitable Sherman (___), Mary Sherman (b1719-___), Elizabeth Sherman (___-d1793), Rebecca Sherman (___), Roger Sherman (b1721-d1793), Josiah Sherman (___), Nathaniel Sherman (b1724-___).

DIED - July 23, 1793 (age 72), in New Haven, CT from . Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried – , New Haven, CT. He was initially buried in New Haven Green. In 1821, when that cemetery was relocated, his remains were moved to the Grove Street Cemetery.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Roger Sherman (age 56) painted by Ralph Earl in 1777. When he joined the Congress, his brown hair was cut short and he did not wear the customary wig. Thomas Jefferson wrote of Roger Sherman - "That is Mr. Sherman, of Connecticut, a man who never said a foolish thing in his life." John Adams said of Roger

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Sherman, he is "an old Puritan, as honest as an angel and as firm in the cause of American Independence as Mount Atlas."

FAMILY – Married - Elizabeth Hartwell (b1726-d1760) in 1749. Seven Children (four surviving to adulthood) – John Sherman (b1750-d1802), William Sherman (b1751-d1789), Isaac Sherman (b1753-d1819), Chloe Sherman 1 (-b1754-d1757, age 3), Oliver Sherman (b1756- d1757, age one), Chloe Sherman 2 Skinner (b1758-1840), Elizabeth Sherman (b1760-d1762, age 2). Wife Elizabeth died in 1760 during childbirth with daughter Elizabeth. Married - Rebecca Minot Prescott (1742-1813) in 1763. Eight Children - Rebecca Sherman Baldwin (b1764- d1794), Elizabeth (Burr) Sherman Baldwin (b1765-d1850), Roger Sherman, Jr. (b1768–d1856), Prudence Sherman (b1772-d1849), Mehitable Sherman Barnes Evarts (b1774-d1851), Oliver Sherman (b1777-d1821), Sarah (b1778-d1866), Martha (b1779- d1806).

OCCUPATION – SURVEYOR, LAWYER, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR. Self-taught and home schooled. Established a law practice in CT in 1754. Justice of the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1766 to 1789. Member of the Continental Congress representing Connecticut from 1774 to 1776. First Mayor of New Haven, CT from 1784 to his death in 1793. Member of the Constitutional Convention from in 1787, and was one of the 40 Signers of the U.S. Constitution. He was instrumental in the Great Compromise between the small states and large states. U.S. Congressman from Connecticut from 1789 to 1791. U.S. Senator from Connecticut from 1791 to 1793. Called the “most influential member of Congress.”

AT SIGNING – Age 55 at signing. Member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration. He was the only person to sign all four founding documents of the U.S. – (1) , (2) U.S. Declaration of Independence, (3) Articles of Confederation, (4) U.S. Constitution. First of the delegation from Connecticut to sign the Declaration.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1781.

HISTORIC SITES

College – Connecticut Hall, Old Campus, Yale University, New Haven, CT (1752). Located at 1017 Chapel Street, on the Yale Old Campus, New Haven, CT 06520, Phone 203-432-4771, Website www.yale.edu.

Gravesite – Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, CT (1796). Located at 200 Grove Street, New Haven, CT 06511, Phone 203-787-1443, Website www.grovestreetcemetery.org.

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CONNECTICUT HALL, YALE UNIVERSITY, NEW HAVEN, CT (1752)

Connecticut Hall, Yale University, New Haven, CT (1752). Located at 1017 Chapel Street, on the Yale Old Campus, New Haven, CT 06520, Phone 203-432-4771, Website www.yale.edu.

Founded in 1701, Yale University is the third oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S., next to Harvard and William and Mary. Connecticut Hall, also known as Old South Middle, is the oldest building on the Yale campus and one of the oldest buildings in Connecticut. It is the only surviving 1700’s structure at Yale and the last surviving remnant of the Old Brick Row. The design was based on Massachusetts Hall at Harvard University. It was originally a student dormitory. Today, it houses the offices of Yale’s Philosophy Department.

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SAMUEL HUNTINGTON – CONNECTICUT

BORN - July 16, 1731, in Windham, CT. Parents (English ancestry) – Nathaniel Huntington I (b1691-d1767) and Mehetabel Thurston Huntington (b1700-d1781). Ten Children – Nathaniel Huntington, Jr. (b1724-d1756), Abigail Huntington (b1727-1d771), Mahetabel Huntington (b1729-d1748), Samuel Huntington (b1731-d1796), Jonathan Huntington (b1733-d1781), Joseph Huntington (b1735-d1794), Eliphalet Huntington (b1737-d1799), Enoch Huntington (b1739-d1809), Sibyll Huntington Eels (b1742-d1773), Elijah Huntington (b1745-d1753, age 8).

DIED - January 5, 1796 (age 64), in Norwich, CT. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried - Old Norwichtown Cemetery, Norwich, CT, located behind his home.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Samuel Huntington (age 52) painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1783. A Shy and quiet man. Steady and realiable.

FAMILY – Married - Martha Devotion (b1738-d1794) in 1761. No Children - When his brother, Joseph Huntington, died they adopted their nephew and niece and raised them as their own - Samuel H. Huntington (b1765-d1817), Frances Huntington Griffin (b1769-d1838).

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR. Self-taught and home schooled. Established law practice in Norwich, CT. Member of the

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Continental Congress representing Connecticut on and off from 1776 to 1783. President of Congress from 1779 to 1781. As a result he has been called the first real president of the U.S. Chief Judge of the Connecticut Superior Court from 1778 to 1785. Governor of Connecticut from 1786 to 1796.

AT SIGNING – Age 44 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia, on and off, until 1783.

HISTORIC SITES

Norwich Home – Governor Samuel Huntington House, Norwich, CT (1785). Located at 34 East Town Street, Norwich, CT 06360. Home of Samuel Huntington during the time he served as Governor of CT from 1785 until his death in 1796. Privately owned.

Gravesite – Old Norwichtown Cemetery, Norwich, CT. Located at 47 Town Street, Norwich, CT 06360, behind his house in Norwich and behind Town Street, at the end of Old Cemetery Lane.

Birthplace - Huntington Homestead Museum, Scotland, CT (1732). Located on the north side of Route 14, two miles west of its intersection with Route 97, Scotland, CT, Phone 860-423- 1880, Website www.huntingtonhomestead.org

Capital – Old State House, Hartford, CT (1796). Located at 800 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103, Phone 860-522-6766, Website ctoldstatehouse.org. Construction was overseen by Samuel Huntington while he served as the Governor of CT.

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GOVERNOR SAMUEL HUNTINGTON HOUSE, NORWICH, CT (1785)

Governor Samuel Huntington House, Norwich, CT (1785). Located at 34 East Town Street, Norwich, CT 06360. Privately owned.

The house was built by Samuel Huntington and was his home during the time he served as the Governor of Connecticut from 1786 to his death in 1796. He is buried in the Old Norwichtown Cemetery which is located behind the house.

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WILLIAM WILLIAMS – CONNECTICUT

BORN – April 23, 1731, in Lebanon, CT. Parents (English and Welsh ancestry) – Solomon Williams (b1700-d1776) and Mary Porter Williams (b1703-d1787). Fifteen Children – Eliphalet Williams (b1727-d1803), William Williams (b1731-d1811), Thomas Williams (b1735-d1819).

DIED - August 2, 1811 (aged 80), in Lebanon, CT, 35 years to the day that he signed the Declaration. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried – Old (Trumbull) Cemetery, Lebanon, CT.

APPEARANCE - Medium build, erect and well proportioned. Dark brown eyes and black hair. Normally he was a man self-controlled and discrete, but upon occasion, his strong feelings led him to “violence of language.”

FAMILY – Married – Mary Trumbull (b1745-d1831) in 1771. Mary’s brother, John Trumbull, became famous as a painter of the Revolution. Three Children – Solomon Williams

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(b1772-d1810), Faith Williams McClellan (b1774-d1838), William Trumbull Williams (b1777- d1839).

OCCUPATION – SOLDIER, MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR, JUDGE. Graduated from Harvard College (now Harvard University) in 1751, majoring in theology. Served in the French and Indian War. He returned home feeling contempt for the British officers who were haughty and openly regarded the colonists as inferior men. Served as a Colonel in the Connecticut Militia from 1773 to 1775. Member of the Continental Congress representing Connecticut on and off from 1776 to 1778. Judge of Windham Court from 1776 to 1805 and Probate Judge for the Windham District from 1775 to 1809.

AT SIGNING – Age 45 at signing. Was appointed as a substitute for Oliver Wolcott who had to leave the Congress for a period of time due to illness.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. Purchased supplies for the army with his own money, and went from door to door raising funds and collecting blankets for the army. Opened their home to American and French soldiers.

HISTORIC SITES

Lebanon Home – William Williams House, Lebanon, CT (1748). Located at 876 Trumbull Highway, Lebanon, CT 06249. Home of William Williams from 1755 until his death in 1811. Privately owned.

Birthplace – Williams Birthplace, Lebanon, CT (1712). Located 921 Trumbull Highway, Lebanon, CT 06264. Birthplace of William Williams and home until 1755 (age 24). Privately owned.

Gravesite - Old (Trumbull) Cemetery, Lebanon, CT. (1702), Located on CT Route 207 (Exeter Road), Lebanon, CT 06264, one mile east of town. Phone 860-642-6100.

Museums – Lebanon Museums. Located on the Green, Lebanon, CT. Lebanon was the center of Connecticut’s contributions to the American Revolution. Local museums include – Lebanon Historical Museum and Visitors Center, Governor Trumbull House, War Office, Jr. House, Dr. William Beaumont Birthplace.

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HOME OF WILLIAM WILLIAMS, LEBANON, CT (1748)

Home of William Williams, Lebanon, CT (1748). Located at 876 Trumbull Highway, Lebanon, CT 06249. Privately owned.

The house was the home of William Williams from 1755 until his death in 1811. It is on the route of General Rochambeau's French Army in 1781 and/or 1782, on the way from Newport, RI to Yorktown, VA and the .

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OLIVER WOLCOTT – CONNECTICUT

BORN - November 20, 1726, in East Windsor, CT. Parents (English ancestry) – Roger Wolcott (b1679-d1767) and Sarah Drake Wolcott (b1686-d1747). Fifteen Children (eight surviving to adulthood) – Roger Wolcott, Jr. (b1704-d1756), Elizabeth Wolcott Newberry (b1706-d1776), Alexander Wolcott #1 (b1708-d1711, age 3), (b1709-d1717, age 8), Alexander Wolcott #2 (b1712-d1795), Sarah Wolcott #1 (b1712-d___), Sarah Wolcott #2 (b1715-d1735), Hepsibah Wolcott Strong (b1717-___), Josiah Wolcott (b1719-d1802), #1 (b1721-d1722, age one), Epaphras Wolcott (b1721-d1733, age 12), Erastus Wolcott #2 (b1722- d1793), Ursula Wolcott Griswold (b1724-d1788), Oliver Wolcott, Sr. (b1726-d1797), Mariyanna Wolcott Williams (b1729-___).

DIED - December 1, 1797 (aged 71), in Farmington, CT. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried – East Cemetery, Litchfield, CT.

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of Oliver Wolcott (age ___) painted by James Reid Lambdin in 1873, based on the image in the earlier painting by John Trumbull titled “Declaration of Independence”.

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FAMILY – Married - Lorraine (Laura) Collins (b1732-d1794) in 1755. Five Children (four surviving to adulthood) - Oliver Wolcott (b1757-b1757, as infant), Oliver Wolcott, Jr. (b1760- d1833), Laura Wolcott Moseley, (b1761-d1814), Mary Ann Wolcott Goodrich (b1765-d1805), Frederick Wolcott (b1767-d1837).

OCCUPATION – SOLDIER, MERCHANT, SHERIFF, LEGISLATOR. Graduated from Yale College (now Yale University) in 1747. Served as a Captain of the Connecticut Militia during the French and Indian War. Member of the Continental Congress representing Connecticut on and off from 1775 to 1776 and 1778 to 1784. Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1786 to 1796. Governor from 1996 to his death in 1997.

AT SIGNING – Age 49 at signing. Signed sometime after August 2, when he arrived back in Philadelphia after recovering from a serious illness.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to service in Congress in Philadelphia, on and off, until 1784. Served as a General in the army during the war. Fought in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. Carried parts of at statue of King George III which was pulled down in back to Litchfield where 4,000 bullets were made for the American Army from the metal.

HISTORIC SITES

Litchfield Home – Oliver Wolcott House, Litchfield, CT 06759 (1753). Located at 89 South Street, Litchfield, CT 06759. Home of Oliver Wolcott Sr., his father and his son. Privately owned.

Gravesite – East Cemetery, Litchfield, CT 06759. Located at East Street, Litchfield, CT 06759 Phone 860-567-0464.

Library – Oliver Wolcott Library, Litchfield, CT (1799). Located at 160 South Street, Litchfield, CT 06750. The house was purchased by Oliver Wolcott Jr. in 1814.

Tavern – Sheldon’s Tavern, Litchfield, CT (1760). Located on North Street, Litchfield, CT.

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OLIVER WOLCOTT HOUSE, LITCHFIELD, CT (1753)

Oliver Wolcott House, Litchfield, CT (1753). Located at 89 South Street, Litchfield, CT 06759. Privately owned.

The house was the home of the Wolcott family which furnished three generations of Connecticut governors - Roger Wolcott, his son Oliver Wolcott Sr., his grandson Oliver Wolcott Jr. Roger Wolcott's son-in-law by his daughter Ursula, Matthew Griswold, also served as a Connecticut governor. Many distinguished guests visited the Wolcott House, including Lafayette and George Washington, who stayed there in 1780 during his first visit to Litchfield.

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WILLIAM FLOYD – NEW YORK

BORN - December 17, 1734, in Brookhaven, , NY. Parents (Welsh and English ancestry) – Nicoll Floyd (b1705-d1755) and Tabitha Smith Floyd (b1704-d1755). Nine Children – Ruth Floyd Woodhull (b1732-d1822), William Floyd (b1734-d1821), inherited the family farm. Tabitha Floyd Smith (b1736-d1792), Nicoll Floyd (b1736-___), Charles Floyd (b1738-d1774), Charity Floyd L’Hommedieu (b1744-d1785), Mary Floyd Smith (b1745___), Catherine Floyd Thomas (b1746-___), Ann Floyd Smith (b1748-d1792).

DIED - August 4, 1821 (aged 86) in Westernville, NY. Religion – Presbyterian. Buried – Westernville Cemetery, Westernville, Oneida County, NY.

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of William Floyd (age 59) painted by Ralph Earl in 1793. Medium height.

FAMILY – Married – Hannah Jones (b1740-d1781) in 1760. Three Children – Nicoll Floyd II (b1762-d1852), Mary Floyd Tallmadge (b1764-d1805), Catherine Floyd Clarkson (b1767-

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d1832). Wife Hannah died in 1781. Married – Joanna Strong (b1747-d1826) in 1783. Two Children – Hannah Floyd Varick (b1786-d1859), Elizabeth (Eliza) Floyd Platt (b1789-d1820).

OCCUPATION – FARMER, SOLDIER, LEGISLATOR. Home schooled and self-taught. Took over the family farm when his father died in 1755. Member of the Continental Congress representing New York from 1774 to 1776, and 1778-1783. U.S. Congressman from New York from 1789 to 1791. Moved to the frontier region of New York near the headwaters of the Mohawk River in 1803, where he had family and previously bought land.

AT SIGNING – Age 41 at signing. First of the delegation from New York to sign.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia, on and off, until 1783. General in New York Militia in defense of Long Island in 1776. In one skirmish he and his troops drove off the British who were trying to land on Long Island. The British confiscated his home and turned it into a stable. He and his family escaped across the Long Island Sound to Connecticut. Lived as refugees for seven years with little income.

HISTORIC SITES

Long Island Home – William Floyd House, Mastic Beach, Long Island, NY (1774). Located at 245 Park Drive, Mastic Beach, NY 11951, Phone 631-399-2030, Website www.nps.gov/fiis. Birthplace and home of William Floyd and his family from 1734 to 1803. Now part of the Fire Island National Park.

Westernville Home – General Floyd House, Westernville, NY (1803). Located on the west side of Main Street, Westernville, NY. Home of William Floyd from 1803 to his death in 1821. Privately owned.

Gravesite - Westernville Cemetery, Westernville, NY. Located on Stokes-Westernville Road, Westernville, Oneida County, NY, next to the Westernville Presbyterian Church.

Tavern – Roe Tavern, East Setauket, NY. Located in East Setauket on the north side of Long Island, 25 miles north of Mastic Beach. Center of the Culpeper Spy Ring (the George Washington Secret Six). The roadside historical marker reads – “ROE TAVERN – Stood here. 1703 – 1936. Washington spent the night here April 22, 1790. Austin Roe, inn keeper, was one of Washington’s spies.” The building was moved to its current location nearby in 1936.

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WILLIAM FLOYD HOUSE, MASTIC BEACH, NY (1774)

William Floyd House, Mastic Beach, NY (1774). Located at 245 Park Drive, Mastic Beach, NY 11951, Phone 631-399-2030, Website www.nps.gov/fiis.

The two William Floyd houses in Mastic Beach and Westernville are believed to be the only surviving homes of the four Signers from New York. The Mastic home is believed to be the best preserved and oldest manor house in its part of Long Island. The home was built by William’s father, Nicholl Floyd, and was later given by William to his son, also named Nicholl Floyd. The house was visited by George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette and other Colonial dignataries. The Westernville home is almost the same as the Mastic Beach home.

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PHILIP LIVINGSTON – NEW YORK

BORN – January 15, 1716 at , south of Albany, NY. Parents (Scotish ancestry) - Philip Livingston (b1686-d1749, 2nd Lord of the Manor) and Catharine van Brugh (b1689-d1756) Eleven Children – Robert Livingston (b1708-d1790, 3rd Lord of the Manor), Peter (b1710-d1792), John Livingston b1714-d1788), Philip Livingston (b1716-d1778), Hendrick (Henry) Livingston (b1719-d1772), Sara Livingston (b1721-d1722, as infant), William S. Livingston, Sr. (b1723-d1790), Sarah Livingston Alexander (b1725-d1805), Alida Livingston (b1728-d1790), Catherine Livingston Lawrence (b1733-d1770), Ada Livingston Hoffman (___).

DIED – June 12, 1778 (age 62), at York, PA of congestive heart failure. Religion – Presbyterian. Buried - Prospect Hill Cemetery, York, PA, in York where he was attending the Continental Congress.

APPEARANCE - Somewhat irritable, yet exceedingly mild, tender, and affectionate to his family and friends. Silent, reserved, dignified which made it somewhat difficult for strangers to approach him. Seldom engaged in conversation. Avid reader.

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FAMILY – Married – Christina Ten Broeck (b1718-d1801) in 1740. Eleven Children - Henry Philip Livingston (b1740-___), Philip Philip Livingston III (b1741-d1787), Richard Ten Broeck Livingston (b1743-d1784), Catherine Livingston van Rensselaer (b1745-d1810), Margaret Livingston Jones (b1747-1830), Peter van Burgh Livingston (b1751-___), Sarah Livingston Johnson (b1752-d1814), Abraham Livingston (b1754-d1782), Alida Livingston Jones (b1757-___), Richard Dirck Livingston (___), Henry Philip Livingston (b1760-d1802).

OCCUPATION – MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR. Graduated from Yale College (now Yale University) in 1737. Became a successful import Merchant in New York City. Helped establish Columbia and Rutgers Universities. Member of the Continental Congress representing New York from 1774 to 1778.

AT SIGNING – Age 60 at signing. His cousin, Robert R. Livingston was also a member of the Continental Congress representing NY and a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration, but was recalled before the signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until his death in 1778. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune. Died suddenly two years after signing while attending the Continental Congress in York, PA. He had several homes in NY. (1) Duke Street House in near – was used by the British as a barracks. (2) Heights Country House – was used by George Washington after his defeat in the where the decision was made to evacuate the Island. Destroyed by fire in the mid-1800’s. It was later used by the British as a Royal Navy hospital. (3) Kingston House – the family fled north to Kingston. The British burned the town and house to the ground.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – Prospect Hill Cemetery, York, PA (1849). Located at 700 North George Street, York, PA 17404, Phone 717-843-8006, Website www.prospecthill.org. The remains of Philip Livingston were reburied at Prospect Hill from another burial site after the cemetery was created in 1849.

Manor – Livingston Manor, Linthigo (Livingston), NY. Original 160,000 acre estate on the east side of the in Duchess and Columbia Counties in NY. The manor house was built in 1699 in Linlithgo (now Livingston, NY) at the junction of the and the Hudson River. The three Lords of the Manor are buried at the Livingston Memorial Church near the town.

Clermont - Clermont State Historic Site, (1782). Located at One Clermont Avenue Germantown, NY 12526, Phone 518-537-4240, Website /www.friendsofclermont.org, in the southwest corner of the original Livingston Manor Estate. Established by Robert Livingston and inherited by Robert R. Livingston, Jr. - first cousin of Philip. Robert was a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration, but was not a Signer.

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Kingston, NY – Located on the west side of the Hudson River. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British on October 16, 1777 coming up the river from New York city, after the . Philip Livingston had a house in Kingston which was burned by the British.

Rhinebeck, NY - Beekman Arms Tavern and Dalamater Inn, Rhinebeck, NY, on the east side of the Hudson River across from Kingston. Located at 6387 Mill Street, Rhinebeck, NY 12572. Established in 1776, the tavern is the oldest operating inn in America. Phone 845-876-1776. Website - www.beekmandelamaterinn.

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GRAVESITE OF PHILIP LIVINGSTON, PROSPECT HILL CEMETERY, YORK PA (1849)

Gravesite of Philip Livingston, Prospect Hill Cemetery, York, PA (1849). Located at 700 North George Street, York, PA 17404, Phone 717-843-8006, Website www.prospecthill.org.

Part of the engraving on the monument states, “Eminently distinguished for his talents and rectitude, he deservedly enjoyed the confidence of his country and the love and veneration of his friends and children.”

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FRANCIS LEWIS – NEW YORK

BORN – March 24, 1713, in Llandaff, Cardiff, . Parents (Welsh ancestry) – Francis Lewis (___- d1717) and Amy Pettingale Lewis (___- d1718). Children – Francis Lewis (b1713-d1803). Both parents died when Francis was young and he was raised by relatives.

DIED – December 31, 1802 (age 89), in New York City while living with his sons. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – In an unmarked grave at Trinity Church Cemetery, (Manhattan) New York, NY.

APPEARANCE - Rarely participated in the general debates in Congress but was very effective in committee work.

FAMILY – Married - Elizabeth Annesley (b1715-d1779) in 1745. Seven Children (three surviving to adulthood) - Francis Lewis Jr. (b1741-d1814), Anne Lewis Robertson (b1748- d1802), (b1754-d1844), ___.

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OCCUPATION – MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR. Attended Westminster School in London, England. Apprenticed as a Merchant. Immigrated to New York City in 1734 (age 21). Became a successful Merchant, travelling widely throughout Europe, , Africa. Captured in 1756 by the French during the French and Indian War and sent to France. Given 5,000 acres of land by the British on his return. Moved to Whitestone (now Flushing), NY in 1765. Member of the Continental Congress representing New York from 1775 to 1779.

AT SIGNING – Age 66 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1779. His home in Whitestone, NY, was destroyed by the British. His wife was arrested, imprisoned and very poorly treated which ruined her health. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune. Died penniless.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravestite – Unmarked grave at Trinity Church Cemetery, New York, NY (1697). Located at at 74 Trinity Place at Wall Street and Broadway (Manhattan), New York, NY, Church Phone - 212- 602-0800, Church Website - www.trinitywallstreet.org. Francis Lewis was a member of the church.

Whitestone Home – Francis Lewis Park, Whitestone (), NY. Bounded by Third Avenue, 147 Street, the East River, and Parsons Boulevard, Whitestone (Queens), NY, Website www.nycgovparks.org. Historians believe that the Lewis house stood at Third Avenue and 147th Street next to the park, or at Seventh Avenue and 152nd Street.

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GRAVESITE OF FRANCIS LEWIS, TRINITY CHURCH CEMETERY, NEW YORK, NY (1697)

Gravesite of Francis Lewis, Trinity Church Cemetery, New York, NY (1697). Located at 74 Trinity Place at Wall Street and Broadway (Manhattan), New York, NY, Church Phone - 212- 602-0800, Church Website - www.trinitywallstreet.org.

Francis Lewis was a member of the church and is buried in an unmarked grave in the church cemetery. Other famous people buried there include – , General , Robert Fulton (steamboat inventor), General Franklin Wharton (Commandant of the Marine Corps).

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LEWIS MORRIS – NEW YORK

BORN – April 8, 1726, at Morrisania Manor in Morrisania, NY. Parents (English ancestry) – Lewis Morris (b1698-d1762) and Catherine Tryntje Staats Morris (b1697-d1731). Children – Mary Morris Lawrence (b1724-d1794), Lewis Morris (b1726-d1798).

DIED – January 22, 1798 (age 71) at his home, Morrisiania Manor, in Morrisania, NY. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Family vault beneath Saint Ann's Episcopal Church of Morrisania in , NY.

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of Lewis Morris (age 25) painted by John Wollaston in 1750.

FAMILY – Married - Mary Walton (b1727-d1794) in 1749. Eleven Children – Catherine Morris (b1749-d1834), Mary Morris (b1752-d1776), Lewis Morris IV (b1753-d1824), Jacob Morris (b1755-d1844), Sarah Morris (b1759-d1813), William Walton Morris (b1760-d1832), Magdalena (Helen) Morris (b1762-d1840), James Morris (b1764-d1827), Staats Morris (b1765- d1827), Richard Valentine Morris (b1768-d1815), Benjamin Morris (___).

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OCCUPATION – FARMER, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR. Graduated from Yale College (now Yale University) in 1746. Member of the Continental Congress representing New York from 1775 to 1777.

AT SIGNING – Age 50 at signing. Signed sometime after August 2, when he arrived back in Philadelphia. When warned by his half-brother, Governor Morris, of the consequences that would follow his signing of the rebellious document, Morris stated, "Damn the consequences. Give me the pen."

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Morrisania Manor was looted and burned by the British. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite - Family vault beneath Saint Ann's Episcopal Church of Morrisania in the Bronx, NY (1840). Located at 295 Saint Ann’s Avenue, Bronx, NY 10454, Phone 718-585-5632, Website www.stannsb.dioceseny.org.

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GRAVESITE OF LEWIS MORRIS, SAINT ANN’S CHURCH OF MORRISANIA, BRONX, NY (1840)

Gravesite of Lewis Morris, Saint Ann’s Church of Morrisania, Bronx, NY (1840). Located at 295 Saint Ann’s Avenue, Bronx, NY 10454, Phone 718-585-5632, Website www.stannsb.dioceseny.org.

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RICHARD STOCKTON – NEW JERSEY

BORN - October 1, 1730, at the family home, Morven near Princeton, NJ. Parents (English ancestry) – John Stockton (b1701-d1758) and Abigail Phillips Stockton (b1708-d1757). Ten Children – Richard Stockton III (b1730-d1781), Sarah (b1732-d1737), John Stockton (b1734- d1737), Hannah Stockton Boudinot (b1736–d1808), Abigail Stockton Pintard (b1738-d1817), Susanna Stockton Pintard (b1742-d1772), John Stockton (b1744-d1765), Philip Stockton (b1744-d1792), Rebecca Stockton Tennnet (b1748-d1811), Samuel Witham Stockton (b1751- d1795).

DIED - February 28, 1781 (age 50) at his home, Morven, in Princeton, NJ, from cancer. Religion – Presbyterian. Buried – Stony Brook Quaker Meeting House Cemetery, Princeton, NJ.

APPEARANCE

FAMILY – Married - (b1736-d1801) in 1729. Six Children – Julia Stockton Rush (b1759-d1846), Mary (Polly) Stockton Hunter (b1761-d1846), Susan (Sukey) Stockton Cuthbert (b1761-d1821), Richard Stockton Jr. (b1764-d1828), Lucius Horatio Stockton

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(b1765-d1835) and Abigail (Nabby) Stockton Field (b1773-d1858). Julia Stockton married fellow Signer Dr. Benjamin Rush.

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR. Graduated from the College of New Jersey (now ) in 1748. Developed a successful law practice. Member of the Continental Congress representing New Jersey from 1776 to 1777. Longtime friends of George and .

AT SIGNING – Age 45 at signing. First of the delegation from New Jersey to sign.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Home occupied and ravaged by British. Captured, brutally beaten and imprisoned by the British in New York Provost Jail in 1776. Starved in and his health suffered. Paroled in 1777, with agreement to remain neutral during the remainder of the war. Lost reputation among Patriots. Lost his personal property including his extensive library and writings. Was bankrupt when he died in 1781.

HISTORIC SITES

Princeton Home – Morven House Museum, Princeton, NJ (1750 / 1800). Located at 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ 08540, Phone 609-924-8144, Website www.morven.com.

Gravesite - Stony Brook Quaker Meeting House Cemetery in Princeton, NJ (1760). Located at intersection of Princeton Pike / Mercer Road and Quaker Road, Princeton, NJ

School – , Colora, MD (1744). Located at 1079 Firetower Road, Colora, MD 21917, Phone 410-658-5556, Website www.wna.org. The oldest operating boys boarding school in Maryland. Signers Richard Stockton and Benjamin Rush were graduates of the Academy.

Princeton Inn – Nassau Inn, Princeton, NJ (1756 / 1938). Located at 10 Princeton, NJ 08542, Phone 609-921-7500, Website www.nassauinn.com.

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HOME OF RICHARD STOCKTON, MORVEN HOUSE MUSEUM, PRINCETON, NJ (1750 / 1800)

Home of Richard Stockton, Morven House Museum, Princeton, NJ (1750 / 1800). Located at 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, NJ 08540, Phone 609-924-8144, Website www.morven.com

Morven was the birthplace and lifelong home of Richard Stockton and his wife, Annis Boudinot Stockton. It was one of Princeton's social hubs during the 1700’s. The house and estate were named “Morven” by Annis after a mythical Gaelic kingdom in Ireland. The original dwelling is believed to date from the 1750’s, although recent research indicates that little of this structure remains. Much of the present building was constructed in the 1790’s, with major alterations made in the 1850’s.

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JOHN WITHERSPOON – NEW JERSEY

BORN - February 5, 1723, at Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland, 25 miles east of Edinburgh. Parents (Scottish ancestry) - Witherspoon III (b1691-d1759) and Anne Walker Witherspoon (b1696-d1787). Six Children - John Knox Witherspoon (b1723-b1794), David Witherspoon (b1724-d1762), Susan Witherspoon French (b1725-___), Josias Witherspoon (b1728-___), James Witherspoon (b1730-d1770), Margaret Ann Witherspoon (b1732-d1761).

DIED - November 15, 1794 (age 71), at his farm, Tusculum, near Princeton, NJ. Religion – Presbyterian. Buried – Presidents’ Section of the at the Nassau Presbyterian Church.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of John Witherspoon (age 60) painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1783. Medium height, stout, bushy eybrows, a prominent nose, and large ears. Had a quality contemporaries described as ``presence.'' Good sense of humor. Always wore his minister’s clothes to Congress to remind people that he believed God was on America’s side. Suffered from insomnia.

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FAMILY – Married - Elizabeth Anne Montgomery (b1722-d1789) on 1748. Twelve Children (five surviving to adulthood) – Anne Witherspoon Smith (b1749-d1817), Christian Witherspoon (b1750-d1756, age 6), James Witherspoon (b1751-d1777), Robert Witherspoon (b1753-d1754, as infant), Barbara Witherspoon (b1756-1763d, age 7), John Knox Witherspoon Jr. (b1757-d1796), Frances Witherspoon Ramsey (b1759-d1784), David Witherspoon (b1760- d1801), George Witherspoon (b1762-d1762, as infant), Infant son Witherspoon (b1763-d1763, as infant), Anna Witherspoon (___), Joseph Witherspoon (b1768-d1850). Wife Elizabeth died in 1789. Married - Ann Marshall Dill (b1768-d1811) in 1791. Two Children – Frances Witherspoon (b1792-d1793, as infant) and Mary Ann Witherspoon (b1794-d1846).

OCCUPATION – MINISTER, COLLEGE PRESIDENT, EDUCATOR, LEGISLATOR. Graduated from the Universities of St. Andrews and Edinburgh, Scotland. Became a Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) Minister. Fellow Signers, Richard Stockton and Benjamin Rush, travelled to Scotland to recruit Witherspoon to come to America to become the President of the Presbyterian College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). Immigrated to America in 1768. President of Princeton College from 1768 to his death in 1794. Member of the Continental Congress representing New Jersey from 1775 to 1782.

AT SIGNING – Age 53 at signing. Only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1782. His son James was killed in the near Philadelphia in 1777. The British ravaged his farm, Tusculum, near Princeton. Part of the was fought on the College campus. British destroyed the finest library in the country at the time. The damage resulted in the college being closed for a time.

HISTORIC SITES

College – , Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (1756). Located at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, Phone 609-258-3603, Website www.princeton.edu. John Witherspoon served as President of Princeton College from 1768 to his death in 1794.

Gravesite – Princeton Cemetery at the Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton, NJ. Located at 61 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542, Phone 609-924-8203, Website www.nassauchurch.org

President’s House – John MacLean House, Princeton, NJ (1756). Located at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, Phone 609-258-3603, Website www.princeton.edu. John Witherspoon lived in the house from 1768 through 1779.

Summer Home – Tusculum, Princeton, NJ (1773). Located at 166 Cherry Hill Road, Princeton, NJ 08542. John Witherspoon’s summer home and farm and location where he died in 1794. Tusculum is the name of a Roman City now in ruins in Italy. Privately owned.

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Battlefield – State Park, Princeton, NJ (1777). Located at 500 Mercer Road, Princeton, NJ 08540, Phone 609-921-0074, Website www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests. Battle fought on January 3, 1777, soon after the American victory at the and resulted in another American victory. The battle ended when the British troops who had taken refuge in Nassau Hall, surrendered.

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NASSAU HALL, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, PRINCETON, NJ (1756)

Nassau Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (1756). Located at Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, Phone 609-258-3603, Website www.princeton.edu.

Founded in 1746, Princeton is the fourth oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S., next to Harvard, William and Mary and Yale. Nassau Hall is the oldest building at Princeton. At the time it was built in 1756, it was the largest building in colonial New Jersey and the largest academic building in all the American colonies. The University, then known as the College of New Jersey, held classes for one year in Elizabeth, NJ and nine years in Newark, NJ before it the Hall was completed. John Witherspoon served as President of the College from 1768 to 1794. During the Revolutionary War, the building was occupied by both British and American forces and suffered considerable damage, especially during the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777.

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FRANCIS HOPKINSON – NEW JERSEY

BORN - September 21, 1737 in Philadelphia, PA. Parents (English ancestry) - Thomas Hopkinson (b1709-d1751) and Mary Johnson Hopkinson (b1718-d1804). Eight Children - Francis Hopkinson (b1737-d1791, eldest), Elizabeth Hopkinson Duche (b1738-___), Jane Hopkinson (b1740-___), Mary Hopkinson #1 (b1741, died young), Mary Hopkinson #2 (b1742- ___), Ann Hopkinson Coale (b1745-___), Thomas III (b1747-___), Margaret Hopkinson (b1749- ___).

DIED - May 9, 1791 (age 53) in Philadelphia, PA from an epileptic seizure. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, PA.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Francis Hopkinson (age mid-40’s) painted by Robert Edge Pine in the 1780’s.

FAMILY – Married - Nancy (Ann) Borden (___-d1827) in 1768. Nine Children (six surviving to adulthood) – James Hopkinson (b1769-d1775, age 6), (b1770– d1842), Elizabeth Hopkinson (b1772-d1839), Mary Hopkinson (b1772-d1806), Thomas

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Hopkinson #1 (___, died as infant), Ann Hopkinson (___), Thomas Hopkinson #2 (___, died as infants), Francis Hopkinson (b1773-d1823), Sarah Johnson Hopkinson (___).

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR, AUTHOR, INVENTOR, MUSICIAN. Graduated from the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania) in 1757 (first graduating class). Established a law practice in Bordentown, NJ. Member of the Continental Congress representing New Jersey in 1776. Member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Federal Judge from 1789 until his death in 1791.

AT SIGNING – Age 38 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Sought by British. Home in Bordentown ransacked. Helped design the first American Flag and Great Seal of the U.S.

HISTORIC SITES

Bordentown Home – Francis Hopkinson House, Bordentown, NJ (1750). Located at 101 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown, NY 08505, Website www.bordentownhistory.org. Home of Francis Hopkinson from 1774 until his death in 1791. Privately owned (law offices).

Gravesite – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA (1744). Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone 215-922-1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org. Today a marker commemorates Hopkinson, but the location of his grave within the cemetery is unknown.

Philadelphia Home – Francis Hopkinson House, Philadelphia, PA. Located at 149 Sassafras Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. The plaque on a building at the original site reads – “FRANCIS HOPKINSON – Born Philadelphia 1737 – Died Philadelphia 1791, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Designer of the American Flag, Patriot, Jurist, Composer, A Gentleman Amatuer.”

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HOME OF FRANCIS HOPKINSON, BORDENTOWN, NJ (1750)

Home of Francis Hopkinson, Bordentown, NJ (1750). Located at 101 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown, NY 08505, Website www.bordentownhistory.org. Privately owned (law offices).

Home of Francis Hopkinson from 1774 until his death in 1791. The house was to be burned by the British in 1778, but was spared by a Hessian officer's appreciation of Hopkinson's library.

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JOHN HART – NEW JERSEY

BORN – 1713 in Hopewell Township, NJ. Parents (English ancestry) – Edward Hart (___- d1752) and Martha Furman Hart (b1691-___). Six Children – John Hart (b1711-d1779), Sarah Hart Temple / Barrows (___), Daniel Hart (___-d1767), Edward Hart (b1729-d1802), Martha Hart (___), Moses Hart (___-d1833).

DIED – May 11, 1779 (age 68) in Trenton, NJ from kidney stones. Religion – Presbyterian. Buried – Hopewell Old School Baptist Meeting House Cemetery, Hopewell, NJ.

APPEARANCE – Medium height and well proportioned, with very black hair and light eyes, and to have been called handsome in his youth. Well known for his , and well read for his day.

FAMILY – Married - Deborah Scudder (b1721-d1776) in 1741. Thirteen Children (Twelve surviving to adulthood) – Sarah Hart Wikoff (b1741-d1821), Jesse Hart (b1742-d1815), Martha Hart Wood (b1746-d1815), Nathaniel Hart (b1747-d1825), John Hart Jr. (b1748-d1790), Susannah Hart Polhemus (b1750-d1832), Mary Hart (b1752-d1782), Abagail Hart Stout (b1754-

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d1832), Scudder Hart (b1755-d1812), Scudder Hart (b1757-d1776), Infant daughter (b1761- ___), Daniel Hart (b1762-d1848), Deborah Hart Ott (b1765-d1848).

OCCUPATION – FARMER, MILLER, SOLDIER, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR. Self-taught, Little formal education. Known as “Honest John Hart.” Bought the 193 acre Homestead Plantation on the north side of Hopewell in 1739. Member of the Continental Congress representing New Jersey in 1776.

AT SIGNING – Age 65 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Fled from British and hid in a nearby cave. His house and farm were ravaged by Hessians. His wife died. Joined George Washington’s army as a private after the Battle of Princeton in 1777. Invited Washington and his 12,000 member army to camp on his farm prior to the (30 miles to the east) during the growing season in 1778.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – Old School Baptist Meeting House and Cemetery, Hopewell, NJ. Located at West Broad Street. and Mercer Street, Hopewell, NJ 08525.

Hopewell Home – John Hart House, Hopewell, NJ. Located at 60 Hart Road, Hopewell, NJ 08525. Home of John Hart from 1742 to 1779. Privately owned.

Hart Cave – John Hart’s Cave Historical marker reads – “Refuge of the local signer of the Declaration of Independence while hiding from the British. His estate ransacked by Hessians, he was financially ruined and died in 1779.” Located at Lindbergh Road and Zion Road, north of Hopewell.

Hunt Home – Hunt House, Rosedale Park, Hopewell, NJ (1760). Located on Federal City Road, Hopewell, NJ 08525. When General Washington and the army arrived at John Hart’s farm in 1778, he had lunch with Hart and then held his famous Council of War with his Generals (Lee, Lafayette, Steuben) at the nearby Hunt House.

Battlefield – Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Manalapan, NJ (1778), 30 miles east of Hopewell. Located at 16 NJ Route 33 Business, Manalapan Township, NJ 07726, Phone 732- 462-9616, Website www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests. Major battle fought in extreme heat on June 28, 1778.

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GRAVESITE OF JOHN HART, OLD SCHOOL BAPTIST MEETING HOUSE & CEMETERY, HOPEWELL, NJ (1822)

Gravesite of John Hart, Old School Baptist Meeting House & Cemetery, Hopewell, NJ (1822). Located at West Broad Street. and Mercer Street, Hopewell, NJ 08525.

John Hart is buried in the cemetery which is marked by an obelisk next to the church. The church and cemetery are located on land donated by John Hart.

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ABRAHAM CLARK – NEW JERSEY

BORN – February 15, 1726 in Elizabethtown, NJ. Parents (English ancestry) - Thomas C. Clark (b1701-d1765) and Hannah Winans Clark (b1705-d-before 1765). One Child – Abraham Clark (b1726-d1794).

DIED – September 15, 1794 (age 68) of a heat stroke at his home in Roselle, NJ. Religion – Presbyterian. Buried - Rahway Cemetery, Rahway, NJ.

APPEARNCE – The picture above is the portrait of Abraham Clark (age 50) painted by James Reid Lambdin in 1873, based on the image in the earlier painting by John Trumbull titled “Declaration of Independence”. Plain looking, resembled Connecticut signer Roger Sherman. Unlike other representatives to Congress, he did not wear a wig.

FAMILY – Married – Sarah Hatfield (b1728-d1804) in 1749. Ten Children (Eight surviving to adulthood) - Aaron Clark (b1750-d1811), Thomas Clark (b1753-d1780), Abraham Clark (b1755-d1758, as infant), Hannah Clark Miller (b1757-d1795), Elizabeth Clark (b1758-d1776), Andrew Clark (b1759-d1778), Sarah Clark Edgar (b1761-d1817), Cavalier Clark (b1763-d1764, as infant), Abraham Clark (b1767-d1854), Abigail Clark Salter (b1773-d1811).

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OCCUPATION – SURVEYOR, FARMER, LAWYER, LEGISLATOR. Self-taught lawyer. Helped low income people and was known as the “Poor Man’s Councilor.” Member of the Continental Congress representing New Jersey from 1776 to 1778. Served again from 1780 to 1783 and from 1786 to 1788. U.S. Congressman from 1791 to 1794. Advocated the word Liberty be included on all U.S. coins.

AT SIGNING – Age 50 at signing. About the vote, Clark wrote to his friend on July 14, 1776 - "Our Declaration of Independence I dare say you have seen. A few weeks will probably determine our fate. Perfect freedom, or Absolute Slavery. To some of us freedom or a halter. Our fates are in the hands of An Almighty God, to whom I can with pleasure confide my own; he can save us, or destroy us; his Councils are fixed and cannot be disappointed, and all his designs will be Accomplished."

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to service in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. His property was destroyed by the British. Sons Aaron and Thomas served as officers in the Continental Army. They were captured, imprisoned on the infamous British prison ship, Jersey, in New York Harbor where 11,000 American captives died. Brutally treated. Was offered his sons by the British if he recanted and swore allegiance to the king and parliament. He responded refused.

HISTORIC SITES

Roselle Home – Abraham Clark House, Roselle, NJ. Located at 101 West 9th Avenue, Roselle, NJ 07203, Phone 908-245-1777, Website www.revolutionarywarnewjersey.com

Gravesite – Rahway Cemetery, Rahway, NJ. Located at 1670 St. Georges Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065, Phone 732-388-0613.

Church – First Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth, NJ. Located at 42 Broad Street, Elizabeth, NJ 07202, Phone 908-353-1518, Website fpcenj.org. Abraham was a member of the church. The original church was burned by the British in 1780.

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ABRAHAM CLARK HOUSE, ROSELLE, NJ

Abraham Clark House, Roselle, NJ. Located at 101 West 9th Avenue, Roselle, NJ 07203, Phone 908-245-1777, Website www.revolutionarywarnewjersey.com

The original Clark house was near the colonial Wheatsheaf Road, which is now Crane Street. After the house burned, around in the early 1900’s, a replica house was built on land once owned by Clark at Chestnut Street and Ninth Avenue in Roselle, NJ. Today, the home has a small museum.

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ROBERT MORRIS – PENNSYLVANIA

BORN – January 31, 1734, in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. Immigrated to America in 1747 (age 13). Parents (English ancestry) - Robert Morris, Sr. (b1711-d1750) and Elizabeth Ann Murphet Morris (b1712-d1736). Children – Richard Morris (b1720-d1787), Joseph Morris (b1727-d1788), William Morris (b1730-___), Mary Morris (b1730-d1831), Jacob S. Morris (b1731-1804), Margaret Morris (b1732-d1799), Robert Morris, Jr. (b1734-d1806), Ann Morris (b1740-d1844), John Morris (___), Thomas Morris (___).

DIED - May 9, 1806 (aged 72), in Philadelphia, PA of asthma. Religion – Anglican / Episcoplian. Buried – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA. The family vault of Bishop William White, his brother-in-law.

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of Robert Morris (age 48) painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1782. 6 feet tall, well built, with sandy colored hair and piercing blue eyes. He walked with a cane, but still managed to ride a horse when it was required.

FAMILY – Married – Mary (Molly) White (b1749-d1827) in 1769. Nine Children (All nine living to adulthood) – Robert Clark Morris III (b1769-d1804), Thomas Morris (b1771-d1849),

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William White Morris (b1772-d1798), Hannah Seely Morris Conarroe (b1773-d1820), Esther Morris Marshall (b1774-d1816), Charles Morris (b1777-d1804), Mary Morris Lord (b1778- d1855), Maria Morris Nixon (b1779-d1852), Henry Morris (b1784-d1842).

OCCUPATION – MERCHANT, FINANCIER, LEGISLATOR, U.S. SENATOR. Little formal education, turored. Immigrated from England to American (Oxford, MD) in 1748. Known as the “Financier of the American Revolution.” Member of the Continental Congress representing Pennsylvania from 1775 to 1778. U.S. Superintendent of Finance from 1781 to 1784. Member of the Constitutional Convention from in 1787, and was one of the 40 Signers of the U.S. Constitution. U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania from 1789 to 1795. Was one of the wealthiest men in America,

AT SIGNING – Age 42 at signing. Abstained from voting along with John Dickinson on July 2, to enable Pennsylvania to favor Independence by a 3 to 2 vote. However, he was the first of the delegation from Pennsylvania to sign on August 2.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune. For example, he personally supplied the funding for 80% of all bullets fired during the war and almost 75% of all other expenses for the new government. Lost 150 of his ships at sea. In later years lost heavily from bad investments and was put in debtors prison from 1798 to 1801. Died penniless.

HISTORIC SITES

Philadelphia Home – President’s House Memorial, Philadelphia, PA (2010). Located at 524-30 Market Street, near Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA. The site of the house owned by Robert Morris where he lived and then served as the home of Presidents Washington and Adams.

Gravesite - Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA (1744). Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone 215-922-1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org. The plaque on the vault reads - "ROBERT MORRIS - Signer of the Constitution of the United States of America. Deputy from Pennsylvania to Federal Constitutional Convention May 25, 1787- September 17, 1787.”

Country Home - The Hills Farm, Philadelphia, PA. 300 acre estate of Robert Morris located on the eastern bank of the Schuylkill River in what is now Fairmount Park. Part of the property was purchased by Henry Pratt who completed the current house on the site in 1800, and renamed it Lemon Hill. Located at Lemon Hill Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19130, Phone 215-232-4337, Website www.lemonhill.org.

Morrisville Home – Summerseat House Museum, Morrisville, PA (177’s). Located at Hillcrest & Legion Avenues, Morrisville, PA 19067, on the overland route between Philadelphia and New York, Phone 215-295-7339, Website www.historicsummerseat.org. Property owned by Robert Morris from 1791 to 1798, in the town which was named for him.

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HOME OWNED BY ROBERT MORRIS, PRESIDENT’S HOUSE MEMORIAL, PHILADELPHIA, PA (2010)

Home owned by Robert Morris, President’s House Memorial, Philadelphia, PA (2010). Located at 524-30 Market Street, near Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA.

In 1781, Robert Morris purchased, refurbished, and expanded the house and lived here while Superintendent of Finance. George Washington lived here with Morris during the Constitutional Convention in 1778. Morris gave up the house in 1790 for his friend, George Washington to use as the Executive Mansion, and moved to the house next door. President Washington occupied it during his Presidency from 1790 to 1797, and President Adams from 1797 to 1800, when he moved into the White House in Washington, D.C. The main house was demolished in 1832, although the four-story east and west walls survived as shared walls with the adjoining buildings. These, along with surviving sections of the back buildings, were demolished in the 1950’s during the creation of Independence Mall. An archaeology project was undertaken in 2007, that uncovered foundations of the back buildings, the President's office, and the massive Bow Window designed by Washington as a ceremonial space. A memorial at the site shown in the picture above was opened in 2010.

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BENJAMIN RUSH – PENNSYLVANIA

BORN - December 24, 1745, at The Homestead in Byberry, 14 miles from downtown Philadelphia, PA. Parents (English ancestry) - John Rush (b1712-d1751) and Susanna Hall Harvey Rush (b1717-d1795). Seven Children (five surviving to adulthood) – James Rush (b1739-d1861), Rachel Rush (b1741-d1798), Rebecca Rush (b1743-d1793), Benjamin Rush (b1745-d1813), Jacob Rush (b1746-d1820), Stephenson Rush (b1749-d1750, as infant), John Rush, Jr. (b1751-d1751, as infant).

DIED - April 19, 1813 (age 67), in Philadelphia, PA from Typhus Fever. Religion – Presbyterian. Member of the Second Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Buried – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Benjamin Rush (age 38) painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1818. Handsome, well-spoken, a gentleman, attractive figure. Was a gossip and was quick to rush to judgment about others. Confident of his own opinion and decisions, yet shallow and very unscientific in practice.

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FAMILY – Married - Julia Stockton (b1759–1848), sister of Signer John Stockton in 1776. Thirteen Children (nine survived to adulthood) – John Rush (b1777-d1837), Anne Emily Rush Cuthbert (b1779-d1850), (b1780-d1859), Susannah Rush (b1782-d1783, as infant), Elizabeth Rush (b1783-d1784, as infant), Mary B Rush (b1784-d1849), James Rush (b1786-d1869), , Jr. #1 (___, died as infant), Benjamin Rush, Jr. #1 (b1789-d1790, as infant), Julia Rush Williams (b1790-d1860), Benjamin Rush #2 (b1791-d1824), Samuel Rush (b1795-d1859), William Rush #2 (b1801-d1864).

OCCUPATION – PHYSICIAN, PROFESSOR, LEGISLATOR. Known as both the “Father of American Medicine” and the “Father of American ”. Graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1760 and the in 1768. Established a medical practice in Philadelphia in 1769. Member of the Continental Congress representing Pennsylvania from 1776 to 1777. Member of the staff of the Philadelphia Hospital from 1783 to 1813. Treasurer of the U.S. Mint from 1797 until his death in 1813. Helped found and Franklin and Marshall College.

AT SIGNING – Age 30 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Appointed Surgeon-General of the middle department of the Continental Army in 1777. Served at the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. Was forced to flee to MD and had several narrow escapes. Campaigned for removal of George Washington as commander in chief and was confronted by Washington.

HISTORIC SITES

Hospital - , Philadelphia, PA (1756). Located at 800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, Phone 215-829-3000, Website www.pennmedicine.org/pahosp. Dr. Rush was a member of the staff of the Philadelphia Hospital from 1783 to 1813.

Gravesite – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA (1744). Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone 215-922-1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org.

Farm – Greenwood Estate (Cemetery) at Rush Farm. Located at 930 Adams Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19124. The property was once owned by Benjamin Rush from 1781 to 1792. It now includes a restored farm house built between 1830 and 1850 and a historic cemetery.

Philadelphia Home – The Benjamin Rush House at Red Lion Road and Keswick Road in Northeast Philadelphia was demolished in 1967, because it had deteriorated and become unsafe.

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PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL, PHILADELPHIA, PA (1756)

Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA (1756). Located at 800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, Phone 215-829-3000, Website www.pennmedicine.org/pahosp.

Founded in 1751, by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Bond "to care for the sick-poor and insane who were wandering the streets of Philadelphia", and was the first hospital in the United States. It is also home to the first surgical amphitheater and first medical library in America. Today, the hospital is affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine). The statue in front of the hospital building is of William Penn. The chief accomplishment of Dr. Rush as a physician was in the practice of bleeding the patient. It was said that he considered bleeding to be a cure for nearly any ailment. Even when the practice began to decline, he refused to reconsider its dangers.

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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN – PENNSYLVANIA

BORN – January 17, 1706, in a house on Milk Street in Boston, MA, Parents (English ancestry) – (b1657-d1745) and Anne Child Franklin (b1655-d1689). Seven Children – Elizabeth Franklin Berry / Douse (b1678-d1759), Samuel Franklin (b1681-d1720), Hannah Franklin (b1683-d1723), Josiah Franklin, Jr. (b1685-d1715, disappeared at sea), Anne Franklin Harris (b1687-d1729), Joseph Franklin 1 (b1688-d1688, 5 days later), Joseph Franklin 2 (b1689- d1689, 15 days later), Wife, Anne died in childbirth with Joseph 2. Married - Abiah Lee Folger (b1667-d1752) in 1689. Ten Children – John Franklin (b1690-d1756), Peter Franklin (b1692-d1766), Mary Franklin Homes (b1694-d1730), (b1696-d1735), Sarah Franklin Davenport (b1699-d1731), Ebenezer Franklin (b1701-d1702, drowned at age one), Thomas Franklin (b1703-d1706), Benjamin Franklin (b1706-d1790, eighth child of Abiah, Josiah’s fifteenth and the last son), Lydia Franklin Scott (b1708-d1758), Jane Franklin Mecom (b1712-d1794).

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DIED - April 17, 1790 (age 84) at the home of his daughter, Sarah Bache, in Philadelphia, PA. His last words were – “A dying man can do nothing easy.” Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian (Deist). Buried - Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Benjamin Franklin (age 70) painted by Joseph-Siffrein Duplessis in 1785. Strongly built, rounded like a swimmer or a wrestler, not angular like a runner. He was five feet nine or ten inches tall, with a large head and square, deft hands. His hair was blond or light brown, his eyes grey, full, and steady, his mouth wide and humorous with a pointed upper lip. His clothing was as clean as it was plain. He and others say he was hesitant in speech, he was prompt in action.

FAMILY – Mistress – name unknown (possibly ). One Child – (b1731-d1813). Benjamin Franklin also raised the son of William – (b1762-d1823). Married – Deborah Read (b1708-d1774), common law marriage in 1730. Two Children – (b1732-d1736), Sarah (Sally) Franklin Bache (b1743- d1808).

OCCUPATION – PRINTER, WRITER, SCIENTIST, INVENTOR, SOLDIER, LEGISLATOR, DIPLOMAT. Became known as “The First American.” Self-taught, avid reader, little formal education. Established a printing business in Philadelphia in 1732. Became wealthy publishing the Poor Richard’s Almanac and the . Considered “The Father of Electricity, through his inventions, experiments (famous in 1752), and writings.” Member of the Continental Congress representing Pennsylvania from 1775 to 1776. First U.S. Postmaster General from 1775 to 1776. Member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and was one of the 40 Signers of the Constitution. Governor of Pennsylvania from 1785 to 1788.

AT SIGNING – Oldest signer at age 70. Member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration. At the signing, he is quoted as having replied to a comment by John Hancock that they must all hang together - "Yes, we must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."

AFTER SIGNING – Attended the Staten Island Peace Conference with John Adams, Edward Rutledge and the British on September 11, 1776. U.S. Minister to France from 1776 to 1785. Helped to negotiate the Treaty of Alliance with France in 1778 and the which ended the Revolutionary War in 1783. His illegitimate son, William Franklin, who he had raised, served as the last British Governor of the New Jersey Colony and became a Loyalist. Their differences caused an irreconcilable break between them.

HISTORIC SITES

Philadelphia Home - , Philadelphia, PA (1763). Located at 322 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106, Phone 215- 965-2305, Website www.nps.gov/inde/fragments-

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of-frankin-court. The roadside historical marker reads – “BENJAMIN FRANKLIN – 1706- 1790 – Printer, author, inventor, diplomat, philanthropist, statesman and scientist. The eighteenth century’s most illustrious Pennsylvanian built a house in Franklin Court starting in 1763, and here he lived the last five years of his life.” A steel "ghost structure" outlining the spot where Franklin's house stood and features an underground museum with a film and displays.

Gravesite – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA (1744). Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, near the 5th and Street corner. Phone 215-922- 1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org. Benjamin Franklin was a member of the church.

Memorial – Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, Philadelphia, PA (1938). Located at the (Museum), 222 North 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Phone 215-448- 1200, Website www.nps.gov/inde/benjamin-franklin-national-memorial. The center piece of the Memorial is a 20 foot high marble statue of Benjamin Franklin made of white Seravezza marble.

London Home – Museum, London, UK (1730). Located at 36 Craven Street, London WC2N 5NF, , Phone +44 20 7839 2006, Website www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org. The only surviving residence of Benjamin Franklin where he lived and worked for 16 years.

Independence Hall – Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA (1753). Located at 520 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone 215-965-2305, Website www.nps.gov/inde. Location where the Declaration of Independence (1776) and U.S. Constitution (1787) were debated and adopted.

Conference House – , Staten Island, NY (1680). Located at 298 Satterlee Street, Staten Island, NY 10307, on the south end of the island. Phone 718-984-6046, Website www.conferencehouse.org. Site of the Staten Island Peace Conference attended by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Edward Rutledge and the British on September 11, 1776.

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HOME OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, FRANKLIN COURT, PHILADELPHIA, PA (1763)

Home of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin Court, Philadelphia, PA (1763). Located at 322 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106, Phone 215- 965-2305, Website www.nps.gov/inde/fragments-of-frankin-court.

The roadside historical marker reads – “BENJAMIN FRANKLIN (1706 – 1790) – Printer, author, inventory, diplomat, philanthropist, statesman and scientist. The eighteenth century’s most illustrious Pennsylvanian built a house in Franklin Court starting in 1763, and here he lived the last five years of his life.” The house was torn down 20 years after his death in 1790. Today, the site contains a steel "ghost structure" outlining the spot where Franklin's house stood and features an underground museum with a film and displays, an 1700’s printing office, an architectural / archeological exhibit, an operating post office and a postal museum.

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GRAVESITES OF SEVEN SIGNERS, CHRIST CHURCH AND BURIAL GROUND, PHILADELPHIA, PA (1744)

Gravesite of Francis Hopkinson, Christ Church and Burial Ground (1744). Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone 215-922-1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org.

The main body of the Episcopal Church was built in 1744. The steeple was added in 1754, making it the tallest building in North America at the time. The Church's congregation included 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence. The historic burial ground is several blocks from the church and has seven signers of the Declaration – Benjamin Franklin (PA), George Ross (PA), Benjamin Rush (PA), and Robert Morris (PA), James Wilson (PA), Francis Hopkinson (NJ), Joseph Hewes (NC).

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JOHN MORTON – PENNSYLVANIA

BORN – 1724 on the family farm in Calcon Hook (now Ridley Park), Chester, PA. Parents (Finish and Swedish ancestry) – John Morton, Sr. (b1683-d1725) and Maria Ellen Archer Morton (b1701-d1778). Nine Children – John Morton, Jr. (1724-1777), ___.

DIED – April 21, 1777 (age 52) at his home in Calcon Hook (now Ridley Park), Chester, PA, probably from tuberculosis. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Old St. Paul’s Burying Ground (also known as the Old Swedish Burial Ground), Chester, PA.

APPEARANCE

FAMILY – Married – Anne Justice (b1732-d1798) in 1748. Twelve Children (Nine surviving to adulthood) – Aaron Morton (b1751-d1839), Sketchley Morton (b1753-d1795), Jacob Morton (b1753-___), Mary Morton Justice (b1754-d1789), John Morton (b1755-___), Sarah Morton Currie (b1759-___), Elizabeth Morton Wakefield (b1760-d1845), Lydia Morton Bibb (b1761-d1778), Ann Morton Davis (b1766-d1806), Rebecca Morton (___).

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OCCUPATION – FARMER, SURVEYOR, LAWYER, JUDGE, LEGISLATOR. Home schooled, little formal education. Member of the Continental Congress representing Pennsylvania from 1774 to 1777.

AT SIGNING – Age 51 at signing. Congress began the debate on a resolution for independence in June 1776, and the Pennsylvania delegation was split, with Benjamin Franklin and James Wilson in favor of declaring independence, and John Dickinson and Robert Morris opposed. Morton was uncommitted until July 1, when he sided with Franklin and Wilson. When the final vote was taken on July 2, Dickinson and Morris abstained, allowing the Pennsylvania delegation to support the resolution of independence without dissent.

AFTER SIGNING – First Signer to die, eight months after signing on August 2, 1776. As a result of his vote for independence, friends, neighbors and even relatives turned against him. Became very ill early in 1777. As he lay dying, he predicted – “Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it (the signing) to have been the most glorious service that I have ever rendered to my country.” His wife and family had to flee their home as the British approached after the .

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite - St. Paul’s Burying Ground, Chester, PA (1702). Located on 3rd Street, east of the Avenue of the States, Chester, PA 19103. The roadside historical marker reads – “OLD SWEDISH BURIAL GROUND - Site of first St. Paul's Episcopal Church, built in 1702. The grave of John Morton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, is located just south of here.”

Birthplace – Marker located at 420 East Ridley Avenue, Ridley Park, NW of Essington. The roadside historical marker reads – “JOHN MORTON (1724-1777) – Site of the birthplace of John Morton (1724-1777), signer of the Declaration of Independence. As a Delegate to the Continental Congress, his ballot, with that of Franklin, and James Wilson, committed Pennsylvania to the cause of independence by one vote.”

PA Homestead – Morton Homestead State Park, Prospect Park, PA (1698). Located at 100 Lincoln Avenue, Prospect Park, Delaware County, PA. The roadside historical marker reads – “MORTON HOMESTEAD – Begun about 1654 by Morton Mortonson, ancestor (grandfather) of John Morton, Pennsylvania signer of the Declaration in 1776.” Mortonson was an immigrant from Finland when the area was part of the New Sweden Colony.

Courthouse – Colonial Courthouse, Chester, PA (1724). Located at the Avenue of the States Street below 5th Street, Chester, PA. The roadside historical marker reads – COLONIAL COURTHOUSE - Georgian Colonial design. Built in 1724, restored in 1920. In use for Chester County till 1786, for Delaware County, 1789-1851. Later used as City Hall. Oldest public building in continuous use in U.S.”

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GRAVESITE OF JOHN MORTON, OLD ST. PAUL’S BURYING GROUND, CHESTER, PA

Gravesite of John Morton, Old St. Paul’s Cemetery, Chester, PA (1702). Located on 3rd Street, east of the Avenue of the States, Chester, PA 19103.

The cemetery is also known as the Old Swedish Burying Ground. John Morton is buried under the column at the top center of the picture above. The building in the background is the historic Delaware County Bank. On the north face of the column it states - "John Morton being censured by some of his friends for his boldness in giving his casting vote for the Declaration of Independence, his prophetic spirit dictated from his death bed the following message to them - ‘Tell them they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it to have been the most glorious service I ever rendered to my country."

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GEORGE CLYMER - PENNSYLVANIA

BORN - March 16, 1739, in Philadelphia, PA. Parents (English ancestry) – Christopher Clymer (b1711-d1746) and Deborah Hardiman Fitzwater Clymer (b1712-d1740). Raised by his Uncle and Aunt – William and Hannah Coleman, after his parents died in the early 1740’s. Two Children – Elizabeth Clymer (___-d1740, as infant), George Clymer (b1739-d1813).

DIED - January 24, 1813 (aged 73), at his home, Summerseat, in Morrisville, PA. Religion – Quaker / Anglican / Episcopalian . Buried – Friends (Quaker) Meeting House Burying Ground, Trenton, NJ, across the from Morrisville, PA.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of George Clymer (age 65 to 67) painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1807 to 1809. Quiet and unassuming, rarely spoke in Congress.

FAMILY – Married - Elizabeth Meredith (b1740-d1815) in 1765. Nine Children (five surviving to adulthood) – Clymer (b1766-d1774, age 8), Henry Clymer (b1767-d1830), John Meredith Clymer (b1769-d1794), Margaret Clymer McCall (b1772-d1799), Elizabeth Clymer (b1774-___, died as infant), Julian Clymer (b1780-d1780, as infant), George

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Clymer (b1782-d1848), Reese Clymer (___, died as infant), Ann Clymer Lewis (b1784-d1810). Other – Possibly one or more children out of wedlock before or after marriage to Elizabeth.

OCCUPATION – MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR. Apprenticed as a Merchant, home schooled, avid reader. Member of the Continental Congress representing Pennsylvania from 1776 to 1782. Member of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, and was one of the 40 Signers of the Constitution. First Treasurer of the U.S. U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania from 1788 to 1790.

AT SIGNING – Age 37 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to service in Congress in Philadelphia until 1782. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune. Had to move several times during the war to avoid capture. His home in Chester County was ransacked in 1777, by the British on their way to Philadelphia following their victory at the Battle of Brandywine.

HISTORIC SITES

PA Home – Summerseat House Museum, Morrisville, PA (1765). Located at Hillcrest & Legion Avenues, Morrisville, PA 19067, on the overland route between Philadelphia and New York, Phone 215-295-1706, Website www.historicsummerseat.org. Home of George Clymer from 1806 to his death in 1813.

Gravesite - Friends (Quaker) Meeting House Burying Ground, Trenton, NJ. Located at East Hanover and North Montgomery Streets, Trenton, NJ 08608.

Monument – The Signers Statue, Philadelphia, PA. Located outside the Gilbert House at Signer’s Garden, 5th and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA. Inspired by George Clymer. It is a monument to all Signers of the Declaration of Independence , and the U.S. Constitution – both signed by Clymer.

Indiana, PA – The roadside historical marker reads – “ COUNTY (GEORGE CLYMER) – Formed March 30, 1803 from Westmoreland and Lycoming counties and once densely forested. Its name memorializes the first inhabitants. County seat, Indiana, was laid out in 1805 on land given by George Clymer, signer of the Declaration of Independence.”

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HOME OF GEORGE CLYMER, SUMMERSEAT HOUSE MUSEUM, MORRISVILLE, PA (1765)

Home of George Clymer, Summerseat House Museum, Morrisville, PA (1765). Located at Hillcrest & Legion Avenues, Morrisville, PA 19067, on the overland route between Philadelphia and New York, Phone 215-295-7339, Website www.historicsummerseat.org.

The roadside historical marker reads – “SUMMERSEAT – Washington’s headquarters in December, 1776, before Trenton campaign. Sometimes called the Barclay House. Robert Morris and George Clymer were among its owners. At Legion Ave. and Clymer St., next to the high school.” The house was owned by fellow signer, Robert Morris, from 1791 to 1798, in the town, Morrisville, which was named for him. It was purchased by George Clymer in 1806, who lived there until his death in 1813. It served as the headquarters for General George Washington from December 8 to 14, 1776, while planning the Army’s crossing of the Delaware River and attack on the Hessian soldiers in Trenton.

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JAMES SMITH - PENNSYLVANIA

BORN - September 17, 1719, in Dublin, Ulster Province, Northern, Ireland. Immigrated to America (Pennsylvania) in 1721, settling on a farm on the west side of the Susquehanna River near Lancaster, PA in 1727. Throughout his life, he would not reveal his date of birth, because he enjoyed people guessing his age. Parents (Scotts-Irish ancestry) – (___-d1761) and ___. Children (Large family) – George Smith (___), James Smith (b1719-d1806, second son), ___.

DIED - July 11, 1806 (age 86), in York, PA. Religion - Presbyterian. Buried – First Presbyterian Churchyard, York, PA.

APPEARANCE – Cheerful, known for his humor, eccentric.

FAMILY – Married - Eleanor Armor (b1739-d1818) in 1760. Five Children (All five surviving to adulthood) – Margaret Smith Johnson (b1761-d1838), Mary Smith Kelly (b1763- d1840), Elizabeth Smith Kelly (b1765-d1795), George Smith (b1767-d1802), James Smith, Jr. (b1769-1812).

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, SURVEYOR, SOLDIER, LEGISLATOR. Attended the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania). Established law

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practice in the frontier town of Shippensburg, PA in 1745 and then York, PA. Established an iron-making business on Codorus Creek in 1771, which later failed. Member of the Continental Congress representing Pennsylvania from 1776 to 1778. U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania in 1780. A fire in his office destroyed his papers and records in 1805. An ordinary man (husband, father, neighbor, businessman), living in extraordinary times, who stepped forward when duty called.

AT SIGNING – Age 76 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. Captain in 1774, Honorary Colonel and General in 1782 in the Pennsylvania Militia.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – First Presbyterian Churchyard, York PA. Located at 225 East Market Street, York, PA 17403, Phone 717-843-8041, Website www.fpcyork.org.

York Courthouse – York Colonial Courthouse, York, PA (1754). Located at 205 West Market Street, York, PA 17401, Phone 717- 846-1977, Website www. yorkheritage.org. James Smith would have practiced law here. Congress met in the building during York’s nine-month tenure as the Capital of the U.S. from September 1777 to June 1778. Across the street from the Golden Plough Tavern (1741) and General Horatio Gates House (1751).

Shippensburg Courthouse – Old Shippensburg Courthouse, Shippensburg, PA (1735). Also known as the Widow Piper’s Tavern. Located on the southwest corner of East King and North Queen Streets, Shippensburg, PA 17257. James Smith would have visited and possibly stayed in the tavern. Also, county court sessions were held there from 1749 to 1751.

York Furnace – Codorus Furnace, York County, PA. Located on Codorus Furnace Road six miles southeast of Mount Wolf on the south side of the Codorus Creek near the Susquehanna River, York County, PA. The roadside historical marker reads – “CODORUS FURNACE – Erected in 1765 by William Bennet. Operated by James Smith, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, during the Revolutionary War. This site is the oldest remaining landmark of the iron industry in York County.”

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GRAVESITE OF JAMES SMITH, FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHYARD, YORK, PA

Gravesite of James Smith, First Presbyterian Churchyard, York PA. Located at 225 East Market Street, York, PA 17403, Phone 717-843-8041, Website www.fpcyork.org.

The monument reads – “JAMES SMITH – One of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Died July 11, 1806. Aged 93 years.” (probably closer to age 86).

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GEORGE TAYLOR - PENNSYLVANIA

BORN – Born January 18, 1716, in Corke, Northern, Ireland. Immigrated to America as an indentured servant to an ironmaster in 1736 (age 20), landing in Philadelphia, PA. Parents (probably Scotts-Irish ancestry) – Joshua Frances Taylor (b1692-d1724) and Elizabeth Griffiths Taylor (b1692-___). Five Children – George Taylor (b1716-d1781), Thomas Washington Taylor (___), Mary Taylor (b1720-___), Joshua Taylor (b1724-___), Stephen Taylor (b1729- ___),

DIED – February 23, 1781 (age 65), at his home, the Parson-Taylor House, in Easton, PA. Religion – Presbyterian. Buried - Easton Cemetery, Easton, PA. George Taylor was first buried in St. John’s Lutheran Church Cemetery across from his home at 4th and Ferry Street. When the church property was sold in 1870 for construction of a public school, he was moved and re-buried at the Easton Cemetery. In 1854 local residents erected a monument in the cemetery, and in 1870, his body was reburied in front of the monument.

APPEARANCE

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FAMILY – Married – Ann Taylor Savage (b1718-d1768), in 1742. Three Children – James Taylor (b1746-d1775), Nancy Ann Taylor (b1748-___, died in childhood), George Taylor (b1754-d1831). Wife Anne died in 1742. Housekeeper – Naomi Smith (___). Five Children – Sarah Smith (___), Rebecca Smith (___), Naomi Smith (1764-1795), Elizabeth Smith (___), Edward Smith (___).

OCCUPATION – IRON MASTER, LEGISLATOR. Good basic education in Ireland – reading and writing. Laborer, Clerk and Ironmaster at the Warwick Furnace (PA), Coventry Forge (PA), Durham Furnace (PA), Greenwich Furnace (NJ). An Ironmaster was the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. Member of the Continental Congress representing Pennsylvania from 1775 to 1777.

AT SIGNING – Age 60 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Colonel in the Pennsylvania Militia in 1775. Leased and managed the Durham Ironworks which produced grape shot, cannon balls, bar shot and cannon for the Continental Army from 1775 to 1778. Received little compensation and his wealth declined. Died in 1781 before the end of the war.

HISTORIC SITES

Catasauqua Home – George Taylor Mansion Museum, Catasauqua, PA (1768). Located at 35 South Front Street, Catasauqua, PA 18032, 15 miles west of Easton, Phone 610-435-1074, Website www.catasauquaborough.govoffice.com. George Taylor built the house, lived there from 1768 to 1774 and sold it in 1776.

Gravesite – Easton Cemetery, Easton, PA. Located at Easton Cemetery, 401 North 7th Street, Easton, PA.

Easton Inn – Bachmann Publick House (later known as the Easton House), Easton, PA (1753). Located at 169 Northampton Street, Easton, PA 18042, Phone 610-253-1222, Website www.visitpa.com. The stone house was purchased by George Taylor in 1761 and sold it in 1779. Now the oldest standing building in Easton.

Easton Home – Parsons-Taylor House, Easton, PA (1757). Located at the corner of 4th and Ferry Streets, Easton, PA. The stone house is the last residence of George Taylor which he leased during the last year of his life from 1780 to 1781.

Ironworks – Durham Furnace and Ironworks, Durham, PA (1727). Located on PA Route 212 near Durham, PA. The roadside historical marker reads – “DURHAM FURNACE – Built in 1727. Original site of Durham. In blast until 1789, it made cannon and shot in the colonial wars and Revolution. One time-owners included and George Taylor.”

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GEORGE TAYLOR MANSION MUSEUM, CATASAUQUA, PA (1768)

George Taylor Mansion Museum, Catasauqua, PA (1768). Located at 35 South Front Street, Catasauqua, PA 18032, Phone 610-435-1074, Website www.catasauquaborough.govoffice.com.

In 1767, George Taylor purchased a 331 acre estate known as the Manor of Chawton, in Biery's Port, PA (now part of Catasauqua). On the high ground overlooking the Lehigh River, he built what was then one of the finest homes in the region with builders brought in from Philadelphia. Shortly after the Taylors moved in, his wife Ann died. Taylor continued to live here for the next six years, but in 1774, he returned to Durham to operate the ironworks under a new lease.

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JAMES WILSON – PENNSYLVANIA

BORN – June 14, 1743 in Carskerdo, Fife, Scotland. Parents (Scottish ancestry) - William Wilson (b1692-___), and Alison Landale Wilson (___). Eight Children – Margaret Wilson Mitchell (b1736-___), Rachel Wilson (b1738-___), Jean Wilson Balfour (b1740-___), James Wilson (b1743-d1798), John Wilson (b1745-___), Elizabeth Wilson (b1747-___), William Wilson (b1748-___), Andrew Wilson (b1752-___).

DIED - August 28, 1798 (aged 55) at the Iredell House, Edenton, NC, from a stroke. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian / Presbyterian (studied to be a Scottish Presbyterian Minister). Buried - Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA.

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the official Supreme Court Justice portrait of James Wilson.

FAMILY – Married - Rachel Bird (b1750–d1786) in 1771. Six Children – Mary (Polly) Wilson Hollingsworth (b1773-d1832), William (Billy) Wilson (b1775-d1840), Bird Wilson (b1777-d1859), James Wilson, Jr. (b1779-d1807), Emily Wilson Hollingsworth (b1782-d1809),

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Charles Bird Wilson (b1785-d1810). Wife Rachel died 1786. Married - Hannah Gray (___- d1810) in 1793. One Child – Henry Wilson (b1796-d1799, age 3).

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, JUDGE. Attended the Universities of St. Andrews, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Immigrated to America (New York City, then to Philadelphia) in 1766. Teacher at the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania). Established a successful law practice in Reading and then Carlisle, PA. Member of the Continental Congress representing Pennsylvania from 1775 to 1777 and 1785 to 1787. Member of the Constitutional Convention from in 1787, and was one of the 40 Signers of the U.S. Constitution. U.S. Supreme Court Justice from 1790 until his death in 1798. Land speculator. Spent time twice in debtors prison while serving on the Supreme Court - first in New Jersey (1797) and later in North Carolina (1798).

AT SIGNING – Age 34 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA (1744). Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, near the 5th and Arch Street corner. Phone 215-922- 1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org. His body was originally buried on the Hayes Plantation near Edenton, NC. In 1906, the remains were moved and reburied at the Christ Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia, PA.

Philadelphia, PA – Fort Wilson, Philadelphia, PA. Located at the corner of Walnut and 3rd Streets, Philadelphia, PA. The historical plaque reads – “FORT WILSON - This was the location of the Fort Wilson Riots. James Wilson was a signer of the Declaration and well respected in the Colonies. He was also a proponent of strict adherence to the rule of law, and he defended the rights of wealthy loyalist Philadelphians who sided with or helped the British during their occupation of Philadelphia. In 1778, a band of rablerousers and militiamen stormed the house where Wilson was staying to tar and feather him and his guests and ride them out of town. Only the arrival of the military prevented the attack from succeeding, and after shots were fired and one militiaman was killed, Wilson and his friends were escorted to safety.”

Carlisle, PA – Wilson House, Carlisle, PA. Originally located on the southwest corner of High and Pitt Streets, Carlisle, PA. The roadside historical marker reads – “JAMES WILSON – Early Carlisle Lawyer, and representative to Continental Congress, occupied house that stood on this site. He was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, and one of the Framers of the Constitution of the U.S.”

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Edenton, NC House – Iredell House Homestead, Edenton, NC (1759). Located at 105 East Church Street, Edenton, NC (27932). House where James Wilson died while visiting his friend . Privately owned.

Edenton, NC Plantation – Hayes Plantation, Edenton, NC (1817). Located at 1038 Hayes Farm Road, Edenton, NC 27932. A small graveyard called Johnston's Cemetery near the home was the original burial site for James Wilson in 1798, before he was reburied in Philadelphia, PA. Privately owned.

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GRAVESITE OF JAMES WILSON, CHRIST CHURCH BURIAL GROUND, PHILADELPHIA, PA (1744)

Gravesite of James Wilson, Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA (1744). Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone 215-922-1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org.

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GEORGE ROSS - PENNSYLVANIA

BORN - May 10, 1730, in New Castle, DE. Parents – (Scottish and Scotts-Irish ancestry) - George Aeneas Ross, Fifth of Balblair (b1679-d1753) and second wife Catherine Van Gezel Ross (b1689-d1748). Children – George Ross II (b1730-d1779), James Ross (b1732-d1774), Catherine Ross Thompson (b1734-d1809), Gertrude Ross Till / Read (b1735-d1820), Dorothy Ross Asbill (b1735-d___), Susanna Ross Thompson (b1738-d1801), Mary Ross Bird (b1741- d1790). John Ross was a half-brother. Betsy Ross, who is widely credited for creating the first American Flag, was the wife of a nephew of George Ross.

DIED - July 14, 1779 (aged 49), in Philadelphia, PA from a violent attach of gout. On his deathbed, Ross said that he was sure he was going to a place where "there were most excellent wines". Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA

APPEARANCE – The picture above is a portrait of George Ross painted by Philip Fishbourne in 1873 based on an earlier painting by .

FAMILY – Married - Ann Lawler (b1731-1773) in 1775. Three Children – George Ross (b1752-d1832), James Ross (b1753-d1801), Mary Ross Scott (___-d1839).

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OCCUPATION – LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, SOLDIER, JUDGE. Home schooled. Established a law practice in Lancaster, PA in 1750. Attorney General for Cumberland County (Carlisle), PA from 1768 to 1776. Member of the Continental Congress representing Pennsylvania (Lancaster County) from 1775 to 1777.

AT SIGNING – Age 46 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Colonel in the Pennsylvania Militia from 1775 to 1776. Died in 1779, three years after signing.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA (1744). Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, near the 5th and Arch Street corner. Phone 215-922- 1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org.

Lancaster Home – Country Home, Lancaster, PA. The roadside historical marker reads – “GEORGE ROSS – Soldier, ardent patriot, jurist, and a Signer of the Declaration of Independence, settled at Lancaster about 1751. Site of his country house, now marked by monument, is on Ross Street, nine blocks north. Died, 1779.”

Church – St. James’ Episcopal Church, Lancaster, PA. Located at 119 North Duke Street, Lancaster, PA 17602, Phone 717-397-4858, Website saintjameslancaster.org. The roadside historical marker reads – “ST. JAMES’ CHURCH (Episcopal) – Founded 1744. Original structure built 1746-53; this building begun 1820. George Ross, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was vestryman. Buried here are Edward Shippen, William Atlee, Edward Hand, and Jasper Yeates.”

Courthouse – Old Lancaster County Courthouse, Lancaster, PA. The roadside historical marker reads – “LANCASTER COUNTY COURTHOUSE – Old courthouse stood in the center of this square, 1739-1853. Here Continental Congress met for a day, Sept. 27, 1777, thus making Lancaster one of the capitals of the United States.” George Ross would have practiced law in the old courthouse.

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SITE OF HOME OF GEORGE ROSS, LANCASTER, PA

Site of Home of George Ross, Lancaster, PA. Located on Ross Street, Lancaster, PA.

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GEORGE READ – DELAWARE

BORN – September 18, 1733, on the family farm near North East, in Cecil County, MD. Parents (English and Welsh ancestry) – (b1688-d1756) and Mary Howell Read (b1711-d1784). Children – George Read (b1733-d1798), Thomas Read (b1740-d1788), James Read (b1743-d1822), Mary Reed Bedford (b1745-d1820). When George was an infant his family moved to New Castle, DE.

DIED – September 21, 1798 (age 65), in New Castle, DE. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Immanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery, New Castle, DE.

APPEARANCE - Tall, slight, graceful, with strong but refined features, and dark brown eyes. His manners were dignified and formal, yet courteous and at times captivating. Dressed with great attention to detail, style and elegance, evidenced by the amethyst studded shoe buckles he wore the day he signed the Declaration of Independence.

FAMILY – Married – Gertrude Ross Till (b1732-d1802) in 1763. Five Children – John Read (b1764-___, died as infant), George Read, Jr. (b1765-d1836), William Read (b1767- d1846), John Read (b1769-d1854), Mary Howell Read Pearce (b1770-d1816).

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OCCUPATION – LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, U.S. SENATOR, JUDGE. Attended the Philadelphia Academy. Established a law practice in New Castle in 1754. Member of the Continental Congress representing Delaware from 1774 to 1777. Governor of Delaware from 1777 to 1778. Member of the Constitutional Convention from in 1787, and was one of the 40 Signers of the U.S. Constitution. U.S. Senator from Delaware from 1789 to 1793. Chief Judge of the Delaware Supreme Court from 1793 until his death in 1798.

AT SIGNING – Age 42 at signing. Voted against independence on July 2. Changed his mind and signed the Declaration on August 2. First of the delegation from Delaware to sign. Later, George Read’s leadership resulted in Delaware becoming the first state to ratify the Declaration.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Captured by the British, let go - they did not know who he was. His home was confiscated by the British, his wife was taken captive and he was driven from place to place to avoid capture for six years. Worked to raise money, troops and supplies in support of the American Army.

HISTORIC SITES

Son’s Home – George Read Jr. House Museum, New Castle, DE (1803). Located at 42 The Strand, New Castle, DE 19720, Now houses the Historical Society of Delaware, Phone (302) 322-8411, Website www.hsd.org. Located next to the original George Reed House which was destroyed by fire in 1824.

Gravesite - Immanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery, New Castle, DE (1708). The church is located at 100 Harmony Street, New Castle, DE 19720, Phone 302-328-2413, Website www.immanuelonthegreen.org.

Country Home – Stonum (George Read House), New Castle, DE (1730). Located at 9th and Washington Streets, New Castle, DE 19720. Privately owned.

Court House – New Castle Court House Museum (1732). Located at 211 Delaware Street, New Castle, DE 19720, Phone 302-323-4453, Website history.delaware.gov/museums. One of the oldest continuously used court houses in America.

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GEORGE READ JR. HOUSE, NEW CASTLE, DE (1803)

George Read II House Museum, New Castle, DE (1803). Located at 42 The Strand, New Castle, DE 19720, Now houses the Historical Society of Delaware, Phone (302) 322-8411, Website www.hsd.org.

George Read had a town house on the Strand in New Castle which was destroyed by fire in 1824. It was next door to the George Read Jr. House, built by Read’s son, George Jr. This 22 room, 14,000 square-foot, mansion was the largest house in Delaware when completed in 1803. The original house was located in what is now the garden of the current house.

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CAESAR RODNEY - DELAWARE

BORN – October 7, 1728, at Byfied, the family farm on St. Jones Neck in East Dover Hundred, Kent County, DE. Parents (English ancestry) – Caesar Rodney, Sr. (b1707-d1745) and Elizabeth Mary Crawford Rodney (b1671-d1763). Eight Children – Caesar Rodney (b1728- d1784), Sarah Rodney (___, died young), (1741-d1764), William Rodney (b1738-d1787), Thomas Rodney (b1744-d1811), ___.

DIED – June 26, 1784 (age 55), at his home, Byfield Plantation, in Kent County, DE, from cancer. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - There are differing opinions on where Rodney is buried. Some believe that in 1888, Rodney’s remains were removed from the original gravesite at Byfield Plantation and reburied at Christ Episcopal Churchyard in Dover where a twelve foot granite monument was erected at his gravesite. Others maintain that his remains are still at the original burial site at Byfield Plantation, where the historical marker described below was installed.

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APPEARANCE – The picture above is an image of Caesar Rodney developed in the 1800’s. No contemporary portrait exists, probably because his face was scared from cancer surgery. It plagued him for a decade prior to his death, which he had covered with a green silk veil. John Adams wrote in his diary – “Caesar Rodney is the oddest looking man in the world. He is tall, thin and slender as a reed, pale. His face is not bigger than a large apple, yet there is sense and fire, spirit, wit, and humor in his countenance.”

FAMILY – Did not marry and have children. The woman he loved, Mary (Polly) Vining, married another man and died soon after. Rodney was the eldest child. His father died when he was 17. For the rest of his life he assumed the role of father to the younger children in his family.

OCCUPATION – PLANTER, LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, JUDGE, SOLDIER. Home schooled. Inherited Byfield Plantation at age 17, when his father died. DE Militia Captain in the French and Indian War. Member of the Continental Congress representing Delaware from 1774 to 1776. General in the DE Militia. Governor of Delaware from 1778 to 1781.

AT SIGNING – Age 47 at signing. On the eve of the vote for independence Rodney was in Delaware. His fellow delegate, Thomas McKean was in favor of independence and George Read was against it. McKean sent Rodney a message that hw was needed in Congress for the vote. On the night of July 1-2, 1776, he rode all night on horseback, in the rain, on muddy roads, 80 miles to reach Philadelphia in time to vote for independence. The result was a 2 to 1 vote in favor of independence by Delaware. The ride has been compared to Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride in Massachusetts.

AFTER SIGNING - Recruited Delaware men to serve in the military. Served as a General in the Delaware Militia. Died less than a year after the end of the war.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – Cemetery at Christ Episcopal Church Cemetery, Dover, DE (1734). Located at on Church Square at 523 S State Street, Dover, DE 19901, Phone (302) 734-5731, Website www.christchurchdover.org - or in an unmarked grave at nearby Byfield Plantation.

Dover Home - Byfield Plantation or Poplar Grove (1680’s). Located south of Dover on U.S. 113, just past the Dover Air Force Base. The roadside historical marker reads – “BYFIELD - Near this site stood the boyhood home of Caesar Rodney, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Byfield was originally settled in the early 1680’s by Daniel Jones, Rodney’s maternal great grandfather. Following Jones’ death, it became the family seat for three generations of the Rodney Family. Caesar Rodney spent his formative years here and eventually acquired ownership of the property after the death of his mother in 1763. Upon entering public life in 1764, Rodney moved to the town of Dover. Although the property was occupied by tenant

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farmers, Rodney retained Byfield until his death in 1784. He is buried in an unmarked family cemetery on the property.”

State House – Old State House, Dover, DE (1722). Located at 25 The Green, Dover, DE 19901 Phone 302-739-2438, Website www.history.delaware.gov/museums.

Statue – Caesar Rodney Equestrian Statue, Wilmington, DE (1922). Located in Rodney Square, in downtown Wilmington, DE. Statue of Rodney on a galloping horse commemorating his famous ride from Dover to Philadelphia, PA.

State Quarter – Rodney’s famous ride from Dover to Philadelphia, PA is depicted on the backside State quarter coin which was minted in 1999 commemorating the State of Delaware. The coin was the first to be issued in the State quarter series, because Delaware was the first of the new States to ratify the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787.

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GRAVESITE OF CAESAR RODNEY, CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, DOVER, DE (1734)

Gravesite of Caesar Rodney, Christ Episcopal Church, Dover, DE (1734). Located at on Church Square at 523 S State Street, Dover, DE 19901, Phone (302) 734-5731, Website www.christchurchdover.org.

When Dover was formally laid out by William Penn’s surveyors in 1717, two religious squares were designated. Meeting House Square, now the state of Delaware State Museum, was reserved for “Dissenters” (Presbyterians) and Church Square, east of Water Street, was reserved for the Church of England (Anglicans / Episcopalians). The original Church Square was southwest of the present square, and was relocated to its present site in 1734. The central portion of the present Christ Church building was begun on the new square the same year. Caesar Rodney was a member of the church. He is buried in the church cemetery or at his nearby Byfield Plantation.

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THOMAS MCKEAN – DELAWARE

BORN - March 19, 1734, at New London Township, Chester County, PA. Parents (Scotts-Irish ancestry) - William McKean (b1705-d1769) and Letitia Finney McKean (b1709-d1742). Four Children – Robert McKean (b1732-d1767), Thomas McKean (b1734-d1817), Dorothea McKean Thompson (b1737-d1776), William McKean (b1738-d1811).

DIED – June 24, 1817 (age 83) in Philadelphia, Pa. Religion - Presbyterian. Buried – First buried at the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery on Market Street in Philadelphia, PA. His remains was reburied in the family vault at , Philadelphia, PA in 1843.

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of Thomas McKean (age 53) painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1787. Over six feet tall, always wore a large cocked hat and carried a gold-headed cane. Was a man of quick temper and vigorous personality, "with a thin face, hawk's nose and hot eyes." John Adams described him as "one of the three men in the Continental Congress who appeared to me to see more clearly to the end of the business than any others in the body."

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FAMILY – Married - Mary Borden (b1744-d1773) in 1763. Six Children – Joseph Borden McKean (b1764-d1826), Robert McKean (b1766-d1802), Elizabeth McKean Pettit (b1767- d1811), Letitia McKean Buchanan (b1769-d1845), Mary McKean (b1771-d1781, age 10), Anne McKean Buchanan (b1773-d1804). Wife Mary died in 1773. Married - Sarah Armitage (b1750-d1820) in 1774. Five Children – Unnamed McKean (b1775-___), Sarah Maria Theresa McKean Martinez (b1777-d1841), Thomas McKean, Jr. (b1779-d1852), Sophia Dorothea McKean (b1783-d1819), Maria Louisa McKean (b1785-d1787, age 2). When Thomas McKean died in 1817, he left 34 grandchildren.

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, GOVERNOR OF DE AND PA, JUDGE, SOLDIER. Home schooled and attended the New London Academy. Practiced law in Delaware and nearby Philadelphia. Member of the Continental Congress representing Delaware from 1774 to 1776, and 1777 to 1783. President of Congress in 1781. Governor of Delaware in 1777. Chief Justice of Pennsylvania from 1777 to 1799. Governor of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1808.

AT SIGNING – Age 42 at signing. Signed sometime after August 2, when he arrived back in Philadelphia. He is believed to be the last to sign the Declaration, sometime after January 18, 1777, due to the demands on his time during the war.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia, on and off, until 1783. Served in the Pennsylvania Militia in the defense of NJ and NY City and was nearly killed in action. He wrote his wife – “About twenty cannon balls flew close to me sometimes on one side and sometimes on the other and some just over my head.”

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA. Located at 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19132, on the bank of the Schuylkill River, Phone 215-228-8200, Website www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org.

Philadelphia Home – Was located on the northeast corner of 3rd and Pine Streets, Philadelphia.

New Castle Church – New Castle Presbyterian Church, New Castle, DE (1707). Located at 25 East 2nd Street, New Castle, DE 19720, Phone 302-328-3279, Website www.newcastlepreschurch.org. Thomas McKean attended the church when in New Castle.

Philadelphia Church – Old Pine Street First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA (1768). Located at 412, corner of Pine and 4th Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone 215-925-8051, Website www.oldpine.org. Thomas McKean attended the church when in Philadelphia and he was initially buried there.

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GRAVESITE OF THOMAS MCKEAN, LAUREL HILL CEMETERY, PHILADELPHIA, PA

Gravesite of Thomas McKean, Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA. Located at 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19132, on the bank of the Shuylkill River, Phone 215-228- 8200, Website www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org

The text on the top of the vault reads – “McKean Family Vault, Beneath this marble are the remains of Thomas McKean one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. President of Congress in 1781. Chief Justice and Governor of the State of Pennsylvania. Born March 19, 1734. Died June 24, 1817. And the Descendants of His Family.”

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SAMUEL CHASE – MARYLAND

BORN - April 11, 1741, in Princess Anne, Somerset County, MD. Parents (English ancestry) – Thomas Chase (b1703–d1779) and Matilda Walker Chase (b___-d1741, in childbirth with Samuel). One Child - Samuel Chase (b1741-d1811).

DIED - June 19, 1811 (age 70), in , MD of a heart attack. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Old St. Paul’s Cemetery, Baltimore, MD.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Samuel Chase (age __) painted by in 1836. Imposing figure, ore than six feet tall, broadly built, weighing two hundred forty pounds. Brownish red complexion with the nickname of “Old Bacon Face.”

FAMILY - Married - Ann (Nancy) Baldwin (b1741-d1776) in 1762. Seven Children (four surviving to adulthood) – Matilda Chase Ridgely (b1763-d1835), Daughter (b1763-___), Thomas Chase #1 (___, died young), Nancy Chase (___), Fanny Chase (___, died young), Ann

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Chase (___), Samuel Chase (___), Thomas Chase #2 (b1774-d1826). Wife Ann died in 1776. Married - Hannah Kitty Giles (b1759-d1848) in 1784. Two Children – Mary Chase Barney (b1785-d1872), Elisa Chase Coale (b1788-d1853).

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, JUDGE. Home schooled by his father. Joined a law practice in Annapolis in 1759. Member of the Continental Congress representing Maryland from 1774 to 1778. Moved from Annapolis to Baltimore in 1786. U.S. Supreme Court Justice from 1796 until his death in 1811. Best known for his interpretation of the Sedition Act of 1798 and his impeachment trial in 1804.

AT SIGNING – Age 35 at signing. Was instrumental in obtaining Maryland support for the Declaration. First of the delegation from Maryland to sign.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. Helped supply the Colonial Army. Helped write Maryland’s Constitution and the Articles of Confederation.

HISORIC SITES

Annapolis Home – Chase-Lloyd House (1774). Located at 22 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401, Phone 410-263-2723, Website www.nps.gov/history. Samuel Chase started construction of the house. He sold it to Edward Lloyd IV before it was finished and never lived in it.

Gravesite – Old Saint Paul’s Cemetery, Baltimore, MD (1799). Located in south central Baltimore, west Baltimore and is bound by Redwood Street to the north, Lombard Street to the south and Martin Luther King Boulevard to the west and the University of Maryland campus to the east.

Church - Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church (1859). Located at 199 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, Phone 410-267-9333, Website www.stannes-annapolis.org. The first Saint Anne's Church was built between 1696 and 1704. A new and larger church was completed in 1792, and burned in 1858. The current church was completed in 1859

State House – , Annapolis, MD (1779). Located at 100 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401, Phone 410-260-2900, Website www.statehouse.md.gov. Oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use and only state house to have served as the Nation’s Capital – 1783 to 1784.

Tavern - Rams Head Tavern, Annapolis, MD. Located at 33 West Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, Phone 410-268-4545, Website www.ramsheadtavern.com. Samuel Chase moved to this site which he had leased in 1769, after he sold the Chase-Lloyd House in 1771.

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CHASE-LLOYD HOUSE, ANNAPOLIS, MD (1774)

Chase-Lloyd House, Annapolis, MD (1774). Located at 22 Maryland Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401, Phone 410-263-2723, Website www.nps.gov/history.

Samuel Chase started construction of the mansion in 1769. He sold the house to Edward Lloyd IV in 1771, before it was finished and never lived in it. Lloyd completed the construction in 1774. Today, the house serves as a home serves as a home for elderly women. The first floor and gardens are open to the public.

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WILLIAM PACA - MARYLAND

BORN - October 31, 1740, at Chilbury Hall near Abingdon, now Harford County, MD, north of Baltimore near the . Parents (Italian and English ancestry) - John Paca (b1712– d1785) and Elizabeth Smith Paca (b1715-d1758). Eight Children – Mary Paca (b1733-d1781), John Paca (b1735-d1795), Aquila Paca (b1738-d1787), William Paca (b1740-d1799), Elizabeth Paca (b1742-d1758, age 16), Martha Paca Phillips (b1743-d1829), Frances Paca Dallam (___- d1787), Susanna Paca Smith (b1753–d1796).

DIED – October 13, 1799 (age 58), at on Wye Island across the narrows from his own home, Wye Plantation in Queen Anne’s County, MD. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Family cemetery near the Wye Plantation, Queen Anne’s County, MD.

APPEARNACE – The picture above is the portrait of William Paca (age 31) painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1772. Peale described Paca as “He was a handsome man, more than 6 feet high, of portly appearance, being well educated and accustomed to the best company, (William Paca) was graceful in his movements and complaisant to everyone; in short, his manners were of

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the first polish. In the early period, when the people’s eyes first became opened to their rights….(he) made the first stand for the independence of the People.” Quiet man, preferred to write newspaper articles and work behind the scenes.

FAMILY – Married - Mary (Molly) Lloyd Chew (b1736-d1774, in childbirth with third child) in 1763. Three Children (One surviving to adulthood) – Henrietta Maria Paca (b1764, died as infant), John Philemon Paca (b1771-d1840), William Paca (b1774-d1779, age 5). Wife Molly died in 1774. Two “natural” (illegitimate) daughters with Companion - Levina (___-d1780) in Philadelphia, PA – daughter Hester (b1775-d1793), and Companion - Sarah Joyce (___-d1803) in Annapolis – daughter Henrietta Maria (Joice) (b1777-d1850). Married - Ann Harrison (b1757-d1780, in childbirth with Henry) in 1777. One Child – Henry Paca (b1778-d1781, age 3). John Philemon Paca was the only surviving legitimate heir was John Philemon Paca. “Philemon” is the name of a book in the Bible.

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, PLANTER, LEGISLATOR, JUDGE. Graduated from the College of Philadelphia (now University of Pennsylvania) in 1759, and the Middle Temple Law School in London. Established a law practice in Annapolis, MD in 1764. Member of the Continental Congress representing Maryland from 1774 to 1779. from 1782 to 1785. Judge of the U.S. Court of Maryland from 1788 until his death in 1799.

AT SIGNING – Age 35 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1779. Appointed as a judge to maintain stability on the Eastern Shore due to outbreaks of treason and insurrections. Spent heavily on war from his personal fortune. Proposed a Bill of Rights along with James Madison as part of the U.S. Constitution to include – freedom of religion, freedom of the press, legal protection of citizens accused of crimes.

HISTORIC SITES

Annapolis House – William , Annapolis, MD (1765). Located at 186 Prince George Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, Phone 410-267-8146, Website www.annapolis.org. Home of William Paca from 1765 to 1780.

MD Home & Gravesite – Wye Hall Plantation (1765). Located in Queen Anne’s County on the Eastern shore a few miles north of Easton, MD. Home of William Paca until his death in 1799. Many of Paca’s possessions were lost in a major fire in 1879. Privately owned.

Meeting Place – Georgian House Bed and Breakfast, Annapolis, MD (1747). Located at 170 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, Phone 410-263-5618, Website www.georgianhouse.com. Place where Colonial legislators often met including William Paca, Samuel Chase and Thomas Stone.

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WILLIAM PACA HOUSE AND GARDEN, ANNAPOLIS, MD (1765)

William Paca House and Garden, Annapolis, MD (1765). Located at 186 Prince George Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, Phone 410-267-8146, Website www.annapolis.org.

The pre-Revolutionary War British town house was largely designed by William Paca (pronounced Pay-ca), himself. He sold the house in 1780, when he moved to his Wye Hall Plantation on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In the early 1900’s the house and a building on the backside served as the Carvel Hall hotel. In the 1970’s the building on the back was demolished and the house and two acre walled garden, which includes a two-story summer house, was restored to its original state. Today, the house and gardens bear a resemblance to the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg, VA.

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THOMAS STONE – MARYLAND

BORN – 1743 at Poynton Manor in Charles County, MD. Parents (English and Scottish ancestry) - David Stone (b1709–d1773) and Elizabeth Jenifer Stone (b1712-d1773). Ten Children – Samuel Stone, Jr. (b1730-d1778), Frederick Stone (b1738-d1773), Catherine Stone (b1740-d1801), Grace Stone (b1742-d1809), Thomas Stone (b1743-d1787), (b1747-d1812), (b1750-d1804), Walter Stone (b1750-d1791), Daniel Jenifer Stone (b1752-d1772), Betty Ann (Betsy) Stone (b1753-d1791),

DIED – October 5, 1787 (age 44) in Alexandria, VA, while waiting to board a ship for Europe. Was very depressed after his wife died in 1787. He died less than four months later, reportedly of a broken heart. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Family cemetery at Habre-de- Venture Plantation, Port Tobacco, MD.

APPEARANCE – Tall, thin, pale, reserved. Rarely spoke in Congress. Preferred the background, rather than the spotlight. Known more for the quality of his writing, than for his eloquent voice.

FAMILY – Married - Margaret Eleanor Brown (b1751–d1787) in 1768. Four Children – John Stone (b1770-d1771, age one), Margaret Eleanor Stone Daniel (b1771–d1809), Mildred Stone Daniel (b1773–d1837), Frederick Stone (b1774–1793).

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OCCUPATION – PLANTER, LAWYER, LEGISLATOR. Locally schooled in Charles County, MD. Established law practice in Frederick, MD in 1764. Member of the Continental Congress representing Maryland from 1775 to 1778 and again in 1784 serving as President of Congress.

SIGNING – Age 33 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778.

HISTORIC SITES

Port Tobacco Home & Gravesite - Thomas Stone National Historic Site, called Habre-de- Venture Plantation (1772). Located at 6655 Rose Hill Road., (near the junction of MD Route 225 and 6), Port Tobacco, Maryland, 25 miles south of Washington D.C., Phone 301-392-1776, Website www.nps.gov/thst. Plantation home from 1772 until his death in 1787.

Annapolis Home – Peggy Stewart House, Annapolis, MD (1764). Located at 207 Hanover Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, Website www.mht.maryland.gov. Annapolis home of Thomas Stone from 1783 until his death in 1787, (Retained Habre-de Venture). Privately owned.

Dr. Brown Home – Rose Hill, Port Tobacco, MD (1784). Located on Rose Hill Road, north of Port Tobacco, MD. Home of wife Margaret’s older brother. The roadside historical marker reads – “ROSE HILL – Home of Dr. Gustavus Richard Brown who lies buried here. He was a close friend of George Washington and was one of the physicians in attendance at his death.” Privately owned.

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HOME OF THOMAS STONE THOMAS STONE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, PORT TOBACCO, MD (1771)

Home of Thomas Stone, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, Port Tobacco, MD (1771). Located at 6655 Rose Hill Road., (near the junction of MD Route 225 and 6), Port Tobacco, Maryland, 25 miles south of Washington D.C., Phone 301-392-1776, Website www.nps.gov/thst.

The site also known as Habre-de-Venture, which is a Latin phrase meaning “Dwelling Place of the Winds” or “A Place Possessed by the Winds”. The plantation is on high ground above the Potomac River and subject to winds from the west. The house was restored after a fire in 1977. Thomas Stone is buried in the family cemetery on the property.

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CHARLES CARROL (OF CARROLLTON) - MARYLAND

BORN - September 19, 1737, in the Charles Carroll House in Annapolis, MD. Parents (Irish ancestry) - Charles Carroll of Annapolis (b1702–d1782) and Elizabeth Brooke Carroll (b1709– d1761). One Child - Charles Fremont Carroll III (b1737-d1832).

DIED – November 14, 1832 (age 95), a this city mansion in the Baltimore, MD neighborhood of Jonestown on East Lombard and South Front Streets, by Jones Falls. Religion – Catholic. Buried - Doughoregan Manor Chapel near Ellicott City, MD. Was the last of the Signers to die.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Charles Carroll painted by Michael Laty in 1846. Slight build, frail and sickly as a youth but lived to age 95.

FAMILY – Married - Mary (Molly) Darnall (b1749-d1782) in 1768. Seven Children (three surviving to adulthood) – Elizabeth Carroll (b1769-d1769, as infant), Mary (Polly) Carroll Caton (b1770-d1846), Louisa Rachel Carroll (b1772-d1772, as infant), Charles Carroll IV (b1775- d1825, of Homewood), Anne Brooke Carroll (b1776-d1776, as infant), Catherine (Kitty) Carroll (b1778-d1861), Elizabeth (Eliza) Carroll (b1780-d1783, age 3).

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OCCUPATION – PLANTER, LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, U.S. SENATOR. Graduated from the Lycée Louis-le-Grand (Louis the Great College) in Paris in 1755. Member of the Continental Congress representing Maryland from 1776 to 1778. U.S. Senator from Maryland from 1789 to 1792. Was one of the wealthiest men in America at the time, possibly the wealthiest.

AT SIGNING – Age 38 at signing. Was the only Catholic Signer of the Declaration. His signature reads “Charles Carroll of Carrollton”, to distinguish him from his father “Charles Carroll of Annapolis”, who was still living at that time, and several other Charles Carrolls in Maryland.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune.

HISTORIC SITES

Ellicott City, MD Home & Gravesite – Doughoregan Manor Plantation, Ellicott City (1720’s). Located 3500 Manor Lane, Howard County, Ellicott City, MD 21042.

Frederick, MD Home – Carrollton Manor Estate, Frederick (1820), 5809 Manor Woods Road, Frederick County, MD 21701. The roadside historical marker reads – “CARROLLTON – Patented for 10,000 acres to Charles and 1st April 1724. It was from this tract that Charles Carroll assumed the title of “Charles Carroll of Carrollton” when signing the Declaration of Independence.”

Annapolis Home – Charles Carroll House, Annapolis, MD (1720’s). Located at 107 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, on Creek, Phone 410-269-1737, Website charlescarrollhouse.org. Birthplace and Annapolis home of Charles Carroll.

Daughter’s Home – Carroll Mansion Museum, Baltimore (1811). Located at 800 East Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21218. Charles Carroll spent winters in the Baltimore townhouse of his daughter and son-in-law during the last 12 years of his life.

Son’s Home – Homewood House, Baltimore (1808). Located at 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, on the Johns Hopkins University Campus, MD. Construction was paid for by John Carroll as a wedding gift for his son.

Inn – 1840’s Carrollton Inn, Baltimore, MD. Located at 50 Albemarle Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, Phone 410-385-1840, Website www.1840scarrolltoninn.com.

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HOME OF CHARLES CARROL (OF CARROLLTON), DOUGHOREGAN MANOR, ELLICOTT CITY, MD (1720’S)

Home of Charles Carroll (of Carrollton), Doughoregan Manor, Ellicott City, MD (1720’s). Located at 3500 Manor Lane, Howard County, Ellicott City, MD 21042.

Charles Carroll III of Carrollton preferred this home, the Carroll family ancestral home. He lived in it for most of the period 1766 to 1832 rather than at Carrollton Manor in Frederick, MD or his home on Spa Creek in Annapolis, MD. Charles Carroll I acquired the 10,000 acres that originally comprised the estate in 1717. His son Charles II built the main section of the house in the 1720’s. Charles III inherited the estate in the 1760’s. After his death in 1832, the house was greatly enlarged by Charles V. It is still owned and occupied by the Carroll family and is not open to the public.

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GEORGE WYTHE – VIRGINIA

BORN – 1726, at the family’s Chesterville Plantation on the Back River in Elizabeth City County (now Hampton), VA. Parents (English ancestry) – Thomas Wythe III (b1690-d1729) and Margaret Walker Wythe (b1691-d1746). Three Children – Thomas Wythe IV (b1722- d1755), George Wythe (1726-1806), Anne Wythe Sweeney (___). He was raised by his mother with the help of his older brother, Thomas IV.

DIED - June 8, 1806 (age 80) in Richmond, VA. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Churchyard at the St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, VA. He was poisoned with arsenic by Wythe's sister's grandson, 17 year old George Wythe Sweeney, who was living with Wythe and was an heir to his estate.

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of Georg Wythe (age 65) painted by William Crossman in 1927, from a sketch made by John Trumbull in 1791. Medium height, well proportioned, hooked nose, blue eyes, high forehead and arched brows, unostentatious in appearance and habits, polite and courteous in address, solemn and serious demeanor. Ate sparingly, eventually adopting a nearly exclusive vegetarian diet, drank wine moderately and kept a rigid schedule of work and studies.

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FAMILY – Married - Ann Lewis (b1726-d1748) in 1747. No Children. She died eight months later. Married - Elizabeth Taliaferro (b1725-d1787) in 1755. Possibly One Child - One daughter who died as an infant.

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, TEACHER, LEGISLATOR, JUDGE. His mother educated him in the classics. Probably attended grammar school in Williamsburg. He was later known as “The Walking Library.” Established law practice in Spotsylvania County, VA in 1746. Returned to Williamsburg after his wife, Ann died. Became a member of the faculty of the College of William & Mary in 1758. Taught and was a mentor to Thomas Jefferson, , and other men who became American Patriot leaders. Member of the Continental Congress representing Virginia from 1775 to 1777. Member of the Constitutional Convention from in 1787, and was one of the 40 Signers of the U.S. Constitution. Moved to Richmond, VA in 1791 to serve as a Judge.

AT SIGNING – Age 50 at signing. Some believe that he was the first of the seven member delegation from VA to sign the Declaration. He was actually the last. He was in Williamsburg conducting State legislative business when the Declaration was approved. He did not arrive back in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration until late September. When he went to sign all of the other six delegates from VA had already signed and there was no space at the bottom of the list. However, there was space above the other VA signatures, possibly left for him by his previous student and author of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Remained at his home in Williamsburg during the remainder of the war, exposed at times to capture by the British.

HISTORIC SITES

Williamsburg Home – George Museum, Williamsburg, VA (1755). Located at 101 S Henry Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185, on the Palace Green, Phone 757-229-1000, Website www.colonialwilliamsburg.com. George Wythe lived in the house from 1755 to 1791.

College – Wren Building, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (1700). Located at 102 Richmond Rd Williamsburg, VA 23185, Phone 757-221-4000, Website www.wm.edu. George Wythe taught at the college.

Gravesite – St. John’s Episcopal Church, Richmond, VA (1741). Located at 2401 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23223, Phone 804-649-7938, Website www.saintjohnsrichmond.org. Wythe was a member of the church while living in Richmond from 1791 until his death in 1806.

Chesterville – Chesterville Plantation, Hampton, VA (1691). Site of house is located in a grove near the junction of Virginia State Routes 27 and 172 in Hampton, VA. The family plantation

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inherited by Wythe in 1755 and operated by him until the 1790’s. The house burned in 1911 and the brick foundation remains.

Church – Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, Williamsburg, VA (1715). Located at 331 West Duke of Gloucester Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185, Phone 757-229-2891, Website www.brutonparish.org. Wythe was a member of the church while living in Williamsburg, VA.

Capitol – Capitol Building, Williamsburg, VA (1753 - Reconstructed). Located at the east end of the Duke of Gloucester Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185. Seat of the Virginia Legislature from 1753 to 1779, when the VA Capital was moved to Richmond.

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GEORGE WYTHE HOUSE MUSEUM, WILLIAMSBURG, VA (1755)

George Wythe House Museum (1755). Located at 101 South Henry Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185, on the Palace Green, Phone 757-229-1000, Website www.colonialwilliamsburg.com.

The house and outbuildings were built by Planter , for his daughter, Elizabeth and husband George Wythe. Much of the house is original. Wythe lived in the house from 1755 to 1791, when he moved to Richmond to serve as a Judge. In 1776, the house was the residence of Virginia General Assembly delegate Thomas Jefferson and his family. In 1781, the house served as General George Washington's headquarters before the British siege of Yorktown. In 1782, French General Rochambeau made the home his headquarters after the victory at Yorktown.

Note – George Wythe never actually owned the Wythe House. He and Elizabeth were given “life rights” to the house. They could live in the house “during their lives, and the life of the longest liver of them…” If they had children, the house would go to them. If not it would go back to the Taliaferro family.

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WREN BUILDING, COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY, WILLIAMSBURG, VA (1700)

Wren Building, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA (1700). Located at 102 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185, Phone 757-221-4000, Website www.wm.edu.

Founded in 1693, the College of William and Mary is the second oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S., after Harvard. The Wren Building is the signature building of the college and is the oldest academic structure still in use in America. George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, , and John Marshall studied in its rooms. George Washington was once chancellor of the college. The building was destroyed by fire three times and its appearance was often changed. It was the first major building restored by John D. Rockefeller Jr., after he began Williamsburg’s restoration in the late 1920s and it stands today much as it appeared by 1732.

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RICHARD HENRY LEE - VIRGINIA

BORN - January 20, 1732, and grew up at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, VA. Parents (English ancestry) - Thomas Lee (b1690-d1750) and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee (1701-1749). Children – Philip Ludwell Lee, Sr. (b1727–d1775), who inherited Stratford Hall, Hannah Ludwell Lee (b1728-d1782), John Lee (b1728-d1729, as infant), Lucinda Lee (b1730- d1750), Richard Henry Lee (1732-1790), Eleanor Lee (b1730-___), , Sr. (b1730-d1778), Francis Lightfoot (Frank) Lee (b1734–d1797), Alice Lee (b1736-d1817), Lucy Lee (b1737-___), (b1738–d1808), James Lee (b1739-d1739, as infant), (b1740–d1792). Richard was probably called Richard Henry to help distinguish him from the three other Richards and four other Henrys in the extended family.

DIED - June 19, 1794 (aged 62), at his home, Chantilly, Westmoreland County, VA. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Burnt House Field Cemetery, 20 miles east of Stratford at Mount Pleasant near Hague, Westmoreland County, VA. His tomb reads – “Here was Buried RICHARD HENRY LEE of Virginia 1732 – 1794, Author of the Westmoreland Resolutions of 1766, Mover of the Resolution for Independence, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, President of the Continental Congress, United States Senator from Virginia. ‘We cannot do without you’

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APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of Richard Henry Lee (age 52) painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1784. Six feet tall, slim with reddish hair, comfortable with speaking his opinion to the public. Described as a “formidable persuader with his graceful gestures, his pleasing voice, and his eloquence.” While hunting on his property in 1768, Lee's rifle exploded in his arms, costing him all four fingers on his left hand. For the rest of his life, Lee wore a black silk glove in public to conceal the injury.

FAMILY – Married - Anne Aylett (b1738–d1768) in 1757. Six Children (four surviving to adulthood) - Elizabeth Virginia Lee (b1755, died as infant), Thomas Lee (b1758-d1805), Ludwell Lee (b1760-d1836), Mary Lee Washington (b1764-d1795), Hannah Lee (b1766-d1802), Marybelle Lee (b1768, died as infant). Wife Anne died in 1768. Married - Anne Gaskins Pinckard (___) in 1769, a widow with two children. Seven Children (five surviving to adulthood) – Anne Lee (b1770–d1804), Henrietta Lee Tuberville (b1773–d1803), Sarah Caldwell (Sally) Lee Lee (b1775-d1837), Cassius Lee (b1779–d1850), Francis Lightfoot Lee II (b1782–d1850), Infant Lee (b1784, died as infant), Infant Lee (b1786, died as infant).

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, PLANTER, LEGISLATOR, U.S. SENATOR. Completed his formal education at Wakefield Academy in Yorkshire, England. Author of the Leedstown (Westmoreland) Resolutions of 1766. Member of the Continental Congress representing Virginia from 1774 to 1779, 1784 to 1785 (President), and 1887. U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1789 to 1792.

AT SIGNING – Age 44 at signing. Richard Henry and Francis Lightfoot Lee were the only brothers to be signers of the Declaration. On June 7, 1776, Lee made the motion in the Continental Congress to declare Independence from Great Britain, which led to the Declaration of Independence approved on July 4, 1776. It read – “Resolved: That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances. That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation.”

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia, on and off, until 1785. Served as a Colonel in the Westmoreland Militia protecting the plantations along the Potomac River from the British.

HISTORIC SITES

Stratford – Stratford Hall Plantation, Stratford (1730’s). Located at 483 Great House Road, Stratford, VA 22558, Phone 804-493-8038, Website www.stratfordhall.org. Birthplace and boyhood home of Richard Henry and his brother and fellow Signer, Francis Lightfoot Lee.

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Chantilly – Chantilly-on-the-Potomac Manor House, Westmoreland County, VA. The site was located three miles east of Stratford Hall. Home of Richard Henry as an adult and location where he died.

Gravesite - Lee Family Burnt House Field Cemetery, 20 miles east of Stratford at Mount Pleasant near Hague, Westmoreland County, VA. The roadside historical marker reads – “THE BURNT HOUSE FIELD - A mile and a half to the north is the Burnt House Field, a Lee family graveyard in which were buried Richard Lee of “Machotick,” Thomas Lee of “Stratford,” Richard Henry Lee of “Chantilly,” their wives, and others. These burials were in the garden of the Lees’ “Machotick” , which burned down in 1729.”

Church – Old Yeocomico Episcopal Church, Tucker Hill, VA (1706). Located on state route 606, Tucker Hill, VA. Richard Henry Lee was a member of Cople Parrish, which consists of three churches Yeocomico, Nomini and St. James.

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BOYHOOD HOME OF RICHARD HENRY LEE AND FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE, STRATFORD HALL PLANTATION, STRATFORD, VA (1730’S)

Boyhood Home of Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, Stratford Hall Plantation, Stratford, VA (). Located at 483 Great House Road, Stratford, VA 22558, Phone 804-493-8038, Website www.stratfordhall.org.

Stratford Hall was the home of four generations of the Lee family of Virginia, including two signers of the Declaration of Independence – Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee. Colonel Thomas Lee purchased the land in 1717 and began construction of the Great House in the 1730s. Today the house, gardens and outbuildings are a museum and open to the public along with overnight sleeping accommodations.

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THOMAS JEFFERSON – VIRGINIA

BORN – April 13, 1743 at , VA. Parents (English ancestry) – (b1708- d1757), and Jane (b1720-d1776). Ten Children (eight surviving to adulthood) – Jane Jefferson (b1740-d1765), Mary Jefferson Bolling (b1741-d1817) Thomas Jefferson (b1743-d1826) inherited 1900 estate in 1764, Elizabeth Jefferson (b1744-d1774), Carr (b1747-d1811), Peter Field Jefferson (b1748-d1748, as infant), Son (b1750-d1750, as infant), Lucy Jefferson Lewis (b1752-d1784), Anna Scott Jefferson Marks (b1755-d1805), Randolph Jefferson (b1755-d1815, age 10).

DIED – July 4, 1826 (age 83) at his home, Monticello, Charlottesville, VA. He was deeply in debt. Thomas Jefferson and fellow signer John Adams were political adversaries, but became good friends and corresponded regularly in their later years. Both died on the same day – July 4 (exactly 50 years after the approval of the Declaration). On his deathbed at his home in Quincy, MA, Adams’ last words were – “Thomas Jefferson still survives.” He was mistaken. Jefferson had died five hours earlier at Monticello. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian (Deist). Buried – family cemetery at Monticello.

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APPEARANCE – The picture above is the portrait of Thomas Jefferson (age 57) painted in 1800. Tall (6 foot, 2 inches), slender, freckled, sandy hair, prominent cheek bones and chin, straight as a gun barrel, large hands, dignified.

FAMILY – Married - Martha Wayles Skelton (b1748–d1782) in 1772. Six Children (two surviving to adulthood) – Martha (Patsy) Jefferson Randolph (b1772-d1836), Jane Randolph Jefferson (b1774-d1775, as infant), Unnamed son (b1777-d1777, as infant), Mary (Polly) Jefferson Eppes (b1778-d1804), Lucy Elizabeth Jefferson (b1780-d1781, as infant), Elizabeth Jefferson (b1782-d1788, age 5). Based on DNA and other evidence, the consensus of most modern historians, Jefferson is believed to have fathered one or more of the children of one of his slave, , after the death of his wife, Martha.

OCCUPATION – PLANTER, LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, VA GOVERNOR, DIPLOMAT, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT, 3rd U.S. PRESIDENT. Graduated from the College of William & Mary in 1762. Member of the Continental Congress representing Virginia from 1775 to 1776. Governor of VA from 1779 to 1781. U.S. Minister to France from 1784 to 1789. U.S. Secretary of State from 1790 to 1793. 3rd U.S. President from 1801 to 1809. Accomplishments during his presidency were the , establishment of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Led the founding of the in Charlottesville. Collected a large library of 6,000 books which he sold to become the foundation of the books of the .

AT SIGNING – Age 36 at signing. Principal author of the Declaration of Independence. The first draft took him 17 days to prepare following the resolution by Richard Henry Lee on June 7, 1776. The Committee of Five, selected to draft the Declaration consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman.

AFTER SIGNING – While serving as the Governor of VA in 1781, he was forced to flee the Capital in Richmond from the British Army and then from Monticello to near Lynchburg, VA.

HISTORIC SITES

Monticello – Monticello Plantation, Charlottesville, VA (1768). Located at 931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, VA 22902, Phone 434-984-9800, Website www.monticello.org.

University – Rotunda, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA (1826). Located at 1827 University Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22904, Phone 434-924-0311, Website www.virginia.edu. Founding led by Jefferson.

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Poplar Forest – Poplar Forest Plantation, Lynchburg, VA (1806). Located at 1542 Bateman Bridge Road, Forest, VA 24551, Phone 434-525-1806, Website www.poplarforest.org. Jefferson’s summer home inherited through his wife Martha.

Tuckahoe – Plantation, Richmond, VA (1733). Located at 12601 River Road Richmond, VA 23238, Phone 804-784-5736, Website www.tuckahoeplantation.com. Childhood home of Jefferson.

Palace – Governor’s Palace, Williamsburg, VA (1710 - Reconstructed). Located at the south end of the Palace Green, Williamsburg, VA 23185, Phone (800) 447-8679, Website www.colonialwilliamsburg.com. Jefferson’s home when he was serving as the Governor of the new State of Virginia from 1779 until the VA Capital was moved to Richmond in 1780.

Capital – Virginia State Capital Building, Richmond, VA (1785). Located at 1000 Bank St Richmond, VA 23219, Phone 804-698-1788, Website www.virginiacapitol.gov. Design led by Jefferson.

Natural Bridge – Natural Bridge of Virginia. Located at 15 Appledore Lane, Natural Bridge, VA 24578, Phone 800-533-1410, Website www.naturalbridgeva.com. Jefferson purchased 157 acres including the Natural Bridge in 1774 which he owned until his death in 1826.

Memorial – . Washington, D.C (1943). Located at 900 Drive SW, Washington, DC 20242, Phone (202) 426-6841, Website www.nps.gov/thje.

Sculpture – National Memorial, Keystone, SD (1941). Located at 13000 South Dakota 244, Keystone, SD 57751, Phone 605) 574-2523, Website www.nps.gov/moru.

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HOME OF THOMAS JEFFERSON, MONTICELLO PLANTATION, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (1768)

Home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello Plantation, Charlottesville, VA (1768). Located at 931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, VA 22902, Phone 434-984-9800, Website www.monticello.org.

Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson. Work began on what historians would subsequently refer to as "the first Monticello" in 1768, on a plantation of 5,000 acres. Monticello means Hillock or Little Mountain in Italian. The house was remodeled and expanded over a fifteen year period from 1794 to 1809. Jefferson and his wife Martha, are buried at Monticello. The inscription on his grave stone reads – “Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom Father of the University of Virginia”.

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ROTUNDA, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (UVA), CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (1826)

Rotunda, University of Virginia (UVA), Charlottesville, VA (1826). Located at 1827 University Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22904, Phone 434.924.0311, Website www.virginia.edu.

The Rotunda is a building located on in the original grounds of the University of Virginia. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson to represent the "authority of nature and power of reason" and was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. Construction was begun in 1822 and was completed in 1826, after his death. The grounds of the new university were unique in that they surrounded a library housed in the Rotunda rather than a church, as was common at other universities in the English-speaking world.

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BENJAMIN HARRISON – VIRGINIA

BORN - April 5, 1726, at , near Charles City, VA. Parents (English ancestry) - Benjamin Harrison IV (b1695-d1745) and Anne Carter Harrison (b1704-d1745). Eleven Children – Anne Carlin Harrison Randolph (b1723-d1745), Elizabeth Harrison Randolph (b1725-d1783), Benjamin Harrison V (b1726-d1791), inherited Berkeley Plantation, Lucy Carter Harrison Necks (b1728-d1789), Hannah Harrison (b1730-d1745, age 15), Carter Henry Harrison (b1732-d1794), Henry Harrison (b1734-d1772), Robert Carter Harrison (___), Nathaniel Harrison, Sr. (b1742-d1782), Charles Harrison (b1742-d1793), Maria Harrison (b1743-d1745, age 2).

DIED - April 24, 1791 (aged 64), at Berkeley Plantation, near Charles City, VA. Suffered from Gout in his later years. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Family cemetery at the Berkeley Plantation.

APPEARANCE – The picture above is a miniature cameo of Benjamin Harrison and is believed to be the only surviving life portrait of Harrison. Large man, at 6 feet 3 inches tall, weighing

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between 250-300 pounds, sense of humor, excelled at committee work. Harrison once picked up the much smaller John Hancock and set him on the President’s chair, quipping “We will show Mother Britain how little we care for her by making a Massachusetts man our president.”

FAMILY – Married - Elizabeth Bassett (b1730-d1792). Nine Children – Elizabeth Harrison Bassett (b1730-d1792), Elizabeth Harrison Barner (b1751-d1815), Ann Harrison Coupland (b1753-d1831), Benjamin Harrison VI (b1755-d1795), Lucy Harrison Randolph (b1755-d1784), Carter Bassett Harrison (b1756-d1808), Nathaniel Harrison (b1759-d1782), Sarah Harrison Minge (b1770-d1812), Sr. (b1773-d1841). Benjamin Harrison was the father of 9th US President, William Henry Harrison and the Great-Grandfather of 23rd US President, Benjamin Harrison (b1833–d1901).

OCCUPATION – PLANTER, MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR, VA GOVERNOR. Attended the College of William and Mary, but left before graduating to manage Berkeley Plantation when his father suddenly died from a lightning strike in 1745. Classmate of Thomas Jefferson. Member of the Continental Congress representing Virginia from 1774 to 1778. from 1781 to 1784.

AT SIGNING – Age 50 at signing. Known for his sense of humor. On August 2, while preparing to sign the Declaration, he famously said to Elbridge Gerry who had taken his place at the table to sign – “I shall have a great advantage over you, Mr. Gerry, when we are all hung for what we are now doing. From the size and weight of my body I shall die in a few minutes and be with the Angels, but from the lightness of your body you will dance in the air an hour or two before you are dead.”

AFTER SIGINING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune. The British Army under the command of Benedict Arnold, pillaged Berkeley in 1780. They built a bonfire of all the Harrison family possessions and portraits and took rifle practice using his cows. Harrison and his family fled to avoid capture. Was called the Colonel.

HISTORIC SITES

Berkeley – Berkeley Plantation, Charles City (1726). Located at 12602 Harrison Landing Road, Charles City, VA 23030, Phone 804-829-6018, Website www.berkeleyplantation.com.

Church – Old Westover Episcopal Church (1730). Located at 6401 John Tyler Memorial Highway, Charles City, VA 23030, Phone 804-829-2488, Website westoverepiscopalchurch.org.

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HOME OF BENJAMIN HARRISON, BERKELEY PLANTATION, CHARLES CITY, VA (1726)

Home of Benjamin Harrison, Berkeley Plantation, Charles City (1726). Located at 12602 Harrison Landing Road, Charles City, VA 23030, Phone 804-829-6018, Website www.berkeleyplantation.com.

The roadside historical marker reads – “BERKELEY PLANTATION OR HARRISON’S LANDING - A short distance south, it was first settled in 1619, when the first Thanksgiving was held here. The present mansion, built in 1726, was the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and President William Henry Harrison. During July and August, 1862, it was the headquarters of General McClellan. The bugle call "Taps" was composed here then by General Butterfield.”

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THOMAS NELSON - VIRGINIA

BORN - December 26, 1738, at the Nelson House in Yorktown, VA. Parents (English ancestry) - William Nelson (b1711-d1772) and Elizabeth Burwell Nelson (17b18-d1798). Six Children – Elizabeth Nelson Thompson (___), Thomas Nelson, Jr. (b1738-d789), Nathaniel Nelson (b1745-___), Hugh Nelson (b1750-d1800), Robert Nelson (b1752-d1818), William Nelson (b1754-d1813).

DIED - January 4, 1789 (age 50), at his sons home, Montair, in Hanover County, VA. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Churchyard of Grace Episcopal Church in Yorktown, VA.

APPEARANCE

FAMILY – Married - Lucy Grymes (b1732-d1830) in 1762. Eleven Children - William Nelson (b1763-d1801), Thomas Nelson Jr. (b1764-d1804), Philip Nelson (b1766-d1851), Francis Nelson (b1767-d1833), Hugh Nelson (b1768-d1836), Elizabeth Nelson Page (b1770- d1853), Mary Nelson Carter (b1774-d1803), Lucy Nelson Page (b1777-d1863), Robert Nelson (b1778-d1818), Susanna Nelson Page (b1780-d1850), Judith Nelson Nelson (b1782-d1869).

OCCUPATION – PLANTER, MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR, SOLDIER, VA GOVERNOR. Attended Eton and graduated from Trinity College at Cambridge in England in 1761. Organized the Yorktown Tea Party. Member of the Continental Congress representing Virginia from 1775 to 1777. Governor of Virginia in 1781.

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AT SIGNING – Age 37 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Spent heavily on war from his personal fortune. Suffered a stroke in 1777 and returned home. General of the Virginia Militia at the Siege of Yorktown in 1781. Ordered cannon fire on his own home in Yorktown which was believed to be serving as the headquarters of General Cornwallis. He admitted proudly that he was the only one of nine or ten Virginians that were sent with him to England to be educated who had taken part in the American Revolution. All the rest were Tories. He died penniless.

HISTORIC SITES

Yorktown Home – Nelson House, Yorktown, VA (1740). Located on Main Street, Yorktown, VA 23690, Phone 757-890-3525, Website www.nps.gov/york.

Gravesite – Grace Episcopal Church, Yorktown, VA (1697). Located at 111 Church Street, Yorktown, VA 23690, Phone 757- 898-3261, Website www.gracechurchyorktown.org.

Monument – George Washington Equestrian Monument, Richmond, VA (1858). Located at Capitol Square, Richmond, VA. The honors the contribution of Virginian Patriots. It consists of a large statue of George Washington on horseback in the center surrounded by six smaller statues inscribed with themes reflecting each Patriot's contribution - Andrew Lewis - Colonial Times, Patrick Henry – Revolution, George Mason - Bill of Rights, Thomas Jefferson - Independence, John Marshall – Justice and Thomas Nelson, Jr. - Finance

Battlefield – Yorktown Battlefield Visitors Center, Yorktown, VA (1781). Located at 1000 , Yorktown, VA 23690, on the south side of the town of Yorktown, Phone 757- 898-2410, Website www.nps.gov/York. The Siege of Yorktown, fought between September 28 and October 19, 1781, was a decisive American and French victory and essentially ended the Revolutionary War (officially ended later by the Treaty of Paris in 1783).

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NELSON HOUSE, YORKTOWN, VA (1740)

Nelson House, Yorktown, VA (1740). Located on Main Street, Yorktown, VA 23690, Phone 757-890-3525, Website www.nps.gov/york.

The historic sign at the house reads - "Scotch Tom" Nelson, founder of the Nelson family and fortune in Yorktown, built this mansion in 1712. Later it passed to Yorktown's most illustrious son Thomas Nelson, Jr., who signed the Declaration of Independence, served as wartime Governor of Virginia, and commanded the Virginia militia during the siege of Yorktown.” The legend is that Nelson ordered his artillery to direct their fire on his own house which was believed to be occupied by General Cornwallis, offering five guineas to the first man who hit the house. However, the house received little damage.

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FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE - VIRGINIA

BORN - October 14, 1734, and grew up at Stratford Hall in Westmoreland County, VA. Parents (English ancestry) - Thomas Lee (b1690-d1750) and Hannah Harrison Ludwell Lee (b1701-d1750). Children – Philip Ludwell Lee, Sr. (b1726–d1775), who inherited Stratford Hall, Hannah Ludwell Lee (b1728-d1782), John Lee (b1728-d1729, as infant), Lucinda Lee (b1730-d1750), Richard Henry Lee (b1732-d1790), Thomas Ludwell Lee, Sr. (b1730-d1778), Eleanor Lee (b1730-___), Francis (Frank) Lightfoot Lee (b1734–d1797), Alice Lee (b1736- d1817), Lucy Lee (b1737-___), William Lee (b1738–d1808), James Lee (b1739-d1739, as infant), Arthur Lee (b1740–d1792). It is believed that the name “Lightfoot” came from Francis Lightfoot, who was the best man at his father and mother’s wedding.

DIED - January 11, 1797 (age 62), at his home, Menokin, near Warsaw, VA. Religion – Anglican / Episcoplian. Buried – Originally buried in a local parish graveyard and later reburied at the Tayloe family cemetery at , near Warsaw, VA.

APPEARANCE – Quiet philosopher, well-read, man “of gentle reasoning and quiet persuasion.” Never spoke on the floor of Congress.

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FAMILY – Married - Rebecca Plater Tayloe (b1752-d1797) in 1769. After 28 years of marriage, they both died 10 days apart in 1797. No Children – They helped raise Portia Lee and Cornelia Lee, who were the daughters of his brother, William Lee.

OCCUPATION – PLANTER, LEGISLATOR. Home schooled and tutored. Avid reader. Inherited and moved to Plantation called Cotton in Loudon County, VA and then to Menokin near Warsaw, VA. Member of the Continental Congress representing Virginia from 1774 to 1779.

AT SIGNING – Age 41 at signing. Francis Lightfoot and Richard Henry Lee were the only brothers to be signers of the Declaration.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1779. Worked hard to supply the Continental Army.

HISTORIC SITES

Menokin - Menokin Plantation, Warsaw, VA (1769). Located at 4037 Menokin Road, Warsaw, VA 22572, on Cat Point Creek (Menokin Bay), five miles north of the . Phone 804-333-1776, Website [email protected]. Home of Francis Lightfoot as an adult and place where he died.

Stratford - Stratford Hall Plantation, Stratford, VA (1730s). Located at 483 Great House Road, Stratford, VA 22558, Phone 804-493-8038, Website www.stratfordhall.org. Birthplace and boyhood home of Francis Lightfoot Lee and his brother and fellow Signer, Richard Henry Lee.

Gravesite – Mount Airy Plantation (1758), in Richmond County, near Warsaw, VA. Phone 804- 333-4930, Website www. mountairyplantation.com. Privately owned. Open to the public by appointment.

Church – St. John’s Episcopal Church (1732 / 1835). Located at 5987 Richmond Road, Warsaw, VA 22572, Phone 804-333-4333, Website www.episcopalchurch.org.

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HOME OF FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE, MENOKIN PLANTATION, WARSAW, VA

Home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, Menokin Plantation, Warsaw, VA (1769). Located at 4037 Menokin Road, Warsaw, VA 22572, on Cat Point Creek (Menokin Bay), five miles north of the Rappahannock River. Phone 804-333-1776, Website [email protected].

The Menokin house and plantation were a wedding gift of John Tayloe II to his daughter and new husband, Francis Lightfoot Lee. The name “Menokin” comes from the Rappahannock Indians who lived in the area and translates from their Algonquian-based language, to "He gives it to me". A shelter was built over the remains of the house to help preserve it from further deterioration. The current preservation concept is to replace the missing pieces of the house with architectural glass. The dark stones are locally quarried iron infused sandstone which turn to rust color when quarried.

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CARTER BRAXTON – VIRGINIA

BORN - September 10, 1736 at the Newington Plantation on the Mattapony River near the King and Queen County Courthouse, VA. Parents (English ancestry) - George Braxton, II. (b1705- d1749) and Mary Carter Braxton (b1712-d1736). Two Children – George Braxton III (b1734- d1761), Carter Braxton (b1736-d1797). Mother Mary died 1736 giving birth to Carter. Carter was a grandson of Robert “King” Carter, one of the wealthiest landowners and slaveholders in VA at the time.

DIED - October 10, 1797 (age 61) at his townhouse in Richmond, VA from a stroke. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Braxton Family Cemetery at Chericoke Plantation, VA.

APPEARANCE – Agreeable, sensible speaker, and an accomplished gentleman.

FAMILY – Married - Judith Robinson (b1736-d1757) in 1754 (both age 19). Two Children – Mary Braxton Page (b1756-d1794), Judith Braxton White (b1757-d1823). Wife Judith died in 1757 giving birth to daughter Judith. Married - Elizabeth Corbin (b1747-d1814) in 1761. Sixteen Children - Elizabeth Corbin Braxton Griffin (b1760-d1798), George Braxton (b1762- d1801), Corbin Braxton (b1764-d1822), Carter Braxton II (b1765-d1809), Ann Corbin Braxton (b1767-d1825), Alicia Corbin Braxton (b1770-d1811), John Tayloe Braxton (b1781-d1809), William Braxton (b1783-___), Tayloe Braxton (___), ___.

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OCCUPATION – PLANTER, MERCHANT, LEGISLATOR. Graduated from the College of William and Mary and Attended Cambridge University in England. Member of the Continental Congress representing Virginia from 1775 to 1776.

AT SIGNING – Age 39 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune. His ships were captured by the British and many of his landholdings were pillaged. Died in poverty due in part to bad business decisions.

HISTORIC SITES

Elsing Green – Manor House, Plantation, King William County, VA (1720). Located at 1048 Elsing Green Lane, King William, VA 23086, on the Pamunkey River, 35 miles northeast of Richmond, VA, phone 804-769-3416, website www.elsinggreen.com. Braxton home from 1760 to 1767. Privately owned. Open to the public by appointment.

Chericoke and Gravesite – Chericoke Plantation, King William County, VA (1767 / 1828). Located on the Pamunkey River in King William County, near Falls, VA. Braxton home from 1767 to 1786. The current house was built on the site of the original by his grandson Dr. Corbin Braxton in 1828. Privately owned.

West Point, VA – Site of townhouse, West Point, VA. The roadside historical marker reads – “HOME OF SIGNER – Carter Braxton, Signer of the Declaration of Independence, lived at West Point 1777-1786 after fire destroyed his plantation at Chericoke, upriver on the Pamunkey. The town house no longer stands. From West Point Braxton channeled war goods to Patriot troops.”

Birthplace - Newington Plantation Archaeological Site. Located at 998 Newington Lane, King and Queen Court House, VA.

Courthouse – King and Queen County Court House, VA (1691 / 1866). Located at the intersection o Allen’s Circle and Courthouse Landing Road, VA 23085, Phone 804-785-5982, Website www.kingandqueenco.net. Tavern Museum. Located at 146 Court House Landing Road, Phone 804-785-9558, Website www.kingandqueenmuseum.org. Carter Braxton was born at the nearby Newington Plantation.

Church – Old St. John’s Episcopal Church, West Point, VA (1734). Located at 103 St. John's Church Lane, West Point, VA 23181, on Route 30 (King William Road), 10 miles northwest of West Point, Phone 804-843-9194. Website oldstjohn.org. The roadside historical marker reads – “ST. JOHN’S CHURCH – This was the parish church of St. John’s Parish, formed in 1680. It was built in 1734. Earlier churches stood at West Point and about one mile north of this site. Carter Braxton, Revolutionary statesman, was a vestryman preserved by joint effort.”

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HOME OF CARTER BRAXTON ELSING GREEN PLANTATION, KING WILLIAM COUNTY, VA (1720)

Home of Carter Braxton, Elsing Green Plantation, King William County, VA (1720). Located at 1048 Elsing Green Lane, King William County, VA 23086, on the Pamunkey River, 35 miles northeast of Richmond, VA, phone 804-769-3416, website www.elsinggreen.com. Privately owned. Open to the public by appointment.

Elsing Green is believed to be named for Elsing Hall, a small country manor house in Norfolk, England. The Queen Anne manor house and nearby kitchen were built by the Dandridge family between 1715 and 1720. Legend has it that Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, the future wife of George Washington, once rode her horse through the house. The original structure, a brick Jacobean lodge was built before 1690, and now serves as the east dependency of the manor house. Carter Braxton bought the property in 1753, and lived there from 1760 to 1767. He moved to Chericoke Plantation several miles from Elsing Green where he lived from 1767 to 1786. He then moved to a townhouse in Richmond in 1786, because of mounting debts where he lived until his death in 1797.

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WILLIAM HOOPER – NORTH CAROLINA

BORN – June 17, 1742, in Boston, MA. Parents (Scottish and English ancestry) – William Hooper (b1704-d1767) and Mary Dennie Hooper (b1717-d1779). Six Children – William Thomas Hooper (b1742-d1790), John Hooper (b1744-d1813), George Hooper, (b1744-d1821), Mary Hooper Spence (b1748-___), Thomas Hooper (b1751-d1821), Absalom Hooper, Sr. (b1753-d1845).

DIED – October 14, 1790 (age 48), in Hillsborough, NC. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Originally buried in Hillsboro Old Town Cemetery, Hillsboro, NC. His remains were reburied at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro, NC in 1848, along with the remains of fellow Signer, John Penn.

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of William Hooper (age ___) painted by James Reid Lambdin in 1873, based on the image in the earlier painting by John Trumbull titled “Declaration of Independence”.

FAMILY – Married - Anne Clark (b1767-d1795) in 1767. Six Children (three surviving to adulthood) – William Hooper (b1768-d1804), Elizabeth (Betsy) Hooper Watters (b1770-d1840), Thomas Hooper (b1772-d1828), Arenas Hooper (b1774, died infant), Son (b1776, died as infant), Daughter (b1778, died as infant).

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OCCUPATION - LAWYER, PHYSICIAN, LEGISLATOR, JUDGE. Graduated from Harvard College (now Harvard University) in 1760, and then studied law. Moved to Wilmington, NC in 1764 (because there were too many lawyers in Boston) and established his law practice. Member of the Continental Congress representing North Carolina from 1774 to 1777. Joined his family in Hillsborough in 1780. Federal Judge from 1789 to his death in 1790.

AT SIGNING – Age 34 at signing. First of the delegation from North Carolina to sign. Was known as the “Prophet of Independence”, having made the earliest known prediction of independence in a 1774 letter to his friend James Iredell - “The Colonies are striding fast to independence, and ere long will build an empire upon the ruins of Great Britain; will adopt its Constitution, purged of its impurities, and from an experience of its defects, will guard against those evils which have wasted its vigor.” John Adams in his diary (1774-1804), states that Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, and William Hooper were the "Orators of Congress."

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777. Throughout the Revolutionary War the British attempted to capture Hooper. With his country home at Finian on Masonboro Sound, south of Wilmington being vulnerable to British attacks, he moved his family to Wilmington. The British shelled and destroyed his house at Finian and burned the house in Wilmington. His arm was badly injured. Fled from home, living house to house in the Windsor-Edenton area and a year later followed his family to Hillsborough.

HISTORIC SITES

Hillsborough Home - Nash-Hooper House, Hillsborough, NC (1772). Located at 118 West Tryon Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Privately owned. William Hooper lived in the house from 1782 until his death in 1790. The roadside historical marker reads – “WILLIAM HOOPER – 1742-1790 – One of North Carolina’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence. His home is 150 yrds W (yards West). Was buried a few yrds W (yards West).” William Hooper’s homes at Finian and Wilmington, NC no longer exist.

Gravesite - Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro, N.C. Located at 2332 New Garden Rd Greensboro, NC 27410, Phone 336-288-1776, Website www.nps.gov/guco. Remains are buried underneath the .

Battlefield – (Creek), Burlington, NC (1771). Located at 5803 NC Route 62 South, six miles south of Burlington, N.C. 27215, Phone 336-227-4785, Website www.nchistoricsites.org/Alamance. Fought on May 16, 1771, between the Governor Tryon’s British NC Militia and the Colonial Regulators, the battle was a precursor to thee Revolutionary War. William Hooper accompanied the British Militia at the battle resulting in the defeat of the Regulators.

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Governor’s Palace – Tryon Palace and Gardens, New Bern, NC (1770). Located at 610 Pollock St, New Bern, NC 28562, Phone 800-767-1560, Website www.tryonpalace.org. was the British Governor of the Colony of North Carolina from 1765 to 1771. The main building was destroyed by fire in 1798, and reconstruction was completed in 1959. William Hooper accompanied Governor Tryon’s troops to the Battle of Alamance.

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NASH-HOOPER HOUSE, HILLSBOROUGH, NC (1772)

Nash-Hooper House, Hillsborough, NC. (1772). Located at 118 West Tryon Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278. Privately owned.

The house was built by in 1772. He became a Revolutionary War hero and was killed as a General in the Battle of Germantown in 1777. The house was purchased by William Hooper in 1782, who lived in the house until his death in 1790. His earlier homes at Finian and Wilmington were destroyed by the British and no longer exist.

Hooper was buried to the east of his home in the garden. That part of the garden was later added to the town cemetery, behind the Presbyterian Church. In 1894, Hooper's remains were reburied at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, N.C., though his original gravestone and some of his remains are believed to reside in the Hillsborough cemetery. The new gravesite has a nineteen foot statue of William Hooper dressed in colonial garb in an orator's pose which still stands.

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JOSEPH – NORTH CAROLINA

BORN - January 23, 1730 at , Kingston (now Princeton), NJ. Parents (English ancestry) – Aaron Hewes (b1696-d1753) and Provident Worth Hewes (b1704-d1788). Six Children – Sarah Hewes Allen (b1728-d1785), Joseph Hewes (b1730-d1779), Josiah Hewes (b1732-d1821), Mary Hewes Middleton (b1735-d1779), Daniel Hewes (b1738-d1767), Aaron Hewes (b1742-d1789).

DIED - November 10, 1779 (age 49), in Philadelphia, PA, some believe because of exhaustion from overwork supporting the war effort. Religion – Quaker. Buried - Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA. Today there is a marker at the cemetery which commemorates Hewes, but the exact location of his grave in the cemetery is unknown.

APPEARANCE

FAMILY – He was engaged to Iabella Johnston, who died a few days before they were to be married. He never married. Before he died, he wrote that he was a sad and lonely man and had never wanted to remain a bachelor.

OCCUPATION – MERCHANT, SHIPPER, LEGISLATOR. Graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). Moved to Wilmington, North Carolina in 1760 and then to Edenton, NC in 1763. Merchant and owner of a large fleet of

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ships. Member of the Continental Congress representing North Carolina from 1774 to 1776, and again in 1779. Second Signer to die.

AT SIGNING – Age 46 at signing. Thomas Jefferson’s recollections (to John Adams in 1820) of the debate on independence - Hewes was sometimes firm, sometimes feeble, changing direction according as the day was clear or cloudy. John Penn had played a key role in influencing Hewes (with his pacifist Quaker background) to vote for independence.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1777, and again in 1779. Appointed first Secretary of the Navy in 1776. Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune. Provided the government his own extensive fleet of ships during the Revolutionary War. John Adams often said that Hewes "laid the foundation, the cornerstone of the American Navy."

HISTORIC SITES

Princeton Home - Maybury Hill Estate, Princeton, NJ (1730). Located at 346 Snowden Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540. Birthplace and boyhood home of Joseph Hewes. Privately owned.

Gravesite – Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA. Located at 20 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone 215-922-1695, Website www.christchurchphila.org. Today there is a marker at the cemetery which commemorates Hewes, but the exact location of his grave in the cemetery is unknown.

Edenton Office – Historic Edenton Visitor Center, Edenton, NC (1712). Located at 108 North Broad Street, Edenton, NC 27932, Phone 242-482-2637, Website www.edenton.nchistoricsites.org. Edenton was the first capital of NC from 1722 to 1743. A roadside historical marker reads – “JOSEPH HEWES – Signer of the Declaration of Independence, leader in Continental Congress, merchant. His store was three block S“ (South).”

Edenton Home – Disbrowe-Warren House (Joseph Hewes House), Edenton, NC. Located at 105 West King Street, Edenton, NC 27932. Privately owned.

Courthouse – Chowan County Courthouse, Edenton, NC (1767). Located at 117 East King Street, Edenton NC 27932, Phone 252-482-2637, Website www.edenton.nchistoricsites.org. Joseph Hewes, was one of the Commissioners appointed to raise money for its construction and practiced law and met in the building.

Church – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Edenton, NC (1774). Located at 101 West Gale Street, Edenton, NC 27932, Phone 252-482-3522, Website www. stpauls-edenton.org. Joseph Hewes was a member of the church.

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BOYHOOD HOME OF JOSEPH HEWES, MAYBURY HILL, PRINCETON, NJ (1730)

Boyhood Home of Joseph Hewes, Maybury Hill, Princeton, NJ (1730). Located at 346 Snowden Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540. Privately owned.

The estate was the birthplace and boyhood home of Joseph Hewes from 1730 to 1755. The house is the only remaining building with a connection to Hewes. The original house was a small, two-story stone structure with gable roof. A short distance away, at the northeast corner, stood a detached kitchen building. When Joseph Hewes was five years old, the main house burned and soon after rebuilt. Other major additions were made in 1753.

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JOHN PENN – NORTH CAROLINA

BORN – May 17, 1741 near Port Royal, Caroline County, VA. Parents (English ancestry) - Moses Penn (b1712-d1759) and Catherine Taylor Penn (b1719-d1761). One Child – John Edmund Penn (b1741-d1788).

DIED – September 14, 1788 (age 47) at his home near Island Creek several miles northeast of Stovall, Granville County, NC. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Originally near his home. His remains were reburied at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, N.C., Greensboro, NC in 1848, along with the remains of fellow Signer William Hooper.

APPEARANCE – Attractive, congenial personality, unobtrusive, unassuming, but remarkably efficient, likeable and discreet.

FAMILY – Married - Susannah Lynne (b1745-___) in 1763. Two Children – Lucy Penn Taylor (b1766-d1830), William Penn (b1775-___).

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, LEGISLATOR. Studied law under his uncle. Established a law practice in Bowling Green, Caroline County, VA in 1762. Moved and established a law practice in the Williamsboro area, Granville County, NC

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in 1774. Member of the Continental Congress representing North Carolina from 1775 to 1780. Member of the North Carolina Board of War in 1780.

AT SIGNING – Age 35 at signing. Described by Thomas Jefferson as “the greatest orator” in the colonies. On the debate on independence, Jefferson in a letter to John Adams in 1820 said - “Penn had played a key role, fixing the vote of Hewes so that North Carolina came to support the cause of liberty.”

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1780. Led the NC Board of War in 1780, supporting General Greene’s successful campaign against British General Cornwallis including the Battles of Kings Mountain, Cowpens and Guilford Courthouse.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – Signers Monument, Greensboro, NC (1894). Located at the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, 2332 New Garden Road, Greensboro, NC 27410, Phone 336-288-1776, Website www.nps.gov/guco.

Williamsboro Home – Located near Williamsboro, NC. The roadside historical marker reads – “JOHN PENN – 1740-1788 – One of North Carolina’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence. His home stood three miles northeast.” All that remains of the home is the hole in the ground where the foundation of the house was located.

Birthplace – Located near Port Royal, VA, on the Rappahannock River, east of Fredericksburg, VA.

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SIGNERS MONUMENT, GUILFORD COURTHOUSE, NC (1894)

Signers Monument, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Greensboro, NC (1894). Located at 2332 New Garden Road, Greensboro, NC 27410, Phone 336-288-1776, Website www.nps.gov/guco. The Park commemorates the Battle of Guilford Court House, fought on March 15, 1781. The Signers Monument is shown in the picture above which is located near the General Monument. The remains of Signers John Penn and William Hooper are buried beneath the monument. The remains of the third Signer from North Carolina, Joseph Hewes, could not be reburied at the monument. He was buried at Christ Church Burial Ground, Philadelphia, PA, but his burial location within the cemetery was unmarked and unknown.

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EDWARD RUTLEDGE – SOUTH CAROLINA

BORN - November 23, 1749, in Charleston, SC. Parents (Irish and English ancestry) - (b1713-d1750) and Sarah Boone Hext Rutledge (b1724-d1792). Seven Children (all seven living to adulthood) – John Rutledge, Jr. (b1739-d1800), Andrew Rutledge (b1740- d1772), Sarah Rutledge Mathews (b1742-d1819), Thomas Rutledge (b1743-d1783), Mary Rutledge (b1747-d1832), Edward Rutledge (b1749-d1800), Hugh Rutledge (b1750-d1811).

DIED - January 23, 1800 (age 50), in Charleston from a stroke. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Saint Philip’s Churchyard Cemetery in Charleston, SC.

APPEARANCE –- Above the medium size, fair complexion, intelligent and benevolent. An orator with power and eloquence, and a “genial and charming gentleman”, orator.

FAMILY - Married - Henrietta Middleton (b1750–d1792) in 1774. Four Children (three surviving to adulthood) – Rutledge (b1775-d1844), Jackson Middleton Rutledge (b1777-d1830), Edward Rutledge, Jr. (b1778–d1780, age 2). Sarah Rutledge Huger (b1782–d1855), Wife Henrietta died in 1792, Married - Mary Shubrick Eveleigh (b1754- d1837) in 1792. No Children.

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OCCUPATION – LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, SOLDIER, SC GOVERNOR. Graduated from the Temple Law School in London in 1767. Established a law practice in Charleston, SC in 1773, with his partner, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. Member of the Continental Congress representing South Carolina from 1774 to 1776. Governor of South Carolina from 1798 until his death in 1800. One of the Founders of the .

AT SIGNING – Age 26 at signing. Youngest of the 56 signers. First of the delegation from South Carolina to sign.

AFTER SIGNING – Attended the Staten Island Peace Conference with Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and the British on September 11, 1776. Served as an artillery officer in the SC Militia. Fought at the Battle of Port Royal in 1779. Served in the defense and in 1779 to 1780. After the city’s fall, he was captured and imprisoned on a ship at St. Augustine, FL, from May 1780 to June 1781. Released in a prisoner exchange.

HISTORIC SITES

Charleston Home – Governor’s House Inn, Charleston, SC (1760). Located at 117 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401, Phone 843-720-2070, Website www.governorshouse.com. Home of Edward Rutledge from 1776 until his death in 1800.

Gravesite - Saint Philip’s Churchyard Cemetery in Charleston, SC. Located at 142 Church Street, Charleston, SC 29401, Phone 843-722-7734, Website www.stphilipschurchsc.org

Brother’s Home – John Rutledge House Inn, Charleston, SC (1763). Located at 116 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401, Phone 800-476-9741, Website www.johnrutledgehouseinn.com. Home of Edward’s older brother, John who was a Signer of the U.S. Constitution. It is located across the street from Edward’s house.

Courthouse – Charleston County Courthouse, Charleston, SC (1792). Located at 100 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401, Phone 843-958-5000, Website www3.charlestoncounty.org. The Courthouse was built on the site of and incorporated the ruins of the original South Carolina Statehouse, which was built in 1753 and burned 1788, leaving only the foundation, walls and doorways. Designed by James Hoban, it is believed to be a forerunner of the architecture of the White House in Washington, DC.

Battlefield – Battle of Port Royal, Beaufort, SC (1779). Located near the Atlantic coast, 75 road miles southwest of Charleston, SC. A roadside historical marker reads – “BATTLE OF PORT ROYAL ISLAND – Near the Old Halfway House, in the vicinity of Grays Hill, on February 3, 1779, a force of South Carolina Militia, Continentals and Volunteers, including men from Beaufort, under General , defeated the British in their attempt to capture Port Royal Island.”

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HOME OF EDWARD RUTLEDGE, GOVERNOR’S HOUSE INN, CHARLESTON, SC (1760)

Home of Edward Rutledge, Governor’s House Inn, Charleston, SC (1760). Located at 117 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401, Phone 843-720-2070, Website www.governorshouse.com. Privately owned.

Edward Rutledge and his family lived in the house from 1776 until his death in 1800. Today, the house serves as a bed and breakfast. It is called the Governor’s House Inn, because of Edward Rutledge’s service as governor of South Carolina.

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THOMAS HEYWARD – SOUTH CAROLINA

BORN – July 28, 1746, in Old House, St. Luke’s Parish, near Beaufort, SC. Parents (English ancestry) - Daniel Heyward (b1720-d1777), Maria Miles Heyward (b1727-d1761). Six Children – Thomas Heyward, Jr. (b1746-d1809), Nathaniel Heyward (b1748-d1753, age 5), Maria Heyward (___), Daniel Heyward, Jr. (b1750-d1778), Hester Heyward (b1751-___), William Heyward (b1753-d1786), Wife Maria died in 1761. Married – Jane Elizabeth Gignilliat Heyward (1743-1770) in 1763. Children – James Heyward (___), Nathaniel Heyward (b1766-d1851), Maria Heward Brailsford (___). Wife Jane died in 1770. Married – Elizabeth Simons Heyward (___) in 1771. Two Children – Elizabeth Heyward (___), Benjamin Heyward (___).

DIED – March 6, 1809 (age 62), at his home in St. Luke’s Parish, SC. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Family cemetery at his home at Old House.

APPEARANCE – Small size.

FAMILY – Married - Elizabeth Matthews (b1753-d1782) in 1773. Six Children (one surviving to adulthood) – Daniel Heyward b1774-d1796), Marie Heyward (b1775-d1776, age one), Joseph Johnson Heyward (b1777-d1853), Thomas Heyward #1 (b1779-d1779, in infancy),

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John Heyward (b1779-d1779, in infancy), Thomas Heyward #2 (b1782-d1782, in infancy). Wife Elizabeth #1 died from childbirth in 1782. Married – Elizabeth Savage (b1770-d1833) in 1786. Three Children – Thomas Heyward (b1789-d1829), James Hamilton Heyward (b1792- d1828), Elizabeth Savage Heyward Parker (b1794-d1852).

OCCUPATION – LAWYER, PLANTER, LEGISLATOR, SOLDIER, JUDGE. Graduated from the Temple Law School in London. Established a law practice in Charleston, SC. Built a plantation called White Hall. Member of the Continental Congress representing South Carolina from 1776 to 1778. Appointed a circuit Judge in 1778. One of the Founders of the College of Charleston.

AT SIGNING – Age 29 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. Served as an artillery officer in the SC Militia. Wounded during the successful Battle of Port Royal in 1779. Served in the defense of Charleston in 1779 to 1780. After the city’s fall, he was captured and imprisoned on a ship at St. Augustine, FL, from May 1780 to June 1781. Released in a prisoner exchange. The British raided his plantation, burning White Hall and taking his 130 slaves for sale to the sugar plantations in Jamaica.

HISTORIC SITES

Charleston Home – Heyward-Washington House Museum, Charleston, SC (1772). Located at 87 Church Street, Charleston, SC 29403, Phone 843-722-0354, Website www.charlestonmuseum.org/heyward-washington-house. The house was built for Thomas Heyward Jr. by his father.

Gravesite – Old House, Heyward Family Cemetery. Located 100 yards east of SC Route 462, immediately south of the intersection of Routes 462 and 336, near Ridgeland, SC, and the nearest exit off I-95 is Exit 21. The nearby roadside historical marker reads – “TOMB OF THOMAS HEYWARD, JR. – 1746-1809 – Member of the South Carolina and Council of Safety and of Continental Congress. Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation and captain of militia at Battle of Port Royal and Siege of Charleston. Prisoner of war 1780-1781. Circuit Court Judge 1778-1789.” The ruins of the Old House Plantation house, which was burned by Union soldiers in 1864, are nearby and can be seen.

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HEYWARD-WASHINGTON HOUSE MUSEUM, CHARLESTON, SC (1772)

Heyward-Washington House Museum, Charleston, SC (1772). Located at 87 Church Street, Charleston, SC 29403, Phone 843-722-0354, Website www.charlestonmuseum.org/heyward- washington-house.

The house is located in the downtown Charleston Historic District within the area of the original walled city. Rice planter Daniel Heyward built the house in 1772 for his son, Thomas Heyward, Jr. In May 1791, the city rented the house for the use by George Washington during his week- long stay. Since then the house became traditionally known as the “Heyward-Washington House.” Other buildings on the site include the carriage shed, with an 18th-century well just beneath, and the kitchen building constructed in the 1740’s which is the only preserved kitchen of its time open to the public in Charleston, which was constructed in the 1740’s.

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THOMAS LYNCH – SOUTH CAROLINA

BORN - August 5, 1749, at Hopsewee Plantation, Prince George’s Parish, Winyah (Georgetown), SC. Parents (Irish ancestry) - Thomas Lynch, Sr. (b1727-d1776) and Elizabeth Allston Lynch (b1706-d1755). Three Children – Esther Lynch (b1746-d1825), Sabina Lynch (b1747-d1812), Thomas Lynch Jr. (b1749-d1779).

DIED – 1779 (age 30). He became seriously ill in 1779. Thomas and his wife sailed for the southern France by way of St. Eustatius in the West Indies, to help regain his health. Their ship disappeared at sea in a storm. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Lost at sea.

APPEARANCE -

FAMILY – Married - Elizabeth Shubrick (b1748-d1779) in 1772. No Children.

OCCUPATION – PLANTER, SOLDIER, LEGISLATOR. Graduated from the Eton College, Cambridge University in England and the Temple Law School in London. Served as a company commander in the First SC Regiment in 1775. Came down with malaria which affected him for the rest of his life. Member of the Continental Congress representing South Carolina in 1776.

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AT SIGNING – Age 26 at signing. Second youngest Signer after Edward Rutledge. He was elected to help his father who had a stroke while serving in Congress in Philadelphia.

AFTER SIGNING – Returned home in 1776, due to ill health from malaria.

HISTORIC SITES

Hopeswee – Hopeswee Plantation, Georgetown, SC (1735). Located at 494 Hop Sewee Road, Georgetown, SC 29440, Phone 843-546-7891, Website www.hopsewee.com. Birthplace and childhood home of Thomas Lynch.

Peachtree – Peachtree Plantation, St. James Parish, SC (1762). Located in St. James Parish (present Charleston County) on the South Santee River 4 miles south of Hopsewee. Second home which burned in the 1840’s. The ruins of the brick house remain.

Gravesite – Thomas Lynch and his wife Elizabeth were lost at sea in 1779.

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HOME OF THOMAS LYNCH, HOPESWEE PLANTATION, GEORGETOWN, SC (1735)

Home of Thomas Lynch, Hopsewee Plantation, Georgetown, SC (1735). Located at 494 Hop Sewee Road, Georgetown, SC 29440, Phone 843-546-7891, Website www.hopsewee.com.

The roadside historical marker reads – “HOPSEWEE – Thomas Lynch, Jr., signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born here August 5, 1749. He was elected from St. James’s Parish, Santee, to 1st Provincial Congress, Dec. 9, 1774; to 2nd Provincial Congress, Aug. 7-8, 1775; to the Continental Congress, Mar. 23, 1776; Commissioned Captain, Provincial Troops, June 17, 1775; Served on Committee to Draft Constitution for South Carolina, 1776. He was lost at sea 1779.” Hopsewee was a rice and indigo plantation overlooking the Santee River.

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ARTHUR MIDDLETON – SOUTH CAROLINA

BORN – June 26, 1742, at Plantation on the Ashley River west of Charleston. Parents (English ancestry) - Henry Middleton (b1717-d1784) and Mary Baker Williams Middleton (b1721-d1761). Twelve Children (seven surviving to adulthood) – Williams Middleton #1 (b1741-___), Arthur Middleton (b1742-d1787) inherited Middleton Place, John Middleton (b1744-d1745, age one), Henry Middleton (b1746-d1747, age one), Mary Middleton (b1749-d1750, age one), Henrietta Middleton Rutledge (b1750-d1792), Williams Middleton #2 (b1752-d1758, age 6), Thomas Middleton (b1753-d1797), Hester Middleton Drayton (b1754- d1789), Sarah Middleton (b1756-d1784), Mary Middleton (b1757-d1825), Susannah Middleton (b1760-d1834). Arthur Middleton, being the oldest living son inherited Middleton Place.

DIED – January 1, 1787 (age 44) at The Oaks Plantation, probably from malaria or pneumonia. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried – Middleton family cemetery at Middleton Place Plantation, Charleston, SC.

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APPEARANCE – The picture above is from a portrait of Arthur Middleton (age 29) and his family painted by Benjamin West in 1771. Middle sized, well formed with great muscular strength and fine features expressive of firmness and decision, a celebrated, capricious aristocrat but like his forbears very public spirited.

FAMILY – Married - Mary (Polly) Izard (b1725-d1814) in 1764. Nine Children (eight surviving to adulthood) – Henry A. Middleton (b1770-d1846), Maria Henrietta Middleton (b1772-d1791), Eliza Carolina Middleton (b1774-d1792), Emma Philadelphia Izard Middleton (b1776-d1813), Anna Louisa Middleton (b1778-d1819), Isabella Johanes Izard Middleton Huger (b1780-d1865), Septima Sexta Middleton Rutledge (b1783-d1865), John Izard Middleton (b1785-d1849), Amos Middleton (b1787-1787, as infant).

OCCUPATION – PLANTER, LEGISLATOR, SOLDIER. Graduated from Cambridge University in England in 1760, and the Temple Law School in London. Inherited Middleton Place Plantation and other properties. Member of the Continental Congress in 1776, replacing his ailing father. One of the Founders of the College of Charleston.

AT SIGNING – Age 34 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Spent heavily on the war from his personal fortune. Served as an officer in the SC Militia Served in the defense of Charleston in 1779 to 1780. After the city’s fall, he was imprisoned on a ship at St. Augustine, FL from May 1780 to June 1781. Released in a prisoner exchange. Middleton Place was ravaged by the British Army and Loyalists. 200 slaves were taken and later sold in the West Indies.

HISTORIC SITES

Middleton Place – Middleton Place Plantation, Charleston, SC (1730’s). Located at 4300 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29414, Phone 843- 556-6020, Website www.middletonplace.org, on the Ashley River 20 miles northwest of Charleston, SC. Home of Arthur Middleton all of his 44 year life.

The Oaks – The Oaks Plantation, SC (1892). Located at 130 The Oaks Avenue, Goose Creek (Cooper River), near Charleston, SC, Website south-carolina-plantations.com/berkeley/oaks. Rice plantation inherited by Arthur Middleton from his father, Edward. The current house was built in 1892, replacing the original house which burned down.

College – Randolph Hall, College of Charleston (1770). Located at 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424, Phone 843- 805-5507, Website www.cofc.edu. Arthur Middleton was one of the Founders of the College and one of its original Trustees.

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HOME OF ARTHUR MIDDLETON, MIDDLETON PLACE PLANTATION, CHARLESTON, SC (1730’S)

Home of Arthur Middleton, Middleton Place Plantation, Charleston, SC (1730’s). Located at 4300 Ashley River Road, Charleston, SC 29414, Phone 843- 556-6020, Website www.middletonplace.org, on the Ashley River 20 miles northwest of Charleston, SC.

Named for one of its original owners, Henry Middleton, Middleton Place Plantation was a colonial-era rice and indigo plantation on a bluff on the south side of the Ashley River. Sites on the property to see include the restored gentlemen’s guest wing or south flanker house museum (1755), gardens, many out-buildings, Ashley River, Middleton Oak tree. The gardens are the oldest (1741) landscaped gardens in America. They are also formal gardens because of their symmetrical design and layout. The two large pools to the front are designed to appear as butterfly wings. Middleton Place was used as one of the back-drops in the movie – “The Patriot.”

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RANDOLPH HALL, COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON, CHARLESTON, SC (1829)

Randolph Hall, Collegee of Charleston, Charleston, SC (1829). Located at 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424, Phone 843- 805-5507, Website www.cofc.edu.

Founded in 1770, the College of Charleston is the thirteenth oldest institution of higher learning the oldest municipal college in the U.S. The historic part of the campus includes the main building, Randolph Hall and Library and Gate Lodge. The Founders of the College include three future signers of the Declaration of Independence (Arthur Middleton, Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward) and three future signers of the U.S. Constitution (John Rutledge, Charles Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney). Randolph Hall was used as one of the back-drops in the movie – “The Patriot”.

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BUTTON GWINNETT – GEORGIA

BORN – 1735 at Down Hetherley, Gloucestershire, England. Parents (Welsh and English ancestry) - Samuel Gwinnett and Anne Eames Button Gwinnett. Seven Children – Button Gwinnett (b1735-d1777), John Priced Gwinnett (___-d1777), Anna Maria Gwinnett (b1731- d1744, age 13), Samuel Gwinnett (b1732-d1792), Thomas Price Gwinnett (b1736-___), Robert Gwinnett (b1738-___), Emilia Gwinnett (b1741-d1807).

DIED - May 19, 1777 (age 42) near Savannah, GA. He died from wounds received in a duel with a rival, Lachlan McIntosh, in Thunderbolt, GA following a dispute over a failed invasion of Eastern Florida. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian / Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried - , Savannah, GA.

APPEARANCE - The picture above is the portrait of Button Gwinnett (age __) painted by Nathaniel Hone in ___. Tall and with a noble and commanding appearance. Irratible temper, mild language, polite and graceful.

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FAMILY – Married - Ann Bourne (___) in 1757. Three Children (one surviving to adulthood) – Amelia Gwinnett (___, died young), Ann Gwinnett (___, died young), Elizabeth Ann (Betsy) Gwinnett (b1762-d1786).

OCCUPATION – MERCHANT, PLANTER, GA GOVERNOR. Attended the King's School, Gloucester, England. Came to America in 1762, arriving in Charleston, SC, and later moving to Savannah, GA in 1765. Purchased a plantation on St. Catherines Island off the Georgia coast near the port of Sunbury in 1766. Member of the Continental Congress representing Georgia in 1776. in 1777.

AT SIGNING – Age 41 at signing. First of the delegation from New Georgia to sign. His signature on documents is rare among the Signers and is very valuable and sought after by signature collectors.

AFTER SIGNING – The British seized his St. Catherines Island estate during the war. Served briefly as Governor of Georgia in 1777. His ambition was to become a general of Georgia troops, but the man who would become his nemesis, Lachlan McIntosh, was appointed instead. Was killed in a pistol duel with McIntosh in Sir ’s pasture a few miles east of Savannah in 1777. Was the first Signer to die.

HISTORICAL SITES

St. Catherines Home – Gwinnett House, St. Catherines Island, GA (1750). Located on the north end of St. Catherines Island, GA 31522. Privately owned.

Gravesite – Colonial Park Cemetery, Savannah, GA (1750). Located at 201 Abercorn Street, Savannah, GA 31401, Phone 912-651-6843, Website www.visit-historic-savannah.com/colonial- park-cemetery.html. There is the Button Gwinnett Monument at the cemetery. However, the exact burial location is unknown. The original tombstone was lost when Union cavalry camped there during the Civil War and vandalized or destroyed many grave markers.

Monument – Signers Monument, Augusta, GA (1848). Located at the 500 block of Greene Street in front of the Augusta Municipal Center, Augusta, GA 30912. The monument honors the three Signers from Georgia including Button Gwinnett.

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GWINNETT HOUSE, ST. CATHERINES ISLAND, GA (1750)

Button Gwinnett’s House, St. Catherines Island, GA (1750). Located on the north end o St. Catherines Island, GA. Privately owned.

Called the Old House and Tabby House, the restored house is believed to have belonged to and lived in by Button Gwinnett. Restored slave cottages made of Tabby are nearby.

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LYMAN HALL – GEORGIA

BORN - April 12, 1724, in Wallingford, CT. Parents (English ancestry) - John Hall III (b1692- d1773) and Mary Street Hall (b1698-d1778). Eight Children – ___, Street Hall, Sr. (b1721- d1809), Lyman Hall (1724-1790, fourth child), ____, Giles Hall (b1733-d1789), John Hall (___-d1737).

DIED - October 19, 1790 (age 66), at his Shell Bluff Plantation in Burke County, Georgia, on Shell Bluff Landing overlooking the Savannah River. Religion – Congregationalist (Puritan). Buried - Initially in the family vault at his plantation. Reburied under the Signer Monument in Augusta, GA in 1848.

APPEARANCE

FAMILY – Married - Abigail Burr (b1723- d1753) in 1752. No Children. Wife Abigail died in 1753. Married - Mary Osborne (b1736-d1793) in 1757. One Child – John Hall (b1760- d1792). His wife, Mary and son, John died several years later.

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OCCUPATION – PHYSICIAN, CLERGYMAN, LEGISLATOR, JUDGE. Graduated from Yale College (now Yale University) in 1747 (theology) and 1754 (medicine). Moved and established a medical practice in Dorchester, near Charleston, SC. Moved with the townspeople to Sunbury, (now Liberty County), GA in 1756. Established the Hall’s Knoll rice plantation in 1760. Member of the Continental Congress representing Georgia from 1775 to 1780. Governor of Georgia for one year from 1783 to 1784. Led the founding of the in 1785.

AT SIGNING – Age 52 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1780. In 1778, the British invaded Georgia, and destroyed Hall’s home and rice plantation. Hall and his family escaped north to Philadelphia where they remained safe until the end of the war. They returned to Georgia in 1782, settling in Savannah.

HISTORIC SITES

Gravesite – Signers Monument, Augusta, GA (1848). Located at the 500 block of Greene Street in front of the Augusta Municipal Center, Augusta, GA.

Sunbury Home – Hall’s Knoll Plantation, Sunbury, GA (1760). Rice plantation and home of Lyman Hall from 1760 to 1790. The roadside historical marker reads (on US Route 17 north of Midway, GA) - “DR LYMAN HALL - Dr. Lyman Hall was a Georgia signer of the Declaration of Independence. He represented Saint John’s Parish in the Continental Congress, and was a delegate from Georgia to the second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia. He was a founder of Sunbury and as Governor of Georgia (1783-1784) he gave strong support to education and religion. He was instrumental in obtaining the grant of land which led to the establishment of the University of Georgia. Born in Wallingford, Connecticut, April 12, 1724, Dr. Hall moved to Saint John’s Parish where he purchased the plantation now known as Hall’s knoll. He became a leading physician, planter, patriot, and was active in mercantile and shipping circles in Sunbury. Dr. Hall died in 1790 and was buried on his plantation at Shell Bluff Landing in Burke County. In 1848, his remains were re-interred in Augusta, beneath the granite obelisk, “The Signers’ Monument.”

Shell Bluff Home – Shell Bluff Plantation, Burke County, 25 miles south of Augusta, GA (1790). Rice plantation and home of Lyman Hall in 1790, and where he was initially buried.

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GRAVESITE OF LYMAN HALL AND GEORGE WALTON, SIGNERS MONUMENT, AUGUSTA, GA

Gravesite of Lyman Hall and George Walton, Signers Monument, Augusta, GA (1848). Located at the 500 block of Greene Street in front of the Augusta Municipal Center, Augusta, GA.

The Monument honors Georgia's three Signers of the Declaration of Independence - Lyman Hall, George Walton, and Button Gwinnett. Augusta was the capital of Georgia when the monument was built in 1848. The remains of Hall and Walton were reburied beneath the monument after it was completed. The third Signer, Button Gwinnett, is buried not buried at the monument. He is buried Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah, GA. However the exact burial location within the cemetery is unknown, and therefore his remains could not be moved to the monument

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GEORGE WALTON – GEORGIA

BORN – 1741, near Farmville, Prince Edward County, VA. The exact year of his birth is unknown, some research has placed it as early as 1740, others as late as 1749 and 1750. His biographer, Barthelmas uses the date of 1741. Parents (English ancestry) - Robert James Thomas Walton, Jr. (b1718-d1750) and Mary Sarah Hughes Walton (b1723-d1760). Seven Children – George Walton (b1741-d1804, eldest), John Walton (b1743-d1783), Elizabeth or Sally Walton Watkins (b1745-d1805), Sarah Walton Watkins (b1746-___), Robert Walton III (b1748-___), Sally Walton Morris (___), Mary Walton Bond (___). George’s parents died when George was young and he was raised by his aunt and uncle who apprenticed him as a carpenter.

DIED - February 2, 1804 (age 55 to 64), at his home, Meadow Garden, in Augusta, GA. Religion – Anglican / Episcopalian. Buried - Initially at Rosney Cemetery, home of his nephew Robert Watkins. Reburied under the Signers Monument in August, GA in 1848.

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APPEARANCE - Small size, handsome, haughty, dignified and stern. He had a temper but was warm in his friendships. Known as a politician who kept his promises.

FAMILY – Married - Dorothy Camber (b1754-d1832) in 1775. Two Children – Thomas Camber Walton (1776-1803), George Walton, Jr. (b1786-d1859).

OCCUPATION – CARPENTER, LAWYER, LEGISLATOR, SOLDIER, GA GOVERNOR, JUDGE, U.S. SENATOR. Apprenticed to a carpenter. Moved to Savannah, GA in 1769, and studied law. Established law practice in Savannah. Member of the Continental Congress representing Georgia from 1776 to 1778 and again in 1780. Commissioned a Colonel of the First Regiment of the Georgia Militia. Governor of Georgia in 1779 and again from 1781 to 1783. U.S. Senator from Georgia in from 1795 to 1796.

AT SIGNING – Age 27 to 36 at signing.

AFTER SIGNING – Continued to serve in Congress in Philadelphia until 1778. Wounded in the Battle of Savannah in 1778 and taken prisoner. Shot in the thigh by an enemy bullet and knocked off his horse. Freed through a prisoner exchange in 1779. Moved to Augusta, GA.

HISTORIC SITES

Augusta Home – Meadow Garden, Augusta, GA (1791). Located at 1320 Independence Drive, Augusta, GA 30901, Phone 706-724-4174, Website www.historicmeadowgarden.org. George Walton’s winter home.

Summer Home – College Hill, Augusta, GA (1795). Located at 2216 Wrightsboro Road, two miles west of Augusta. Summer home which George Walton called his “Mansion on the Hill.” Privately owned.

Gravesite – Signers Monument, Augusta, GA (1848). Located at the 500 block of Greene Street in front of the Augusta Municipal Center, Augusta, GA.

Church – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (1750). Located at 605 Reynolds Street, Augusta, GA 30901, Phone (706) 724-2485, Website www.saintpauls.org. Fourth church building built on the site. George Walton is believed to have been a member of the church.

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HOME OF GEORGE WALTON, MEADOW GARDEN, AUGUSTA, GA (1791)

Home of George Walton, Meadow Garden, Augusta, GA (1791). Located at 1320 Independence Drive, Augusta, GA 30901, Phone 706-724-4174, Website www.historicmeadowgarden.org.

The modest Sand Hills style cottage is one of the oldest homes in Georgia. It was the winter home of George Walton in Augusta from 1792 until his death in 1804. Today, the house serves as a museum. Original Walton family memorabilia is on display along with 18th century furniture, porcelain and paintings. The historic runs within feet of the property.

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RESEARCH

Children

Appearance – What Signer portraits are in the Second Bank Gallery in Philadelphia?

TO-DO

DSDI – Laurie Croft – Nov. 18

Copyright Application

John Ross

Rush Limbaugh

Brian Kilmeade – Author of “George Washington’s Secret Six”

Williamsburg

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