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   E Swanson, on July 3, 2009 at 10:34 pm Said:

   Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

   Five signers were captured by the British as traitors
   and tortured before they died.

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

   Nine of the 56 fought in and died from wounds or
   hardships of the Revolutionary War.

   They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes
   and their sacred honor.

   What kind of men were they?

   Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
   Eleven were merchants,
   nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
   men of means, well educated;
   but they signed the Declaration of Independence,
   knowing full well that, if they were captured, the penalty would be death.

   Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
   trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
   British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
   pay his debts, and died in rags.

   Thomas McKean was so ferociously hounded by the British
   that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
   He served in the Congress without pay and his family
   was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
   and poverty was his reward.

   Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
   Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

   At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that
   the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
   home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General
   George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,
   and Nelson died bankrupt.

   Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
   The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

   John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying.
   Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill
   were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests
   and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his
   children vanished.

   So, please take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday to
   silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.

   Remember: Freedom is never free!

   It’s time we got the word out that the Fourth of July has a far deeper meaning than beer, picnics and baseball games.

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