4th of July, What is it all about?
· Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?· Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
· Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
· Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
· Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
· They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
· Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
· Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
· Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
· Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
· At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
· Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
· John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!
The 6th of July is a Special Day!
I get to share my brother's birthday with him. I was born on his 6th birthday and he didn't appreciate having me on his birthday and especially that I was a girl. He had two older sisters. He stated years later that he would have rather had a train. It was hard but he eventually learned later to love me. A while back Leslie and her family came through on the way to Las Vegas. Our granddaughter Crystal noticed pictures of my brother and I in our hallway on the Wall of Fame. She said that she wanted copies so I scanned them for her. Now I'm sharing the pictures with you of a brother and the bratty little sister that is pouting because she doesn't have as many candles as he had on his cake.
The pictures were take July 6, 1934.
Thought for the Day
Long may our land be bright . . . With freedom's holy light.
Protect us by they might . . . Great God, our King.
(My Country, 'Tis of Thee - last two lines)
Ourside the building - Denece, Mike, Rebecca, Max & Cathy. (This is a 4 generation picture).
Wooden boxes of left over Dinosaur discoveries. There have been many specimens sent to other museums all over.
