NOTICE: This will be the last Sunday morning post for American Stories. From Gail’s suggestion and with Wolf’s concurrence I am moving this series to Tuesday for the Daily Thread beginning 4/1/25, yes, April Fool’s Day. Trust me, it is appropriate that I be the one to do this on that day. 😂

Now, on with the show…

Shall we talk about home and private schooling? Wait, TB, you said this series was about Declaration signers. Now you are going off on a tangent about schooling? What gives? 😂

I believe we have spotted a trend with the signers and one that will continue since we have covered about half of them after this part. Take a look at their early, development years as young people. What do the large majority share in common?

Most were educated at home for some or all of their youth. A handful were sent to private academies before entering college as they proved themselves capable and their parents had the means to do so. However, there was a very limited public education system in those days. Only a few received benefit of same in communities in what they called common schools. Many of these men and the other founding fathers desired for there to be a public system for all young people at some point they voiced in their plans for America, however, it did not exist in that manner when they were young. So, parents, local clergy, private academies, or an occasional town school master taught many of them. Many studied books of private libraries of individuals they knew. What was the result of their personal commitment to learn?

They became independent, creative problem solvers who were not programmed into group think. They also became political leaders, inventors, merchants, farmers, physicians, clergy, military leaders, bankers and attorneys who were principled, fearless, confident, intelligent, and persuasive. They were lovers of family, community and country, yet, not afraid to challenge and differ with their peers. Their work ethics were off the charts and it seems they lived and played hard. Much life was lived in the dash.

I think about a Declaration signer like George Walton, who was even discouraged from being schooled by his adoptive uncle. Then as a young adult he decides he wants to learn the law and become an attorney – on his own. He was driven to live his dash in a way that fit him. Of course today, his uncle would be arrested for preventing his attendance in a public school.

Be honest about what you see that is being produced in our public schools today. As a general rule, do the students inspire you and relieve fears about who will lead America in the future?

Our founders did so many things through focused efforts seeking knowledge and wisdom. The founders asked questions, read, learned and observed through apprenticeships so they would be prepared to act. The youth of today trust a computer or mobile phone to tell them the answers and what to do.

Many of our founding fathers were graduates of colleges before the age of 20 and some were even very young teenagers. Others who came from less fortunate backgrounds taught themselves to the point of becoming attorneys, merchants and political leaders as they matured. Many apprenticed into their profession, including physicians, before going on their own. All an inner desire to find their calling and succeed at it. Gaining knowledge and apprenticing where appropriate were not just acceptable ways to progress, they were highly desired.

Could it be that the future leaders of America can be made ready by simply getting out of their ways by removing systems and stuff that captures their attention while instead providing the resources they truly need to excel on their own accord?

We have witnessed a four plus decade era of how best to destroy education in America. All of it going on while technological advances were at their highest level and with a greater number of educational opportunities available. How did that work out? From first to fortieth in the world rankings. Well done, uniparty idgits and crims. There is no refuting our fall from grace over the period. We have resorted to recruiting the best minds that other nations produce at exactly what cost to our independence and the American Way?

This changes now with America First MAGA principles. By dismantling the DOPE, the power to educate the children of our republic returns closer to them at the individual state level. That places the levers of control squarely back with each state’s elected officials, closer to the voters. In the future if your children are not educated well by the public schools in your state, it will be on you to do something about it; not blame sugar daddy Uncle Sam. That puts the accountability where it belongs. President Trump is right – again.

The answers to two questions below will provide the insight you need to find the path the founding fathers probably preferred we follow.

Does your state’s leadership and politicians encourage homeschooling and private school attendance as acceptable alternatives to public schools, or, do they do everything they can to hinder these choices? Is your state consumed with what the teachers unions and associations want and recommend for the public schools, or, has it defanged these groups and taken back control with parental input foremost in their minds and plans?

You know what the answers to these two questions mean for the children, you, your state and America. The answers help determine the future for all of us, not just the students and parents.

It should be obvious that the need is to provide viable choices just as the founders had. Parents and students then choose based on the individual needs and best situations for the individual student. The choices themselves compete against each other for the students. That competition is what makes them all better.

School choice is the correct answer. That the uniparty fights so hard against it should be enough for you to be informed it is the way to fix a big mess.

Notice I did not discuss the vaccination requirements to attend public school when waivers are not provided or approved by each state. We know that to be a very real issue as well. Perhaps Bobby can cut through the intentional fog created by the medical and government idgit Stasi and bring people the truth. The people can then take it to their elected officials and demand changes.

Now on to three more signers. We have not heard from the Granite State of New Hampshire yet, so I will bring you all three.

Josiah Bartlett

Born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, in 1729 Josiah Bartlett was the seventh and last child born of Stephen and Hannah Bartlett. Stephen was a shoemaker. Josiah received some education from a town school master. He learned Latin and Greek from a relative who was clergy. He went on to study medicine from another local relative who was a physician. After a five year apprenticeship he moved to the frontier area of Kingston, NH to open his practice in 1750. He lived with Rev. John Secombe for a year and then purchased a 12 acre farm. He farmed for years as well as dealing in lumber and real estate purchases. In 1754 he married Mary Bartlett, his first cousin. They had 12 children together, 8 of whom survived to adulthood. Three of his sons and seven grandsons went on to become physicians. He actively practiced medicine for 45 years. He and Mary remained a couple until her death in 1789.

Bartlett was one of early practitioners of natural healing and medicine that many people prefer today. Per Wiki,

“During that time, he tested both traditional and new treatments for optimal efficacy. A virulent form a throat distemper or diptheria, with a fever and canker, spread throughout Kingston in 1754. Bartlett experimented with therapy using several available drugs and empirically discovered that Peruvian bark, also known as quinine, relieved symptoms long enough to allow recovery. He also realized the benefits of curing fevers with cool liquids, like apple cider, taken at intervals. He tried this when he was quite ill, against his physician’s orders, with success.”

“Bartlett believed in fostering wellness, including exercise, diet, fresh air, and following cues of one’s body, like drinking when thirsty and covering up when sick with the chills. He also believed “to keep the mind as Easy and Contented as possible” were “of much more Service than a multiplicity of Medicines.”

He decided to enter politics and was elected to the Provincial Assembly in 1765. He helped negotiate peace at the Royal Governor’s request after the enactment of the Stamp Act, but went public in his opposition to the Townshend Act later. He organized the Seventh Regiment of the NH militia and later in 1770 became its colonel. He became a strong backer for independence and joined the Committee of Correspondence as well of the Committee of Safety. The governor then dissolved the Assembly from which the committees came.

Later in 1774 his house was burned down by the Tories. He was undeterred and was appointed to the first Continental Congress, but declined due to the house situation. He moved his family out to their farmhouse and began the rebuild immediately. He was named Accessory After The Fact in the capture of Fort William and Mary. So the Governor dismissed him from service as justice of the peace and Colonel of the militia.

That did not deter him either as he was chosen again to be a delegate to the Second Continental Congress. He went and remained involved for several years. He contributed greatly to the efforts and worked on several committees. He was very influential within despite not participating much in the open debates held in assembly. He solely represented the interest of NH until his letters back to the state finally raised enough awareness for them to choose two more delegates to attend with him, William Whipple and Matthew Thornton. He was the second to sign the Declaration, wanting to sign right after John Hancock.

He took leave from the Congress for a year to recover from fatigue, but was elected back to Congress again in 1778. He served on the Committee that drafted the Articles of Confederation. After its completion he returned to his home as he felt he had been away from his family and responsibilities too long. While he had been away his wife, Mary, had operated the farm, took care of 9 children and given birth to his daughter Hannah. It was time to resume his life at home, so his federal service came to an end.

He became a local judge and a few years later was named a justice on the state’s Supreme Court, becoming the Chief Justice in 1788. He argued strongly for approval of the U. S. Constitution in NH. He was selected to be a U. S. Senator, but declined. He assisted with the development and enactment of the state’s Constitution. He was elected to be the state’s Chief Executive and later, its President in the early 1790s. With the changes, he became the Governor in 1792, serving to 1794 until his health declined. He passed away the next year due to paralysis.

There is one more interesting thing that this great man did not let hinder his professional life. He had no formal medical school training. Yet, he was named the first President of the New Hampshire Medical Society. He gave the commencement address in 1790 at Dartmouth College when his son, Ezra, graduated. His apprenticeship in medicine, intelligence, reading comprehension and understanding of the human body guided his very successful medical career. He used those same methods and principles within his family, legal and political experiences.

We will finish his story with a few of his quotes,

“Called on the people of New Hampshire . . . to confess before God their aggravated transgressions and to implore His pardon and forgiveness through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ . . . [t]hat the knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ may be made known to all nations, pure and undefiled religion universally prevail, and the earth be fill with the glory of the Lord.”

“Though this world has a way of diminishing and demeaning men and women, the reality is we are all of royal, divine lineage. In that unprecedented appearance of the Father and the Son in the Sacred Grove, the very first word spoken by the Father of us all was the personal name of Joseph. Such is our Father’s personal relationship with each of us. He knows our names and yearns for us to become worthy to return to live with Him.”

“Firstly I commit my Soul into the hands of God, its great and benevolent author.”

And one final quote the uniparty has never seemed to learn or care about.

“Of all the vices incident to man, lying is the most mean, most contemptible; it evinces a very weak, depraved heart, which shrinks at the exposure of motives and of actions.”

Much can be learned from the study of the life of Josiah Bartlett, much more than can be stated here. Totally committed as a patriot, leader, family man, and physician. He was another great American patriot.

Matthew Thornton

This patriot was born in 1714 in Ireland. Matthew Thornton arrived in America at age 3 when his family immigrated to the colonies. He and his parents, James and Elizabeth Thornton, arrived first in Maine, but were burned out of their home a few years later by native Indians in the area. They then moved to Worcester, Massachusetts and operated a farm. Matthew received a classical education there at the Worcester Academy.

He completed medical studies at Leicester and began the practice of medicine soon afterwards in Londonderry, NH. He was later named surgeon for the NH militia in 1745 at the age of 31. He participated in the capture of a French fortress for the British forces in Nova Scotia during the period. His interest in government increased and he was elected a delegate for his town in the Provincial Assembly in 1758. This led him into the independence movement and Colonial affairs.

In 1760 he married 18 year old Hannah Jack and they had five children together. He was an active participant in the anti-Stamp Act group, but still retained his rank as Colonel in the state militia despite his stand. However, things came to a head in 1775 with a response by Thornton relating to the “unconstitutional and tyrannical Acts of the British Parliament.” When Royal Governor Wentworth fled the colony in 1775, Thornton stepped in as President of the Provincial Congress. He was also made Chairman of the Safety Committee and immediately began securing arms and supplies while recruiting troops for the state militia.

Per the website of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence he said the following upon taking office, “Friends and brethren, you must all be sensible that the affairs of America have, at length, come to a very affecting and alarming crisis. The horrors and distresses of a civil war, which, till of late, we only had in contemplation, we now find ourselves obliged to realize. Painful beyond expression, have been those scenes of blood and devastation which the barbarous cruelty of British troops has placed before our eyes. Duty to God, to ourselves, to posterity, ends forced by the cries of slaughtered innocents, have urged us to take up arms in our own defense….we seriously and earnestly recommend the practice of that pure and undefiled religion, which embalmed the memory of our pious ancestors, as that alone upon which we can build a solid hope and confidence in the Divine protection and favour, without whose blessing all the measures of safety we have, or can propose, will end in our shame and disappointment.”

Yup, another who knew the providence of God was not only desired, but necessary for survival.

At the age of 62 he was selected a delegate to join Bartlett at the second Continental Congress. However, he arrived later in the year and missed the actual debates and approval of the Declaration of Independence despite stating his support leading up to the vote. He became one of six signers to do so after the fact.

He had no legal education, but was still chosen to be the Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas for six years in the state. He also served as a state senator for a few years. In 1780 he purchased a farm along the Merrimack River as well as a ferry operation that had been seized from a Tory. After he retired from public service he worked both. Although exposed often to whooping cough through the years in his practice he never contracted it until the age of 80, yet, he still recovered. He lived until the age of 89, passing in 1803. His wife, Hannah, had passed away previously in 1786.

Thornton was considered a handsome man and stood over 6 feet in height with dark eyes and skin tone. He had an infectious spirit and great sense of humor that even young people enjoyed. He became a magnet that attracted people to his comments, expressions and stories. Further taken from the Descendants website, “Rev. Dr. Burnap spoke these words at his funeral: “He was venerable for his age, and skilled in his profession, and for the several very important and honorable offices he had sustained; noted for the knowledge he had acquired, and his quick penetration into matters of abstruse speculation; exemplary for his regard for the public institutions of religion, and for his consistency in attending the public worship, where he trod the courts of the house of God, with steps tottering with age and infirmity. Such is a brief outline of one who was honored in his day and generation; whose virtues were a model for imitation, and while memory does her office, will be had in grateful recollection.”

A deep thinking, knowledgeable man who also gave his all in service to his country and fellow citizens; Matthew Thornton exemplified American patriotism.

William Whipple

William Whipple was born in 1730 in Kittery, Maine to parents Captain William Whipple, Sr. and wife, Mary. He was educated at a local common school as well as by a Harvard College graduate family member before going off to sea and becoming a 21 year old ship’s master. He married his cousin, Catherine Moffat in 1767. Their first child, a son, died in infancy and they adopted a daughter later. They moved to Portsmouth, NH in 1769.

Whipple made a fortune in the trade between America, the West Indies and Africa through dealing in wood, rum and slaves. He became a merchant in partnership with his brothers in 1769 in Portsmouth. Like Matthew Thornton he was a freemason. When NH dissolved the Royal government and instituted a Provincial Assembly, Whipple was chosen to represent Portsmouth. He was placed on the Committee of Safety and later selected as a delegate to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence. It is of note that Whipple was a second cousin to fellow signer, Stephen Hopkins. Per Wiki he wrote the following to fellow NH signer Josiah Bartlett,

“This year, my Friend, is big with mighty events. Nothing less than the fate of America depends on the virtue of her sons, and if they do not have virtue enough to support the most Glorious Cause ever human beings were engaged in, they don’t deserve the blessings of freedom.^“

He went on to free his slave, Prince Whipple, as he believed no man could fight for freedom and hold another man in bondage. This occurred after Prince was willing to fight with the colonists for the freedom of all as long as William agreed to release him. Whipple did so immediately after the war ended. Per the Descendants website, “After freeing his own slaves, Whipple wrote as follows to Josiah Bartlett, “The last accounts from South Carolina were favorable. A recommendation is gone thither for raising some regiments of blacks. This, I suppose, will lay a foundation for the emancipation of those wretches in that country. I hope it will be the means of dispensing the blessings of Freedom to all humanity in America.”

At the Battle of Saratoga, Whipple commanded a battalion of four regiments as its Brigadier General. His service and that of Colonel James Wilkinson under Major General Horatio Gates led to them having the honor of signing on the Convention of Saratoga, which effectively was the surrender of British Gen. Burgoyne and his troops. Afterwards he escorted Burgoyne and troops back to Massachusetts as prisoners. He then joined Gen. Sullivan in the Battle of Rhode Island.

After the war he became a judge in the Superior Court of NH. In 1785 he suffered a heart ailment and died after fainting on a horse he was riding when he fell off. He was 55 years old. He was buried next to his beloved, freed servant, Prince, in the North Cemetery. His wife, Catherine, passed away in 1821

Conclusion

There you have it, three patriot signers of the Declaration from New Hampshire that bring Granite Grins (happy expressions) for which residents are noted. Two were physicians turned politicians turned judges who had no formal legal training; one did not even have a formal education in the medicine he practiced. Then there was a man of the sea who was attracted to the independence movement and found his calling on land. The occupations of their fathers was of the common men as a shoemaker, farmer and ship captain. These signers worked hard and smart to find their ways in the world. They answered the call for all of us as exceptional American patriots.

Well done, New Hampshire, you had three of the good guys. Too bad this famous grin is from Queens, he could fit right in.

Could not resist.

Since I brought up the subject of Shays’ Rebellion in Part 8, we might as well dig into the subject briefly. Most of us were never educated in school about the truth that not all of our citizens got along after defeating the British. Everything did not just become hunky dory within our nation’s boundaries. At times, the independent and contrary nature of some could not be appeased or led into compromise easily. Shays’ Rebellion is one of those situations that was brought on by real injustice. It dealt with the unequal and unfair administration of the law within the citizenry. The law and economic system themselves were still in development. As a result ethical issues that had gone unresolved caused great tension. It was clear that there was still a lot of pent up anger and bitterness that carried over from British oppression due to the presence of the loyalists still living and controlling governments and businesses within the borders. It led to violence and angry confrontations at times.

In other words, people being people.

Shays’ Rebellion

Rather than repeat the words of others, I have provided two good links. I urge you to read them and the third link further down in the body.

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/shays-rebellion

https://www.thoughtco.com/shays-rebellion-causes-effects-4158282

As things generally work, we can now go back and see that without the rebellion, there may never have been the compromise and reconciliation that followed. Lessons learned in central national governance and the states paying back accrued war debts led to the termination of the Articles of Confederation instead of amending same within the same Convention that later produced the U. S. Constitution.

Whether this last point was a wise path to follow or not from my viewpoint will be addressed in a future part. But as a spoiler, quickly throwing the baby out with the bathwater may not have been the best of ideas. However, the Federalists were hellbent on getting it done the way it eventually did.

Many American citizens, primarily farmers, lost their property and assets unfairly in deference to those who had the upper hand – the merchants, bankers and wealthy who had the support of government leaders and many politicians. The truth is that few states had the capacity to pay wages that were past due to members of the Continental military during the war. The new federal government did not have the coin either. Yes, it is factually correct to state that the new federal and state governments of that day welched on their legal responsibilities to pay war participants what they were due. In Massachusetts (Taxachusetts) this led to many losing their farms and assets to debtors who were supported by the government and judiciary. To get a feel for how the fighters were to be compensated read the summary link below.

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/soldier-pay-american-revolution

Note that Washington and Morris paid a lot of the wages during the war out of their own wealth at one critical point. Many of the wealthy founding fathers did likewise.

The situation in Massachusetts was the stuff that the Crown and Parliament would do that the same people in authority on the winning side of the war and this rebellion had fought against. That is the ugly truth that is glossed over frequently by historians and certainly our federal government in its records and archives.

It sucked big time.

Walk in the shoes of the common man for a time. You are a simple farmer in that patriot inspired era and region. You risk your life, family, property, community – everything – to a belief that the colonies should seek independence from their oppressors who taxed everything that moved and treated colonists as their lessers. You endure great hardship, lose friends and family, and have your home destroyed by the vengeful Brits. Adding to the misery you never receive the full wages the state and your colonial government promise to pay for your voluntary service to your country; while newer recruits later in the war receive a larger bounty than you did to sign up.

But you let it all go because you now live in a free country that is not taxed to death. You really have no way to take on the authorities to receive your back pay anyway.

You soon learn that you have been put on the clock to pay merchant debts as well as accrued colony/state taxes from the past war debts are still due. While working hard in your return to private life and trying to make a living on your farm, the politicians are busy passing laws to tax you at high rates to pay back state war related debts as well as other commercial debts to the wealthy merchants. This eventually causes the loss of your property because you have no funds to pay as well as dealing with the ensuing family hardships. Adding more injury to the insult, not only do you lose your farm to foreclosure, but you are sent to a filthy, dungeon like debtors prison for failure to pay.

You might become more than a little angry over it all as we would. Pizzed may be a better word.

The war debts and bills the merchants and governments owed to others were real. But so was the back pay that was owed to the military members who actually fought the war and enabled those merchants to stay alive and in business. Pensions for widows and disabled veterans were given by the new government and it was the right thing to do. Not paying all the other men who actually fought the war what they were due was a huge violation of trust.

You become aware that the state government had the ability all along to forge a compromise to provide relief to you and the people as well as assist the merchants by amending the terms of the debt repayment. All they had to do was print more money, pay you the wages from the war and reduce the onerous taxes. This would have temporarily increased inflation as we know, which the merchants fought against – caring only for themselves and not for the people that saved their bacon. I guess the mafia types the government borrowed the war expenditures from did not agree to this compromise. They created a situation that allowed the wealthy predators to bottom feed on the foreclosed properties of their lessers. Their former British oppressors would be proud (and were) of their exploits since many were Brit loyalists, still owing their allegiance to the Crown that had been defeated.

We would understand it this way today: Who needs a destructive wildfire when you can just use excessive war debt and taxes to accomplish the same evil results? It is a parallel path with what Clinton/Soetoro/Biden had America following before MAGA and America First saved the day. Create a debt quagmire through war and other means that cannot be repaid that causes misery and huge wealth transfers to the already wealthy and dictators. A tale as old as world history.

Never forget that truth, fellow patriots.

Back to the story. In response to the highly volatile conditions and unrest the state government did nothing of substance to assist and permitted the destruction of their own citizens and former war fighters. They revealed who they were. Most Democrats of today would be very proud of them.

However, back in those days it led to Shays’ Rebellion and other conflicts in the new nation. In these days it led to J6 and November 5, 2024. If there is anything we have learned as America First MAGA movement participants it is that things are not as they have been represented by those with nefarious agendas.

As we learn from the linked and other accounts, the vast majority of rebel participants received amnesty or were pardoned to restore order. Which was an obvious acknowledgement by those in authority that the participants had valid reasons to do what they did. The Governor (Bowdoin) and Lt. Governor (Lincoln) who failed the people were tossed out of office. The new legislature cut the taxes and placed a moratorium on debts. This led to better economic conditions and lessening of unrest.

Knowing this, does it help explain why the vote was so close to approve the Constitution after the Massachusetts Compromise was reached?

What should have happened immediately after the war ended, finally happened after the common man rose up once again against their new oppressors. Those actions brought an end to this unfortunate chapter in American history.

However, lemons were turned into lemonade when Shays’ Rebellion and other significant rebellious events happened throughout the former colonies who had become states. People with various interests and beliefs realized they needed to reunite together to help the young republic succeed. Resolving the conflicts and seeing the need to create more unity led to this revered leader coming out of retirement as the new U. S. Constitution was enacted.

Our thanks go to Daniel Shays and others who fought for what was right and good for the common man just as our appreciation does for the America First MAGA patriots of today. Time to discuss more signers.

Richard Stockton

This son of Quaker and wealthy landowner, John Stockton, was born in 1730 in the Princeton, NJ area. Richard Stockton attended Samuel Finley’s Nottingham Academy and went on to graduate from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton U) at the age of 18. He began the study of law under noted attorney, David Ogden, and was admitted to the bar in 1754. He was highly respected in the profession. He married his wife, Annis Boudinot, a noted poet and the sister of Elias Boudinot, a well known statesman of the colony. They had six children together. One of his daughters, Julia, later married Declaration signer Benjamin Rush. Through the years, Stockton became a close friend of George Washington. He was physically tall, considered handsome and very well spoken within society. When touring England, Scotland and Ireland in 1766, he was invited to attend events with the King and Queen, who were impressed with his high character and abilities.

He toured Scotland and was invited to visit with the noblemen and society. During those times he and his future son-in-law Rush, who was a medical student in Scotland at the time, met with Rev. John Witherspoon to try to convince him to become the President of the College of New Jersey, a position he had previously declined. He subsequently agreed and came to the colonies to lead the school. Ten years later, Witherspoon stood with Stockton and Rush as they all signed the Declaration of Independence.

Back in the colonies Stockton had little interest in politics and government for many years.  Per Wiki he once wrote, “The public is generally unthankful, and I never will become a Servant of it, till I am convinced that by neglecting my own affairs I am doing more acceptable Service to God and Man.”

In 1768 he was appointed to the royal executive council of New Jersey and later to the Supreme Court. As the independence movement continued to gain momentum, in 1774 he drafted a plan for self rule of the colonies while still owing allegiance to the Crown. It was rejected and Stockton faced a choice he had to make. He chose the colonies and independence. He was deeply moved by the arguments of John Adams when it came time to approve the document and sign it. Rather than holding offices offered to him back in NJ, he chose to remain active and a member of Congress. He was sent along with fellow signer, George Clymer, to inspect the northern Continental Army for its needs. They reported back to John Hancock of the dire need for nearly everything. He went on to actively solicit basic clothing and shoes that were severely needed for the warfighters, some of whom were barelegged and barefoot.

He learned of the British invasion of NJ and quickly went home to move his family about thirty miles away. However, he was still captured and treated horribly. He stayed locked in leg irons without sufficient clothing and food in the dreaded New York City’s Provost Prison where 12,000 men died as well as on nearby prison ships. After George Washington became aware, he protested his treatment to British Gen. Howe. Stockton was given a parole as long as he did not participate in the war and was released. He was too sick to participate anyway. He was severely malnourished and near death from which he never fully recovered. When he arrived back at his home, he found it had been plundered and nearly destroyed by Gen. Cornwallis and his men who had stayed in the home during the war. He survived only through the personal assistance of family and friends. Over time he became strong enough to return to work some in his law practice and taught a couple of students. However, he died in 1781 before being able to experience the end of the war and our nation’s independence. Even his death was excruciatingly painful as he had developed a lip cancer that grew into his throat before he passed.

Stockton’s wife, Annis, continued in correspondence for the rest of her life with their friend, George Washington, including writing a poem about Cornwallis’ surrender to Washington. An excerpt of Washington’s letter of appreciation stated, “…This address, from a person of your refined taste and elegance of expression, affords a pleasure beyond my powers of utterance, and I have only to lament that the hero of your pastoral is not more deserving of your pen; but the circumstance shall be placed among the happiest events of my life. I have the honor to be, madam you’re most obedient and respectful servant, G. Washington.” 

The respect for the greatness and commitment of Richard Stockton was exhibited by a statue of him being placed in Statuary Hall in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. He was one of only six signers so honored. His home of Morven became the New Jersey Governor’s Mansion from 1954-1981. His eldest son went on to become a NJ senator and four generations of Stockton’s served in Congress.

Again, a man of wealth and high position in society who could have avoided the personal destruction that he lived through by simply staying uninvolved, gave his all for America and freedom for all of his countrymen and all of us who have followed. He deserved far better than he received. He was the definition of an American Patriot.

James Smith

James Smith was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1719. He and his Presbyterian faith based family immigrated from there when he was ten years old and lived in the Cheshire County, PA. His father became a successful farmer. He was informally educated by local clergy, then educated more at Philadelphia Academy (Penn), and later apprenticed in law under his brother, George. He was admitted to the PA bar at the age of 26. He moved with his brother to the more frontier area of Cumberland County and spent his time surveying. After about five years he moved back to the more populated city of York to practice law full time.

At the age of 41 he married Eleanor Armor and they had five children. With his surveying experience, he was highly recognized in the area for his work with property transfers in his law practice. He invested into a local iron foundry that failed and cost him greatly financially.

As the independence movement expanded, Smith became an advocate. He attended the 1774 provincial assembly and offered a paper on the considerations of the relationship between the Colonies and Great Britain. He recommended boycotting British goods, which he believed would force British merchants to pressure their government to reduce taxes and oppression in the colonies. Later that year he organized a local militia and was chosen its Captain. With the British continuing their oppressive activities, the unit quickly grew to battalion size. The men wanted him to be the Commander, but he declined due to his age (55), preferring a younger man take the role. Even so, most accounts had him serving in action during the war.

He was elected as a delegate to the state convention in 1775 and said the following, “…if the British administration should determine by force to effect a submission to the late arbitrary acts of the British parliament, in such a situation, we hold it our indispensable duty to resist such force, and at every hazard to defend the rights and liberties of America.”

Bold. Very bold.

Smith was considered to have similar beliefs concerning independence as both Adams, Sherman, both Morris, Rush, Floyd, Lee and Patrick Henry. After agreeing to the Declaration’s contents and signing, he returned to York with a copy to read to citizens in the town square. He continued to serve in the Congress and state until 1778. He was elected Brigadier General of the state militia in 1781 and resumed his law practice as the war ended. He worked in the practice until retiring at age 81. He passed away in 1806 at the age of 86. His wife passed away in 1818.

James Smith was another in a long list of devoted American patriot Declaration signers that gave his full commitment, voice and actions to the cause of liberty and freedom.

Thomas Nelson, Jr.

Born in Yorktown, VA in 1738, Thomas Nelson, Jr. was born into Virginia aristocracy and privately educated in England. He graduated from Christ’s College at Cambridge. His parents were William Nelson, a former governor of the state and Elizabeth Carter Burwell, daughter of former acting governor of the state, Robert “King” Carter and the widow of Nathaniel Burwell. He was the grandson of Thomas “Scotch Tom” Nelson who immigrated from England and became a successful businessman and politician.

He returned from England and assisted his father in operating their plantations, which utilized slave labor. He married Lucy Grymes Burwell and helped manage the estates left to her sons with the death of her first husband.

It was soon after his return that he was elected as a representative to the House of Burgesses in 1761 at age 23. He served 6 terms, learning the political ropes. As the state moved more toward independence he was elected to a number of their state conventions preceding the war. He played a role in the development of the state’s Constitution as well as serving in the Continental Congress and signing the Declaration of Independence. He was later forced to take time away to recover from an illness in 1778-1779, only to be elected to return there and in state roles in the years that followed. He was one of the thirteen committee members who drafted the Articles of Confederation. He was known to spend large sums of money as well as make loans for the military to have sufficient ammunition and supplies. He gave so much he had very little when he passed away a decade later.

Nelson was a brigadier general of the lower VA militia and later followed Thomas Jefferson as governor of the state. He was in action in the final siege ofYorktown led by General Washington and his troops in combination with General Lafayette and the French army combatants. It is in this battle that Nelson’s legend was solidified.

Neither the American or French army would fire upon Nelson’s home, the Nelson House, where General Cornwallis had his headquarters. This angered Nelson. He publicly offered five guineas (each had a quarter ounce of gold) to the first war fighter to fire a cannon and hit his home. That was enough to get it done. The NPS has placed two cannonballs in the walls where the home was hit. I assume Nelson paid as he stated he would.

That story is all sorts of patriot awesome! He was a real American badazz!

Unfortunately, in 1781 Nelson’s health took a negative turn that forced him to resign as Governor and was succeeded by fellow signer Benjamin Harrison. His health continued to deteriorate over the next four years. He never recovered from the effects of being in the field and fighting the war. He passed away at age 50 in 1789. Nelson County in VA and in KY were named in his honor. His wife, Lucy, passed away at age 87 in 1830. The couple had eleven children together in addition to the son from Lucy’s first marriage.

Thomas Nelson, Jr. died too soon to receive the full benefits of his work in helping to deliver America its independence. However, he will never be forgotten for his leadership and commitment as a great American patriot.

Conclusion

This has been a story of three extraordinary Declaration signers with three very different experiences and conclusions to their lives. They did it for God, country and family. That was the reward. Their wealth and standing in society were cast aside.

Yet, for every Declaration signer there were thousands of common citizens doing their parts against all odds as well. You will not find their busts, statutes, paintings or honors in places of prominence in American institutions and museums. They just did what they needed to do and returned to their lives and families as unsung American patriot heroes.

There is also the truth that not everything went well or fairly for the participants and early citizens of America.

As they say, freedom isn’t free. However, it is well worth the cost to pursue.