Fates of our founding fathers: Part two
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Give me Liberty
Rodger Williamson
I was inspired last week with the approach of Father’s Day to reflect upon the sacrifices made by several of our founding fathers. Because of the space limitations of an opinion column, after setting the stage of how the Continental Congress that created our Declaration of Independence came to be, there was only enough space left to write about only three of the signers.
With Independence Day now approaching, I will pick up where I left off. Again, I ask that as you read this, that you take a moment and contemplate, would you be willing to risk everything if similar circumstances were to occur in our near future?
George Clymer (Pennsylvania), 1739-1813, was 36 years old and the father of five children when he signed our Declaration of Independence, later fathering three more. In September 1777, when the British captured Philadelphia, in retaliation for Clymer’s role as a Patriot, British troops destroyed Clymer’s home.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, and their children had to move several times during the war to avoid capture by the British. Clymer used his merchant business to supply the Continental Army with gunpowder, flour, corn, and tents. Clymer then converted his entire fortune into Continental currency, and he encouraged his wealthier friends to contribute to the American cause. Clymer died on January 23,1813, at age 73.
Thomas Nelson Jr. (Virginia), 1738-1789, was 37 years old and the father of six children when he signed our Declaration of Independence, before he would father another five more. Nelson was also the fourth governor of Virginia, in office from June of 1781 to November of 1781.
While taking part in the siege of the British positions at Yorktown, Nelson learned that British General Cornwallis had claimed Nelson’s home as his headquarters. Nelson made an offer of five guineas to the first artillerist to hit his house (NOTE: one guinea contains a fourth ounce of gold, thus five guineas, with one-and-a-fourth-ounces of gold, would be worth about $2,400 at today’s prices). Nelson lost his fortune aiding the war effort, and he died a poor man in 1789 at the age of 50.
Richard Stockton (New Jersey), 1730-1781, was 45 years old and the father of six children when he signed our Declaration of Independence. On the night of November 30, 1776, Stockton was dragged from his bed by Loyalists, stripped of his property and turned over to the British. He was finally released, but he had endured so much suffering that he never fully recovered.
His fortune was nearly wiped out, his lands ruined, his papers and library were burned, and his livestock seized. He was forced to depend on the good will of his friends for survival. Two years after his parole from British prison, he developed cancer and was never free of pain until he died on February 28, 1781.
William Ellery (Rhode Island), 1727-1820, was 48 years old when he signed our Declaration of Independence. He was the father of six children with his first wife, Ann, who died in 1764, and then he fathered another 10 children with his second wife, Abigail. The size of his signature on the Declaration is second only to John Hancock’s.
In December 1776, the British seized the town of Newport, and the Ellery family home was burnt to the ground as the rest of his property was destroyed. Ellery died at age 92 on February 15, 1820.
Lewis Morris (New York), 1726-1798, was 50 years old and the father of 10 children in 1776. During the critical vote for independence on the second of July, 1776, Morris was at his home in New York, but he was able to attend the New York Convention held at White Plains, which approved the declaration on the ninth of July. Morris then returned to Philadelphia to sign our Declaration of Independence.
When he was warned by his brother Staats Morris, who was a general in the British army, of the consequences that would follow his signing of the rebellious document, Lewis stated, “Damn the consequences. Give me the pen.” His family was forced to flee the approaching British Army, and his estate was plundered, his crops destroyed and his livestock commandeered.
Lewis spent many years after the war trying to rebuild his estate. He died on the estate at age 71 in 1798.
Abraham Clark (New Jersey), 1726-1794, was 50 years old and the father of 10 children when he signed our Declaration of Independence. Three of Clark’s sons were officers in the Continental Army. Two, Aaron and Thomas, were both captains when they were captured by the British and confined to the prison ship HMS Jersey. One was held in solitary confinement and given no food.
When the British offered to spare his sons’ lives if he would change his position and support the Crown, he refused to do so. Clark was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives when he died from sunstroke at his home in 1794.
Philip Livingston (New York), 1716-1778, was 60 years old and the father of nine children when he signed our Declaration of Independence. When the British Army captured New York City, they seized his two homes, turning one into a military hospital and the other into a barracks. Philip; his wife, Christina; and their children were forced to flee to Kingston, New York.
Livingston spent a large part of his own money to purchase supplies for the Army, but would not live to see our independence won. Livingston died at age 62, while attending Congress, on the twelfth of June, in 1778. His estate was insufficient to meet his debts.
In total, there were 56 signers to our Declaration of Independence. I will not be able to address all of them, but there is still more to come in “part three” in next week’s edition of “The Coosa County News.”