The Signers Fate
The stories linked below chronicles my journey to visit the graves of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. The intent here is to tell my story and provide a piece of the history they created, hoping that others will find it interesting and dig deeper in to the exciting lives of the men who gave all for our freedoms.
Growing up just across the river from Philadelphia, I was surrounded by history and patriotism. After my time in the Navy, I settled in Virginia. First Northern Virginia and now Virginia Beach. I can’t throw a rock without hitting a historical marker.
With that said, I have naturally visited or taken my family to various historical locations and the homes and graves of some of our founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin @ Christ Church, George Washington @ Mount Vernon, Thomas Jefferson @ Monticello, Benjamin Harrison @ Berkley Plantation to name a few.
In April, I attended my 30th reunion of the Fast Attack Submarine, USS Hammerhead, and I convinced my wife to drive from Va. Beach to Cocoa Beach, Florida. (She hates long road trips, Thanks babe!) I realized that I may be able to visit some more of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence.
I am a fan of these flawed men. They were the leaders in their respective states, the had wealth, influence and status. This was key to the success of their efforts, as they had the most to lose, and it provided the leadership and motivation for the colonies to fight for their independence, and begin the centuries long journey to create a new nation built on hope and freedom, and most importantly, remove ourselves from the negative culture and traditions of England and Europe as a whole.
Last week, I had a planned trip to visit a good friend in New Hampshire, so I immediately started to map out all of the graves of the Signers. This time it was a solo road trip, while my wife indicated she would have liked to go, I know that if she did, they would have found my body somewhere off a back road in western Connecticut.
It’s amazing how much you learn about the founding fathers, the real history of our country, the colonies as they were and the states as they are when you go on a journey like this. I consider myself a patriotic guy, I have served my country in many different roles since I left High School, and I believe that the majority of people who live in or desire to live in the United States are good people. I am a fan of road trips because it allows me to see historical places and meet good people around the country. I find that if we all took some time to put our phones down and get out of our house, we may find that we are not as divided as the talky box likes to tell us.
The thing that I kept thinking about as I would stand in front a grave that had a “Signer of the Declaration of Independence” plaque, was how would these men view us today? What have we done to earn their sacrifice? Do we really understand who they were and the time they lived, or are we influenced by 15 second sound bites. Regardless of their flaws, old world culture and inherited traditions, we are left with the ultimate realization that they are dead and buried. Their bodies have turned to dust, and with the exception of some journals and third party political writings, we have no idea what was truly in their hearts, but we do know they had the courage to put their signature on one of the worlds most important documents.
“We mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor”
It’s frustrating to know that in my haste going south last spring, I drove right past two of them on my way to see Middleton and Gwinnett. Oh well, another road trip.
Here is a quick review of my visits, Patriotism can be fun, and experiencing our incredible nation and meeting our fellow citizens makes it that much better.
As I document my journeys, the stories will be linked below. I already had a few under my belt so I skipped some places, and since I have family in the South Jersey, I will return there to visit the 9 signers in the Philadelphia area, in addition to the 12 in my immediate area of Virginia, Maryland and DC. There are a few outliers that’ll need to make a few special trips, like Mr. William Floyd who decided to move to the Rome, NY.
The names in bold are ones that I have actually visited their graves. The names in green are yet to be seen and those in brackets are not possible.
Though I have tried to visit Lewis Morris, I was unsuccessful and will need to make another trip to the Bronx.
From what I have read, Carter Braxton and Charles Carroll will take some creative thinking to visit as they are in private residences.
Unfortunately, In 1779, Thomas Lynch, Jr. of South Carolina fell terribly ill. Sensing it may be the end, he decided to take his wife on a trip to the West Indies. After setting sail, the ship was lost at sea and was never recovered. HOWEVER! Having been on a submarine, in the location of this shipwreck in the Caribbean, I may have been closer that most people can get to his remains, so, thats kind of a check.
Signers visited to date: 47
Georgia
North Carolina
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina
Maryland
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
[Charles Carroll of Carrollton]
Virginia
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
[Carter Braxton]
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware
New York
New Jersey
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts
John Hancock
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut
“The Declaration of Independence,” by John Trumbull
Here’s an excerpt from the following link that talks about the above painting.
https://www.aoc.gov/explore-capitol-campus/art/declaration-independence
“When Trumbull was planning the smaller painting in 1786, he decided not to attempt a wholly accurate rendering of the scene; rather, he made his goal the preservation of the images of the Nation’s founders. He excluded those for whom no authoritative image could be found or created, and he included delegates who were not in attendance at the time of the event. In all, 47 individuals (42 of the 56 signers and 5 other patriots) are depicted, all painted from life or life portraits. Some of the room’s architectural features (e.g., the number and placement of doors and windows) differ from historical fact, having been based on an inaccurate sketch that Thomas Jefferson produced from memory in Paris. Trumbull also painted more elegant furniture, covered the windows with heavy draperies rather than venetian blinds, and decorated the room’s rear wall with captured British military flags, believing that such trophies were probably displayed there.”