250 Years Ago by Cindy Regnier

In a few days Americans will celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday. I have been known to lament that our founding fathers signed the declaration in the dead of summer instead of, say, mid-January. We could skip the heat wave, watch fireworks at dark and be back home by 7:00 pm. But I digress. Have you ever wondered what really happened on July 4th 1776, besides what’s in the history books? Let’s see what we can piece together.

Jefferson

July 4th 1776 in Philadelphia was a cool morning according to Thomas Jefferson who recorded a temperature of 68 at 6:00 a.m. in his daily weather diary. Apparently, it warmed to the 80s before the day was over but still not overly hot. That was probably a good thing as in that time the men wore clothing and accessories that only added to the heat. Powdered wigs, breeches, a waistcoat (what we might call a vest,) a frock coat (worn over the shirt and waistcoat that reached down to the knees,) woolen stockings and tricorn hats (usually made of felt or fur.) Sounds hot to me.

On July 2, 1776 the Continental Congress voted for independence. John Adams, in his writings, even noted that July 2 would be remembered in the annals of American history and would be marked with fireworks and celebrations. The written Declaration of Independence was dated July 4, but many of the signers weren’t present that day. Most historians believe some of the founding fathers signed on July 4th, but then signed again along with the rest of the delegates on August 2, 1776 once the document had been engrossed on parchment. Fifty-six delegates eventually signed the document.

Rush

In an 1811 letter Benjamin Rush recounted the signing describing it as a scene of "pensive and awful silence". Rush said the delegates were called up, one after another, and then filed forward somberly to subscribe what each thought was their ensuing death warrant. He related that the "gloom of the morning" was briefly interrupted when the rotund Benjamin Harrison of Virginia said to a diminutive Elbridge Gerryof Massachusetts, at the signing table, "I shall have a great advantage over you, Mr. Gerry, when we are all hung for what we are now doing. From the size and weight of my body I shall die in a few minutes and be with the Angels, but from the lightness of your body you will dance in the air an hour or two before you are dead." According to Rush, Harrison’s remark "procured a transient smile, but it was soon succeeded by the Solemnity with which the whole business was conducted.”

John Hancock, President of the Congress, signed the document with a large, bold signature. The other delegates signed beginning at the right with the signatures arranged by states from New Hampshire to Georgia. 

 

A few delegates, including Robert R. Livingston of New York, a member of the drafting committee, never signed because, quite simply, they ran out of room.

Forty-eight of the 56 signers were born in America. Edward Rutledge (age 26) was the youngest signer, and Benjamin Franklin (age 70) was the oldest signer. By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain even though the Revolutionary War continued into 1783.

The British Government tried to dismiss the Declaration as trivial and full of flaws. They tried rebuttal but had no success with what they referred to as “grumbling Americans.” But what the Declaration immediately accomplished was recognition by friendly foreign governments, establishing trade and enabling America to withdraw further from Britain. The document was moved often and heavily protected during the Revolutionary War and wars that followed. The document is currently held in Fort Knox.

 

As time progressed, many other historic events followed on July 4th of various years. In 1817 Massachusetts declared Independence Day a holiday. In 1817 construction began of the Erie Canal. 1855 saw Walt Whitman publish Leaves of Grass. Susan B Anthony addressed Congress on July 4th in 1876. The Statue of Liberty was presented to America in 1884 and America the Beautiful was published in 1895, all on the fourth day of July.

So this year on the 250th American Independence Day, take a moment to remember the brave men who risked their lives for the free country we live in today. And even though they did sign in the hottest part of the year, I’m very grateful to them. 

Scribbling in notebooks has been a habit of Cindy Regnier since she was old enough to hold a pencil. Born and raised in Kansas, she writes stories of historical Kansas, especially the Flint Hills area where she spent much of her childhood. Her experiences with the Flint Hills setting, her natural love for history, farming and animals, along with her interest in genealogical research give her the background and passion to write heart-fluttering historical romance.

 

Charles Carroll of Carrollton, My Ancestor-In-Law

By Kathy Kovach

Charles Carroll III

When my husband and I talk about genealogies in our families, my side is boring. But his is rich in history. He has ancestors who came over on the Mayflower; his great-uncle Major General Frank Carroll was instrumental in creating the Army Air Corp and escorted Orville Wright on his last flight before his death aboard a prototype 4-engine prop aircraft; his father helped to pioneer the very first aircraft radio repair shops in the Army Air Corp/Airforce during WWII.

If that wasn't enough, hubs is the direct descendant of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, even down to the fact that his mother's maiden was Carroll.

Who was this man?

He was the third Charles in a line of wealthy and influential men. In the late 1600s, his grandfather was known as Charles Carroll the Settler, a descendant of Domhnall O’Carroll, the king of Eile of the ruling class in King’s County, Ireland. Years later, a branch of the Carroll family immigrated to Colonial Maryland where his father adopted the name Charles Carroll of Annapolis.

Along came Charles Carroll III, or Charley, as the family called him, on September 19, 1737. He, along with other members of his family, became involved in the formation of the United States of America.

Phoenix Shot Tower

Charles subscribed to Freemasonry, a fraternal order of men of good character that started in England in the 1700s amongst the stone masons. It was to assure good quality, of both skill and character, particularly as cathedrals were built. In the colonies, Charles laid the cornerstone of the Phoenix Shot Tower in Baltimore.

In 1828, the Phoenix Shot Tower was, at the time, the tallest structure in the United States. This building, which resembled a smokestack, was used for producing shot for muskets. Molten lead would be poured from the top of the tower through a sieve and as it dropped, would cool into a perfect sphere, then land in a bucket of water at the bottom to cool further.

What does it mean to lay a cornerstone? In religious circles, we know this to mean that Christ is our cornerstone. Ephesians 2:19-22. The Freemasons expounded on this idea as they formed the corner of a structure—a cube—to aid in constructing the rest of the building by giving it a good foundation, plumbed and true. This is why the order was important in providing trained master craftsmen.

First Stone Baltimore & Ohio Railroad

Charles was a founding member of the B&O Railroad, and at the age of 92, laid the first stone on the historic Mount Clare site in Baltimore which is still on display at the museum.

Charles’s father granted him a 17,000-acre tract of land he’d named Carrollton Manor. Charles never lived on it, but he became a wealthy landowner as he leased to tenant farmers.

The British Empire in the North American Colonies, 1600-1750

As a Roman Catholic, Charles was banned from getting involved in politics, but he couldn’t stand by while the British tried to usurp their position in the land he now called home. He became an opposing voice of taxation as an anonymous author of articles in a newspaper, under the byline “First Citizen.” Due to his involvement in freeing the colonies from British rule, and despite the strict directive from the church, he was elected to the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and remained a delegate for two years.

It was by this avenue that he was present to sign the Declaration of Independence. He had been penning his name as Charles Carroll of Carrollton for over a decade, but, according to John Hix, a newspaper journalist in 1940, he had initially signed just his name, without the added distinction. Signing the document meant criminalization, guilty of sedition against King George III. One of the people present was prejudiced against Charles because of his Catholic beliefs and complained that he risked nothing because his name was common in the colonies. As the wealthiest man in the room, Charles knew he had the most to lose. But when the man spoke out, Charles walked back to John Hancock’s desk and added “of Carrollton” to prove his dedication to the cause. No one could confuse him with his father, Charles Carroll of Annapolis, who was still alive, or with other members of his family, Charles Carroll the Barrister, or Charles Carroll of Homewood, who was his own son.

Charles Carroll signed, along with three other men representing Maryland, directly under John Hancock.

A song was penned in his honor, entitled The Carrollton March, and is the first known train song published July 1, 1828. It was to commemorate the groundbreaking of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad three days later. To listen to this cheery ditty, go HERE. 

Charles Carroll III became the last living signatory, dying at age 95 on November 14, 1832.

When I see images of this great man, I can imagine my husband’s grandfather, Stanley Carroll, with the same features, notably his piercing eyes and distinct nose. I’m amazed at how close the founding of our country is to our family. Is it any wonder we have fiercely defended her through four generations of military service? To see our legacy, go to Blog . . . With A Giggle: Thank You For Serving!

A Bouquet of Brides Collection

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Meet seven American women who were named for various flowers but struggle to bloom where God planted them. Can love help them grow to their full potential?

"Periwinkle in the Park" by Kathleen Kovach

1910, Colorado

Periwinkle Winfield is a hiking guide helping to commission Rocky Mountain National Park. But a run-in with a mountain man who is determined to keep the government off his land may place her in great danger.

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother, though much too young for that. Kathleen is a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

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Fun Facts about the Founding Fathers (and a Giveaway!)

We all are aware of certain of America’s Founding Fathers and their accomplishments and contributions to America. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Rush, and John Adams—these (and other) names are imbedded in our American History textbooks and remain a staple in discussions on America’s founding. But these are only a very few of the signers of the Declaration of Independence—and so much of what is known is their public contributions to society. But unlike today, politicians of that time didn’t make a career of their politics. They all had lives and careers outside of their public life. I thought it might be fun to look at some interesting, random, and unique facts about the 56 men who laid the groundwork for this nation by signing the Declaration of Independence.

 

Ages of the Signers

·      The average age of the signers was 44.5 years old.

Edward Rutledge

 

·      The youngest men to sign the Declaration were Edward Rutledge and Thomas Lynch Jr.—both age 26. Rutledge was three months younger than Lynch, so he earns the official “youngest” title.

Benjamin Franklin

·      The oldest men who signed were Benjamin Franklin (age 70) and Stephen Hopkins (69).

Stephen Hopkins

 

Birthplaces of the Signers

Of the 56 men, only eight were born outside the American colonies. They were:

·      Button Gwinnett
·      Francis Lewis
·      Robert Morris
·      James Smith
·      George Taylor
·      Matthew Thornton
·      James Wilson

·      John Witherspoon

 

Professions of the Signers* 

·      Twenty-four men—nearly half of the overall group—were lawyers.
·      Seventeen were merchants.
·      Fifteen were plantation or land owners.
·      Four were physicians.
·      Three were scientists.
·      Two were land speculators.
·      Two served as ministers (only one was active at the time he signed the document).
·      Two were farmers.
·      One was a surveyor.
·      One was a printer.
·      One was a musician.

·      One was a military officer.

*Of the 56 men, seventeen are listed on the National Archives website as having two professions, so these numbers won’t add up to an even 56.

 

Family of the Signers

·      All but two of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were married.

o   Caesar Rodney was the first. Rodney suffered with asthma all through his life, and in his later years, he also developed cancer on his face. On multiple occasions, he underwent the knife to remove the cancer—suffering great pain and scarring, to the point that he wore a scarf over his face to hide the disfigurement. He ultimately succumbed to the disease on June 26, 1784, after an eight-year battle. He was fifty-five years old. I would guess that due to the cancer and scarring, he may have chosen not to be romantically involved with anyone.

Caesar Rodney

o   Joseph Hewes is the only other unmarried soul who signed the Declaration. He was said to have been engaged to marry a young woman, Isabella Johnston, but days before their nuptials, Isabella fell ill and died. Hewes was so heartbroken over her loss that he never found love again.

Joseph Hewes

·      The rest of the signers of the Declaration were married at least once. Sixteen of those 56 married twice in their lifetimes.
·      The sum total of children born to the signers of the Declaration is 337. 
·      Carter Braxton gets the award for the most children. He and his first wife, Judith, had two daughters before she passed away early in their marriage. Two years after her death, he married again and had sixteen children with his second wife, Elizabeth. Eighteen children total for the Braxton family.

Carter Braxton

·      Others who had children in the double digits included Josiah Bartlett (12 children), Abraham Clark (10), William Ellery (16), John Hart (13), Thomas McKean (11), Lewis Morris (10), Thomas Nelson Jr. (13), Benjamin Rush (13), Roger Sherman (15), and John Witherspoon (12).

·      Five of the signers had no children: Joseph Hewes, Francis Lightfoot Lee, Thomas Lynch Jr., Caesar Rodney, and William Whipple.

 

Random Claims to Fame

·      The first signer of the Declaration of Independence to die was Button Gwinnett. He died on May 19, 1777, not even a full year after the signing. He was age 42 at the time. Three days prior to his death, he fought a duel with Lachlan McIntosh, the man who’d been appointed to the lucrative brigadier general position in the Continental Army which Gwinnett had hoped to get. After losing that position, the two men had an ongoing fued which led to the duel in question.

Button Gwinnett

·      Because of his unexpected and early death, there are few samples of Button Gwinnett’s signature on documents, so his autograph is one of the most highly sought after among the Founding Fathers, and it comes at a very dear price. There are only ten samples known to exist outside of the Declaration itself.
·      The signer who died at the youngest age was Thomas Lynch Jr., who passed away at the age of 30. Both Lynch and his father served in the Continental Congress (the only father-son pair to do so), although both men were ill at the time. The elder Lynch was too sick to sign the famed document, and he died in 1777. The younger Lynch did improve some, though his health still suffered, so in 1779, he and his wife boarded a ship to go to the West Indies in hopes the climate might have good effects on his overall health. The ship was lost at sea, and Lynch Jr. and his wife Elizabeth both perished.

Thomas Lynch Jr.

·      Thomas Lynch Jr.’s signature is also very rare for much the same reason as Button Gwinnett’s, and the few samples of it outside of the Declaration of Independence have sold for $200,000-$250,000/each.
·      The signer of the Declaration of Independence who was the oldest at his death was Charles Carroll of Carrollton—age 95. He died November 14, 1832, of an apparent heart attack. He lived long enough to out-survive four of the first five American presidents.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton 

 

 

It’s Your Turn: Which fun fact or detail did you find most interesting? Why? Leave your answers along with your email address to be entered in the drawing for one of my books, along with a scented soap and package of Oak Alley Plantation notecards.

 

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has finaled and won in numerous writing competitions, and been on the ECPA best-seller list several times. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers, Women Writing the West, and is a lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, college-aged son, and four fur children.

COMING JULY 1, 2021

The Scarlet Pen by Jennifer Uhlarik

Step into True Colors — a series of Historical Stories of Romance and True American Crime

Enjoy a tale of true but forgotten history of an 19th Century serial killer whose silver-tongued ways almost trap a young woman into a nightmarish marriage.

In 1876, Emma Draycott is charmed into a quick engagement with Stephen Dee Richards after reconnecting with him at a church event in Mount Pleasant, Ohio. But within the week, Stephen leaves to “make his fame and fortune.” The heartbroken Emma gives him a special pen to write to her, and he does with tales of grand adventures. Secret Service agent Clay Timmons arrives in Mount Pleasant to track purchases made with fake currency. Every trail leads back to Stephen—and therefore, Emma. Can he convince the naïve woman she is engaged to a charlatan who is being linked a string of deaths in Nebraska?