Where are they now?

Updated version can be found here:

https://theamericans.org/the-signers-fate/

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.

A quick look at my map could imply that this is an easy task, but I assure you, there was nothing easy about fighting traffic up the east coast to find cemeteries, that in some cases haven't been visited in decades. My initial effort to find these cemeteries and graveyards was difficult until I found https://www.findagrave.com and the book Search for the Signers by Jennifer Rudnick (Amazon Link). This made it much easier and a lot more fun.

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"

There is a lot more to this story and why I am making this journey, you'll have to wait for that. But, its coming soon.

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 last week, Patriotism can be fun, and experiencing our incredible nation and meeting our fellow citizens makes it that much better. (CLICK Watch on YouTube below)

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.

• Not Underlined = Still need to visit (19 left)
• Underlined = Visited but still need to write up article
• Hyperlink = Article about my visit

Georgia

Button Gwinnett

Lyman Hall

George Walton

North Carolina

William Hooper

Joseph Hewes

John Penn

South Carolina

Edward Rutledge

Thomas Heyward, Jr.

Thomas Lynch, Jr.

Arthur Middleton

Maryland

Samuel Chase

William Paca

Thomas Stone

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

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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

John Morton

George Clymer

James Smith

George Taylor

James Wilson

George Ross

Delaware

Caesar Rodney

George Read

Thomas McKean

New York

William Floyd

Philip Livingston

Francis Lewis

Lewis Morris

New Jersey

Richard Stockton

John Witherspoon

Francis Hopkinson

John Hart

Abraham Clark

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

Roger Sherman

Samuel Huntington

William Williams

Oliver Wolcott