Ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Some signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Many had their homes ransacked and burned.

What kind of men were they and what were their fates? We know that twenty-four signers were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants; nine were farmers. Most were men of means and well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty could be death.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the sea by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and later died in rags.

Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family frequently to avoid capture. He served in the Congress without pay, while his family was kept in hiding. McKean’s possessions were confiscated by the British.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Ellery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Rutledge, and Middleton. Middleton was captured by the British when Charleston fell. After the war, Gwinnett was killed in a duel with a fellow Georgian.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson homestead for use as headquarters. He asked General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed. Nelson died in bankruptcy.

Francis Lewis was a major financier of the Continental Army. His home was destroyed by the British who jailed his wife. Penniless, Lewis spent more than a year in debtors’ prison.

John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she lay dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. Hart’s planted fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home only to find his wife had died and his children were gone. A few weeks later Hart died. Lewis Morris fought in the Revolutionary War. He and Robert Morris (not related) both died in poverty.

These were not wild-eyed rabble rousers. They were well-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but valued liberty even more. Unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

Information about the "signers" gleaned from the Internet & World Book Encyclopedia.)