None of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 could have imagined a few years earlier that they would be part of such an event. All had been loyal British subjects earlier in their lives, and several had held British government posts in their home colonies. In 1743, Samuel Adams became one of the first to advocate for independence and he was gradually joined by others as English control became increasingly oppressive.
A biography and genealogical history of the 56 signers, and of Secretary Charles Thomson who attended all meetings and witnessed the original broadside with John Hancock but did not actually sign it, are presented in this unique reference work. Each of the 57 entries open with a biography of the man, focusing on his education, political career and the events that led him to advocate for independence, based in large part on contemporary sources. This is followed by a narrative genealogical history, providing names, birth and death dates, marriages, children and other details of the signer’s ancestors. Photographs of the men are included.

A former genealogical consultant, Della Gray Barthelmas now lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Della Gray Barthelmas
Foreword by Frank Borman
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 340
Bibliographic Info: 57 photos, facsimiles, appendices, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2003 [1997]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-1704-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-0538-8
Imprint: McFarland

Foreword      1

Preface      3

1. John Adams      7

2. Samuel Adams      17

3. Josiah Bartlett      25

4. Carter Braxton      31

5. Charles Carroll      37

6. Samuel Chase      43

7. Abraham Clark      47

8. George Clymer      51

9. William Ellery      55

10. William Floyd      61

11. Benjamin Franklin      65

12. Elbridge Gerry      79

13. Button Gwinnett      85

14. Lyman Hall      89

15. John Hancock      95

16. Benjamin Harrison V      101

17. John Hart      107

18. Joseph Worth Hewes      111

19. Thomas Heyward, Jr.      115

20. William Hooper      119

21. Stephen Hopkins      123

22. Francis Hopkinson      129

23. Samuel Huntington      133

24. Thomas Jefferson      139

25. Francis Lightfoot Lee      149

26. Richard Henry Lee      153

27. Francis Lewis      159

28. Philip Livingston      163

29. Thomas Lynch, Jr.      167

30. Thomas McKean      171

31. Arthur Middleton      177

32. Lewis Morris      181

33. Robert Morris      185

34. John Morton      193

35. Thomas Nelson, Jr.      197

36. William Paca      203

37. Robert Treat Paine      207

38. John Penn      213

39. George Read      217

40. Caesar Rodney      221

41. George Ross      225

42. Benjamin Rush      229

43. Edward Rutledge      235

44. Roger Sherman      239

45. James Smith      245

46. Richard Stockton      249

47. Thomas Stone      253

48. George Taylor      257

49. Charles Thomson      261

50. Matthew Thornton      267

51. George Walton      271

52. William Whipple      275

53. William Williams      279

54. James Wilson      285

55. John Witherspoon      291

56. Oliver Wolcott      295

57. George Wythe      301

Appendices

I. Interrelationships Among Signers and Their Families      305

II. The Declaration of Independence      307

Selected Bibliography      311

Index      319

“should be found in every genealogical library”—Booklist; “recommended”—Choice; “impressive…. A valued contribution to any school or public library”—Midwest Book Review; “concise biographical and genealogical information…attractive, informative, and well written”—ARBA; “unique…well-written and extensively researched reference for students of early American History and for genealogists as well. It is recommended for both public and academic libraries”—Catholic Library World; “well-written and systematically organized…a joy for the general reader who wants to have a more intimate knowledge of the American independence movement and many of its principal actors”—History: Reviews of New Books.