Histonetters,

I just received this and altho not Histology, I found it interesting and
hope you all do as well.  Have a great Holiday.  This info sure wasn't in my
History Books.

Don Hammer, Retired Guy

> THOUGHTS FOR THE FOURTH
>
>
> Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men
> who signed the Declaration of Independence?
>
> Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before
> they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their
sons
> serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine
> of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary
War.
> They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred
> honor.
> What kind of men were they?
> Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were
> farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But
> they  signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the
> penalty  would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia,
a
> wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British
> Navy.
> He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas
> McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family
> almost
> constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept
in
> hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
>
> Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
Walton,
> Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown,
> Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over
> the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George
> Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and
> Nelson died bankrupt.
>
> Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his
> wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his
wife's
> bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His
fields
> and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in
> forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children
> vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.
> Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.
> Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These
were
> not
> wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and
> education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing>
tall,
> straight, and 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."   They gave you and me a free and independent America.  The
> history books never told you a lot about what happened in the
Revolutionary
> War. We didn't
> fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we
fought
> our own
> government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we
> shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday
and
> silently thank these
> patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom
is
> never free!
>
> Happy 4th of July----