they valued liberty more

Happy 4th of July from miss Ruby
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.  
~ DOJGov.net
We are so grateful for our forefathers for their sacrifices 
and we honor our sons, daughters, 
brothers, sisters, moms, dads, friends 
and
 loved ones for their sacrifices for our nation
as they serve around the world.
  
Their sacrifices are not understood by most.

We are laying low today {my favorite}.
Just hanging out as family.
Gonna’ BBQ on the grill in a few minutes.
Dw, Graham and Savannah are still in Africa.
Our Sarah and baby girl arrived last week to visit.
We’re joyfully giving her and her 6 month boy-belly a rest while 
we chase the little miss.
Love, love, love having them here. 
And to throw a bit of excitement in the mix,
 we have one who is sick with a virus. 
  How do you celebrate the 4th of July?



Lastly,
a powerful word from John Adams
2nd U.S. President and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

“Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible 
for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his 
conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be 
obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; 
to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; 
and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God … 
What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be.” 
Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Vol. III, p. 9.

7 thoughts on “they valued liberty more

  1. Spending it quietly at home alone….Praying that the Lord protects our troops and turns our country around so it won't suffer a tragic death…Our founding fathers gave their all for a free country and now people want to destroy it…Grieving for our country.
    Love from NC

  2. Great post, Linny~~ Great photo too. How fun for you to have a grandbaby to snuggle….
    Our 4th is usually pretty laid back and uneventful. We watched fireworks from our living room window last night. They are sooooo close to us that Joel had to go out and pick up casings in our yard today from the fireworks last night! Shakes the windows good, but what a view…and no mosquitoes to fight either. A great taco salad, and the movie Parental Guidance rounded off this day plus the PBS special… Hugs and love to you and yours.

  3. So glad to see you had such a wonderful, restful day together in celebration. What a wonderful treat. Praying for those not at home at this time. For their safety and for God to use them mightily. Blessings!

  4. A lot of interesting history that I did not know, but then I suppose I may be excused cause I'm Canadian?…I hope. 😉 Love that 6 month boy baby belly! Hope your little guy feels better soon.

  5. We have one sick with a virus here too, and we're on vacation visiting family! Hoping it will not spread and that he will be feeling well enough to enjoy visiting with the people he asks about all year long.

Leave a Reply to RaD Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>