Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Search Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence

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    The men who signed the Declaration of Independence made world history in 1776. “The Signers” are recognizable by name, this is your chance to learn if you descend from one of the men who participated in one of the most famous acts of rebellion in western history.

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    Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence which was created between June – July of 1776 and unanimously ratified on July 4, 1776. Originally published and distributed as a broadside, the Declaration listed 27 grievances against King George III from the colonies. It has since become a well-known statement on human rights and was the inspiration for other similar documents in other countries including Austria, Belgium, and Liberia. By the time it was adopted, the 13 Colonies and Great Britain had been at war for more than a year.

    These records document the descendants of these 56 men and offer a standardized lineage, which allows family historians to determine any possible connection to the Signers. The most famous is undoubtedly John Hancock, the President of the Continental Congress, who chose to sign in large letters. It is also signed by two future Presidents: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Benjamin Harrison V was the father and great-grandfather of two other presidents, Edward Rutledge was the youngest at age 26, and at age 70, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest. Many had familial connections to Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

    The signers were:

    Adams, John

    Adams, Samuel

    Bartlett, Josiah

    Braxton, Carter

    Carroll, Charles

    Chase, Samuel

    Clark, Abraham

    Clymer, George

    Ellery, William

    Floyd, William

    Franklin, Benjamin

    Gerry, Elbridge

    Gwinnett, Button

    Hall, Lyman

    Hancock, John

    Harrison, Benjamin

    Hart, John

    Hewes, Joseph

    Heyward Jr., Thomas

    Hooper, William

    Hopkins, Stephen

    Hopkinson, Francis

    Huntington, Samuel

    Jefferson, Thomas

    Lee, Francis Lightfoot

    Lee, Richard Henry

    Lewis, Francis

    Livingston, Philip

    Lynch Jr., Thomas

    McKean, Thomas

    Middleton, Arthur

    Morris, Lewis

    Morris, Robert

    Morton, John

    Nelson Jr., Thomas

    Paca, William

    Penn, John

    Read, George

    Rodney, Caesar

    Ross, George

    Rush, Benjamin

    Rutledge, Edward

    Sherman, Roger

    Smith, James

    Stockton, Richard

    Stone, Thomas

    Taylor, George

    Thornton, Matthew

    Treat Paine, Robert

    Walton, George

    Whipple, William

    Williams, William

    Wilson, James

    Witherspoon, John

    Wolcott, Oliver

    Wythe, George

    The images in this collection come from the Frank Willing Leach Collection, housed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

    What can these records tell me?

    While records vary from family to family, the materials in this collection are presented in a traditional genealogical text style, with the primary subject at the top of each page or section, and their children, or Issue, listed below. Each generation follows in a similar format. When it was available, information on locations, dates, marriages, spouses, and other vital genealogical data is included.

    Many of the pages include handwritten edits that were inserted after the original publication was created, as ongoing research revealed new information or corrections.

    Researchers should be attentive to any additional notes or citations offered for each family, and should verify this information against original documents, as you would with any other published genealogical research.

    Locations included in these records

    While the vast majority of the information will be from the United States, families will include information from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Euorpe, South America, Australia, and other areas around the globe, depending on where the family may have ventured to over several generations.

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    Copyright: Findmypast; images courtesy Historical Society of Pennsylvania