Posts by Tim Scheiderer
Charles Carroll
Greatness is not happenstance, a mere collision of incidents. Education, effort, and resources are key components. Hardship is also a frequent antagonist of those who attain levels of prestige and clout. Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a man who descended from a lineage of royalty and preeminence. His ancestors trace their roots to a group…
Read MoreRoger Sherman
In the modern world, signing one’s name on a document might involve a fiduciary commitment, or communicate a covenantal agreement, or denote the acquisition of property at a cost to the signee. A person’s signature represents his promise to fulfill the obligations of the agreement. Rarely does one’s name on a piece of paper place…
Read MoreGeorge Taylor
Of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, George Taylor quintessentially exemplifies the hopes realized of America’s founding document. The groundbreaking resolution contained existential realities beating in every heart of mankind. Those given by Providence. Recognized and protected by a nascent government. George Taylor was born in 1716, the Irishman came to the colonies penniless…
Read MoreJames Wilson
James Wilson was born on September 14, 1742, into a family of tenant farmers who lived near Cupar, Scotland. His father worked tirelessly, but the Scottish soil refused to yield large harvests. Hence, after the rent was paid, there was little left over to fill the family’s coffers. As well, the Wilson’s dwellings were cramped…
Read MoreJames Smith
“If the British administration should determine by force to effect a submission to the late arbitrary acts of the British Parliament, in such a situation, we hold it our indispensable duty to resist such force, and at every hazard to defend the rights and liberties of America.” So uttered James Smith at the Pennsylvania state…
Read MoreBenjamin Rush
“There is no one outside my own family whose friendship was so essential to my happiness.” John Adams wrote these words about Dr. Benjamin Rush. He was a man beloved by people near and honored by many from afar. One example is the number of students he taught at the College (now University) of Pennsylvania.…
Read MoreJohn Morton
It can be argued John Morton’s contributions to the young United States were significantly cut short due to his untimely death in 1777. He signed the Declaration of Independence first and, in 1777, he chaired the Committee of the Whole as they determined, wrote, and considered the adoption of the Articles of Confederation, the United…
Read MoreRobert Morris
Robert Morris, known as the financier of the American Revolution, was born on January 20, 1734 in Liverpool, England. He would become one of the two wealthiest signers of the Declaration of Independence. His father, a tobacco merchant, came to Maryland in 1738 representing a English mercantile firm. He possessed genius and savvy that brought…
Read MoreGeorge Clymer
In the fall of 1682, George Fitzwater and his family landed at New Castle, Delaware, after a two-month voyage across the Atlantic. They had joined William Penn and others aboard the ship Welcome, a small cargo vessel, 150 feet in length maximum. In cramped conditions, the roughly 100 future settlers of the Pennsylvania colony survived on salted…
Read MoreThomas McKean
The Irish are known to be blunt and, at times, feisty folk. And the Scottish are known as a hearty people, able to persevere through hardship. For Thomas McKean, these traits certainly rang true. The son of Irish and Scottish ancestry was surprisingly a successful lawyer during the American Revolutionary period. The wonderment was present…
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