The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence is a wonderful book written by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese.
Here are some of the takeaways:
Most of the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence are unknown.
Some of the signers bankrolled George Washington's army and the new government.
Benjamin Franklin provided the income from his new job as Postmaster General and 3000 pounds in savings.
Every time Washington needed cash Robert "Morris [of Pennsylvania] managed to find it, even if it came from his own savings. It is said that Morris gave as much as $1 million of his own money to fund the Yorktown campaign alone." The poor man later ended up in debtors prison when a real estate deal went south. When Washington offered him the Treasury Secretary job, he declined saying Hamilton would be a better choice. Washington never forgot everything Morris did, frequently dining with him in Debtors prison.
Carter Braxton of Virginia helped the American cause throughout the war, lending "25,000 pounds to the government." Money with which, he was never repaid.
George Taylor of Pennsylvania started out as an Indentured Servant. After his master died, he married the widow and became the master.
Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania actually dreamt that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson reconciled. As a result of his letters where he acted as a mediator, he was ultimately credited with restoring the friendship of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.
After his first two wives died, William Paca of Maryland had a child out of wedlock with a free black woman. He publicly acknowledged the child and sent her to the finest schools.
Benjamin Harrison V of Virginia, the forefather of two future presidents, William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison, also signed the declaration.
When a friend defaulted on a loan Thomas Jefferson was forced to declare bankruptcy. This led him to sell his entire library to the government and that was the start of the Library of Congress.
George Wythe of Virginia was fatally poisoned by his sister's grandson.
Thomas Lynch Jr. of South Carolina and his wife died when a storm hit the ship they were taking to Europe.
Thomas Heyward, Jr., Edward Rutledge and Arthur Middleton of South Carolina were imprisoned in St. Augustine from 1780 to 1781.
About the authors
Denise Kiernan is an author, journalist, producer, and host of “CRAFT: Authors in Conversation.” Her new young reader’s book, "We Gather Together: Stories of Thanksgiving" from then to now, arrives September 2023, and is a companion title to the popular adult nonfiction book, "We GatherTogether," and children’s picture book, "Giving Thanks." Her titles "The Last Castle" and "The Girls of Atomic City" were both instant New York Times bestsellers in both hardcover and paperback. "The Last Castle" was also a Wall Street Journal bestseller, a finalist for the 2018 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. "The Girls of Atomic City" was also a Los Angeles Times and NPR bestseller, was named one of Amazon's “Top 100 Best Books of 2013,” and is now available in multiple languages. It was also awarded the 2014 American Political Science Association's Woodrow Wilson Foundation Award for the best book published in the United States on government, politics, or international affairs.
Kiernan has also co-authored several popular history titles including "Signing Their Lives Away," "Signing Their Rights Away," and "Stuff Every American Should Know." She has been published in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, Time, Ms. Magazine, Reader's Digest, Discover and many more publications. She has also worked in television, serving as head writer for ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" during its Emmy award-winning first season and has produced for media outlets such as ESPN and MSNBC.Throughout her career, Kiernan has been a featured guest on many radio and television shows, including NPR's "Weekend Edition," PBS NewsHour, MSNBC Morning Joe and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. She lives in North Carolina.
You can follow her work at www.denisekiernan.com
Joseph D’Agnese is a journalist and author who has written for children and adults alike. He’s been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, Discover, and other national publications.
In a career spanning more than twenty years, his work has been honored with awards in three vastly different areas—science journalism, children’s literature, and mystery fiction.
His science articles have twice appeared in the anthology Best American Science Writing.
His children’s book, Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci, was an honoree for the Mathical Book Prize—the first-ever prize for math-themed children’s books.
One of his crime stories won the 2015 Derringer Award for short mystery fiction. Another of his stories was selected by mega-bestselling author James Patterson for inclusion in the prestigious annual anthology, Best American Mystery Stories 2015.
D’Agnese’s crime fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and many others.
D’Agnese lives in North Carolina with his wife, the New York Times bestselling author Denise Kiernan (The Girls of Atomic City).
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