Happy Independence Day!

 

 


In honor of July 4th and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the focus of this post will be the South Carolina signers of the Declaration.






The four courageous South Carolinians who help to declare independence from Great Britain were the following:
                                 
          Edward Rutledge
          Arthur Middleton
          Thomas Lynch Jr.
          Thomas Heyward Jr.

Here is a little history on our local patriots:

Edward Rutledge

   Born to an aristocratic South Carolina family, Edward Rutledge studied law at Oxford and was admitted to the English Bar.
He attended congress at the ripe age of 27, finding himself in the midst of the most distinguished men in the American colonies.
   Leaving Congress in November 1776 to fight the British, he was a member of the Charleston Battalion of Artillery, received the title of captain, and took part in many important battles. The colonial legislature sent him back to Congress in 1779 to fill a vacancy. He left congress again in 1780 when the British invaded South Carolina a third time. He resumed his post as Captain in the defense of Charleston, until he was captured and held prisoner until July of 1781.
    After returning to South Carolina in 1782, he served the on the legislature until 1796, where he was very active.  He also served as an elector in 1788, 1792, and 1796. He was then elected to the state Senate twice and in 1789 was elected Governor.  Following a period of declining health, he died in January of 1800 at the age of 50.

Arthur Middleton

    Arthur Middleton was born in South Carolina in the year 1742.
Educated in England and graduating from Cambridge, he was elected to the Charleston Council of Safety in 1775 and a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776. He was captured and held prisoner for more than a year when the British took Charleston in 1781. Unfortunately, most of his fortune was destroyed during the Revolution. Arthur Middleton remained politically active until his death in 1787.


Thomas Lynch Jr.

   Born in South Carolina in 1749, Thomas Lynch Jr. was educated in England and graduated with honors from Cambridge University. He studied law in London and upon his return home in 1772, he immediately became politically active. He was commissioned a company commander in the South Carolina regiment in 1775, and shortly thereafter was elected to the Continental Congress. Shortly after signing the Declaration of Independence, he retired from congress due to an illness. Towards the end of 1776, Thomas and his wife set sail for the West Indies. The ship disappeared and there is no record of his life afterward.


Thomas Heyward Jr.

Born in South Carolina in 1746, Thomas Heyward Jr. was classical educated at home and completed his legal studies in England. In 1775, he was elected to the Continental Congress. Upon his return to South Carolina in 1778, he served as a judge. During the siege of Charleston, while in command of a Militia force, he was taken prisoner. He resumed his Judgeship following the war, and retired in 1798. He died in March of 1809 at age 62. After the war, he resumed his work as a judge and retired in 1798. He died at the age of 62 in March of 1809.



I hope you have enjoyed learning about some of our Carolina Fore Fathers.
May God bless you this Independence Day!