The 4 Signers of the Declaration of Independence from New York
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55 of the 56 framers were bible-believing, church-attending Christians. The final paragraph in the Declaration reads as a prayer – “We appeal to the Supreme Judge of the universe...”
 Born: West Chester Co.,NY Age when signing: 50 years old Religious Belief: Episcopalian Occupation: Plantation Owner Sacrifices made during the Revolution Warned by his half-brother Gouverneur Morris and fellow patriots that signing the Declaration of Independence would cost him everything, Morris famously replied: “Damn the consequences—give me the pen.” Following the American defeat at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, British troops occupied Morris's grand 1,000-acre estate located in what is now the South Bronx. Morris's wife and their ten children were forced to abandon their home. They evacuated to safety as refugees in Connecticut, remaining displaced for nearly the entire length of the war. The British ransacked and demolished his manor house, slaughtered his livestock, and drove away his tenants. To punish him, they also stripped and burned over 1,000 acres of prime timber and woodlands, completely ruining his fields and crops. |
 Born: Albany, NY Age when signing: 60 years old Religious Belief: Presbyterian Occupation: Merchant Sacrifices made during the Revolution When the British occupied New York City in 1776, Livingston and his family were forced to flee. The British seized his prized residences converting his Manhattan home on Duke Street into army barracks and transformed his grand 40-acre estate in Brooklyn Heights into a Royal Navy hospital. Seeking safety, Livingston moved his family upstate to Kingston, New York. In October 1777, British General John Vaughan targeted and burned Kingston to the ground as a harsh punishment for the town hosting the drafting of the new New York State Constitution. He died suddenly while the Continental Congress was in active session on June 12, 1778, at the age of 62, never living to see American independence realized. Due to his immense wartime spending, the seizure of his real estate, and general economic collapse, his estate was completely insolvent upon his death.
 Born: Llandaff, Wales Age when signing: 63 years old Religious Belief: Episcopalian Occupation: Merchant Sacrifices made during the Revolution Following the American defeat at the Battle of Long Island in the autumn of 1776, a British warship and cavalry targeted Lewis’s estate in Whitestone, Queens. They pillaged, ransacked, and burned down his grand Whitestone country house. His valuable library, rare personal papers, and lifetime collections were burned. They captured his 61-year-old wife, and subjected her to inhumane conditions, throwing her into a New York City prison without a bed, a change of clothing, or adequate food. Though eventually freed by prisoner exchange, her health was permanently shattered; she contracted a lingering illness in confinement and died in June 1779. Lewis dedicated virtually his entire personal fortune to financing the Continental Army during the war, purchasing uniforms, securing arms, and outfitting naval ships. Combined with the destruction of his real estate, he emerged from the war with his wealth completely erased.
 Born: Brookhaven, NY Age when signing: 41 years old Religious Belief: Presbyterian Occupation: Land Speculator Sacrifices made during the Revolution When British forces invaded Long Island in August 1776, British cavalry seized Floyd’s property, utilizing his manor house as barracks and stables. British forces systematically plundered his lands. They cut down his expansive timber forests, burned his fences for firewood, systematically slaughtered his livestock to feed royal troops, and severely damaged his mansion. Floyd’s wife, was forced to flee their home with their three young children. They escaped across the Long Island Sound to Middletown, Connecticut. The relentless stress, displacement, and harsh conditions of a seven-year exile broke her health. She passed away on May 16, 1781, never getting to see her home again or witness the war's end. Floyd and his displaced family spent the duration of the American Revolution living as refugees in Connecticut, relying heavily on the hospitality of friends and local networks.
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