Traitor Tuesday: Celebrating 250 Years of the United States as a Separate Nation: George Clymer, Captain of the “Silk Stockings” and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Posted on March 3, 2026 by Regina Jeffers
clymer_george

George Clymer http://www.let.rug.nl/ usa/biographies/ george-clymer/

George Clymer was 37 years old when he signed the Declaration of Independence. He was a merchant by trade and the father of 8 children. He saw part of the War of 1812, also against Great Britain, for he died at the age 73 in January 1813.

The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence says, “A grandson of one of the original settlers of the Penn colony, George Clymer established himself as a major figure in both the struggle for independence and then the formation of a new nation. He is one of only 6 men who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. He was an ardent and vocal advocate of independence from Britain and a tireless proponent of a strong, united central government – both views putting him in frequent conflict with the more cautious Quaker-led powers of the Pennsylvania colony.” 

Orphaned in 1740, only a year after his birth in Philadelphia, Clymer lived with a wealthy uncle, who informally educated him and advanced him from clerk to partner in his mercantile firm. The uncle bequeathed the establishment to Clymer upon his death. He combined his firm with the Merediths, a prominent business family, and cemented the relationship by marrying his senior partner’s daughter, Elizabeth, in 1765.

clymer

Signers of the Declaration of Independence: George Clymer http://www.ushistory.org

The British economic restrictions on American trade affected his business; therefore, Clymer adopted the Revolutionary cause and was one of the first to recommend independence. Early on, he served on the Pennsylvania council of safety, and in 1773 headed a committee that forced the resignation of Philadelphia tea consignees appointed by Britain under the Tea Act. Clymer’s talents rested in financial matters. In 1775-76 he acted as one of the first two Continental treasurers, even personally underwriting the war by exchanging all his own specie for Continental currency.

From Signing Their Lives Away (Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnest, Quirk Books, 2009, page 122, we learn, “In 1773, Clymer saw some service as captain in corps of volunteer troops nicknamed the ‘Silk Stockings,’ because so many of its members were from well-heeled, blueblood families. It’s unlikely they saw battle because the war had not yet begun, but they did use their military might to force local merchants to stop selling British tea.”

“During the war he served twice in the Continental Congress, chairing committees that addressed the various and pressing issues of maintaining a constant flow of materiel and food for the perpetually undersupplied army, often volunteering to make trips at great personal risk to ascertain first-hand the conditions on the battlefront when others refused to go. When, Congress left Philadelphia for Baltimore during the winter of 1776 in panic at the advance of the British, Clymer stayed as one of three [along with George Walton and Robert Morris] in an Executive Committee to ensure that the army was supplied and the government continued to function. Late in the war, as the army was running out of such basic stocks as flour, and the funds to resupply were not to be found, he was instrumental in chartering a bank to raise the money privately, a service that according to the Commissioner General of the Continental Army quite literally saved the army from dissolution.” (The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence)

“During the War for Independence, Clymer served on a series of commissions that conducted important field investigations.  Within a year, after their victory at the Battle of Brandywine, Pa. (September 11, 1777), British troops advancing on Philadelphia detoured for the purpose of vandalizing Clymer’s home in Chester County about 25 miles outside the city. His wife and children hid nearby in the woods.

“After a brief retirement following his last term in the Continental Congress, Clymer was reelected for the years 1784-88 to the Pennsylvania legislature, where he had also served part time in 1780-82 while still in Congress. As a state legislator, he advocated a bicameral legislature and reform of the penal code and opposed capital punishment. At the Constitutional Convention, where he rarely missed a meeting, he spoke seldom but effectively and played a modest role in shaping the final document.

“The next phase of Clymer’s career consisted of service in the U.S. House of Representatives in the First Congress (1789-91), followed by appointment as collector of excise taxes on alcoholic beverages in Pennsylvania (1791-94). In 1795-96 he sat on a Presidential commission that negotiated a treaty with the Cherokee and Creek Indians in Georgia. During his retirement, Clymer advanced various community projects, including the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and served as the first president of the Philadelphia Bank. At the age of 73, in 1813, he died at Summerseat, an estate a few miles outside Philadelphia at Morrisville that he had purchased and moved to in 1806. His grave is in the Friends Meeting House Cemetery at Trenton, NJ.” (American History from Revolution to Reconstruction and Beyond)

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Linen Drapers and Shops in Regency London + the Upcoming Release of “Lost in the Lyon’s Garden” from Dragonblade Publishing [Arriving 18 March 2026]

Posted on March 2, 2026 by Regina Jeffers

Although the heroine in this tale is a gentleman’s daughter, she has taken a position in a draper’s shop while she attempts to assist her sister. What might that entail?

In England, a draper was a merchant or retailer who sold cloth, and sometimes clothing and other dry goods. They were an important part of the textile trade, buying cloth from manufacturers or importers and then reselling it by the yard to the public. Drapers operated shops and were often members of trade guilds, serving as a crucial link between cloth producers and consumers. 

  • Retailer of Cloth: Their primary business was selling fabric by the yard, which customers would then use to make clothes at home or with a local tailor. 
  • Dry Goods: In addition to cloth, drapers often sold other items, such as curtains and dry goods, in their shops. 

This second choice of furnishing dry goods is how Miss Victoria Whitchurch is employed. She has convinced the shop owner that providing custom made drapes would bring him additional business.

By the beginning of the 19th Century, it is estimated that 200 different shops could be found in London. These shops kept long hours, generally, 12-hour days. The shopkeepers and their assistants often lived on the premises. Warehouses were located in Covent Garden. Mercers and linen drapers could be found in Cheapside. Shops lined the streets with shopkeepers living above. We know that ladies of Society shopped on Oxford Street an Bond Street in Mayfair. Men frequented the shops and gentlemen’s clubs in St. James. Newer styled shops sprung up along the Strand.

The idea that Cheapside served many was part of my inspiration to place the hero living in a home in Cheapside, not because he lacked the wealth of his fellow lords, but because he has a great desire to further the economic prospects of his fellow man. Both Lord Benjamin Thompson and Miss Victoria Whitchurch are children of vicars, and they take their pledge to assist their neighbors seriously. They write their own “life’s plan,” one they will travel together.

“Drapers, or linen drapers, used to be the supervisors of the makers of woollen and other types of cloth since only they were allowed to buy from the manufacturers or to import it. The wholesale draper (or dealer) would buy imported cloths from the merchants, and also British-produced goods from manufacturers in, say Manchester or Paisley. He acted as the middleman by reselling these to the retail linen drapers throughout his chosen territory in Britain, through his travellers (travelling salesmen). Hurley (The Book of Trades or Library of the Useful Arts. Vol III. Wiltshire Family History Society, 1994) lists the specialties of each of the manufacturing towns in 1818.

The retail linen draper actually draped selected fabrics across his doorway so they could be seen and felt (Bebb 2002). Since ready-to-wear clothes were not readily available until the mid-19th century drapers were in great demand by seamstresses and tailors. The London establishments were sometimes huge, with dozens of live-in staff called draper’s assistants, as can be seen from the census returns. Brownrigg (The Linen-Draper’s Assistant in Portraits of the English Vol V: Working Lives edited and published by COLLINS, Audrey. 1999-1. Original published by Robert Tyas, London, 1840) presents a fascinating glimpse into their world.

“Haberdashers dealt in the accoutrements needed for sewing, such as lace, buttons and ribbons, and as they imported the better quality items from Milan they were also known as Milaners, which later gave rise to the term milliner, one who decorated dresses and ladies’ hats. Pins were among the articles introduced by haberdashers and at first were expensive as they were individually hand made, giving rise to the term pin money, for that used to buy fashionable frippery.”[England Mercantile Occupations, Merchants, Retailers, Clothing Materials, Dress, Drapers, Haberdashers – International Institute]

Other sources:

Linen Drapers During the Regency Era

Regency Shopping: Fashion and Fabric

Shopping in London During Jane Austen’s Time

Posted in book release, books, British history, Dragonblade Publishers, Georgian England, Georgian Era, hero, heroines, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, mystery, publishing, Regency era, Regency romance, research, romance, suspense, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Medical Advancements in Early 1800s England + the Upcoming Release of “Lost in the Lyon’s Garden” from Dragonblade Publishing [Arriving 18 March 2026]

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Regina Jeffers

Though they all faced danger as children, some of Lord Macdonald Duncan’s sons were not meant to inherit. Benjamin Thompson’s uncle was Lord Louis Thompson, 9th Earl Thompson. If Louis had married and sired a son, then that son would have been the next earl. However, Louis was killed, along with Benjamin’s father, Ernest Thompson, a vicar. Duncan shielded Benjamin until the boy could inherit the earldom, but Benjamin’s heart was elsewhere. He always wished to serve mankind, and he held an interest in science and nature. Therefore, after Cambridge, Duncan sent Benjamin to Edinburgh to study medicine and surgery before he claimed his earldom. Throughout this fourth book and the series, the reader will notice Benjamin’s “mind” works a bit differently from those of his brothers.

In the early 18th century, Englishmen relied heavily on English medicines and remedies. The term ‘patent medicine’ itself originated from English patent medicines, whose ingredients were granted royal protection and exclusivity. 

Advances in early 1800s English medicine included the isolation of morphine (1803), which was a significant step in understanding active ingredients, the groundbreaking invention of the stethoscope in 1816, the first practical human blood transfusion in 1818, and the development of anesthetics like ether and nitrous oxide. The smallpox vaccine, developed in the late 1700s, began to be widely implemented, paving the way for modern immunology and vaccination programs. These advancements moved medicine away from ancient theories like the humoral theory and closer to a more scientific and measurable understanding of the body. 

René Laennec invented the stethoscope in 1816, allowing doctors to listen to the internal workings of the body, a significant leap forward in diagnosis. The anesthetic properties of nitrous oxide were announced in 1800, and the first surgical operations using ether as an anesthetic were performed shortly after. 

Edward Jenner’s work in the late 18th century on cowpox as a vaccine for smallpox led to the development of vaccination programs in the early 19th century, saving countless lives and laying the groundwork for future immunology. 

But such did not mean that there was a predominant method to surgery, etc. “Even in the 18th century the search for a simple way of healing the sick continued. In Edinburgh the writer and lecturer John Brown expounded his view that there were only two diseases, sthenic (strong) and asthenic (weak), and two treatments, stimulant and sedative; his chief remedies were alcohol and opium. Lively and heated debates took place between his followers, the Brunonians, and the more orthodox Cullenians (followers of William Cullen, a professor of medicine at Glasgow), and the controversy spread to the medical centers of Europe.”

By the 18th century the medical school at Leiden (in the Netherlands) had grown to rival that of Padua, and many students were attracted there from abroad. By the beginning of the 19th century, the structure of the human body was almost fully known, due to new methods of microscopy and of injections. 

History of Medicine tells us, “There was perhaps some danger that in the search for bacteria other causes of disease would escape detection. Many physicians, however, were working along different lines in the 19th century. Among them were a group attached to Guy’s Hospital in London: Richard Bright, Thomas Addison, and Sir William Gull. Bright contributed significantly to the knowledge of kidney diseases, including Bright disease, and Addison gave his name to disorders of the adrenal glands and the blood. Gull, a famous clinical teacher, left a legacy of pithy aphorisms that might well rank with those of Hippocrates.

“In Dublin, Robert Graves and William Stokes introduced new methods in clinical diagnosis and medical training, while in Paris a leading clinician, Pierre-Charles-Alexandre Louis, was attracting many students from America by the excellence of his teaching. By the early 19th century the United States was ready to send back the results of its own researches and breakthroughs. In 1809, in a small Kentucky town, Ephraim McDowell boldly operated on a woman—without anesthesia or antisepsis—and successfully removed a large ovarian tumor. William Beaumont, in treating a shotgun wound of the stomach, was led to make many original observations that were published in 1833 as Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice and the Physiology of Digestion.”

Other Resources:

There’s a Cure for That

Posted in aristocracy, book release, books, British history, Dragonblade Publishers, eBooks, Georgian England, Georgian Era, Great Britain, hero, heroines, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, mystery, publishing, Regency era, Regency romance, research, science, Scotland, suspense, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Bonus” Traitor Thursday ~ Celebrating 250 Years of the United States as a Separate Nation: Richard Stockton, A Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Who Was Reviled for Recanting His Allegiance

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Regina Jeffers

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Richard Stockton was a 45 years old lawyer when he signed the Declaration of Independence. A father of six children, he died in February 1781 at the age of 50.

Richard Stockton was born near Princeton, New Jersey to John Stockton on October 1, 1730. John Stockton was the founder of the College of New Jersey. Richard attended the West Nottingham Academy under Dr. Samuel Finley, and then earned his degree at the College of New Jersey (Now Princeton) in 1748. He studied law with David Ogden of Newark, the most prominent lawyer in the area at the time. He was admitted to the bar at the age of twenty-four and quickly gained a reputation for being an excellent attorney. Stockton became an eminent lawyer with one of the largest practices in the colonies.

During this time Richard made many influential friends. He was a long-time friend of George Washington and had a close relationship with Benjamin Rush. It was his unique relationship with Rush that led to the acquisition of John Witherspoon. Witherspoon was given the position of President of the College of New Jersey and made it a university that rivaled Harvard and Yale. He also had friendships with James Madison and Aaron Burr. Even though he had many friends of influence and was considered one of the brightest attorneys in the Middle Colonies, Stockton had no use for politics and displayed a distrust in the public. It would be the Stamp Act that would begin to push him into politics.

3454548730_8005805d8dHe applied his talents and person to the Revolutionary cause when the day came. He was appointed to the Royal Council of New Jersey in 1765 and remained a member until the government was reformed. He was a moderate with regard to Colonial autonomy. He argued that the colonies should be represented in the Parliament. With the passage of the Stamp Act, such arguments were overcome by Colonial backlash.

Stockton was a moderate at the Second Continental Congress and disagreed with the more extreme points of both views. He wanted reconciliation, but he saw the reality of independence. He was more of a realist in a convention full of idealist and was not easily taken in by their rhetoric. He struggled with how they would pay for the war, raise an army, support an army, and govern themselves. These were all things that needed to take place before independence could be declared. He drafted a plan to give the colonies their independence without renouncing the British crown. King George III rejected it. This took place in 1774 and by 1775 Stockton was now in favor of independence.

richard stockton signature.JPGIn 1774, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. In 1776, the New Jersey delegates to the Congress were holding out against Independence. When news of this reached the constituents, New Jersey elected Richard Stockton and Dr. Witherspoon to replace two of the five New Jersey delegates. They were sent with instructions to vote for Independence. Accounts indicate that, despite clear instruction, Justice Stockton wished to hear the arguments on either side of the issue. Once he was satisfied, the New Jersey delegates voted for Independence. After the Declaration of Independence had been penned by Thomas Jefferson and edited by the committee it needed to be signed. Richard Stockton would become the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. He would pay the price for placing his signature on that document.

stockton-1Stockton was appointed to committees supporting the war effort. He was dispatched on a fact finding tour to the Northern army. The Continental Congress sent George Clymer and Richard Stockton to Fort Ticonderoga, Saratoga and Albany to help the Continental Army. On his return to the Continental Congress he took a detour and visited his friend John Covenhoven. New Jersey was overrun by the British in November of ’76, when he was returning from the mission. He managed to move his family to safety, but he and John were captured by loyalists. Stockton was stripped of his property and sent on a forced march to Perth Amboy. It was at Perth Amboy where he was given to the British. General William Howe offered Stockton and other prisoners a free pardon if they were renounce the Declaration of Independence and swear allegiance to the King. Stockton refused.  Shortly after he was beaten, interrogated, and intentionally starved. Stockton was then moved to Provost Prison in New York where he was subjected to freezing cold weather. After nearly five weeks of abusive treatment, Stockton was released on parole, his health was battered.His old friend, George Washington, negotiated his release, but Stockton’s health was already destroyed. He was required to sign a paper that would forbid him to help the war in any way after his parole. Upon his release he resigned from Congress in 1777 and according to his close friend Benjamin Rush it took him two years to fully regain his health. He returned to his estate, Morven, in Princeton, which had been occupied by General Cornwallis during Stockton’s imprisonment. All his furniture, all household belongings, crops and livestock were taken or destroyed by the British. His library, one of the finest in the colonies, was burned.

imagesTo earn a living Stockton reopened his law practice and taught new students. Two years after his parole from prison he developed cancer of the lip that spread to his throat. He was never free of pain until he died on February 28, 1781.In the last years of his life Stockton was tried in the court of public opinion as to whether or not he took an oath to the King for his release. John Witherspoon quickly dispersed these false accusations. 

Resources: 

Colonial Hall

The History Junkie 

Princeton University 

“Richard Stockton,” Wikipedia 

The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence

U. S. History 

Posted in American History, British currency, Declaration of Independence, Do You Remember? | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Shakespeare’s “The Two Noble Kinsmen” + the Upcoming Release of “Lost in the Lyon’s Garden” from Dragonblade Publishing [Arriving 18 March 2026]

Posted on February 25, 2026 by Regina Jeffers

In this story, the hero and heroine take on tending to her missing sister’s baby. The boy is fascinated by the sound of the hero’s voice. In this shorty scene, Lord Benjamin Thompson is reading Shakespeare to the infant.

from Chapter Seventeen:

She did not know how long she slept—not long enough to be refreshed fully, but enough that her mind was no longer a pot of gruel. “Where is the boy?” she asked when she found Mrs. Sullivan alone in one of the sitting rooms. 

“His lordship took the boy with him into his study. Lord Thompson said he did not want the boy waking you up.” 

“That was sweet of him,” she replied. “Perhaps I shall join them for a few minutes. His lordship is a busy man with many interests and should not be expected to tend to a babe not of his family.” 

“As you say, miss,” Miss Sullivan said as she set her next row of stitches. 

Victoria caught up her shawl and ran her damp hands across the wrinkles of her day dress to smooth them out. Her head was still more than fuzzy with having had only a bit over four hours of sleep, but she was exceedingly eager to learn how his lordship would treat her now that they had shared a kiss. 

In reality, she was losing track of how long she had been at Macalhey House. Though she had unconsciously begun to feel as if the sparse second part of Lord Thompson’s terrace house was the home she never knew she required. She was living in a dream. “What woman did not wish to encounter a strong and caring man and a sweet babe nestled together as a family, while knowing security under one roof.” 

She paused briefly before entering his half of the house. “You must not consider his life as yours,” she silently warned her heart. “Lord Duncan’s sons are not your family. Lord Thompson is not your husband nor even your betrothed. Yet, could they be?”

Despite a renewal of her qualms, Victoria was still eager to look upon her two favorite people in the world: his lordship and the child. Therefore, she placed her doubts aside to experience one more cherished memory. She found the pair in his lordship’s study. Lord Thompson was at his desk, the boy laid out on a cloth mat before him. His lordship was reading aloud, but she was not confident “what” he was reading, for she had never heard the passage before, though she thought it might be Shakespeare. Yet, it was no Shakespeare of which she was aware. The baby batted the air with his fists to the timbre of his lordship’s voice. 

Ladies, if we have been merry, 

And have pleased ye with a derry, 

And a derry, and a down, 

Say the Schoolmaster’s no Clown

Duke, if we have pleased thee too, 

And have done as Boys should do, 

His lordship ran his finger along the page of the book he was holding out of the child’s reach. Meanwhile, the boy followed his lordship’s reading. Gurgling. And swinging his hands about to the rhythm of Lord Thompson’s recitation. 

Give us but a tree or twain 

For a Maypole, and again

Ere another year run out, 

We’ll make thee laugh and all this rout. 

“You are reading him what sounds of Shakespeare, but not the Shakespeare I know,” she said from the open door’s portal. 

“You said the child appears to like the sound of my voice. Should not the boy enjoy what many believe to be a John Fletcher and William Shakespeare collaboration? This one would be near the end of the Bard’s career.” 

“And what is the name of this play?” she asked. “I am most curious.” 

“‘The Two Noble Kinsmen,’” he responded. “First published in 1634 with the names of John Fletcher and William Shakespeare on the title page.” He held up the book for her to see. “However, most scholars believe, because parts are borrowed from Beaumont’s 1613 masque and referred to in 1614’s Bartholomew Fair, it was written earlier and was revised merely by Fletcher.” 

“Both the boy and I learned something new today,” she said softly, while marveling at the man who possessed a heart of gold and was a champion for those, like her, who required a hand up. 

She circled the desk to look down upon the child, whose eyes were opening and slowly closing as sleep called his name.

<<<>>>

The Two Noble Kinsmen is a Jacobean tragicomedy, first published in 1634 and attributed jointly to John Fletcher and William Shakespeare. Its plot derives from “The Knight’s Tale” in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1387–1400), which had already been dramatised at least twice before, and itself was a shortened version of Boccaccio’s epic poem Teseida. This play is believed to have been originally performed in 1613–1614, making it William Shakespeare’s final play before he retired to Stratford-upon-Avon, where he died in 1616.

Formerly a point of controversy, the dual attribution is now generally accepted by scholarly consensus. [Erdman, David V.; Fogel, Ephim G., eds. (1966). Evidence for Authorship: Essays on Problems of Attribution. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press. pp. 486–494, 433–435, 467–469.]

“Links between The Two Noble Kinsmen and contemporaneous works point to 1613–1614 as its date of composition and first performance. A reference to Palamon, one of the protagonists of Kinsmen, is contained in Ben Jonson’s play Bartholomew Fair (1614). In Jonson’s work, a passage in Act IV, scene iii, appears to indicate that Kinsmen was known and familiar to audiences at that time.

“In Francis Beaumont’s The Masque of the Inner Temple and Gray’s Inn (1613), the second anti-masque features this cast of rural characters: pedant, May Lord and Lady, servingman and chambermaid, tavern host and hostess, shepherd and his wench, and two “bavians” (male and female baboon). The same cast slightly simplified (minus wench and one “bavian”) enacts the Morris dance in Kinsmen, II, v, 120–138. A successful “special effect” in Beaumont’s masque, designed for a single performance, appears to have been adopted and adapted into Kinsmen, indicating that the play followed soon after the masque.” [Stone, John (September 2020). “The Two Noble Kinsmen and Eighteen Other Newly Discovered Early Modern English Quartos in an Hispano-Scottish Collection”. Notes and Queries. 67 (3): 367–374.]

Posted in acting, book excerpts, book release, British history, Canterbury tales, Chaucer, Dragonblade Publishers, eBooks, excerpt, Georgian England, Georgian Era, hero, heroines, historical fiction, history, literature, Living in the Regency, mystery, playwrights, publishing, Regency era, Regency romance, research, suspense, theatre, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Traitor Tuesday ~ Celebrating 250 Years of the United States as a Separate Nation: Matthew Thornton, President of New Hampshire and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Regina Jeffers

thornton

Matthew Thorton was a 62 years old physician when he signed the Declaration of Independence. The father of 5 children, Thorton was one of two signers who had been born in Ireland. Thornton died at the age of 89 in 1803.

One of three New Hampshire men to sign the Declaration of Independence, Matthew Thornton, physician, soldier, patriot, agitated against the Stamp Act of 1765, presided over the Provincial Congress in 1775, served in the State Senate and as an associate justice of the Superior Court. His monument in Merrimack, NH honors his memory. He is buried in the adjacent cemetery. His homestead stands directly across the highway.

Matthew Thornton was born on 17 March 1713 in Kilskerry Parish, Tyrone, Ireland. He was the son – one of 10 children – of James Thorton, Jr., and Elizabeth Thorton. He was the husband of Hannah (Jack) Thornton and father to James, Mary, Matthew (Jr.), and Hannah. His parents emigrated to America when he was three. The Thornton family remained aboard the ship for the first six months they were in America. As Presbyterians, the Thorntons’ beliefs were often called upon for an explanation in their new home. They first settled at Wiscasset, in Maine, but soon went to Worcester, Massachusetts, where Mathew received an academic education. Thornton became a physician and was appointed surgeon to the New Hampshire Militia troops in an expedition against Fortress Louisbourg, Cape Breton (part of the French and Indian War). His medical practice was very successful and he acquired much land, becoming a leading member of the community in Londonderry. There he held many local offices while also representing Londonderry at the Provincial Assembly.

“But once Parliament enacted the Stamp Act, his politics reached a turning point. He became a very vocal and well-known advocate of independence and also served as chairman of the local Committee of Safety, which was typically charged with protecting citizens by mounting defenses. Thornton’s committee ended up assuming supreme executive power over the colony. 

“In 1774, as the situation worsened with the Mother Country, a mob attacked a royal fort in Portsmouth, swiping its stash of gunpowder and weapons and distributing them to the local militia. By the following summer, the Royal Governor John Wentworth and his family were hiding out in the very same fort – and perhaps seeing the writing on the way, they finally abandoned the colony and sailed for England. Not knowing if there would ever be a larger union, New Hampshire formed its own independent government, and Thornton was swiftly elected the colony’s president, or revolutionary executive – the first non-royal governor, so to speak.” (Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnest, Signing Their Lives Away, @2009, Quirk Books, page 22)

He was first President of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Associate Justice of the Superior Court of New Hampshire. He was elected to the Continental Congress after the debates on independence had occurred, arriving just in time to actually sign the Declaration of Independence. He was selected to attend Congress again in 1777, but declined to attend due to poor health. He held royal commissions as justice of the peace under the colonial administration of Gov. Benning Wentworth, as well as a colonel of militia. He became Londonderry Town Selectman, a representative to, and President of the Provincial Assembly, and a member of the Committee of Safety, drafting New Hampshire’s plan of government after dissolution of the royal government, which was the first state constitution adopted after the start of hostilities with England.  

After serving his term in Congress he became chief justice of the Court of Common Pleas in New Hampshire, and afterwards judge of the Superior Court. About 1762, he established a farm in New Boston, New Hampshire, remaining there 8 years, before returning to Londonderry. After 1776 he purchased a farm in that part of Merrimack known as Thornton’s Ferry, where, surrounded by his family and friends, he passed the remainder of his days in dignified repose. He served Merrimack, New Hampshire, as moderator and selectman, and on the 1787 tax list he is shown living in District 4. He died at the house of his daughter, Mrs. Hannah Thornton McGaw, in Newburyport, Mass., June 24, 1803, at the age of eighty-nine years.

Mr. Thornton was a man of commanding presence, but of a very genial nature, remarkable for his native wit and great fondness for anecdote. His remains were brought back to Merrimack, and they repose in the little burial ground at Thornton’s Ferry, with only a modest tombstone to mark his resting place (inscription: “An honest man). On August 28, 1885, an act of the legislature authorized the erection of a suitable monument to his memory, upon a site selected and donated by the town. Upon September 29, 1892, this monument was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies, the Hon. William T. Parker being president and Hon. Charles H. Burns the orator of the day. The town of Thornton, New Hampshire, is named in his honor, as is a Londonderry elementary school, as well as Thorntons Ferry School in Merrimack. Thornton’s residence in Derry, which was part of Londonderry at the time, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

800px-Matthewthorntonhousederry

The Matthew Thornton House in Derry, New Hampshire wikipedia

800px-Thornton_Sign

Sources: 

Colonial Hall 

Geni 

NH Searchroots 

U. S. History: Signers of the Declaration of Independence 

Wikipedia 

Posted in American History, British history, Declaration of Independence, Georgian England, Georgian Era, history, Living in the Regency, medicine, military, Regency era | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Home Office, a Government Agency During the Georgian Era + the Release of “Lost in the Lyon’s Garden” from Dragonblade Publishing (Arriving 18 March 2026)

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Regina Jeffers

I often have the heroes of my Regency romances be associated with the Home Office. Each of the seven men in my “Realm” series served the Home Office, with Sir Carter Lowery, eventually, assuming one of the leadership roles in the agency. The three men in my “Twins” trilogy did the same. In fact, I even had Lord John Swenton and Sir Carter Lowery from the Realm make brief appearances in the last two books of the trilogy. My Christmas novella, “Last Woman Standing,” also has a hero involved with the Home Office, as does my upcoming novel Obsession.  Now, all the heroes of my Dragonblade Mystery/Suspense series serve the Home Office under Lord Macdonald Duncan. 

The Realm: A Touch of Scandal; A Touch of Velvet; A Touch of Cashémere; A Touch of Grace; A Touch of Mercy; A Touch of Love; A Touch of Honor; and A Touch of Emerald. 

The Twins’ Trilogy: Angel Comes to the Devil’s Keep; The Earl Claims His Comfort; and Lady Chandler’s Sister.

The Lyon’s Den Connected World: Lyon in the Way; Lyon’s Obsession; Lyon in Disguise; Lost in the Lyon’s Garden; and Lyon on the Inside. 

 

Exactly, what were the responsibilities of the Home Office during the Regency Era? The Home secretary dealt with prisons, probation, courts, and public order. For example, one very important case of the era dealt with William Oliver, the plotter of a general insurrection after 1818, and known as “Oliver the Spy.” 

To Learn More of This Case, See This Piece on A Web of English History: 

http://www.historyhome.co.uk/c-eight/distress/oliver.htm

Obviously, first and foremost, it the government’s duty to keep its citizens safe and to assure the security of the country, as a whole. It also should see to the economic prosperity of the country. The Home Office has operated as such since 1782. It is a ministerial department of Her Majesty’s government. Nowadays, the Home Office also oversees immigration and visas and security services such as MI5, along with policing responsibilities in England and Wales, as well as fire and rescue services in England.

Wikipedia provides us a brief overview of the “history” of the Home Office in the Georgian Era. “On 27 March 1782, the Home Office was formed by renaming the existing Southern Department, [This Department was initially established in 1660. It had a variety of responsibilities, including domestic and Irish policy, colonial policy and foreign affairs concerning southern European powers such as France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and the Ottoman Empire.] with all existing staff transferring. On the same day, the Northern Department [The department was responsible for dealing with government business in the northern part of Europe. This included foreign affairs concerning such northern powers as Russia, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and the Holy Roman Empire.] was renamed the Foreign Office. To match the new names, there was a transferring of responsibilities between the two Departments of State. All domestic responsibilities were moved to the Home Office, and all foreign matters became the concern of the Foreign Office.

“Most subsequently created domestic departments (excluding, for instance, those dealing with education) have been formed by splitting responsibilities away from the Home Office. The initial responsibilities [of the Home Office] were:

  • Answering petitions and addresses sent to the King
  • Advising the King on
    • Royal grants
    • Warrants and commissions
    • The exercise of Royal Prerogative
  • Issuing instructions on behalf of the King to officers of the Crown, lords-lieutenant and magistrates, mainly concerning law and order
  • Operation of the secret service within the UK
  • Protecting the public
  • Safeguarding the rights and liberties of individuals

“Responsibilities were subsequently changed over the years that followed:

  • 1793 added: regulation of aliens 
  • 1794 removed: control of military forces (to Secretary of State for War) 
  • 1801 removed: colonial business (to Secretary of State for War and the Colonies) 
  • 1804 removed: Barbary State consuls (to Secretary of State for War and the Colonies)[9]
  • 1823 added: prisons  
  • 1829 added: police services” 

The Home Office was part of the Palace at Whitehall. A book From Palace to Power: An Illustrated History of Whitehall  tells us the Home Office took over the Board of Trade premises in the old Tudor tennis court in 1782. This was an indoor tennis court—a big building by Dover House. The palace includes many buildings.”

This passage from Spartacus Educational provides us some idea of what the Home secretary did.

“In 1812, Lord Liverpool became prime minister, and he offered Sidmouth the post of Home Secretary in his new government. Viscount Sidmouth now had the responsibility of dealing with social unrest in Britain. This included making machine-breaking an offence punishable by death. On one day alone, fourteen Luddites  were executed in York. Social unrest continued and in 1817, Sidmouth was responsible for the passing of what became known as the Gagging Acts. The unpopularity of Sidmouth increased in 1819 after he wrote a letter supporting the action of the magistrates and the Manchester & Salford Yeomanry  at what opponents called the Peterloo Massacre. In November 1819, Sidmouth persuaded Parliament to pass a series of repressive measures that became known as the Six Acts.   Sidmouth retired from office in 1821.”

The National Archives provides us some information on the Home Office from the late 1700s to 2005. See the link HERE:  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/looking-for-subject/19th-century-political-history.htm#

Regan Walker has written a novel about some of the spying the Home Office engaged in. There were two under-secretaries and a chief clerk. Clerks, a law clerk, a private secretary who was Lord Sidmouth’s son, and minor workers. Sidmouth was paid  £6000 a year. His son received 300£.

The offices and more formal rooms have not been changed much since the Regency time period. They tended to be wooden floored, with formal wood paneling (wainscoting) half way up the wall and plaster coving at the top of the wall connecting to the ceiling. Some of the light fixtures were quite elaborate chandeliers, especially in the formal meeting rooms

That being said, no one now knows how the office looked then. The building has been renovated  over two centuries. In many ways, the office might have looked more like modern offices with open cubicles rather than having separate offices for all except those in power. The secretaries would have a large room with a place to meet distinguished visitors. The Foreign Secretary would have a place to meet foreign dignitaries. Secretaries were the head men, though the term used with private secretary was used as we do. The ones doing  clerical work were called clerks. They are the ones who might work in a large open room.

The Home Office was located in the Palace of Whitehall. The Palace of Whitehall gave its name to the street. Whitehall is the building. When I researched the Foreign Office a few years ago, I discovered it was housed in the Treasury Building during the Regency. 

The Royal Kalendar of 1815 says the Home Secretary was at Whitehall. It was a large building. The addresses given provide the street address if the building is not well known and there are a couple of addresses of places on Downing Street – with  numbers.

The palaces of Westminster and White hall were used as public offices They were multipurpose  buildings. 

Westminster was  the name of the city in which Mayfair was located. There is also Westminster Abbey. I need my Visitors Guide to London of 1809 or one of the Gentlemen’s guides to the government buildings to keep them straight.

Hierarchy of 1815 officers in Home Office:

Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, Home Secretary

Undersecretary: John Beckett, Esq. and the Honourable John Addington

Chief clerk

senior clerks

law clerk

Private secretary  W. L  Addington

Librarian

Addington’s sons would probably have people under them who did the work.

There was an Irish division with a chief secretary to the Lord Lieutenant, Robert Peel.

Here’s a free PDF on archive.org entitled The British Civil Service: Home, Colonial, Indian, and Diplomatic by Francis George Heath.   https://archive.org/details/britishcivilserv00heatrich if anyone else is curious. [Also, available on Amazon.]

There was a big push for reform of the Home Office starting in the 1830’s. One or two sources refer to Bathurst and Liverpool being more “government aristocracy” than part of the old landowning aristocracy. Henry Addington was Sidmouth, head of the Home Office, two of his sons worked under him. Like the Bathurst family, much of their income came from the government positions. This was before the British form of civil service was established and patronage and nepotism were acceptable.

You might also find this Google Book of use: Calendar of Home office papers of the reign of George iii. 1760-(1775) preserved in her majesty’s Public record office. Ed. by J. Redington (R.A. Roberts).

Posted in aristocracy, book release, British history, buildings and structures, Dragonblade Publishers, eBooks, England, George IV, Georgian England, Georgian Era, hero, heroines, historical fiction, history, laws of the land, Living in the Regency, Living in the UK, mystery, political stance, real life tales, Realm series, Regency era, Regency personalities, Regency romance, research, suspense, trilogy, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Umbrellas Play an Important Part in My Upcoming Dragonblade Publishing Release “Lost in the Lyon’s Garden” [Arriving 18 March 2026]

Posted on February 20, 2026 by Regina Jeffers

In book 4 of my mystery/romantic suspense series for Dragonblade Publishing, my hero and heroine first meet on a busy London street in a steady rain. Lord Benjamin Thompson shares his umbrella with Miss Victoria Whitchurch. Little did they know, this act of kindness changes both of their lives.

Short Excerpt from Chapter Two:

She rounded the corner on a rush, only to slam into a gentleman. He was taller than her and solidly built. That was all about him that she knew, except that he smelled of sandalwood and was excessively strong, for he caught her with one hand and tugged her upward and into his body before she tumbled over backwards from their impact. 

“Are you well?” he asked in a baritone voice,  a tone she easily recognized from her years of teaching music. “I do apologize, miss, or is it ma’am?”

“Miss,” she responded in a dumbfounded manner. “It was my fault, sir. I should not have hugged the buildings to avoid the rain. I know my place. Forgive me, sir.” 

“Thompson,” the gentleman said with a brief smile. “Lord Thompson, and it is I who should apologize. I have been quite distracted of late, and I was not paying attention to where I was walking. I have an umbrella and should not be claiming the bit of protection the overhang provides others.” 

People streamed around them, but, evidently, the gentleman did not notice. Victoria acknowledged his apology with a nod of her head. “If you will pardon me, my lord . . .” She looked to where his hand still rested on his arm. “I should be on my way or I shall be late, and then I shall be dismissed from my position.” 

“We cannot have that now, can we?” His lordship looked about as if seeing the streets for the first time. “Permit me to escort you. With this rain you will be drenched before you reach your destination. Is it far?” 

“I could not ask it of you, my lord,” she said dutifully, while finding she liked the warmth of his eyes when they looked upon her. It had been a good while since anyone had treated her with kindness, and Victoria truly missed the art of civility.

“You did not ask,” he corrected with another smile, the type she could quickly consider addicting. “I volunteered, and you cannot refuse an earl in need of serving society’s woes, rather than his own.” 

“Heaven forbid you might serve your own agenda,” she said with a matching smile. 

“Terrible to think of all my obligations,” he began, but she took a stronger grip on his arm while saying, “We may discuss the merits of your diligence as we walk, my lord. I truly must not be late.” 

“As you wish, my girl.” 

The earl tucked her into his side and adjusted his stride so as not to drag her along behind him, but, rather, they walked together as might any couple out on a day where the weather had turned sour. Ironically, they did not converse other than the occasional warning on his part about a puddle being deeper than expected or a carriage throwing up a spray of water. 

At length, the drapery shop was in sight, and Victoria said, “Just up ahead.” When they reached the shop, Lord Thompson opened the door for her, closed his umbrella, and stepped inside behind her. 

“Miss Whitchurch?” her employer began in what she suspected was to be a chastisement, for she was to use the rear door, but quickly Mr. Sustar swallowed his words and changed his tone to one of welcome. “My lord. How might we serve you?”

“I was simply seeing my dear friend to her position in your shop in this rain,” his lordship said smoothly. “I could not have her arriving soaked to the bones, now, could I?”

“No, my lord. It was very kind of you,” Mr. Sustar said. 

His lordship slipped a card from a case tucked into a side pocket and presented it to Mr. Sustar. “Perhaps you might call on my man of business next week. I have several new properties that will require refurbishing. You may bid on them if such is of interest to you. My man will explain what all is required and arrange for you to view the properties.” 

Mr. Sustar’s eyes opened in wide amazement. “Thank you, my lord. Very gracious of you.” He bowed deeply. 

Lord Thompson ignored all the fawning. Instead, he said, “You may keep the umbrella, Miss Whitchurch,” he instructed with a lift of his brows, for Victoria had purposely not told him her name. 

“I could not, my lord,” she objected. “The rain has yet to relent.” 

He smiled again, and Victoria found she liked how his smile softened his features, especially the darkness of his eyes. “In case you did not take notice, Miss Whitchurch, my carriage is waiting outside. It followed us as we walked.” 

Victoria was not to be outdone. She enjoyed how this particular gentleman treated her. It had felt like forever since anyone had seen her for herself. “And here I thought you were playing the gallant, my lord. You made me walk in the rain when we could have ridden.” 

His smile widened. “Next time you may choose the mode of transportation.” 

<<<>>>

Generally speaking, before the early 1800s, most men would not have used an umbrella. Since the 4th Century BC, women had carried a parasol to protect themselves against aging of the skin due to exposure to the sun. For a gentleman’s use, umbrellas were not “fashionable” until the mid 1700s on the Continent. Such umbrellas were made of silk and dipped in oil to make them resist the rain.

The ever fabulous Louise Allen tells us, “Umbrellas were, it seems, ‘French’ and therefore, by definition, an effeminate accessory. Beau Brummell would never carry one, considering that no gentleman should, and advocated taking a sedan chair if there was the slightest risk of rain.

“However, some practical men did ignore the jeers, the most well-known of them being Jonas Hanway (1712-1786), a much travelled man, who designed his own, rather large and cumbersome umbrella and persisted in using it. He was verbally attacked by the hackney carriage drivers who saw this as a direct attack on their business but he ignored their threats and one of the slang terms for an umbrella at the time was a Hanway. (The Victorian ‘gamp’ was named after Dickens’s Mrs Gamp, not the other way around.) The below detail from a Victorian imagining of Mr Hanway shows the interest he attracted.”

In the Regency era, umbrellas transitioned from being a rare, ridiculed novelty to a common necessity for both men and women, reflecting the era’s shift towards practicality. Initially heavy and made of materials like oiled silk or taffeta, they provided shelter for pedestrians and women with servants, evolving into lighter, steel-framed versions by the end of the period.  

From novelty to practicality

  • Early resistance: TypePad Jonas Hanway popularized the umbrella for rain in the mid-18th century, but he faced public ridicule and scorn, especially from hackney coachmen who saw it as a threat to their business. 
  • Widespread acceptance: By the Regency period (1811-1820), the practical value of the umbrella had overcome prejudice, making its use common for both sexes to stay dry on rainy days. 

Evolution of the umbrella

  • Early design: The first umbrellas were large, cumbersome, and made with wooden frames, whalebone, or heavy fabric such as oiled silk or taffeta. 
  • Modern features: By the late 18th century, “improved” umbrellas with steel frames began to appear, making them lighter, more convenient, and reducing the chances of them breaking, according to a 1788 London advertisement for such items. 

Umbrella use in context

  • Women’s practical use: While fashionable women in fine weather would carry a parasol to shield themselves from the sun, the thrifty citizeness valued the umbrella’s practicality for walking in the rain to keep their clothes dry. 
  • Servants and clergy: Male servants often carried umbrellas to shield their mistresses, while clergymen used them for outdoor funerals in bad weather. 
  • The rise of the parasol: The distinction between the rain umbrella and the sun parasol blurred, but the parasol, often elaborately decorated with ivory, bone, or tortoise shell, remained an important fashion accessory for women, as seen in fashion plates from the period. 

Posted in aristocracy, book excerpts, book release, British history, customs and tradiitons, Dragonblade Publishers, fashion, Georgian England, Georgian Era, hero, heroines, historical fiction, Living in the Regency, mystery, publishing, real life tales, Regency era, Regency romance, research, romance, series, suspense, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

History of “Diapers” + the Upcoming Release of “Lost in the Lyon’s Garden” from Dragonblade Publishing [Arriving 18 March 2026]

Posted on February 18, 2026 by Regina Jeffers

The convenience of throw away diapers for newborns was not a thing in the Regency era. At one time, moss or old rags were placed in the bottom of the basket or sling where the child slept. The word “diaper” originally referred to the fabric – a type of linen – and not to its use on babies. The first known mention of a diaper was in William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” 

The word “diaper” comes from a pattern of repeating geometric shapes, derived from the Medieval Greek word diaspros (“thoroughly white”) and its Old French descendant diapre (“ornamental cloth”). Initially, “diaper” referred to this pattern and the expensive linen or silk fabric woven with it. By the late 19th century, this specific patterned fabric was commonly used for babies’ swaddling cloths, leading to the word “diaper” being applied to the cloth garment itself. In the United States and Canada, this usage stuck, while in Britain, the word “nappy” (a diminutive of “napkin”) became more popular. 

Diaspros evolved into the Old French word diapre, which referred to an ornamental, patterned silk cloth. 

“The Middle English word diaper originally referred to a type of cloth rather than the use thereof; “diaper” was the term for a pattern of repeated, rhombic shapes, and later came to describe white cotton or linen fabric with this pattern. According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is a piece of soft cloth or other thick material that is folded around a baby’s bottom and between its legs to absorb and hold its body waste. [ “nappy”. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.] The first cloth diapers consisted of a specific type of soft tissue sheet, cut into geometric shapes. The pattern visible in linen and other types of woven fabric was called “diaper”. This meaning of the word has been in use since the 1590s in England. By the 19th century, baby diapers were being sewn from linen, giving us the modern-day reading of the word “diaper”. [“Diaper”. eytomonline.com.] This usage stuck in the United States and Canada following the British colonization of North America, but in the United Kingdom, the word “nappy” took its place. Most sources believe nappy is a diminutive form of the word napkin, which itself was originally a diminutive.

“In the 19th century, the modern diaper began to take shape and mothers in many parts of the world used cotton material, held in place with a fastening—eventually the safety pin. Cloth diapers in the United States were first mass-produced in 1887 by Maria Allen. In the UK, diapers were made out of terry towelling, often with an inner lining made out of soft muslin.” [Diaper]

Excellent Source on the Topic: The Cloth Diaper: Its History and Dramatic Comeback

Excerpt from Chapter Nine when Benjamin learns something of tending to a baby.

Benjamin did not know how long he had watched over her, but he could not convince himself to leave. “She is a stubborn one,” his mind announced, “but stubbornness can be equally as good as it is bad for us. She is a survivor, exactly what this great nation and I will require to survive the future. Yet, her stubbornness is exactly the same emotion that will make it difficult for her to accept that God put us in each other’s paths on a rainy London day. When she admits that, we may find a way forward.”

A footman brought him some bread, cold meat, and cheese, and, after another hour of watching her sleep, his housekeeper made an appearance. Benjamin stepped into the hallway to speak to the lady and not disturb Miss Whitchurch. 

“What should I know, my lord?” Mrs. Gabriel asked. 

“In truth, I am not confident,” he admitted. “I met the lady several months back. If I am not mistaken, the child is not hers, but rather her sister’s. Whether said sister is still alive, I do not know.” He glanced back to where Miss Whitchurch rested. “Might we hire a wet nurse? I do not know how Miss Whitchurch has been tending the baby, but . . .” 

“Assuredly, I can find a wet nurse in a matter of hours, my lord, but you cannot think to permit the lady to remain in this bachelor household for longer than a few hours. It would ruin her reputation.” 

Benjamin scrubbed his face with his dry hands to clear his thinking. “She is near exhaustion, Mrs. Gabriel,” he pleaded. 

“Does she not have a home? She must have been living somewhere,” his housekeeper asked. 

“I do not know where she resides. Only where she is employed,” he explained. 

Mrs. Gabriel frowned. “Then we will start with the child’s needs. Does the lady have a fever?”

“Not that I noticed,” he admitted. 

“Let me send someone to fetch a wet nurse. We will begin at the beginning.” 

Benjamin returned to his vigil, periodically reaching a hand to calm the child when it fussed, but, with little success until, miraculously, Miss Whitchurch would also place her hand on the babe, and it would calm down again. Benjamin imagined lying next to the woman would be heavenly. 

Eventually though, the child stirred again, and this time the lady’s touch was not what it wanted. 

“Shush,” he instructed as he reached for the babe, but he could not free the child until he had claimed a pair of scissors to cut the strap that held it to her chest. 

She reached out a hand to prevent him from removing the baby, but Benjamin leaned close to speak softly in her ear. “Rest. I will tend the child. I sent for a wet nurse.” He studied her face in repose, but he knew she was not fully asleep. “What have you been feeding him?”

“Pap,” she murmured. 

“Should I also send word to Mr. Sustar that you will not be in this evening?” he asked. 

She thought to rise, but he shoved her back down. 

“Not until Thursday,” she murmured as she closed her eyes again. 

“We will talk more later. I have a house full of servants to tend to the child’s needs. Rest. We will all be here when you have recovered properly. I promise.” 

He thought she had attempted to nod her agreement, but she barely moved even an eyelash, which were dark, though not as dark as his. Carefully, he rearranged the end of the blanket over her shoulder.

“Did she appear thinner?” he wondered as he looked upon her more carefully. “Was she not eating properly?”

There was no more time to consider the lady’s wellness, for the babe had screwed up its face to emit a wail. Benjamin swung the child through the air as he moved quickly to leave the room, closing the door behind him. He caught a maid in the hallway. “Jane, I want you to sit in the room with Miss Whitchurch. Send someone to fetch me if the lady wakes.” 

“Yes, my lord.” 

He carried the now crying baby away from the room, taking the servant stairs to reach the kitchen quicker. 

“What have you there, me lord?” his cook asked when the baby’s cries filled the kitchen, causing all within to still. 

“The young one requires something to silence his alarm, Mrs. Lowe, until Mrs. Gabriel can find us a wet nurse.” 

With the sound of his voice, the child silenced somewhat. It wails having been reduced to whimpers. 

“Cannot its mother feed it?” Mrs. Lowe asked with a lift of her brows in obvious disapproval. 

“The lady I assisted today is not the child’s mother. She is, I believe, from what I learned earlier, its aunt, and before you ask, I do not yet know the whereabouts of the child’s mother,” he explained as the child caught Benjamin’s fingertip and began to suck on it. “Miss Whitchurch says she has been feeding the child pap in the mother’s absence.”

“I know what to do, my lord,” one of the maids said. “I have myself some five brothers and sisters. Be there any nappies?” she asked as she reached to relieve him of the child’s weight from the cradle of his arms. Odd as it might be to speak the words aloud, Benjamin did not wish to part with the babe. 

“There is a basket in the lady’s quarters. In the green room in the guest wing,” he provided the girl. “Jane is sitting with the lady in my absence.” 

Clara, another of the house maids said, “I will fetch it. It shall be good to have others to serve, sir.” She blushed. “No offense meant, my lord.” 

“None taken, Clara, but hurry along.” 

“May I be of assistance?” he asked Maeve, the maid who was dancing about the kitchen, cooing to the child as she poured some water in a small pan and added some flour into it before setting it on the fire. 

The girl smiled at him. “It not take long to make. Just until the flour thickens in the water to make a thin paste. The water need not be hot, though it is best to heat thoroughly and let it cool. We’ll use a spoon to feed the child. Just the smallest of beads so as not to choke him. You can add milk to the mixture if you like, but we’ll not do that today because of his fussiness, and it would take longer to make because the milk should be heated properly.

A few minutes later, Benjamin was still studying the maid’s hands as they delicately poured the mixture into a bowl, claimed a spoon to scoop a bit on its tip, blew on the mixture to cool it further, and touched the child’s lips with the spoon. The child evidently knew what to do. It opened its mouth and permitted Maeve to add drops of the pap inside. Benjamin found he was totally engrossed with the process. Nothing in his medical training spoke of those at the beginning of life, only of preventing death. 

Clara returned. “You should see these nappies,” she told the whole kitchen. “I never saw such fancy baby cloths.” She held up one of them, a piece of blue cloth and another of green, sewn together to form a perfect rectangle. 

“The lady is employed at Mr. Sustar’s drapery shop. Likely those are scraps.” Benjamin, nevertheless, was amazed at how resourceful Miss Whitchurch had been. Now, if she could recover her energies, he could stop worrying. 

“I not be assured the child will want what the wet nurse be offering,” Maeve said with a smile as the boy smacked his lips in satisfaction.

“You will explain what we have executed in the mother’s absence, will you not, Maeve?” Benjamin asked. 

“Be proud to do so, sir,” the girl said with a smile.

Posted in book excerpts, book release, British history, Dragonblade Publishers, eBooks, excerpt, family, food, Georgian England, Georgian Era, hero, heroines, historical fiction, history, Living in the Regency, mystery, publishing, Regency era, Regency romance, research, suspense, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Traitor Tuesday ~ Celebrating 250 Years of the United States as a Separate Nation: John Hart, a Man Who Sacrificed Everything as a Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Posted on February 17, 2026 by Regina Jeffers

John_Hart-213x300May 11, 2026, will mark nearly 250 years since John Hart’s death at the age of 68 in 1779. Hart was one of the older signers at 65 years of age when he signed the declaration. He was a land owner and the father of 13 children. 

Hart, a signer of the Declaration from New Jersey was one of the many noted Christians among the Founding Fathers. WallBuilders, a Christian based historical group, recently posted some of our legal documents signed by John Hart.

While the actual date of John Hart’s birth is unknown, biographers have put it in the year of 1713, in Hopewell Township, New Jersey. Edward Hart, John’s father, was a Justice of the Peace, a Public Assessor, and a farmer. He arrived in Hopewell about c.1710, at the age of twenty. He married Martha Furman (Firmin), on May 17, 1712, and they had five children, all raised in Hopewell, New Jersey. Not much is known of his family, except that his father helped raise a volunteer army, named “The Jersey Blues,” to assist in the French and Indian War. John became a farmer and had 13 children with his wife the former Deborah Scudder, and his reputation as “Honest John Hart” earned him the trust of those around him. As such, he helped select New Jersey’s delegates to the early Stamp Act Congress that convened in New York in 1765.

John Hart learned to read, write and do figures, but like most men of his time, had little formal schooling. He was well regarded for his common sense, was reasonably well read as proved by his understanding of the law, and showed acumen on business matters.

“John Hart began acquiring property in 1740, buying the “homestead plantation” of 193 acres in the Town of Hopewell New Jersey. In 1751 he and his brother bought a mill that they named Daniel Hart’s Mill, and in the 1770’s he acquired land making him the largest land owner in Hopewell with over 600 acres. In 1773 he bought a substantial mill enterprise in Rocky Hill with his son-in-law John Polhemus, who would later become a captain in the militia, and then in the Continental Army. On his prosperous plantation Hart had many cattle, sheep, swine, horses and fowl, and he also owned four slaves. His adult children were doing well. The original part of his home was made of stone. The original small barn is still on the property which is now privately owned. The home stands on Hart Avenue in Hopewell, New Jersey.” (The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence)

“John Hart began his public service when he was elected to the Hunterdon County New Jersey Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1750, and was elected Justice of the Peace in 1755. With this appointment he was considered a gentlemen and he was able to be called John Hart, Esquire. From 1761-1771, John Hart served on the Colonial Assembly, representing Hunterdon, Morris and Sussex counties. It was there that he first met Abraham Clark, who would later become a fellow signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas in 1768. By 1774, he was elected to a committee to ‘elect and appoint Delegates to the First Continental Congress, and to protest the Tea Act.’ In 1775 he was elected to the New Jersey Committee of Correspondence, which communicated and touched base with the other colonies, and served on the Committee of Safety ‘to act in the public welfare of the colony in the recess of the Congress.’ In 1776 he was elected to the New Jersey Provincial congress, and in the same year he was designated to sign the new  ‘Bill of Credit Notes,’ money issued by the State of New Jersey. Hart signed each note himself for a total of 25,000. Hart was often called ‘Honest John.’

“In June 1776 he was elected as one of five New Jersey delegates to the Second Continental Congress with authorization to vote for independence. His fellow delegates and future signers were Abraham Clark, Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton and John Witherspoon. When John Hart arrived in Philadelphia, in June 1776 to attend the Congress, he strongly supported the idea of Independence. John Hart was the thirteenth delegate to put his signature on the historic document. He was willing to pledge his life his fortune, and his sacred honor in doing so.

“In August of 1776 New Jersey elected a General Assembly under their new state constitution. Hart was elected to that body, and was selected to be Speaker. He soon returned home to attend to family matters. Sadly, his wife Deborah died on October 8, 1776, with John at her side.

“In December of 1776, as Washington’s army retreated across New Jersey, the British and Hessians ravaged the Hopewell area. Hart’s home and property suffered severe damage, two young children fled to the homes of relatives and Hart himself took refuge wherever he could in the woods, hiding in caves and in the Sourwood mountains. When the British began their withdrawal from the area after the American victories at Trenton and Princeton, Hart returned to his home. John Hart was re-elected twice as Speaker of the Assembly and served until November 7, 1778.” (DSDI)

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John Hart’s Signature, 20 February 1776 http://www.barefootsworld. net/johnhart.html

John Hart was himself elected to the Continental Congress where, somewhere near the age of 60, he voted for the Declaration of Independence with “unusual zeal.” He fully understood the personal cost entailed by affixing his name to the Declaration of Independence, and quickly became a target of the British for signing that document.

In June 1778, John Hart invited the American army to camp at his farm. Washington accepted his offer, and 12,000 men camped in John Hart’s field during the growing season, and refreshed themselves with the cool water that flowed on the property. The troops left on the 24th of June, and four days later fought and won the Battle of Monmouth.

Chased from his dying wife’s bedside and hunted by the enemy, he wandered about the countryside to avoid discovery by the British, rarely sleeping in the same place two nights in a row. In fact, he even had to sleep in the “resting place of a large dog” to avoid detection by a nearby British patrol. Several times, he was forced to flee as fast as he could to “save his neck” as it had been “marked for vengeance” by the British.

John was finally able to return to his destroyed home in 1777 and gathered his children together. He began to rebuild his farm and property, but never fully recovered his health from the physical hardships of being forced from his home and being exposed to the cold and living outdoors for the year. The “sorrow, humiliation, and suffering, wearing out of his bodily strength, hasten[ed] the approach of decrepitude and death.”  (John Sanderson, Sanderson’s Biography of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence, Robert T. Conrad, editor (Philadelphia: Thomas, Cowperthwaith & Co., 1848), p. 255.)

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John Hart Monument in 1st Baptist Courtyard, Hopewell, Mercer Co., New Jersey http://www.barefootsworld.net /johnhart.html

John did not see the fulfillment of his wish of freedom and independence for Americans, for he died before the end of the Revolutionary War. He suffered for long periods with kidney stones and passed from them on May 11, 1779, at the age of 66. 

Sources:

John Hart  Bare Foot World

John Hart   The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence

John Hart  Wallbuilders 

Posted in American History, British history, Declaration of Independence, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Traitor Tuesday ~ Celebrating 250 Years of the United States as a Separate Nation: John Hart, a Man Who Sacrificed Everything as a Signer of the Declaration of Independence