Wave That Sparkler Proudly!

There were 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. If you have a Watters background, you can trace your lineage to three of them. 

Pretty impressive, don't you think?! 

Francis Lightfoot Lee was born in 1734 at Stratford Hall in Virginia. He was educated at home, where he pursued classical studies "in the manner of an enlightened gentleman." He was a member of the House of Burgesses in the Colony of Virginia. As an active protester of issues such as the Stamp Act, Lee helped move the colony in the direction of independence from Britain.  He was a delegate to the Virginia Convention and the Continental Congress. He was a signer of the Articles of Confederation and the Declaration of Independence as a representative of Virginia.









Born in Albany, New York, Philip Livingston graduated from Yale College in 1737 and entered into the mercantile business in New York city. He was a very successful businessman, serving his community as an alderman. In 1754 he attended the Colonial Convention at Albany. He was selected as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776, being in strong favor of the Declaration of Independence. After the adoption of a new Constitution for New York State, he was elected to the state Senate. Livingston was a a Presbyterian, a Mason, and an original promoter of King's College, which became Columbia University.

Richard Henry Lee was the brother of Francis Lightfoot Lee. Attending a private school in England, he returned to Virginia in 1751.  Lee formed a militia troop of young men in his neighborhood, was elected leader, and then marched his troop to a council in Alexandria where General Braddock was preparing a campaign on the Ohio river. The young men were rebuffed and returned home. In 1757, Lee was appointed Justice of the Peace and then shortly afterwards was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses and was one of those radical members who met at the Raleigh tavern when the house was dissolved by the Royal Governor.  Elected in 1774 to attend the first Continental Congress, he enjoyed many important committee appointments. He was noted for his oratory skills and it was he who offered the Resolutions for Independence to the committee of the whole in 1776. He served through the course of the War while also serving in the House of Burgesses.  In 1783 he was selected as president of Congress. He opposed the federal constitution and favored strong state rights.  He was, however, elected the first State Senator from Virginia under the new federal government.