Signers of the Continental Association

The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association, was an agreement among the American colonies adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 20, 1774, in Philadelphia. It aimed to address the colonies' grievances, particularly the Intolerable Acts, through a trade boycott against British merchants. The "non-importation, non-consumption, non-exportation" agreement, suggested by Richard Henry Lee and based on the 1769 Virginia Association initiated by George Washington, began with a pledge of loyalty to King George III and banned British imports starting December 1, 1774. The boycott caused a sharp decline in trade with Britain, which retaliated with the New England Restraining Act. The outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775 rendered the boycott unnecessary. The Association demonstrated the colonies' collective will to act in their common interests and is considered a foundational moment in the creation of the union that would become the United States, as referenced by Abraham Lincoln in his 1861 inaugural address.

Twenty of the 53 signers also signed the Declaration of Independence.

Two of the signers eventually became Loyalists after the signing of The Declaration of Independence, and fled to Britain. They were Joseph Galloway and Isaac Low. One of the signers, Silas Deane, died under mysterious circumstances on his way back to Boston, and is buried in Deal, UK.

Thus far we have visited 36 of the 53 gravesites of these signers.

Recommended video: The Forgotten Foundational Document: The Articles of Association. by @TheHistoryGuyChannel.

Presidents of the Continental Congress

The president of the United States in Congress Assembled, known unofficially as the president of the Continental Congress and later as president of the Congress of the Confederation, was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, the convention of delegates that assembled in Philadelphia as the first transitional national government of the United States during the American Revolution. The president was a member of Congress elected by the other delegates to serve as a neutral discussion moderator during meetings of Congress. Designed to be a largely ceremonial position without much influence, the office was unrelated to the later office of President of the United States.

Fourteen men served as President of the Continental Congress (1774 - 1788) in the order shown below. We have been to the gravesite of ten of the fourteen presidents.

An excellent source of information about the Presidents of the Continental Congress can be found at website: President of the Continental Congress

Signers of the Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation were signed by delegates from all thirteen states, though not all were present at the same time. Sixteen signers of the Articles also signed the Declaration of Independence. Congress approved the Articles in 1777, and the signing began on July 9, 1778, with delegates from eight states. New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland couldn't sign initially due to pending state ratifications, while North Carolina and Georgia's delegates were absent. Signings continued as more states ratified the Articles, with Maryland being the last to do so on March 1, 1781, after resolving a conflict over western lands. By then, many original creators were no longer delegates, and some signers had not participated in the initial debates.

Only six individuals signed both the Articles of Confederation (1777) and the U.S. Constitution (1787). They are: Roger Sherman (Connecticut), Robert Morris (Pennsylvania), George Clymer (Pennsylvania), James Wilson (Pennsylvania), Daniel Carroll (Maryland)​, and Gouverneur Morris—who signed the Articles on behalf of New York and later signed the Constitution as a delegate from Pennsylvania.

Thus far we have visited 34 of the 48 signers gravesites. Sadly, five of the 48 signers burial locations are Unknown, and one is Unmarked.

An excellent source of information about the Signers can be found at the following National Archives website: Articles of Confederation (1777)

Signers of The United States Constitution

This is the list of the Signers of The United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. Thus far we have visited 28 of the 39 signers gravesites.

An excellent source of information about the Signers can be found at the following National Park Service website: Historic Places Commemorating the Signing of the Constitution

Texas Oil & Gas Fields

Signers of The Declaration of Independence

This is our list of the signers of The Declaration of Independence. Thus far we have visited (or attempted to visit) all 56 signers gravesites. Some of the signers are buried on private property and are not accessible to the public.

An excellent source of information about the Signers can be found at the following National Park Service website: Signers of the Declaration of Independence

President Graves

As you can tell from this website, we are a real fan of history, and especially American History. Many of our family trips centered around people, places and historical sites across the United States. One of our first trips took us from Houston to Washington DC via Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and finally Washington DC. During this trip we visited, among other things, the Tennessee Capitol Building, Hermitage, Monticello, Mount Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery. As a result, we had unintentionally visited the final resting places of six United States Presidents (Polk, Jackson, Jefferson, Washington, Taft and Kennedy).

It wasn't long after our trip we realized we had visited 1/6th of the US Presidents graves, and we made it a priority to visit Presidential sites (grave sites, homes, birthplaces, libraries etc.) on our future trips. Therefore, in 2007 we planned a trip to New England, and the trip would include seven states, seven capitols and seven US President grave sites. The trip also included two President Libraries, and six President's homes.

Vice President Graves

This is our list of Vice President grave sites we have visited over the past eighteen years. There have been 14 Vice Presidents that eventually served as Presidents. Thus far we have visited 40 of 42 Vice Presidential graves. We attempted to visit Nelson Rockefeller's grave, and made it as far as the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. However, his grave is located in a private cemetery...We got very close.

Thus far only one person has visited all sixty six Presidential and Vice Presidential grave sites. Kurt Deion has a website "Kurt's Historic Sites - Hands-on History" documenting the grave sites he and his dad visited. On August 5, 2015 he was interviewed by Brian Lamb on C-SPAN, and talked about his visits to the graves of presidents and vice presidents.

Stephen F. Austin Funeral Reenactment

Stephen F. Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) An American Empresario was born in Virginia and raised in Missouri.  He is the founder of Anglo-American Texas, and considered the Father of Texas.

On December 26, 2015 the towns of West Columbia and Jones Creek, Texas held a reenactment of the funeral of Stephen F. Austin.  A eulogy was held at the Replica of the Texas Capitol in West Columbia at 9:00am.  After the eulogy, Austin's body was transported by wagon to the Gulf Prairie Cemetery in Jones Creek for a reenactment of the funeral service around noon.  The event included numerous period reenactors, musket fire, and 23 cannon shots for the 23 counties in The Texas Republic at the time of Austin's death.  It was a great event, and well worth the trip.  Check with Stephen F. Austin Chapter of the Sons of the Republic of Texas for details since the dates, time and parking arrangements change from year to year.

Texas Trees - Some Famous and Some NOT

This is a list of Famous and NOT so Famous Trees that my wife and I have visited in Texas over the years. Most of the information used for this site is from the Texas A&M Forestry Service - Famous Trees of Texas. All photos on this website are copyrighted by me, unless otherwise noted, and may not be used without permission.

Several of the trees on this list were added by myself because I considered them noteworthy.

Texas Army's Route from Gonzales to San Felipe, March 11 - March 27, 1836

On March 6, 1836 the Alamo fell, and General Santa Anna turned his attention toward the remaining Texas Army currently encamped at Gonzales. Outnumbered nearly two to one, Sam Houston and the Texas Army burned the city of Gonzales and began their retreat on March 11th.

Texas Army's Route from San Felipe to Cypress, TX, March 27 - April 16, 1836

Previous Page Texas Army's Route from Gonzales to San Felipe, March 11 - March 27, 1836

On February 16, 1836 the Mexican Army crossed into Texas with a force of about 3,000-5,000 Mexican troops. Half of the troops proceeded to San Antonio with President-General Santa Anna, and the remainder, commanded by General Jose Urrea, marched up the Texas coast in the Goliad campaign. On February 23rd President-General Santa Anna arrived in San Antonio, and began a siege of the Alamo which fell on March 6, 1836. General Sam Houston had been in the Gonzales area since January 14th with the majority of the Texas Army and began their retreat on March 11th. At the beginning of the retreat, Sam Houston had an Army of approximately 1,200 troops. By the time the Texas Army reached San Jacinto, Houston had a force of 910 able troops, and Santa Anna had an army of approximately 1,200.

Texas Army's Route from Cypress to San Jacinto, April 17 - April 21, 1836

Previous Page Texas Army's Route from San Felipe to Cypress, TX, March 27 - April 16, 1836

San Jacinto Monument

The Texas Army left camp at the Matthew Burnett homesite in Cypress, Texas, and began their five day march toward Lynchburg's Ferry and the Battle of San Jacinto.

During this period of time the Texas Army would march 42 miles from Matthew Burnett's homesite and meet the Mexican Army on the grassy plains of San Jacinto near Lynchburg Ferry.

Waller County Texas Historical Markers

Brazoria County Texas Historical Markers

Austin County Texas Historical Markers

Colorado County Texas Historical Markers

Montgomery County Texas Historical Markers

Chambers County Texas Historical Markers

Harris County Texas Historical Markers Inside 610 Loop