Community Chat

[Oznell]

Charles Thomson was the Secretary of the Continental Congress, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the man most responsible for the Great Seal of the United States.

What an honor to be allowed to help design the Great Seal!  This may be fanciful of me, but if you look at the portrait of him in the link below, note those long, artistic fingers, so gracefully reposed.  They look like the fingers of a clever artist or designer!  However, that could have been the artist's flattery of his subject!  Still, what an arresting, interesting face.

He was born to 'Scotch-Irish' parents in Northern Ireland, and brought by his father to America.  His father died of one of the many horrible diseases on the ship, and young Charles and his siblings were separated and left to fend for themselves in the New World.  Can you imagine?  Their contemporaries tended to take such hardships for granted.

It kills me how versatile and intellectually gifted so many of the Founders were.  Thomson was a measured, very respected leader, one who received high praise from John Jay, the first Justice of the Supreme Court.

In addition to the huge role he played in revolutionary America, Thomson was a scholar and expert in classical languages, who spent 19 years translating the Bible from Greek to English.  Love that!  

http://greatseal.com/committees/finaldesign/thomson.html

[CLEM]

@Oznell  This is truly someone to be admired.  Thanks for sharing.

[Oznell]

And thanks for commenting, @CLEM.   Yeah, I consider my history education defective in the sense that there are so many seminal figures, vital to the founding of America, of this sort, that I didn't know much or anything about;  trying now to do a little catch-up!

[CLEM]

@Oznell  You are too modest.  I am sure you know more than most of our leaders past and present do in Washington unless they are historians.

[Oznell]

Oh, no, not true, kind @CLEM, although you are sweet to say so.  I have the kind of "skittery" mind that just picks up little nuggets, here and there, and is struck by them.  But have not studied in any sustained way, the way true students of history do.  It would be nice to think that, maybe someday.....   (ha)

[drizzellla]

You got me thinking Oznell.

Where I went to high school, the Administrative Building was built before the Revolutionary War. It was used during the Battle of Germantown as a headquarters. In fact there was a prison in part of the basement for the English prisoners. And believe me it had no light and the cells were tiny and dank. There were 7 or 9 British soldiers (the # varied according to who told the story) buried in the Athletic Field. 

I was always fasinated by the front door of the Administration Building. There was a stone at the entrance. It was so worn that the stone had about a 6" indentation from it being worn away from the foot traffic. The huge wooden doors had to be fitted so it met the indentation.

There are Upsala and Cliveden houses in the area. Those houses were a block from where I went to grade school. 

Since I always was around these historical buildings and took tours of them numerous times. I still am amazed at how little I know.

[Oznell]

Wow, @drizzellla, buildings like the one you had during high school are such a treasure.  Love your description...

It's never too late to get interested and find out more, thankfully!