John Hancock was born in Braintree, Massachusetts on January 12, 1737. His parents were Col. John Hancock Jr. of Braintree and Mary Hawke Thaxter.
His mother had been widowed from a previous marriage to Samuel Thaxter, one of the most prominent men in New England. At the age of 7, John Hancock was orphaned and raised by his Uncle Thomas Hancock, a wealthy merchant.
Hancock attended Harvard University at age 17 and then worked as a clerk for his uncle. He was then sent to England on business and witnessed the coronation of King George III. By the time Hancock returned to America his uncle had passed, leaving John his vast fortune.
He was chairman of the Boston town committee formed immediately after the Boston Massacre in 1770 to demand the removal of British troops from the city.
On August 28, 1775, John Hancock married Dorothy Quincy, the daughter of a prominent Boston merchant Edmund Quincy.
John and Dorothy would have two children, a boy and a girl, though neither child would survive to adulthood. Little Lydia Hancock was not 1 year old, and young John was just 9.
In 1765 he became a selectman of Boston and from 1769 to 1774 was a member of the Massachusetts General Court.
John Hancock first served as President of the Continental Congress from 1775-1777. This is why his signature was the largest on the Declaration of Independence.
He was essentially President of the “United States” at the time. Hancock intentionally wrote his name in large letters so that King George couldn’t possibly miss it.
“There! His Majesty can now read my name without glasses. And he can double the reward on my head!”, said Hancock. A bold statement, as he and the other Founding Fathers were in fact committing treason, punishable by death.
John Hancock died on October 8, 1793, at the age of 56.
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Clever Journeys 
Well, there we are; we’ve all got to stick our necks or signatures, whatever those might be, right out there bravely. Everything is at stake. I didn’t know half of the information in this article, shame on me, but I can tell you the interesting fact that the towns of Braintree and Quincy, Mass. are right next door to each other, on the South Shore, as we call it (of Boston)
There isn’t a town named after the Hancocks, though, so it’s a good thing he signed his name big!
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Thank you. I’ve noticed from comments on other channels (Gab, Gettr, etc.) that when we post historical articles, that our younger readers respond how they didn’t study much about the Forefathers, American beginnings, Constitution, etc.
It is sad. Many are now starving for this knowledge. Our older readers appreciate such articles & they are consistently well read.
I like to sprinkle these articles in now & then for those readers and for my own selfish reasons. I enjoy researching & writing them. It helps me take a break from the hard core news.
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Yes, you need the break, so do we, and the education is so sorely needed.
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