Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. At least eight signers had direct Irish roots; three were born in Ireland, and five others were sons or grandsons of Irish immigrants.

Today a short summary about the three signers who were born in Ireland:

George Taylor, born in County Antrim in about 1716, arrived in Pennsylvania in 1736 as an indentured servant. He became a prominent ironmaster and militia colonel during the French and Indian War.

James Smith immigrated from Ulster as a child around 1729. Highly educated, he worked as a surveyor on the frontier and as a successful lawyer in York. PA. Smith commanded one of the first volunteer militia companies.

Both George Taylor and James Smith were appointed to the Continental Congress in 1776, part of a political shake-up to replace Loyalist delegates and ensure Pennsylvania voted “Yes.”

Matthew Thornton’s exact birthplace in Ireland remains in question, but he was a toddler when his family arrived in Maine in about 1716. He studied medicine and served as a surgeon during the French and Indian War.

Thornton didn’t join the Continental Congress until months after the formal vote. However he was granted special permission to add his name to the Declaration, completing the historic trio of Irish-born signers.