 Carter Braxton of Virginia, wealthy planter, trader, saw his ships swept from the seas. To pay his debts, he lost his home and all of his properties and died in rags. Thomas Lynch Jr., who signed that pledge, was a third-generation rice grower, aristocrat, large plantation owner. After he signed, his health failed. His wife and he set out for France to regain his failing health. Their ship never got to France, was never heard from again.