Existing comment:
Baby rattle with whistle and bells
about 1778
purchased by John Hancock for his son
How can a child's toy offer a window into the life of a Founding Father? Today we remember patriot John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, for his bold signature on the Declaration of Independence. But his story is one of tragedy as well as triumph. A prominent and successful merchant and statesman, Hancock helped form the new nation even as he mourned the loss of his children, an infant daughter in 1777 and his nine-year-old son in 1787. |