Sunflower County Library System

05/27/2026

Who am I????

Want to help your local library and community without leaving your couch? Want to play a game of "Guess Who?" Then check out our page! Each week on Wednesday we will be posting photos of unidentified individuals or places in time from our archive. Please help us identify them! Who knows, maybe you'll find yourself from the past! We welcome all your comments or reach out to our archive directly at [email protected] or 662-445-1624.

05/22/2026

Our Signer of the Declaration for this week is William Floyd. Floyd was born in Long Island, NY in 1734 to a well-established family. Schooling was cut short for him as both his parents died while he was in his teens, and as a result, he, as the eldest of nine, took over running the family farm.

In 1760, Floyd became a part of the local militia. Over the next decade he got involved with local politics as the relationship between Britain and the Colonies became more strained. In 1774, Floyd was sent to the First Continental Congress, and then he was sent back to Congress when they again convened.

Floyd signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776, and before the month was over, the Revolutionary War would be at his doorstep. On August 27, American forces were defeated at the Battle of Long Island. Floyd’s family managed to flee to Connecticut, but his home was now in territory occupied by the British. Hannah, his wife, would never return home again, dying in 1781. Meanwhile, the British used his home as a stable. When he eventually returned home, his livestock and crops had either been taken or destroyed by the British.

He stayed in politics. In 1789, he was part of the first House of Representatives and continued to serve there until 1791. In 1803, he was elected as a Senator. Around this time, he also left Long Island behind. He gave the property to one of his sons and moved to lands he had been purchasing in the New York frontier. There he lived until his death in 1821.

D’Agnes, Joseph and Denise Kiernan. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia: Quirk Books. 2009.

“Signers of the Declaration: short biographies of each of the 56 Declaration signers: William Floyd.” July 4, 2004. https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/floyd.html

05/15/2026

As we go to look at this week’s Signer of the Declaration we come to a man who is perhaps the best known of all the Signers. As a matter of fact, there is so much information to distil, I might justly view my labor as making me a poor Richard. While his life had many shocks and jolts, it would not be accurate to say he discovered electricity. Many actions and quotes are accredited to him. Many he did and even some he did not. This week, as we look back, as though through bifocals, it’s all about the benjamins. Benjamin Franklin that is.

Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. He started grammar school at the age of eight, but by the time he was ten, he went to work and left formal education behind. At twelve, he apprenticed as a printer to his brother, James, and at 15, Benjamin, anonymously, published his first article. Through his satirical articles he poked fun at the people of Boston and commented on matters of the day including fashion, politics, merchant practices and education. He had written them under the pseudonym “Mrs. Silence Dogood.” James had not realized the letters were coming from his teenage brother. When the secret was revealed, Bejamin fled. He left Boston for New York and then Philadelphia at the age of sixteen.

Though Franklin’s time in formal education had been short, he educated himself. He was an avid reader. It is here that I will pause from our narrative to speak to you the reader directly for a moment. I have a question for you. How many of these gifted, intelligent individuals who educated themselves with books do we need to talk about before the lesson sinks in. Want to be smarter? Want the knowledge to make better informed decisions? If the answer is yes, I expect to see you at the library. Now, back to the story.

Eventually he would set up shop as a printer in Philadelphia. He published a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Gazette, and an annual, Poor Richard’s Almanack. Poor Richard’s gave us many quotes that we still use today such as “a penny saved is a penny earned.” Franklin prospered and at the age of forty-two he was able to leave the business under the control of a partner while he engaged in other pursuits. Among these pursuits, he created the first American hospital, library (I like him even more), and volunteer fire department. He helped lay the foundation for what would become the University of Pennsylvania. A number of inventions came from Franklin including bifocals and the lightning rod. He even delved into music by inventing the glass harmonica. Due to his work to improve the colonial mail system, Parliament appointed him as postmaster general. As early as 1736, he had worked as clerk for the Pennsylvania Assembly and was elected to a position in the body in 1751.

For all that he did at home in the colonies, it is worth remembering that he also spent many years living overseas in Europe. He first spent about eighteen months in England in his teenage years, but he returned for an extended stay in 1757. There he was able to represent colonial viewpoints to the English. In 1765, he was summoned before the House of Commons to explain the negative reaction to the Stamp Act which had taken place in the colonies. Eventually, in 1774, he got himself in hot water with the British authorities and returned to the colonies.

In 1775, Franklin became a member of the Continental Congress. Nearing the age of 70, he was the oldest man in the body and was the most widely famous. While serving, he was assigned to the committee that was to draft a Declaration of Independence. Beyond that, it was Franklin’s effort at persuasion that convinced one of Pennsylvania’s delegates to vote in favor of independence instead of against it. Franklin signed the Declaration on August 2, along with most of the Signers.

Not long after, Franklin was back overseas, but this time to France. Now he would use his gifts of persuasion to beseech France to aid the American colonists in their revolution. He was very popular in France and helped secure their assistance in the war effort. Unlike many of his fellow Signers who felt economic hardship during the war, Franklin actually grew his wealth. This is not to say though that Franklin felt no loss. Franklin’s first son, William, was the royal governor of New Jersey. William sided with the British and was imprisoned by Congress in January of 1776. His father refused to help him gain parole. William was eventually released in 1778, and the two men reconciled before Benjamin died.

Franklin wasn’t done signing important documents just yet. He helped develop the peace agreement between the United States and Great Britain, the Treaty of Paris, 1783. He got to put his name down on that document as well. Bidding farewell to his French friends, Franklin returned to the United States in 1785. Back home he helped craft the Constitution and signed it too. In 1790, at the age of eighty-four, Franklin at last shed his mortal coil. His days of working for the American cause were done, but for his toil, Americans will always remember him.

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D’Agnes, Joseph and Denise Kiernan. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia: Quirk Books. 2009.

“Signers of the Declaration: short biographies of each of the 56 Declaration signers: Benjamin Franklin.” July 4, 2004. https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/franklin.html

05/12/2026

05/09/2026

Pay attention everyone! In today’s lesson on the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, we will be looking at someone whose life will give you a fun factoid that you can use at your next gathering. We do all share interesting historical facts when we get together in public don’t we? Right? It’s not just me, is it? Anyway, let’s look at a man whose name looks like its order was reversed: Elbridge Gerry.

Elbridge Gerry was born in Massachusetts in 1744. He went to Harvard, studied to be a merchant, and graduated in 1762. In 1773, he was elected to the Massachusetts legislature. Later, from this body, he would be sent to the Continental Congress. He voted in favor of Independence and signed the document sometime in the fall of 1776.

In 1787, Massachusetts sent Gerry as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Here he was somewhat combative. One attendee remarked that Gerry “objected to everything he did not propose.” In the end, Gerry refused to sign the Constitution on the grounds that it did not yet have a Bill of Rights.

As you likely know, France aided the United States in the American Revolution. That aide was not free. The United States had war debts to France, but when the French King Louis XVI was killed in the French Revolution and the French Republic was established, the United States stopped paying those debts. Additionally, the United States increased its trade with Britain while Britain and France were at war. France in response seized some American ships at sea. This led to individuals in America calling for war with France. In 1797, President John Adams sent three men, including Gerry, to negotiate with the French president, Talleyrand. Talleyrand refused to meet with the Americans and sent three agents to meet with them instead. These French agents demanded a bribe in order to arrange a meeting with Talleyrand. Disgusted, the Americans refused. The two other men returned home, but believing he could avert a war, Gerry stayed in France until he was summoned home in May 1798. Now you might be thinking: “I guess he succeeded since we never fought a war with France.” And you would be wrong. We fought an undeclared war with France for two years known as the Quasi War. If you want to know more about that, the library has lots of history books.

Gerry returned to the United States and changed political parties. The Democratic-Republican party put him forward as a candidate for governor of Massachusetts. He lost. He was defeated three more times before finally becoming the state’s ninth governor in 1810. While governor of Massachusetts he committed an unscrupulous act that has since lent his name to American Political history. He redrew the voting districts to favor his political party. A political cartoonist thought one of the new districts looked like a salamander, and thus Gerrymandering was born.

Gerry lost re-election in 1812. However, he got a new job: Vice President. He served as James Madison’s vice-president until he died in 1814.

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D’Agnes, Joseph and Denise Kiernan. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia: Quirk Books. 2009.

“Signers of the Declaration: short biographies of each of the 56 Declaration signers: Elbridge Gerry.” July 4, 2004. https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/gerry.html

05/01/2026

Every May loads of Americans go to their favorite Mexican restaurant and use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to have an extra margarita or shot of tequila. However, I would assert that most of those Americans have no idea what Cinco de Mayo is actually about. It is not Mexican Independence Day as some believe, and it is certainly not about dropping jars of mayonnaise into the river. To find our answer, we have to travel back to 1862.

Well, just a bit farther back first. From 1858-1860 Mexico was fighting a civil war known as the Reform War. As you might be aware, wars are expensive. All of the fighting left the Mexican treasury dangerously empty. Thus in 1861, Mexican president Benito Juarez issued a two-year moratorium on paying all foreign debts. This did not sit particularly well with nations that held that debt. While some would negotiate a resolution with Mexico, France wanted more.

France at the time was ruled by Napoleon III, head of the Second French Empire. Napoleon III is a whole thing, but we don’t have time to get into him today. He decided that he wanted to create a new empire in the western hemisphere that would be loyal to France. To accomplish this goal, in late 1861, France invaded Mexico.

The French landed troops at Veracruz and the Mexican government in Mexico City fled. The French forces were well equipped and numbered somewhere from 6,000 to 8,000. As they marched, they came to the town of Puebla. Here, Mexican forces were outnumbered and had inferior equipment, but they held two forts on the high ground overlooking Puebla. Whoever controlled these forts, controlled the town. The French attempted to take the forts in multiple assaults. However, each time the Mexican defenders repulsed the French. At the end of the day of battle, one May Fifth, the French forces retreated. The victory boosted the Mexican army’s morale and national pride.

Now, there is a bit more to the story. France got their reinforcements. They would eventually take Puebla as well as Mexico City. They installed their own ruler in Mexico, Emperor Maximilian I (who was neither Mexican nor French but instead Austrian – European royalty is weird) in 1864. Now Mexico shares a border with this other country you might be aware of: The United States of America. Way back in 1823 when Latin American countries were becoming independent from their European masters, the United States issued the Monroe Doctrine that in an overly simplified way essentially told Europeans to stay on their side of the Atlantic. When the French first invaded Mexico, the United States was just a wee bit preoccupied with fighting its own civil war. However, that war came to an end in 1865. The US government had just a ton of modern weapons and there were a whole bunch of Mexican guerilla fighters that wanted them. US arms and money began to move south to support the Mexicans. Meanwhile, Napoleon III was facing concerns back in Europe and decided to withdraw French troops from Mexico. In 1867, Benito Juarez entered Mexico City and set up a new government. He declared that May 5th would be a national holiday. It is still celebrated every year in the area around Puebla where the battle occurred and of course across the United States where it celebrates Mexican heritage.

05/01/2026

Today’s Signer of the Declaration of Independence has a rather unique name: Button Gwinnett. So, fasten yourselves in as we learn about him today.

Gwinnet was born in England in 1732, the son of a Welsh minister. Eventually he left behind the British Isles and made his way to the colonies. First, he arrived in Charleston, SC in 1765. He borrowed money to try his hand at being a merchant. He failed. Maybe location was the problem. So, he borrowed more money to try again in Savannah, GA. He failed again. Okay, maybe it’s the line of work that wasn’t for him. So, he borrowed yet again and bought slaves and land along the Georgia coast in order to run a plantation. You want to guess what happened? Yep, failed again. He lost almost all the land to pay his debts. Who keeps giving this guy money?

Well, Button, you didn’t make it as a merchant or a plantation owner. You’ve run multiple businesses into the ground. But hey, in America there’s always politics. Surely the guy who failed multiple times can be trusted to run the government, right? Where Gwinnett lived in Georgia was the same area where Lyman Hall lived (our Signer from last week). It was through Hall that Gwinnett developed an interest in politics.

Gwinnett apparently did a good enough job in politics to get himself sent to represent Georgia in the Second Continental Congress. Not long after signing the Declaration, he returned home to Georgia where he wanted to be governor and to be in charge of the Georgia militia. When Georgia’s first governor died, Gwinnett was made acting governor. However, the position of leader of the Georgia militia went to Col. Lachlan McIntosh who was a man with military experience. Gwinnett recognized the wisdom in giving the position to a man with more experience. …Nah, I’m just kidding. Button got very upset about it and viewed McIntosh as his nemesis. I’m sure if Button had a social media account, he would have posted a long tirade about how he was so much better, smarter, and more handsome than McIntosh was. To be fair, McIntosh also did not like Gwinnett. Gwinnett accused McIntosh’s brother, George, of treason and purged McIntosh allies from the government. Next, the Georgia militia attempted an invasion of British Florida. The invasion failed. Gwinnett and McIntosh blamed each other for the failure. Gwinnett was charged with malfeasance. He would be exonerated of the charges, but at the same time, he lost his campaign to be elected governor of Georgia.

In May of 1777, McIntosh addressed the Georgia assembly and denounced Gwinnett who he referred to as “a scoundrel and a lying rascal.” Gwinnett demanded an apology. When McIntosh refused, Gwinnett challenged him to a duel. On May 16th, the two adversaries faced off. They marched off their paces and fired. Both men were wounded. McIntosh recovered. Gwinnett died of gangrene on May 27, the second of the Signers to die after John Morton. McIntosh meanwhile was accused of murder but was acquitted. Fearing that he might be a target for revenge, Washington ordered McIntosh to come to the Continental Army headquarters at Valley Forge. And if you know your history, I’m sure being in Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-1778 sure felt like punishment.

Today Georgia has both a Gwinnett and a McIntosh County. They do not border each other.
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D’Agnes, Joseph and Denise Kiernan. Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence. Philadelphia: Quirk Books. 2009.

McNamara, Rieman Jr. “Button Gwinnett.” Descendents of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. 2007. https://www.dsdi1776.com/signer/button-gwinnett/

“Signers of the Declaration: short biographies of each of the 56 Declaration signers: Button Gwinnett.” July 4, 2004. https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/gwinett.html