On
This Day in History in 1776, the Liberty Bell was rung to commemorate the
first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. In the story they
relate some of the history of the bell: "As the British advanced toward
Philadelphia in the fall of 1777, the bell was removed from the city and hidden
in Allentown to save it from being melted down by the British and used for
cannons." The thing of it is, that one of the folks who helped hide the bell
from the enemy was a relative of mine on my mom's side. According to the family
account I recall, this was my
great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. I'm not sure about the number
of greats (seems like too few to me), but I'm pretty confident the story is
generally true... that side of the family is indeed from around Allentown, and pretty
humble stock to boot... not folks given to much exaggeration.
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