Thomas Lynch
MSA SC 3520-13854
Member of the Continental Congress, South Carolina
Biography:
Born 1727 in St. James Parish, Berkeley County, South Carolina. Son of Thomas (1675-c. 1738) and Sabina (Vanderhost) Lynch. Attended public schools. Married (1) Elizabeth Allston (1728-c. 1755), September 5, 1745. Children: Sabina Lynch Cattell Bowman (b. 1747); Esther Lynch (b. 1748); Thomas Lynch, Jr. (8/5/1749-1779). Married (2) Hannah Motte, March 6, 1755. One daughter: Elizabeth Lynch (b. 1755). Died December 1776 in Annapolis, Maryland. Buried St. Anne's Cemetery, Annapolis, Maryland.
Thomas Lynch was a man of many interests. His father, Thomas, gained notoriety for the development of a method of rice cultivation on coastal lands. Lynch continued this agricultural tradition, by owning three working plantations. By 1774, he had received land grants totaling 10,512 acres, in addition to lands he inherited from his father's estate. On these plantations, Lynch held over 250 slaves. Lynch also invested in shipping, being part owner in three trading ships. He also had an interest in education, serving as member of the Charleston Library Society. He sent his son, Thomas Lynch, Jr., to some of the best schools in England, including Eton, Cambridge, and Middle Temple.
Lynch served in many government positions. He held numerous commissioner positions in and around Charleston, South Carolina. Lynch, a staunch supporter of the rights of the American colonies, and an advocate of the non importation of British goods, was elected to every assembly of the South Carolina legislature between 1752-1776. In 1765, he was one of three delegates sent from South Carolina to the Stamp Act Congress in New York, which sent petitions of protest to the King and English Parliament. In 1768, he was one of the twenty-six members of the assembly who supported the Massachusetts Circular Letter, a letter sent by the Massachusetts assembly to the King of England, declaring the rights of the American colonies. One of Lynch's associates said he spoke "like a man of sense, and a patriot; with dignity, fire, and laconism." Another noted that he "[carried] with him more force in his very appearance than most powdered folks in their conversation."
Thomas Lynch spent the last two years of his life in Philadelphia as a member of the Continental Congress. His son, Thomas Lynch, Jr., was elected a delegate to the Congress in March 1776. The Lynch's became the only father and son to serve in the Continental Congress. Thomas, Jr., went on to sign the Declaration of Independence, however, Thomas, Sr., was incapacitated by a stroke in February 1776, which prevented him from signing it. In December 1776, while journeying home to South Carolina, Lynch suffered a second stroke, and died in Annapolis, Maryland. His body was buried in Annapolis at St. Anne's Cemetery.
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