History tells us a lot about the signers of the Declaration of Independence, but not much is known about their dads.

There were 56 men that signed the Declaration of Independence and are considered to be the Founding Fathers of the United States. Today we’re going to talk about some of their fathers. If George Washington was the father of our country, his dad was the grandfather of our country.

Country? Little has been passed down about Augustine Washington, but we do know he lived and farmed in the countryside of northern Virginia. Augustine was the son of Mildred Warner and Capt. Lawrence Washington, a justice of the peace. Augustine’s dad died when he was 3 or 4, and Augustine died when George was 11. George was the oldest of three children and that’s no lie.

Lie? George is famous for his confession to his father, “I cannot tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet,” referring to the cherry tree incident. Historians and scientists confirm that Augustine’s farm had cherry trees, performing botanical analysis on the property and finding evidence of cherry pits in the cellar.

Cellar? Augustine was a hard-driving businessman and went from the cellar to the penthouse. After he amassed a large amount of property to grow tobacco, he turned his attention to owning iron mines. His death when George was 11 had a big impact on his son and therefore the nation. While George’s older half-brothers were sent to grammar school in England, he was deprived of this opportunity after his dad died. Denied a classical education, George became intent on self-improvement and discipline — but he would always harbor an insecurity about his lack of formal education.

Education? Upon graduating from Harvard, John Adams, our second president, became a grammar school teacher. Adams, son of Deacon John Adams Sr. and Susanna Boylston, was the fifth generation from Henry Adams, who reached the shores of North America from England in 1633. John Adams Jr. was the oldest of the three sons. His father served as a moderator at town meetings and inspired John to take an interest in community affairs. His dad was also a lieutenant in the Massachusetts colonial militia, a tax collector and a selectman of the town of Braintree. John Adams Sr. died at age 70. Adams National Historical Park in Quincy, Mass. is the family home.

Home? Thomas Jefferson, our third president, had quite a nice home too. Monticello, which is a national historic landmark. His parents married in 1739, and Peter and Jane had 10 children. Thomas was their third child and first son. Peter Jefferson was a justice of the peace, but he also had other jobs. He was a lieutenant colonel in the militia and a surveyor.

Surveyor? In 1750, Lewis Burwell, acting governor of Virginia, commissioned Peter Jefferson and another man to produce a map of the colony. The map was completed and printed the following year. Thomas Jefferson would describe his father’s accomplishment as “the first map of Virginia which had ever been made.”

Made? Benjamin Franklin made a lot of things in his life. He was born in Boston on Jan. 17, 1706. He was the 10th son of a soapmaker, Josiah Franklin. Benjamin’s mother was Abiah Folger, the second wife of Josiah. In all, Josiah would father 17 children. Josiah intended for Benjamin to enter the clergy but could afford to send his son to school for only one year, and clergymen needed years of schooling. Benjamin loved to read, so his father had him apprenticed to his brother James, who was a printer. After helping James compose pamphlets and set type, 12-year-old Benjamin would sell their products in the streets of Boston.

Boston? This is what Benjamin said of his dad, who died in the city at age 87: “He was, in many respects, a remarkable man. He had an excellent constitution of body, was of middle stature, but well set, and very strong; he was ingenious, could draw prettily, was skilled a little in music, and had a clear, pleasing voice, so that when he played psalm tunes on his violin and sung withal, as he sometimes did in an evening after the business of the day was over, it was extremely agreeable to hear.”

Hear? “The British are coming!” is one of the most famous cries in American history, heard during Paul Revere’s ride. Revere might not be a Founding Father, but close enough. His father was a French Huguenot named Apollos Rivoire. Apollos changed his name to Revere after immigrating to the American colonies, where he worked as a gold and silversmith. He taught Paul the trade in his shop.

Shop? Alexander Hamilton, our first secretary of the treasury, was born out of wedlock, orphaned and adopted by a merchant with a shop on the island of Nevis in the West Indies. Little is known about his father.

Father? What’s Father’s Day without a dad joke? Was the Declaration of Independence signed in Philadelphia? No, it was signed in ink. Seriously, where was the Declaration of Independence signed? On the bottom!

You can learn more about George Washington’s dad here.

You can learn more about Thomas Jefferson’s parents here.

Sources: Franklin Institute, Country Living, National Retail Federation, Census Bureau, mountvernon.org, battlefields.org, History.com, Constitutionfacts.com, monticello.org, WhiteHouse.gov, Britannica