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According to legend, some of the bones were lost or destroyed, made into buttons, or sold off individually. Over the years, several people have claimed to be in possession of parts of the bones—a rib in France, a jawbone in England, a skull in Australia. The only part of Paine near his original burial site is a mummified brain stem and a lock of his hair, which were buried in a secret location by the historical association.

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Cobbett pictured flying with Thomas Paine's remains.

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Cobbett pictured flying with Thomas Paine's remains.

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Cobbett was referred to as, "A Laughing Stock among Englishmen" because he lost Paine's remains.

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Pictured... is Thomas Paine's home, and his original place of burial.

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Pictured... is Thomas Paine's home, and his original place of burial.

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In 1819 political journalist William Cobbett made arrangements to have Paine reburied in England in a place of honor. En route to England, Paine's remains were lost. And they were never retrieved...

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Paine demanded his release from the Luxembourg prison, and wrote a very distasteful letter to George Washington. "A critical look at the president's inablility to  qucikly obtain Paine's freedom."

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Because of this, many people misinterpreted the Age of Reason for an Atheist tract, Paine came under attack for his unorthodox religious views.

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Suporting Louis XVI caused for Paine to be arrested by the Robespierre government. Barely avoiding the guillotine he spent ten months in a Luxembourg prison before he was released by James Monroe, a U.S. ambassador. In prison, Paine published the Rights of Man, which included criticization of organized religion and explained his own deist beliefs. Deism is a religious and philisophical belief that accepts the concept of God, but views reason as the key to moral truth.

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Enraged with Edmund Burke's attack on the uprising of French people, Paine published the Rights of Man, which supported the French Revolution and upheld the dignity and rights of the common person. Rights of Man sold 200,000 copies, but was later indicted for treason against the French, and he was soon found guilty and arrested. He protested the execution of Louis XVI. Rights of Man was ordered to be suppressed.

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At the end of the revolution, Paine found himself poverty strickened. He pleaded for help in Congress, and was given $500, and a farm in New York. At this house, Paine devoted his time to inventions, mainly concentrating on inventing an iron bridge without piers, and a smokeless candle.

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He argued for freedom of slaves, voting rights for tradesmen and artisans and education for woman. He also called for a national convention to remedy the innefectual Articles of Confederation and to establish a strong national government under "a continental constitution."

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Paine served firsthand in the Continental Army, to boost the soldiers morale after a retreat, he wrote the influential series, American Crisis. Under George Washington's orders, Paine's pamphlet was read aloud to the troops, which has been given credit for inspiring the American victory in The Battle of Trenton.

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Paine's ability to write in plain language made his ideas accessible to colonists rich and poor. Although he sold nearly 500,000 copies of "Common Sense" he didn't take a penny of the earnings, however, he transferred them to the American Cause.  Purchased ammunition, clothing, and food for soldiers year round.

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"We have it in our power to begin the world over again."

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"We have it in our power to begin the world over again."

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Paine's Common Sense made an irrefutable argument for seperation from England, and described the American Revolution as not only achievable but inevitible.

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"We have it in our power to begin the world over again." -- Thomas Paine, Common Sense

Common Sense was first published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January of 1776 and is regarded by many as the most important piece of writing of the American Revolution. Although descent among the colonists was growing over the British government's newly levied taxes and customs duties and the bloody battle at Concord, there was still talk of reconciliation among the colonists. However, Paine's convincing arguments against the monarchy and British domination spread like wildfire throughout the colonies and turned the public tide toward independence. General George Washington wrote to a friend in Massachusetts: "I find that Common Sense is working a powerful change there in the minds of many men. Few pamphlets have had so dramatic an effect on political events."

Paine's ability to write in plain language made his ideas accessible to colonists rich and poor. His writing was powerful, dramatic and often scathing -- especially when describing the monarchy. Paine described the kings of England as mere usurpers who, like criminals, had seized power by force:

"...could we take off the dark covering of antiquity, and trace them [kings] to their rise, we should find the first of them nothing better than the principle ruffian of some restless gang, whose savage manners, or pre-eminence in subtilty obtained him the title of chief among plunderers."

Common Sense went to print with an agreement between Paine and its publisher, Robert Bell that if the pamphlet lost money, Paine would cover the cost. Bell set the price at two shillings, which Paine thought too high. The public did not agree and by Paine's own estimates Common Sense sold over one hundred fifty thousand copies in its first printing (not counting England and Ireland). Eventually over five hundred thousand copies were sold. By today's standards Common Sense would be considered a bestseller. The pamphlet was a huge financial success. While Paine could certainly have used the money, he never took a penny of the profits instead turning his share over to the American cause. *

Paine's Common Sense made an irrefutable argument for separation from England and described the revolution as not only achievable but inevitable. Throughout the colonies letters to newspapers quoted Paine's words. "Nothing else is talked of," wrote Bostonian Andrew Elliot to a friend in London, "...I know not what can be done by Great Britain to prevent it."

John Adams was one of the few who criticized Common Sense. While he agreed with Paine's call for separation from England, he thought the pamphlet was too radical. Adams called Paine's writing; "...without any restraint or even an attempt at any equilibrium or counter poise, that it must produce confusion and every evil work."

Common Sense is Thomas Paine's most well known and most quoted work. His words in the introduction to Common Sense remain as true today as they were in 1776:

"The cause of America is, in a great measure, the cause of all mankind. Many circumstances have, and will arise, which are not local, but universal, and through which the principles of all lovers of mankind are affected, and in the event of which, their affections are interested. The laying a country desolate with fire and sword, declaring war against the natural rights of all mankind, and extirpating the defenders thereof from the face of the earth, is the concern of every man to whom nature hath given the power of feeling; of which class, regardless of party censure is."

* His agreement with Bell was for his share of the profits to be used to buy mittens for the American Soldiers stationed in Canada After a falling out with Bell, he found another publisher who lowered the price to one shilling. Paine later paid for the publishing of six thousand copies out of his own pocket and eventually allowed reproduction of the pamphlet by anyone who would cover the costs.

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"We have it in our power to begin the world over again." -- Thomas Paine, Common Sense Common Sense was first published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January of 1776 and is regarded by many as the most important piece of writing of the American Revolution.

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In 1776, this document urged many colonists to protest taxation, and declare independence from England. The publication sold more than 500,000 copies, becoming a best seller. George Washington once stated, "I find that Common Sense is working a powerful change there in the minds of many men. Few pamphlets have had so dramatic an effect on political events." More than any other single publication, Common Sense paved the way for the Declaration of Independence, unanimously ratified on July 4th, 1776.

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"Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one."

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Thomas Paine: The Revolutionary War in Four Minutes

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England had just lost the most influential, outspoken man of their generation. The day  he stepped on American soil, he was considered an "Englishmen by birth; French citizen by decree; American by adoption." Philadelphia accepted Paine's arrival, and he even got a job as manager for the Pennsylvania Magazine.

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Paine held a variety of jobs trying to stay afloat which consisted of: customs official, preacher, and a school teacher. However, two great minds were attracted to each other, that of Benjamin Franklin (who served as a colonial official in England) and Thomas Paine. Franklin urged Paine to emmigrate to America, with this invite he happily left the country he so much despised. Philadelphia became his new home.

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Paine was born on January 29th, 1737, in Thetford, Norfolk, England. His father was a Quaker, while his mother an Anglican. His early days in England were marked by repeated failures, having not excelled in any job he took.  England and Paine did not get along with each other. Which gives reason to his great despise of the English.

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(Narration of American Crisis)

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Thomas Paine was an England-born political philosopher and writer who supported revolutionary causes in America and Europe. Published in 1776 to international acclaim, "Common Sense" was the first pamphlet to advocate American independence. After writing the "The American Crisis" papers during the Revolutionary War, Paine returned to Europe and offered a stirring defense of the French Revolution with "Rights of Man." His political views led to a stint in prison; after his release, he produced his last great essay, "The Age of Reason," a controversial critique of institutionalized religion and Christian theology.
WATCH: The Revolution on HISTORY Vault
Early Years

Thomas Paine was born January 29, 1737, in Norfolk, England, the son of a Quaker corset maker and his older Anglican wife.

Paine apprenticed for his father but dreamed of a naval career, attempting once at age 16 to sign onto a ship called The Terrible, commanded by someone named Captain Death, but Paine's father intervened.

Three years later he did join the crew of the privateer ship King of Prussia, serving for one year during the Seven Years' War.

Paine Emigrates to America

In 1768, Paine began work as an excise officer on the Sussex coast. In 1772, he wrote his first pamphlet, an argument tracing the work grievances of his fellow excise officers. Paine printed 4,000 copies and distributed them to members of British Parliament.

In 1774, Paine met Benjamin Franklin, who is believed to have persuaded Paine to immigrate to America, providing Paine with a letter of introduction. Three months later, Paine was on a ship to America, nearly dying from a bout of scurvy.

Paine immediately found work in journalism when he arrived in Philadelphia, becoming managing editor of Philadelphia Magazine.

He wrote in the magazine-under the pseudonyms "Amicus" and "Atlanticus"-criticizing the Quakers for their pacifism and endorsing a system similar to Social Security.

'Common Sense'

Paine's most famous pamphlet, "Common Sense," was first published on January 10, 1776, selling out its thousand printed copies immediately. By the end of that year, 150,000 copies-an enormous amount for its time-had been printed and sold. (It remains in print today.)

"Common Sense" is credited as playing a crucial role in convincing colonists to take up arms against England. In it, Paine argues that representational government is superior to a monarchy or other forms of government based on aristocracy and heredity.

The pamphlet proved so influential that John Adams reportedly declared, "Without the pen of the author of 'Common Sense,' the sword of Washington would have been raised in vain."

Paine also claimed that the American colonies needed to break with England in order to survive and that there would never be a better moment in history for that to happen. He argued that America was related to Europe as a whole, not just England, and that it needed to freely trade with nations like France and Spain.
READ MORE: How Thomas Paine's 'Common Sense' Helped Inspire the American Revolution
The American Crisis

As the Revolutionary War began, Paine enlisted and met General George Washington, whom Paine served under.

The terrible condition of Washington's troops during the winter of 1776 prompted Paine to publish a series of inspirational pamphlets known as "The American Crisis," which opens with the famous line "These are the times that try men's souls."

Political Career of Thomas Paine

Starting in April 1777, Paine worked for two years as secretary to the Congressional Committee for Foreign Affairs and then became the clerk for the Pennsylvania Assembly at the end of 1779.

In March 1780, the assembly passed an abolition act that freed 6,000 enslaved people, to which Paine wrote the preamble.

Paine didn't make much money from his government work and no money from his pamphlets-despite their unprecedented popularity-and in 1781 he approached Washington for help. Washington appealed to Congress to no avail, and went so far as to plead with all the state assemblies to pay Paine a reward for his work.

Only two states agreed: New York gifted Paine a house and a 277-acre estate in New Rochelle, while Pennsylvania awarded him a small monetary compensation.

The Revolution over, Paine explored other pursuits, including inventing a smokeless candle and designing bridges.

'Rights of Man'

Paine published his book Rights of Man in two parts in 1791 and 1792, a rebuttal of the writing of Irish political philosopher Edmund Burke and his attack on the French Revolution, which Paine supported.

Paine journeyed to Paris to oversee a French translation of the book in the summer of 1792. Paine's visit was concurrent with the capture of Louis XVI, and he witnessed the monarch's return to Paris.

Paine himself was threatened with execution by hanging when he was mistaken for an aristocrat, and he soon ran afoul of the Jacobins, who eventually ruled over France during the Reign of Terror, the bloodiest and most tumultuous years of the French Revolution.

In 1793 Paine was arrested for treason because of his opposition to the death penalty, most specifically the mass use of the guillotine and the execution of Louis XVI. He was detained in Luxembourg, where he began work on his next book, The Age of Reason.

Letter to George Washington

Released in 1794, partly thanks to the efforts of the then-new American minister to France, James Monroe, Paine became convinced that George Washington had conspired with French revolutionary politician Maximilien de Robespierre to have Paine imprisoned.

In retaliation, Paine published his "Letter to George Washington" attacking his former friend, accusing him of fraud and corruption in the military and as president.

But Washington was still very popular, and the letter diminished Paine's popularity in America. The Federalists used the letter in accusations that Paine was a tool for French revolutionaries who also sought to overthrow the new American government.

'The Age of Reason'

Paine's two-volume treatise on religion, The Age of Reason, was published in 1794 and 1795, with a third part appearing in 1802.

The first volume functions as a criticism of Christian theology and organized religion in favor of reason and scientific inquiry. Though often mistaken as an atheist text, The Age of Reason is actually an advocacy of deism and a belief in God.

The second volume is a critical analysis of the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible, questioning the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Immediately following the Washington debacle, however, The Age of Reason marked the end of Paine's credibility in the United States, where he became largely despised.

Final Years and Death

By 1802, Paine was able to sail to Baltimore. Welcomed by President Thomas Jefferson, whom he had met in France, Paine was a recurring guest at the White House.

Still, newspapers denounced him and he was sometimes refused services. A minister in New York was dismissed because he shook hands with Paine.

In 1806, despite failing health, Paine worked on the third part of his "Age of Reason," and also a criticism of Biblical prophesies called "An Essay on Dream."

Paine died on June 8, 1809, in New York City, and was buried on his property in New Rochelle. On his deathbed, his doctor asked him if he wished to accept Jesus Christ before passing. "I have no wish to believe on that subject," Paine replied before taking his final breath.

Paine's Remains

Paine's remains were stolen in 1819 by British radical newspaperman William Cobbett and shipped to England in order to give Paine a more worthy burial. Paine's bones were discovered by customs inspectors in Liverpool, but allowed to pass through.

Cobbett claimed that his plan was to display Paine's bones in order to raise money for a proper memorial. He also fashioned jewelry made with hair removed from Paine's skull for fundraising purposes.

Cobbett spent some time in Newgate Prison and after briefly being displayed, Paine's bones ended up in Cobbett's cellar until he died. Estate auctioneers refused to sell human remains and the bones became hard to trace.

Rumors of the remains' whereabouts sprouted up through the years with little or no validation, including an Australian businessman who claimed to purchase the skull in the 1990s.

In 2001, the city of New Rochelle launched an effort to gather the remains and give Paine a final resting place. The Thomas Paine National Historical Association in New Rochelle claims to have possession of brain fragments and locks of hair.

Sources

Thomas Paine. Jerome D. Wilson and William F. Ricketson.
Thomas Paine. A.J. Ayer.
The Trouble With Tom: The Strange Afterlife and Times of Thomas Paine. Paul Collins.
Rehabilitating Thomas Paine, Bit by Bony Bit. The New York Times.

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Thomas Paine was an England-born political philosopher and writer who supported revolutionary causes in America and Europe. Published in 1776 to international acclaim, "Common Sense" was the first pamphlet to advocate American independence. After writing the "The American Crisis" papers during the Revolutionary War, Paine returned to Europe and offered a stirring defense of the French Revolution with "Rights of Man."

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A "social agitator", Thomas Paine was an influential political writer who supported revolution and a rebuplican government. It could be differed that he emboldended many American colonists to declare independence from the British.