Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress

The Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress was the last of five extra-legal unicameral bodies that met beginning in the summer of 1774. They were modeled after the colonial lower house (House of Commons). These congresses created a government structure, issued bills of credit to pay for the movement, organized an army for defense, wrote a constitution and bill of rights that established the state of North Carolina, and elected their first acting governor in the fifth congress that met in 1776. These congresses paved the way for the first meeting of the North Carolina General Assembly on April 7, 1777 in New Bern, North Carolina.[3] The Fifth Congress met in Halifax from November 12 to December 23, 1776. Richard Caswell served as president, with Cornelius Harnett as vice-president.[3][4][5][6]

Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress (1776)
Fourth Provincial Congress NC General Assembly of 1777
Overview
Legislative bodyNorth Carolina Provincial Congress
JurisdictionNorth Carolina, United States
Meeting placeHalifax, North Carolina
Term1776
Members187 Delegates (35 counties, 10 Districts)
PresidentRichard Caswell[1]
Vice-PresidentCornelius Harnett[1]
SecretaryJames Green, Jr.[1][2]
Assistant SecretaryJames Glasgow
Sessions
1stNovember 12, 1776 – December 23, 1776
RichardCaswell

Legislation

This congress approved the first Constitution of North Carolina, along with a "Declaration of Rights" on December 18, 1776. It elected Richard Caswell to serve as acting governor until the province's first General Assembly in 1777 could meet to elect a governor. The congress dealt extensively with raising a militia of 5, 000 men. They also discussed the Cherokee War in the western region of the state.[1][4][6][7]

Delegates

James Kenan
Allen Jones
William Hooper
John Sevier
Joseph Hewes
AbnerNash
Willie Jones
Thomas Amis, Halifax County

Each county was authorized five delegates to this congress. Some counties only had four delegates. In addition, nine districts or borough towns were also authorized a single delegate. These districts were the larger towns and population centers of the state. The concept of district representation was a hold over from the Province of North Carolina in colonial times. Washington District, in the western end of the state and later became a county, elected four delegates to the congress. The following list shows the names of the delegates and the counties or districts that they represented:[5][6][8]

County/DistrictDelegate
Anson CountyGeorge Davidson
Anson CountyDavid Love
Anson CountyWilliam R. Pickett
Anson CountyCharles Robertson
Anson CountyThomas Wade
Beaufort CountyJohn Barrow
Beaufort CountyFrancis Jones
Beaufort CountyThomas Respess
Beaufort CountyThomas Respess, Jr.
Beaufort CountyRobert Tripp
Bertie CountyWilliam Gray
Bertie CountyNoah Hinton
Bertie CountyJohn Johnston
Bertie CountyThomas Pugh
Bertie CountyZedekiah Stone
Bladen CountyThomas Amis[9]
Bladen CountyJames Council
Bladen CountyThomas Owen[10]
Bladen CountyThomas Robeson, Jr.
Brunswick CountyLewis Dupree
Brunswick CountyCornelius Harnett[note 1]
Brunswick CountyWilliam Lord
Brunswick CountyArchibald MacLaine
Brunswick CountyMaurice Moore
Bute CountyJames Denton
Bute CountyThomas Eaton
Bute CountyPhilemon Hawkins
Bute CountyBenjamin Seawell
Bute CountyBenjamin Ward
Carteret CountyWilliam Borden
Carteret CountyBrice Williams
Carteret CountyThomas Chadwick
Carteret CountyJohn Easton
Carteret CountySoloman Shepard
Chatham CountyJohn Birdsong
Chatham CountyMial Scurlock
Chatham CountyJeduthan Harper
Chatham CountyIsaiah Hogan
Chatham CountyAmbrose Ramsey
Chowan CountyThomas Benbury
Chowan CountyJacob Hunter
Chowan CountyJames Blount
Chowan CountyThomas Jones[11]
Chowan CountyLuke Sumner
Craven CountyNathan Bryan
Craven CountyJohn Tillman
Craven CountyWilliam Bryan
Craven CountyJames Coor
Craven CountyChristopher Neale
Cumberland CountyWilliam Rand
Cumberland CountyPhilip Alston
Cumberland CountyRobert Cobb
Cumberland CountyRobert Rowan
Currituck CountyJames White[12]
Currituck CountySamuel Jarvis
Currituck CountyKedar Merchant
Currituck CountyHollowell Williams
Currituck CountyThomas Williams
Dobbs CountyAndrew Bass
Dobbs CountyBenjamin Exum
Dobbs CountySimon Bright
Dobbs CountyRichard Caswell[note 2]
Dobbs CountyAbraham Sheppard
Duplin CountyJames Gillespie
Duplin CountyWilliam Dickson/Dixson[13]
Duplin CountyThomas Gray
Duplin CountyJames Kenan
Duplin CountyWilliam Taylor[14]
Edgecombe CountyElisha Battle[15]
Edgecombe CountyWilliam Haywood
Edgecombe CountyWilliam Horn
Edgecombe CountyJonas Johnston[16]
Edgecombe CountyIsaac Sessums
Granville CountyMemucan Hunt
Granville CountyRobert Lewis
Granville CountyJohn Oliver
Granville CountyThornton Yancey
Granville CountyThomas Person
Guilford CountyIsham Browder
Guilford CountyCharles Bruce
Guilford CountyDavid Caldwell
Guilford CountyRalph Gorrell[17]
Guilford CountyJoseph Hinds
Halifax CountyWillis Alston
Halifax CountyJohn Bradford
Halifax CountyJames Hogun[note 3]
Halifax CountyEgbert Haywood
Halifax CountyBenjamin McCullough
Halifax CountySamuel Weldon
Hertford CountyLawrence Baker
Hertford CountyWilliam Murfree[note 4]
Hertford CountyDay Ridley
Hertford CountyRobert Sumner
Hertford CountyJames Wright
Hyde CountyJohn Jordan
Hyde CountyAbraham Jones
Hyde CountyJoseph Hancock
Hyde CountyBenjamin Parmele
Hyde CountyWilliam Russell
Johnston CountyAlexander Avery
Johnston CountyNeedham Bryan, Jr.
Johnston CountyHenry Rains
Johnston CountySamuel Smith
Johnston CountyJohn Stevens
Martin CountyWhitmell Hill[note 5]
Martin CountyJohn Hardison
Martin CountyThomas Hunter
Martin CountySamuel Smithwick
Martin CountyWilliam Williams
Mecklenburg CountyHezekiah Alexander
Mecklenburg CountyWaightstill Avery
Mecklenburg CountyRobert Irwin
Mecklenburg CountyJohn Phifer
Mecklenburg CountyZaccheus Wilson
New Hanover CountyJohn Ashe
New Hanover CountySamuel Ashe
New Hanover CountyJohn Devane
New Hanover CountyJohn Hollingsworth
New Hanover CountySampson Mosely
Northampton CountyJeptha Atherton
Northampton CountyRobert Peoples (Peebles)
Northampton CountyHoward Edmunds (Howell Edmunds)
Northampton CountyJames Ingram[note 6]
Northampton CountyThomas Parker
Northampton CountyAllen Jones[note 7]
Onslow CountyBenajah Doty
Onslow CountyThomas Johnston
Onslow CountyHenry Rhodes
Onslow CountyJohn Spicer
Onslow CountyEdward Starkey
Orange CountyThomas Burke (replaced John Atkinson)[note 8][note 9]
Orange CountyJohn Butler (replaced John McCabe)[note 9]
Orange CountyJohn McCabe (replaced William Moore)[note 9]
Orange CountyAlexander Mebane (replaced John Paine)[note 9]
Orange CountyNathaniel Rochester (replaced James Saunders)[note 9]
Pasquotank CountyHenry Abbot[18]
Pasquotank CountyDempsey Burgess
Pasquotank CountyDevotion Davis
Pasquotank CountyIsaac Gregory
Pasquotank CountyLemuel Sawyer
Perquimans CountyBenjamin Harvey
Perquimans CountyMiles Harvey
Perquimans CountyThomas Harvey
Perquimans CountyWilliam Hooper[note 10]
Perquimans CountyWilliam Skinner
Pitt CountyGeorge Evans
Pitt CountyJames Gorham
Pitt CountyBenjamin May
Pitt CountyWilliam Robson
Pitt CountyEdward Salter
Rowan CountyJohn Brevard
Rowan CountyMatthew Locke
Rowan CountyGriffith Rutherford
Rowan CountyWilliam Sharpe[note 11]
Rowan CountyJames Smith
Surry CountyCharles Gordon
Surry CountyWilliam Hall
Surry CountyRobert Lanier
Surry CountyJoseph Williams
Tryon CountyJohn Barber
Tryon CountyRobert Abernathy
Tryon CountyWilliam Alston
Tryon CountyWilliam Graham
Tryon CountyJoseph Hardin, Sr.
Tyrrell CountyBenjamin Blount
Tyrrell CountyJeremiah Frazier
Tyrrell CountyStephen Lee
Tyrrell CountyIsham Webb
Tyrrell CountyPeter Wynn
Wake CountyBritain Fuller
Wake CountyJames Jones[note 12]
Wake CountyTignal Jones
Wake CountyJohn Rice[note 13][19]
Wake CountyMichael Rogers
Washington DistrictJohn Carter
Washington DistrictJohn Haile
Washington DistrictCharles Robertson
Washington DistrictJohn Sevier
Bath DistrictWilliam Brown[19]
Brunswick DistrictParker Quince
Campbellton DistrictThomas Hadley
Edenton DistrictJoseph Hewes[note 14]
Halifax DistrictWillie Jones[note 15]
Hillsborough DistrictWilliam Johnston
New Bern DistrictAbner Nash[note 16]
Salisbury DistrictDavid Nesbitt
Wilmington DistrictWilliam Hooper

Notes:

  1. Cornelius Harnett was a representative to the 2nd Continental Congress (17771779)
  2. Richard Caswell was a North Carolina Representative to the Continental Congress (1774)
  3. James Hogun resigned his position after being commissioned in the North Carolina Line, replaced by Egbert Haywood
  4. Possibly the father of William Murfree
  5. Whitmell Hill was a representative to the 2nd Continental Congress (17781780)
  6. James Ingram was commissioned in the North Carolina Line and replaced by Thomas Parker, who was elected to replace him.
  7. Allen Jones was a representative to the 2nd Continental Congress (1779–1780)
  8. Thomas Burke was a representative to the 2nd Continental Congress, 17771781
  9. Seated on December 16, due to voting irregularities in a first pole
  10. William Hooper was a representative to the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress (17741777) and a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence
  11. William Sharpe was a representative to the Continental Congress (1779–1781) and elected to the North Carolina House of Commons in 1781 and 1782
  12. James Jones was deemed ineligible due to service in the Light Horse. He resigned his commission on October 25, 1776 and was re-elected to serve in the congress.
  13. The Congress Journal shows that it was John Rice as delegate for Wake County. William Brown was the delegate for Bath. This appears to be an error in the Lewis delegate listing.
  14. Joseph Hewes was a Representative to the 1st Continental Congress (1774), 2nd Continental Congress (1775–1776; 1779), and signer of the Declaration of Independence
  15. Willie Jones was a representative to the 2nd Continental Congress (1780)
  16. Abner Nash was a representative to the Confederation Congress (1782–1783)

See also

References

  1. Congress (1776). Minutes of the Provincial Congress of North Carolina, North Carolina. Provincial Congress, November 12, 1776 - December 23. 10. pp. 913–1003.
  2. Reidinger, Martin (1986). "James Green, Jr". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  3. Butler, Lindley (2006). Powell, William Stevens (ed.). Encyclopedia of North Carolina, Provincial Congresses. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 917–918. ISBN 0807830712.
  4. "State Library of North Carolina. Information page for Tryon Palace".
  5. Lewis, J.D. "5th Provincial Congress". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  6. Connor, Robert Diggs Wimberly, ed. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina Issued by the North Carolina Historical Commission for the Use of Members of the General Assembly Session 1913. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  7. Orth, John V. (2006). "Declaration of Rights". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  8. Norris, David A. (2006). "Borough Towns". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  9. Starnes, Sam (2013). "Thomas Amis". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  10. Powell, William S. (1991). "Thomas Owen". Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  11. Powell, William S. (1988). "Thomas Jones". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  12. Powell, William S. (1996). "James White". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  13. Ingram, Charles M. (1986). "William Dickson". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  14. Powell, William S. (1996). "William Taylor". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  15. Taylor, R. Hargus (1979). "Elisha Battle". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  16. Johnston, Hugh Buckner (1988). https://www.ncpedia.org/biography/johnston-jonas. Retrieved November 4, 2019. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. Bell, John L. Jr. (1986). "Ralph Gorrell". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019. His grandfather was Ralph Gorrell, Jr. (1735–1816), … Ralph, Jr., was a member of the Halifax Provincial Congresses of April and December 1776,
  18. Cotton, Jerry W. (1979). "Henry Abbot". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  19. Lewis, J.D. "William Brown". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.

Further reading

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