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North Carolina General Assembly of 1778

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The North Carolina General Assembly of 1778 met in three sessions in three locations in the years 1778 and 1779. The first session was held in New Bern from April 14 to May 2, 1778; the second session in Hillsborough, from August 8 to August 19, 1778; the third and final session in Halifax, from January 19 to February 13, 1779.

Contents

Each North Carolina county elected one Senator and two members of the House of Commons; 6 borough towns also elected one House member each.

Leadership

  • Speaker: John Williams (Granville County), until April 28, 1778; Thomas Benbury (Chowan County) elected to replace Williams.
  • Clerk: John Hunt (Franklin County)

    • Members

  • Anson County: George Davidson
  • Anson County: Stephen Miller
  • Beaufort County: Alderson Allerson, elected county entry taker, seat declared vacant 19 January 1779; Thomas Respress, Jr. elected to replace Allerson, took office 2 February 1779
  • Beaufort County: William Brown
  • Bertie County: William Jordan, Jr.
  • Bertie County: Simon Turner
  • Bladen County: Thomas Amis, elected to another office, seat declared vacant May 2, 1778; Benjamin Clark elected to replace Amis, took office August 8, 1778
  • Bladen County: Samuel Cain
  • Brunswick County: Lewis Dupree, took office August 8, 1778 after a special election
  • Brunswick County: William Gause, took office August 8, 1778 after a special election
  • Burke County: Ephraim McLaine, elected, but no evidence of service; Charles McLean took office August 13, 1778
  • Burke County: Thomas Whitson
  • Bute County: Benjamin Hawkins
  • Bute County: Adkin McLemore
  • Camden County: Caleb Grandy, seat vacated because he held another public office; Willis Bright, elected to replace Grandy, took office January 21, 1779.
  • Camden County: John Gray, seat vacated because he held another public office; William Burgess, elected to replace Gray, no evidence of service.
  • Carteret County: John Easton
  • Carteret County: Solomon Shepperd
  • Caswell County: Peter Farrar
  • Caswell County: John Williams
  • Chatham County: Alexander Clark
  • Chatham County: James William
  • Chowan County: Thomas Benbury
  • Chowan County: Jacob Hunter
  • Craven County: Nathan Bryan
  • Craven County: John Tillman, resigned April 30, 1778; Abner Nash elected to replace Tillman, took office August 14, 1778
  • Cumberland County: Peter Mallett
  • Cumberland County: Robert Rowan
  • Currituck County: William Ferebbe
  • Currituck County: Holowell Williams, elected, but no evidence that he took office
  • Dobbs County: Jesse Cobb
  • Dobbs County: William Fellows
  • Duplin County: Richard Clinton
  • Duplin County: Thomas Hicks
  • Edgecombe County: Jonas Johnston, named county entry taker, seat declared vacant April 27, 1778; a new election was held, Johnston was re-elected, and he took office on August 8, 1778
  • Edgecombe County: Isaac Sessums
  • Granville County: John Williams, resigned April 28, 1778 when elected to Continental Congress,; Thomas Person elected to replace Williams, took office August 8, 1778.
  • Granville County: Thorton Yancey
  • Guilford County: James Hunter
  • Guilford County: Robert Lindsay
  • Halifax County: Egbert Haywood
  • Halifax County: John Whitaker
  • Hertford County: William Baker
  • Hertford County: Arthur Cotton
  • Hyde County: Abraham Jones
  • Hyde County: Joseph Hancock
  • Johnston County: William Bryan
  • Johnston County: John Bryan, Jr.
  • Martin County: Nathan Mayo
  • Martin County: E. Edward Smithwick
  • Mecklenburg County: Caleb Phifer
  • Mecklenburg County: David Wilson
  • New Hanover County: Timothy Bloodworth
  • New Hanover County: John Devane
  • Northampton County: Joseph Bryan
  • Northampton County: Robert Peebles
  • Northampton County: Robert Nash
  • Onslow County: Benijah Doty
  • Onslow County: George Mitchell
  • Orange County: John Butler, named county record taker, seat declared vacant April 27, 1778; Thomas Burke elected to replace Butler, took office August 8, resigned August 18 when elected to Continental Congress; Mark Patterson elected to replace Burke, took office January 20, 1779
  • Orange County: William McCauley
  • Pasquotank County: Thomas Harvey
  • Pasquotank County: Thomas Relfe
  • Perquimans County: Charles Blount
  • Perquimans County: John Harvey
  • Pitt County: William Robeson, named county entry taker, seat declared vacant April 27, 1778; John Simpson elected to replace Robeson, took office August 8, elected to Council of State, resigned August 18; James Gorham elected to replace Simpson, took office January 21, 1779
  • Pitt County: John Williams
  • Rowan County: Matthew Locke
  • Rowan County: Moses Winslow
  • Surry County: Matthew Brooks
  • Surry County: Frederick Miller
  • Tryon County: William Gilbert, expelled from office February 8, 1779 for fraud
  • Tryon County: Joseph Hardin
  • Tyrrell County: Joshua Swann
  • Tyrrell County: Isham Webb, died April 1778; Benjamin Spruill elected to replace Webb, took office August 8, 1778
  • Wake County: Lodwick Alford
  • Wake County: Hardy Sanders
  • Washington County: Luke Boyer
  • Washington County: William Cooke, named county clerk of court, seat declared vacant April 27, 1778; Jesse Walton elected to replace Cooke, took office January 19, 1779.
  • Wilkes County: Benjamin Cleveland
  • Wilkes County: Elisha Isaacs
  • Edenton District: Joseph Hewes
  • Halifax District: Willie Jones
  • Hillsborough District: William Courtney
  • New Bern District: Richard Cogdell
  • Salisbury District: Matthew Troy
  • Wilmington: William Hooper

    • Leadership

  • Speaker: Whitmell Hill, until his election to the Continental Congress; Allen Jones elected to replace Hill
  • Clerk: John Sitgreaves

    • Members

  • Anson County: John Childs
  • Beaufort County: Thomas Respess
  • Bertie County: Zedekiah Stone
  • Bladen County: Thomas Owen
  • Brunswick County: Alexius M. Foster
  • Burke County: Charles McDowell, held another public office, seat declared vacant April 22, 1778
  • Bute County: Edward Jones
  • Camden County: Joseph Jones
  • Carteret County: William Thompson
  • Caswell County: James Saunders
  • Chatham County: Ambrose Ramsey, held another public office, seat declared vacant April 22, 1778; John Birdsong elected to replace Ramsey, took office August 8, 1778
  • Chowan County: Luke Sumner
  • Craven County: James Coor
  • Cumberland County: Ebenezer Folsome
  • Currituck County: Solomon Perkins
  • Dobbs County: Benjamin Exum
  • Duplin County: James Kenan
  • Edgecombe County: Elisha Battle
  • Granville County: Robert Harris
  • Guilford County: Ralph Gorrell, held office of county entry taker, seat declared vacant April 22, 1778; Alexander Martin elected to replace Gorrell, took office August 12, 1778
  • Halifax County: Oroondates Davis
  • Hertford County: Robert Sumner
  • Hyde County: William Russell
  • Johnston County: Needham Bryan, held another public office, seat declared vacant April 22, 1778
  • Martin County: Whitmell Hill, appointed to Continental Congress, resigned August 12, 1778; Kenneth McKenzie elected to replace Hill, took office January 19, 1779
  • Mecklenburg County: Robert Irwin
  • New Hanover County: John Ashe, Jr.
  • Northampton County: Allen Jones
  • Onslow County: Henry Rhodes
  • Orange County: John Kinchen
  • Pasquotank County: John Lowrie
  • Perquimans County: John Eason, held office of county entry taker, seat declared vacant April 15, 1778; Thomas Harvey elected to replace Eason, took office January 20, 1779
  • Pitt County: Robert Salter
  • Rowan County: Griffith Rutherford
  • Surry County: William Sheppard
  • Tryon County: William Graham
  • Tyrrell County: Jeremiah Frazier
  • Wake County: Michael Rogers
  • Washington County: Charles Robertson
  • Wilkes County: John Brown

    • References

    North Carolina General Assembly of 1778 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA