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North Carolina General Assembly of 1779

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The North Carolina General Assembly of 1779 met in three sessions in three locations in the years 1779 and 1780. The first session was held in Smithfield from May 3 to May 15, 1779; the second session in Halifax, from October 18 to November 10, 1779; the third and final session in New Bern, from January to February, 1780.

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.

Among other actions, this assembly created Rutherford County, North Carolina, and named it for one of its own sitting members, Senator Griffith Rutherford.

Leadership

  • Speaker: Thomas Benbury (Chowan County)
  • Clerk: John Hunt (Franklin County)

    • Members

  • Anson County: Charles Medlock
  • Anson County: Stephen Miller
  • Beaufort County: John Kennedy
  • Beaufort County: Robert Tripp
  • Bertie County: James Campbell
  • Bertie County: John Johnston
  • Bladen County: Samuel Cain
  • Bladen County: Thomas Brown
  • Brunswick County: William Dry
  • Brunswick County: (vacant)
  • Burke County: William Morrison
  • Burke County: Thomas Whitson
  • Camden County: Willis Bright
  • Camden County: Caleb Grandy
  • Carteret County: John Easton
  • Carteret County: Solomon Shepperd
  • Caswell County: Peter Farrow
  • Caswell County: William Moore
  • Chatham County: Jonathan Harper
  • Chatham County: John Luttrell
  • Chowan County: Thomas Benbury
  • Chowan County: William Boyd
  • Craven County: Hardy Bryan
  • Craven County: Benjamin Williams
  • Cumberland County: Robert Cochran
  • Cumberland County: Robert Rowan
  • Currituck County: John Humphries
  • Currituck County: Thomas Youngblood
  • Dobbs County: Jesse Cobb, seat declared vacant May 15, 1779; William Caswell elected to replace Cobb, took office October 20, 1779
  • Dobbs County: Thomas Gray, seat declared vacant May 15, 1779; Abraham Shepherd elected to replace Gray, took office October 20, 1779
  • Duplin County: Richard Clinton
  • Duplin County: James Gillespie
  • Edgecombe County: Ethelred Exum, died before second session; William Haywood elected to replace Exum and served during third session
  • Edgecombe County: William Haywood, died November 1779, no replacement
  • Franklin County: Green Hill, elected Halifax district treasurer, seat declared vacant May 15; John Norwood elected to replace Hill October 18, 1779
  • Franklin County: Thomas Sherrod
  • Granville County: Philemon Hawkins
  • Granville County: Thomas Person
  • Guilford County: Daniel Gillespie
  • Guilford County: James Hunter
  • Halifax County: Willie Jones
  • Halifax County: Augustine Willis
  • Hertford County: Arthur Cotton
  • Hertford County: William Wynns
  • Hyde County: Joseph Hancock
  • Hyde County: Benjamin Parmele
  • Johnston County: Lewis Bryan, died November 1779
  • Johnston County: Phillip Raiford
  • Martin County: Samuel Smithwick
  • Martin County: Samuel Williams
  • Mecklenburg County: Caleb Phifer
  • Mecklenburg County: David Wilson
  • Montgomery County: Solomon Gross
  • Montgomery County: John Kimbrough
  • New Hanover County: Timothy Bloodworth
  • New Hanover County: John A. Campbell
  • Northampton County: Robert Peebles
  • Northampton County: James Vaughan
  • Onslow County: James Howard
  • Onslow County: Edward Starkey
  • Orange County: William McCauley
  • Orange County: Mark Patterson
  • Pasquotank County: John Blackstock
  • Pasquotank County: Thomas Riding
  • Perquimans County: Jonathan Skinner
  • Perquimans County: John Whedbee
  • Pitt County: James Gorham
  • Pitt County: John Williams
  • Randolph County: Jacob Shepperd
  • Randolph County: Absolam Tatum, named county clerk of court, seat declared vacant May 8, 1779; John Arnold elected to replace Tatum, assumed office October 15, 1779
  • Richmond County: (vacant)
  • Richmond County: (vacant)
  • Rowan County: Matthew Locke
  • Rowan County: (unknown)
  • Sullivan County: (vacant)
  • Sullivan County: (vacant)
  • Surry County: Gray Bynum
  • Surry County: Frederick Miller
  • Tyrrell County: Benjamin Spruill
  • Tyrrell County: Joshua Swann
  • Wake County: Thomas Hines
  • Wake County: John Hinton, Jr.
  • Warren County: Joseph Hawkins
  • Warren County: John Macon
  • Washington County: Henry Clark
  • Washington County: Jesse Walton
  • Wayne County: (vacant)
  • Wayne County: (vacant)
  • Wilkes County: Elisha Isaacs
  • Wilkes County: Benjamin Herndon
  • Edenton District: Robert Smith
  • Halifax District: Henry Montford
  • Hillsborough District: Thomas Tulloch
  • New Bern District: Richard Cogdell, elected treasurer for the New Bern district; Richard Dobbs Spaight elected to replace Cogdell, took office October 18, 1779
  • Salisbury District: Maxwell Chambers
  • Wilmington: William Hooper

    • Leadership

  • Speaker: Allen Jones (Northampton County), resigned October 25, 1779; Abner Nash, elected to replace Jones October 26, 1779
  • Clerk: John Sitgreaves (Craven County)

    • Members

  • Anson County: John Childs
  • Beaufort County: Thomas Respess
  • Bertie County: Jasper Carlton
  • Bladen County: Thomas Owen
  • Brunswick County: (vacant)
  • Burke County: Ephraim McLean
  • Camden County: John Gray
  • Carteret County: William Thompson
  • Caswell County: James Saunders
  • Chatham County: Ambrose Ramsey
  • Chowan County: Samuel Johnston
  • Craven County: James Coor
  • Cumberland County: (vacant)
  • Currituck County: Solomon Perkins, elected, but no evidence of service
  • Dobbs County: Benjamin Exum
  • Duplin County: James Kenan
  • Edgecombe County: Elisha Battle
  • Franklin County: Benjamin Seawell
  • Gates County: (vacant)
  • Granville County: Memucan Hunt
  • Guilford County: Alexander Martin
  • Halifax County: Oroondate Davis
  • Hertford County: George Wynn
  • Hyde County: William Russell
  • Johnston County: Samuel Smith
  • Jones County: Abner Nash
  • Lincoln County: William Graham
  • Martin County: (unknown)
  • Mecklenburg County: Kenneth McKenzie
  • Montgomery County: (vacant)
  • New Hanover County: Nathan Boddie
  • Northampton County: Allen Jones, elected to the Continental Congress, resigned October 25, 1779; Samuel Lockhart elected to replace Jones, served during third session
  • Onslow County: Henry Rhodes
  • Orange County: John Hogan
  • Pasquotank County: Thomas Relfe
  • Perquimans County: Thomas Harvey
  • Pitt County: Edward Salter
  • Randolph County: John Collier
  • Richmond County: (vacant)
  • Rowan County: Griffith Rutherford
  • Sullivan County: (vacant)
  • Surry County: William Shepperd
  • Tyrrell County: Jeremiah Frazier
  • Wake County: John Rand
  • Warren County: John Faulcon
  • Washington County: Charles Roberson
  • Wayne County: (vacant)
  • Wilkes County: Benjamin Cleveland

    • References

    North Carolina General Assembly of 1779 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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