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North Carolina General Assembly of 1779

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3rd North Carolina General Assembly (1779-1780)
1778 1780
Overview
Legislative bodyNorth Carolina General Assembly
JurisdictionNorth Carolina, United States
Meeting place1st Smithfield, 2nd Halifax, 3rd New Bern
Term1778–1779
North Carolina Senate
Members49 Senators (48 counties, plus Washington District/County)
SpeakerAllen Jones
ClerkJohn Sitgreaves
North Carolina House of Commons
Members104 Representatives authorized (49 counties with 2 each, 6 districts with 1 each)[note 1]
SpeakerThomas Benbury
ClerkJohn Hunt
Sessions
1stMay 3, 1779 – May 15, 1779
2ndOctober 18, 1779 – November 10, 1770
3rdJanuary 1780 – February 1780

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.[1][2][3][4]

Each of the 50 North Carolina counties was authorized by the North Carolina Constitution of 1776 to elect one Senator and two members of the House of Commons. In addition, six districts (also called boroughs) were authorized to elect one House member each. Richard Caswell was elected governor by the legislature.[5][1][2]

Legislation

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For additional laws and minutes of the 1779 General Assembly, see Legislative Documents.[6]

Councilors of State

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This General Assembly selected the following Councilors of State on May 3, 1779:[2]

  • Joseph Leech from Craven County
  • Robert Bignall from Edgecombe County
  • John Sampson[note 2]
  • John Simpson from Pitt County
  • Thomas Respass, Senior from Beaufort County[note 3]
  • Isaac Guion from Craven County
  • William Whitfield from Dobbs County
  • Waightstill Avery from Burke Count (selected on October 25, 1779)
  • Edward Starkey from Onslow County (selected on October 30, 1779)

House of Commons

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Leadership of the House of Commons

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Members of the House of Commons

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Rep. Benjamin Williams
Rep. Willie Jones
Rep. Richard Dobbs Spaight
Rep. William Hooper

In 1779, the General Assembly abolished Bute County and Tryon County. They also created eleven new counties: Franklin, Gates, Jones, Lincoln, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Rutherford, Sullivan, Warren, and Wayne Counties. Members of the House of Commons are listed below, along with the county they represented:[1][2][3]

County House of Commons Member
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 (possibly)[7]
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[note 4]
Dobbs County William Caswell[note 5]
Dobbs County Thomas Gray[note 6]
Dobbs County Abraham Sheppard[note 7]
Duplin County Richard Clinton
Duplin County James Gillespie
Edgecombe County Ethelred Exum[note 8]
Edgecombe County William Haywood[note 9]
Edgecombe County William Haywood[note 10]
Franklin County Green Hill[note 11]
Franklin County John Norwood[note 12]
Franklin County Thomas Sherrod
Granville County Philemon Hawkins II
Gates County vacant[note 13]
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[note 14]
Johnston County Phillip Raiford
Jones County vacant[note 15]
Lincoln County vacant[note 16]
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[note 17]
Randolph County John Arnold[note 18]
Richmond County vacant[note 19]
Richmond County [note 19]
Rowan County Matthew Locke
Rowan County Moses Winslow
Sullivan County vacant[note 20]
Sullivan County vacant[note 20]
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 District Henry Clark
Washington District Jesse Walton
Wayne County vacant[note 21]
Wayne County vacant[note 21]
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[note 22]
New Bern District Richard Dobbs Spaight[note 23]
Salisbury District Maxwell Chambers
Wilmington District William Hooper

Senate

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Senate leadership

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Members of the senate

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Sen. Samuel Johnston
Sen. Allen Jones
Sen. James Kenan
Sen. Alexander Martin
Sen. Abner Nash

Members of the senate and counties they represented included the following[1][2][4]

County Senate Member
Anson County John Childs
Beaufort County Thomas Respess
Bertie County Jasper Carlton
Bladen County Thomas Owen[8]
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[note 24]
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[note 25]
Northampton County Samuel Lockhart[note 26]
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 District Charles Roberson
Wayne County (vacant)
Wilkes County Benjamin Cleveland

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Not all counties sent two representatives. Some sent none or one.
  2. ^ John Sampson declined to serve as councilor of state.
  3. ^ Thomas Respass declined to serve as councilor of state.
  4. ^ This Dobbs County seat was declared vacant on May 15, 1779.
  5. ^ William Caswell was elected to replace Jesse Cobb. He took office October 20, 1779.
  6. ^ Thomas Gray's seat was declared vacant on May 15, 1779.
  7. ^ Abrham Sheppard was elected to replace Thomas Gray. He took office on October 20, 1779.
  8. ^ Ethelred Exum died before the second session.
  9. ^ William Haywood was elected to replace Ethelred Exum and served during third session.
  10. ^ William Haywood died in November 1779. There was no replacement.
  11. ^ Green Hill was elected Halifax district treasurer. His seat was declared vacant on May 15.
  12. ^ John Norwood was elected to replace Green Hill on October 18, 1779.
  13. ^ Gates County was formed in 1779 from parts of Chowan, Hertford, and Perquimans counties.
  14. ^ Bryan Lewis died in November 1779.
  15. ^ Jones County was formed in 1779 from the southwestern part of Craven County.
  16. ^ Lincoln County was formed in 1779 from the eastern part of Tryon County.
  17. ^ Absolam Tatum was named county clerk of court. His seat was declared vacant on May 8, 1779.
  18. ^ John Arnold was elected to replace Absolam Tatum. He assumed office on October 15, 1779.
  19. ^ a b Richmond County was formed from Anson County in 1779.
  20. ^ a b Sullivan County was established in 1779 from a portion of Washington County.
  21. ^ a b Wayne County was established in 1779 from the western part of Dobbs County.
  22. ^ Richard Cogdell was elected treasurer for the New Bern district.
  23. ^ Richard Dobbs Spaight was elected to replace Richard Cogdell. He took office on October 18, 1779.
  24. ^ Although Solomon Perkins was elected, there is no evidence of service in the minutes.
  25. ^ Allen Jones was elected to the Continental Congress. He resigned as senator on October 25, 1779.
  26. ^ Samuel Lockhart was elected to replace Allen Jones. He served during the third session.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Connor, R.D.D. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina (PDF). Raleigh: North Carolina Historical Commission. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Wheeler, John H. (1874). The Legislative Manual and Political Register of the State of North Carolina. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "North Carolina State House 1778". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Lewis, J.D. "North Carolina State Senators 1778". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Holloman, Charles R. 1979.Caswell, Richard. NCpedia.
  6. ^ Lewis, J.D. "Laws of North Carolina, 1784" (PDF). Carolana. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  7. ^ "William Dry, III". NCPedia. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Powell, William S. (1991). "Thomas Owen". Retrieved November 4, 2019.