Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress

Fifth North Carolina
Provincial Congress
Fifth North Carolina; Provincial Congress
	Continental Union Flag
Overview
Legislative body	North Carolina Provincial Congress
Jurisdiction	North Carolina
Meeting place	Halifax Court House
Term	November 12, 1776 – December 23, 1776
Provincial Congress
Members	187 delegates
President	Richard Caswell
Vice President	Cornelius Harnett

Last updated June 09, 2025

The Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress or 1st North Carolina Constitutional Convention was the fifth and final meeting of the North Carolina Provincial Congress. Composed of 187 delegates from 35 counties and ten towns, it met at the court house in Halifax from November 12 to December 23, 1776, in the first year of American independence. Richard Caswell of Dobbs County was unanimously chosen as president, and Cornelius Harnett of Brunswick County as vice president.^[1]^[2]^[3]

History

Resolutions

This fifth provincial congress approved the first state constitution and a "Declaration of Rights" on December 18, 1776. It chose Richard Caswell as acting governor until the first General Assembly elected a state governor to replace Josiah Martin. The congress dealt extensively with raising a militia of 5,000 men to defend North Carolina. They also dealt with the ongoing Cherokee War taking place in the western part of the state.^[4]^[2]^[5]^[6]

Delegates

Willie Jones WillieJonesNC.jpg — Willie Jones

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 is a full list of delegates to the fifth congress by constituency.^[3]^[5]^[7]

Constituency	Name
Anson County	George Davidson
Anson County	David Love
Anson County	William R. Pickett
Anson County	Charles Robertson
Anson County	Thomas Wade
Beaufort County	John Barrow
Beaufort County	Francis Jones
Beaufort County	Thomas Respess
Beaufort County	Thomas Respess, Jr.
Beaufort County	Robert Tripp
Bertie County	William Gray
Bertie County	Noah Hinton
Bertie County	John Johnston
Bertie County	Thomas Pugh
Bertie County	Zedekiah Stone
Bladen County	Thomas Amis ^[8]
Bladen County	James Council
Bladen County	Thomas Owen ^[9]
Bladen County	Thomas Robeson
Brunswick County	Lewis Dupree
Brunswick County	Cornelius Harnett
Brunswick County	William Lord
Brunswick County	Archibald MacLaine
Brunswick County	Maurice Moore
Bute County	James Denton
Bute County	Thomas Eaton
Bute County	Philemon Hawkins
Bute County	Benjamin Seawell
Bute County	Benjamin Ward
Carteret County	William Borden
Carteret County	Brice Williams
Carteret County	Thomas Chadwick
Carteret County	John Easton
Carteret County	Soloman Shepard
Chatham County	John Birdsong
Chatham County	Mial Scurlock
Chatham County	Jeduthan Harper
Chatham County	Isaiah Hogan
Chatham County	Ambrose Ramsey
Chowan County	Thomas Benbury
Chowan County	Jacob Hunter
Chowan County	James Blount
Chowan County	Thomas Jones ^[10]
Chowan County	Luke Sumner
Craven County	Nathan Bryan
Craven County	John Tillman
Craven County	William Bryan
Craven County	James Coor
Craven County	Christopher Neale
Cumberland County	William Rand
Cumberland County	Philip Alston
Cumberland County	Robert Cobb
Cumberland County	Robert Rowan
Currituck County	James White ^[11]
Currituck County	Samuel Jarvis
Currituck County	Kedar Merchant
Currituck County	Hollowell Williams
Currituck County	Thomas Williams
Dobbs County	Andrew Bass
Dobbs County	Benjamin Exum
Dobbs County	Simon Bright
Dobbs County	Richard Caswell
Dobbs County	Abraham Sheppard
Duplin County	James Gillespie
Duplin County	William Dickson ^[12]
Duplin County	Thomas Gray
Duplin County	James Kenan
Duplin County	William Taylor ^[13]
Edgecombe County	Elisha Battle ^[14]
Edgecombe County	William Haywood
Edgecombe County	William Horn
Edgecombe County	Jonas Johnston ^[15]
Edgecombe County	Isaac Sessums
Granville County	Memucan Hunt
Granville County	Robert Lewis
Granville County	John Oliver
Granville County	Thornton Yancey
Granville County	Thomas Person
Guilford County	Isham Browder
Guilford County	Charles Bruce
Guilford County	David Caldwell
Guilford County	Ralph Gorrell ^[16]
Guilford County	Joseph Hinds
Halifax County	Willis Alston
Halifax County	John Bradford
Halifax County	James Hogun ^{[note 1]}
Halifax County	Egbert Haywood
Halifax County	Benjamin McCullough
Halifax County	Samuel Weldon
Hertford County	Lawrence Baker
Hertford County	William Murfree ^{[note 2]}
Hertford County	Day Ridley
Hertford County	Robert Sumner
Hertford County	James Wright
Hyde County	John Jordan
Hyde County	Abraham Jones
Hyde County	Joseph Hancock
Hyde County	Benjamin Parmele
Hyde County	William Russell
Johnston County	Alexander Avery
Johnston County	Needham Bryan Jr.
Johnston County	Henry Rains
Johnston County	Samuel Smith
Johnston County	John Stevens
Martin County	Whitmell Hill
Martin County	John Hardison
Martin County	Thomas Hunter
Martin County	Samuel Smithwick
Martin County	William Williams
Mecklenburg County	Hezekiah Alexander
Mecklenburg County	Waightstill Avery
Mecklenburg County	Robert Irwin
Mecklenburg County	John Phifer
Mecklenburg County	Zaccheus Wilson
New Hanover County	John Ashe
New Hanover County	Samuel Ashe
New Hanover County	John Devane
New Hanover County	John Hollingsworth
New Hanover County	Sampson Mosely
Northampton County	Jeptha Atherton
Northampton County	Robert Peebles
Northampton County	Howell Edmunds
Northampton County	James Ingram ^{[note 3]}
Northampton County	Thomas Parker
Northampton County	Allen Jones
Onslow County	Benajah Doty
Onslow County	Thomas Johnston
Onslow County	Henry Rhodes
Onslow County	John Spicer
Onslow County	Edward Starkey
Orange County	Thomas Burke ^{[note 4]}
Orange County	John Atkinson
Orange County	John Butler ^{[note 4]}
Orange County	John McCabe
Orange County	John McCabe ^{[note 4]}
Orange County	William Moore
Orange County	Alexander Mebane ^{[note 4]}
Orange County	John Paine
Orange County	Nathaniel Rochester ^{[note 4]}
Orange County	James Saunders
Pasquotank County	Henry Abbot ^[17]
Pasquotank County	Dempsey Burgess
Pasquotank County	Devotion Davis
Pasquotank County	Isaac Gregory
Pasquotank County	Lemuel Sawyer
Perquimans County	Benjamin Harvey
Perquimans County	Miles Harvey
Perquimans County	Thomas Harvey
Perquimans County	William Hooper
Perquimans County	William Skinner
Pitt County	George Evans
Pitt County	James Gorham
Pitt County	Benjamin May
Pitt County	William Robson
Pitt County	Edward Salter
Rowan County	John Brevard
Rowan County	Matthew Locke
Rowan County	Griffith Rutherford
Rowan County	William Sharpe
Rowan County	James Smith
Surry County	Charles Gordon
Surry County	William Hall
Surry County	Robert Lanier
Surry County	Joseph Williams
Tryon County	John Barber
Tryon County	Robert Abernathy
Tryon County	William Alston
Tryon County	William Graham
Tryon County	Joseph Hardin
Tyrrell County	Benjamin Blount
Tyrrell County	Jeremiah Frazier
Tyrrell County	Stephen Lee
Tyrrell County	Isham Webb
Tyrrell County	Peter Wynn
Wake County	Britain Fuller
Wake County	James Jones ^{[note 5]}
Wake County	Tignal Jones
Wake County	John Rice ^{[note 6]}^[18]
Wake County	Michael Rogers
Washington District	John Carter
Washington District	John Haile
Washington District	Charles Robertson
Washington District	John Sevier
Town of Bath	William Brown ^[18]
Town of Brunswick	Parker Quince
Town of Campbelton	Thomas Hadley
Town of Edenton	Joseph Hewes
Town of Halifax	Willie Jones
Town of Hillsborough	William Johnston
Town of Newbern	Abner Nash
Town of Salisbury	David Nesbitt
Town of Wilmington	William Hooper

References

Footnotes

↑ James Hogun resigned his position after being commissioned in the North Carolina Line, and was replaced by Egbert Haywood.
↑ Possibly the father of William Murfree
↑ James Ingram was commissioned in the North Carolina Line and replaced by Thomas Parker, who was elected to replace him.
1 2 3 4 5 Seated on December 16, due to voting irregularities in a first pole
↑ 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.
↑ 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.

Citations

↑ Butler, Lindley (2006). Powell, William Stevens (ed.). Encyclopedia of North Carolina, Provincial Congresses. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 917–918. ISBN 0807830712.
1 2 "State Library of North Carolina. Information page for Tryon Palace". Archived from the original on May 3, 2008.
1 2 Lewis, J.D. "5th Provincial Congress". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
↑ Congress (1776). Minutes of the Provincial Congress of North Carolina, North Carolina. Provincial Congress, November 12, 1776 - December 23. Vol. 10. pp. 913–1003.
1 2 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.
↑ Orth, John V. (2006). "Declaration of Rights". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
↑ Norris, David A. (2006). "Borough Towns". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
↑ Starnes, Sam (2013). "Thomas Amis". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
↑ Powell, William S. (1991). "Thomas Owen" . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
↑ Powell, William S. (1988). "Thomas Jones". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
↑ Powell, William S. (1996). "James White". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
↑ Ingram, Charles M. (1986). "William Dickson". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
↑ Powell, William S. (1996). "William Taylor". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
↑ Taylor, R. Hargus (1979). "Elisha Battle". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
↑ Johnston, Hugh Buckner (1988). "Johnston, Jonas | NCpedia" . Retrieved November 4, 2019.
↑ 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,
↑ Cotton, Jerry W. (1979). "Henry Abbot". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
1 2 Lewis, J.D. "William Brown". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.

v t e North Carolina General Assemblies by year convened and order
List of North Carolina state legislatures Senate President pro tempore of the Senate House of Commons House of Representatives Speakers of the House of Representatives (see Note)	1 (1777) 2 (1778) 3 (1779) 4 (1780) 5 (1781) 6 (1782) 7 (1783) 8 (Apr 1784) 9 (Oct 1784) 10 (1785) 11 (1786) 12 (1787) 13 (1788) 14 (1789) 15 (1790) 16 (1791) 17 (1792) 18 (1793) 19 (1794) 20 (1795) 21 (1796) 22 (1797) 23 (1798) 24 (1799) 25 (1800) 26 (1801) 27 (1802) 28 (1803) 29 (1804) 30 (1805) 31 (1806) 32 (1807) 33 (1808) 34 (1809) 35 (1810) 36 (1811) 37 (1812) 38 (1813) 39 (1814) 40 (1815) 41 (1816) 42 (1817) 43 (1818) 44 (1819) 45 (1820) 46 (1821) 47 (1822) 48 (1823) 49 (1824) 50 (1825) 51 (1826) 52 (1827) 53 (1828) 54 (1829) 55 (1830) 56 (1831) 57 (1832) 58 (1833) 59 (1834) 60 (1835) 61 (1836) 62 (1840) 63 (1842) 64 (1844) 65 (1846) 66 (1846) 67 (1848) 68 (1850) 69 (1852) 70 (1854) 71 (1856) 72 (1858) 73 (1860) 74 (1862) 75 (1864) 76 (1865) 77 (1866) 78 (1868) 79 (1869) 80 (1870) 81 (1872) 82 (1874) 83 (1876) 84 (1879) 85 (1881) 86 (1883) 87 (1885) 88 (1887) 89 (1889) 90 (1891) 91 (1893) 92 (1895) 93 (1897) 94 (1899) 95 (1901) 96 (1903) 97 (1905) 98 (1907) 99 (1909) 100 (1911) 101 (1913) 102 (1915) 103 (1917) 104 (1919) 105 (1921) 106 (1923) 107 (1925) 108 (1927) 109 (1929) 110 (1931) 111 (1933) 112 (1935) 113 (1937) 114 (1939) 115 (1941) 116 (1943) 117 (1945) 118 (1947) 119 (1949) 120 (1951) 121 (1953) 122 (1955) 123 (1957) 124 (1959) 125 (1961) 126 (1963) 127 (1965) 128 (1967) 129 (1969) 130 (1971) 131 (1973) 132 (1975) 133 (1977) 134 (1979) 135 (1981) 136 (1983) 137 (1985) 138 (1987) 139 (1989) 140 (1991) 141 (1993) 142 (1995) 143 (1997) 144 (1999) 145 (2001) 146 (2003) 147 (2005) 148 (2007) 149 (2009) 150 (2011) 151 (2013) 152 (2015) 153 (2017) 154 (2019) 155 (2021) 156 (2023) 157 (2025)
Other	Executive Branch: Governor of North Carolina (List), Lieutenant Governor (since 1868), Cabinets, Council of State, Attorney General
Conventions	Hillsborough Convention of 1788, Fayetteville Convention of 1789
Provincial Congresses and Constitution	North Carolina Provincial Congress (1774–1776: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th), Constitution of North Carolina (1776, 1835 Convention, 1861 Convention, 1868 redraft, 1875 Convention, Constitution of 1971)
Notes: Prior to the Constitution of 1868: the lower house of the North Carolina Legislature was known as the House of Commons and the leader of the Senate was called the Speaker of the Senate.