North Carolina General Assembly of 1779 County

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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.

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.

photo src: www.edgecombecountync.gov

Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews

House of Commons

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

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Senate

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

Source of the article : Wikipedia