Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress

The Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress was one of five extra-legal unicameral bodies that met beginning in the summer of 1774 through 1776. They were modeled after the colonial lower house (House of Commons). These congresses created a government structure, issued bills of credit to pay for the movement, organized an army for defense, wrote a constitution and bill of rights that established the state of North Carolina, and elected their first acting governor in the fifth congress that met in 1776. These congresses paved the way for the first meeting of the North Carolina General Assembly on April 7, 1777 in New Bern, North Carolina.^[6] The Fourth Congress met in Halifax from April 4 to May 14, 1776. Samuel Johnston served as president, with Allen Jones as vice-president.^{[6][7][4][8][1][2]}

Fourth North Carolina Provincial Congress (1776)
← 3rd Provincial Congress 5th Provincial Congress →
President Samuel Johnston
Overview
Legislative body	North Carolina Provincial Congress
Jurisdiction	North Carolina, United States
Meeting place	Halifax, North Carolina
Term	1776
Members	153 Delegates (35 counties, 8 Districts)
President	Samuel Johnston[1]
Vice-President	Allen Jones[2]
Secretary	James Green Jr.[3][4]
Assistant Secretary	James Glasgow[4][5]
Clerk	John Hunt[4]
Sessions
1st April 4, 1776 – May 14, 1776

Legislation

See also: Halifax Resolves

John Trumbull's painting, Declaration of Independence, depicting the five-man drafting committee of the Declaration of Independence presenting their work to the Congress. Hewes and Penn are depicted in the back row. Hooper missed the initial vote approving it on the Fourth of July, 1776, but was able to sign it on August 2, 1776.

The delegates authorized their representatives to the Second Continental Congress to vote for the Declaration of Independence, including Joseph Hewes, William Hooper, and John Penn. The 83 delegates present on April 12, 1776 adopted the Halifax Resolves. On April 13, 1776, the delegates formed a committee to start working on a North Carolina Constitution, which was ratified in December 1776 by the Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress. In April, 1776, the congress passed a resolve to move loyalists while allowing them to dispose of their property. Later in May 1776, the congress passed a resolve to confiscate the property of those taking up arms against the United States.^[9][10][11]

Members

Thomas Amis, Halifax County

John Baptista Ashe, New Hanover County

Thomas Burke, Orange County

Richard Caswell, Dobbs County

Philemon Hawkins, II, Bute County

Joseph Hewes, Edenton

William Hooper, New Hanover County

Samuel Johnston, Chowan County

Allen Jones, Northampton County

Willie Jones, Halifax County

Abner Nash, New Bern

John Penn, Granville County

Nathaniel Rochester, Orange County

Joseph Winston, Surry County

The following list shows the names of the delegates and the counties or districts that they represented:^[4][8][12]

County or Town/District	Delegate
Anson	John Child
Anson	John Crawford
Anson	Daniel Love
Anson	James Pickett
Anson	Samuel Spencer
Beaufort	John Cowper
Beaufort	Roger Ormond
Beaufort	Thomas Respess, Jr.
Bertie	John Campbell[13]
Bertie	John Johnston
Bertie	Charles Jaycocks
Bladen	Thomas Amis[14]
Bladen	Maturin Colville
Bladen	James Council
Bladen	Nathaniel Richardson
Bladen	Thomas Robeson, Jr.[15]
Brunswick	Unknown/Vacant
Bute	William Alston[16]
Bute	Philemon Hawkins[17]
Bute	Green Hill[18]
Bute	William Person
Bute	Thomas Sherrod
Carteret	John Backhouse[19]
Carteret	Solomon Shepard
Carteret	William Thompson
Chatham	Elisha Cain
Chatham	Jeduthan Harper
Chatham	Ambrose Ramsey
Chatham	Joseph Rosser
Chatham	John Thompson
Chowan	Thomas Benbury
Chowan	John B. Beasly
Chowan	Thomas Hunter
Chowan	Samuel Johnston[1]
Chowan	Thomas Jones[20]
Craven	Jacob Blount[21]
Craven	John Bryan
Craven	William Bryan
Craven	James Coor
Craven	Lemuel Hatch
Cumberland	Farquard/Farquhard Campbell[22]
Cumberland	Alexander McAllister
Cumberland	Alexander McCoy (McKay)
Cumberland	Thomas Rutherford[23]
Cumberland	David Smith
Currituck	Samuel Jarvis
Currituck	Gideon Lamb[24]
Currituck	Solomon Perkins[25]
Currituck	James Ryan
Currituck	James White[26]
Dobbs	Simon Bright
Dobbs	Richard Caswell
Dobbs	William McKinnie
Dobbs	George Miller
Dobbs	Abraham Sheppard
Duplin	Richard Clinton
Duplin	William Dickson[27]
Duplin	Thomas Gray
Edgecombe	Elisha Battle[28]
Edgecombe	Nathan Boddie
Edgecombe	William Haywood[29]
Edgecombe	Henry Irwin[30]
Edgecombe	Duncan Lemon[31]
Granville	Charles A. Eaton
Granville	Memucan Hunt
Granville	John Penn
Granville	Thomas Person
Granville	John Taylor
Guilford	William Dent
Guilford	Ralph Gorrell, Jr.[32]
Guilford	Ransom Sutherland
Halifax	Willis Alston
Halifax	John Bradford
Halifax	James Hogun
Halifax	David Sumner
Halifax	Joseph John Williams
Hertford	Laurence/Lawrence Baker[33]
Hertford	Matthias Brickell, Jr.
Hertford	William Murfree[note 1]
Hertford	Robert Sumner
Hyde	Joseph Hancock
Hyde	John Jordan
Hyde	Rotheas Latham
Hyde	Benjamin Parmelin
Johnston	Needham Bryan, Jr.[34]
Johnston	Henry Rains
Johnston	Samuel Smith, Jr.[35]
Martin	Whitmell Hill
Martin	Kenneth McKenzie
Martin	Edward Smithwick
Martin	Thomas Wiggins[36]
Martin	William Williams[37]
Mecklenburg	John McKnitt Alexander
Mecklenburg	Robert Irwin
Mecklenburg	John Phifer
New Hanover	John Ashe
New Hanover	Samuel Ashe
New Hanover	John DeVane
New Hanover	John Hollingsworth
New Hanover	Sampson Mosely
Northampton	Jeptha Atherton
Northampton	Howard/Howell Edmunds
Northampton	Drewry Gee
Northampton	Eaton Haynes
Northampton	Allen Jones[2]
Northampton	Samuel Lockhart
Northampton	Eaton Haynes
Onslow	Benjamin Doty
Onslow	John King
Onslow	George Mitchell
Onslow	John Norman
Onslow	John Spicer[38]
Orange	Thomas Burke
Orange	John Butler[39]
Orange	John Kinchen[40]
Orange	Nathaniel Rochester
Orange	James Saunders
Pasquotank	Henry Abbot[41]
Pasquotank	Thomas Boyd[42]
Pasquotank	Dempsey Burgess
Pasquotank	William Cumming
Pasquotank	Joseph Jones
Perquimans	Charles Blount
Perquimans	Miles Harvey[43]
Perquimans	Thomas Harvey[44]
Perquimans	Charles Moore
Perquimans	William Skinner
Pitt	William Robeson
Pitt	Edward Salter
Pitt	John Simpson[45]
Rowan	John Johnston
Rowan	Matthew Locke
Rowan	Griffith Rutherford
Surry	Charles Gordon
Surry	Joseph Williams
Surry	Joseph Winston
Tryon	James Johnston[46]
Tryon	Charles McLean
Tyrrell	Archibald Corry
Wake	John Hinton[47]
Wake	William Hooper
Wake	Tignal Jones
Wake	Joel Lane[48]
Wake	John Rand
Bath District	William Brown[49]
Campbellton Town[note 2]	Arthur Council[50]
Edenton District	Joseph Hewes
Halifax District	Willie Jones[note 3]
Halifax District	John Webb[note 3]
Hillsborough District	William Johnston[51]
New Bern District	Abner Nash
Salisbury District	David Nesbitt
Wilmington District	Cornelius Harnett

Notes:

1. Possibly the father of William Murfree
2. Campbellton became part of Fayetteville in 1784
3. Willie Jones had to leave the congress because he was elected by the Continental Congress to serve as the Superintendent of Indian Affairs. John Webb replaced him.

See also

• Provincial Congress
• North Carolina General Assembly

References

1. Bair, Anna Withers (1988). "Samuel Johnston". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
2. Howerton, Timothy L. (1988). "Allen Jones". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
3. Reidinger, Martin (1986). "James Green, Jr". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
4. Lewis, J. D. "4th Provincial Congress". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
5. Holloman, Charles R. (1986). "James Glasgow". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
6. Butler, Lindley (2006). Powell, William Stevens (ed.). Encyclopedia of North Carolina, Provincial Congresses. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 917–918. ISBN 0807830712.
7. "State Library of North Carolina. Information page for Tryon Palace". Archived from the original on 2008-05-03.
8. 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.
9. Minutes of the Provincial Congress of North Carolina, North Carolina. Provincial Congress, April 04, 1776 - May 14, 1776. Vol. 10. pp. 499–590. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
10. Agan, Kelly (2012). "North Carolina Manual: Halifax Resolves". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
11. Marshall, Elain F., ed. (2005). North Carolina Manual of 2005-2006 (PDF). p. 95. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
12. Norris, David A. (2006). "Borough Towns". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
13. Parramore, Thomas C. (1979). "John Campbell". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
14. Starnes, Sam (2013). "Thomas Amis". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
15. Smith, Maud Thomas (1994). "Thomas Robeson, Jr". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
16. Lewis, J.D. "Patriot Leaders in North Carolina, Willis Alston". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
17. Maupin, Armistead Jones (1988). "Philemon Hawkins, III". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
18. Malone, E. T. Jr. (1988). "Green Hill, Jr". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
19. Littleton, Tucker (1979). "John Backhouse". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
20. Powell, William S. (1988). "Thomas Jones". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
21. Maupin, Armistead Jones (1979). "Jacob Blount". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
22. Fields, William C. (1979). "Farquhard Campbell". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
23. Lewis, J.D. "Thomas Rutherford". carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
24. Watson, Alan D. (1991). "Gideon Lamb". Retrieved November 2, 2019.
25. Lewis, J.D. "Colonel Solomon Perkins". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
26. Powell, William S. (1996). "James White". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
27. Ingram, Charles M. (1986). "William Dickson". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
28. Taylor, R. Hargus (1979). "Elisha Battle". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
29. Watson, Alan D. (1988). "William Haywood". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
30. O'Donnell, John Burke Jr. (1988). "Henry Irwin". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
31. Smith, Claiborne T. Jr. (1991). "Duncan Lamon". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
32. 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,
33. Smith, Claiborne T. Jr. (1979). "Laurence Baker". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
34. Lewis, J.D. "Needham Bryan". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
35. Lewis, J.D. "Samuel Smith". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
36. Lewis, J.D. "Thomas Wiggins". Carolina.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
37. Lewis, J.D. "William Williamson". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
38. Smith, William S. Jr. (1994). "John Spicer". Retrieved November 2, 2019.
39. Butler, Lindley S. (1979). "John Butler". Retrieved November 2, 2019.
40. Lewis, Henry W. (1988). "John Kinchen". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
41. Cotton, Jerry W. (1979). "Henry Abbot". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
42. Lewis, J.D. "Thomas Boyd". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
43. O'Donell, John Burke Jr. (1988). "Miles Harvey". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
44. Lewis, J.D. "Thomas Harvey". carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
45. Maupin, Armistead J. (1994). "John Simpson". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
46. Asbury, Hayden (2013). "Colonel James Johnston". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
47. Hodges, Eudora Coleman (1988). "John Hinton". Retrieved November 2, 2019.
48. Reid, Elizabeth Davis (1991). "Joel Lane". Retrieved November 2, 2019.
49. Lewis, J.D. "William Brown". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
50. Rockwell, Paul A. (1979). "Arthur Council". Retrieved November 2, 2019.
51. Powell, William S. (1988). "William Johnston". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 2, 2019.

Further reading

• Lamm, Alan (2006). Powell, William Stevens (ed.). Encyclopedia of North Carolina, First North Carolina Conflicts and the Establishment of a Provincial Government. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 40–41. ISBN 0807830712.
• Kughler, Frances Vandeveer. "Murals at the UNC School of Government, including a depiction of the 4th Provincial Congress". UNC School of Government. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
• Powell, William S. (1988). North Carolina: A History. University of North Carolina Press. p. 248. ISBN 0807842192.
• Connor, R.D.W. (1916). Revolutionary Leaders of North Carolina., North Carolina State Normal & Industrial, College Historical Publications, Number 2