North Carolina booklet : great events in North Carolina history

              Vol. IX JULY, 1909 No. 1
lohe
floRTH GflHOIilNfl BoOKIiET
Carolina! Carolina! Heaven' s blessings attend her
!
While we live we will cherisli, protect and defend Iter.''
Published by
THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY
DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION
The object of the Booklet is to aid in developing and preserving
North Carolina History. The proceeds arising from its publication will
be devoted to patriotic purposes. Editobs.
ADVISORY BOARD OF THE NORTH CAROLINA
BOOKLET.
Mrs. Spiee Whitaker. Me. R. D. W. Connor.
Professor D. H. Hill. Dk. E. W. Sikes.
Me. W. J. Peele. Dk- Richard Uillard.
Peofessoe E. p. Moses. Mb. James Speunt.
De. Kekp p. Battle. Judge Waltee Clark.
Me. INIaeshall DeLancey Haywood.
EDITORS :
Miss Mary Hilliaed Hinton, Mrs. E. E. Moffitt.
OFFICERS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY
DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION,
1906-1908.
regent :
mes. e. e. moffitt.
vice-regent :
Mrs. WALTER CLARK.
honorary regent:
Mrs. spier WHITAKER.
recording SECRETARY:
Mrs. LEIGH SKINNER.
corresponding SECRETARY:
Mrs. PAUL H. LEE.
TREASURER
Mrs. FRANI^ SHERWOOD.
EEGISTEAR
Miss MARY HILLIAED HINTON.
GENEALOGIST
Mrs. HELEN De BERNIERE WILLS.
Founder of the North Carolina Society and Regent 1896-1902:
MPS. SPIER WHITAKER.
EEGENT 1902:
Mes. D. H. HILL, Sb.*
REGENT 1902-1900:
Mrs. THOMAS K. BRUNER.
Died December 12, 1904.
jNlorth Carolina State Library
Raleigh
THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
Vol. IX JULY. 1909 No. 1
INDIANS, SLAVES AND TORIES: OUR 18TH
CENTURY LEGISLATION REGARDING THEM.
By Clarence H. Poe,
Editor of The Progressive Farmer, and author of "A Southerner in
Europe," and "Cotton: Its Cultivation, Marketing,
Manufacture, Etc."
I have been very much interested recently in a bnlkj,
leather-bonnd volume of YOO thick and yellowed pages, with
old-fashioned f-like s's, an equally old-fashioned style of capi-talization,
and besprinkled here and there with typographical
ornaments that have since gone out of use, its title page read-ing
as follows
:
"Laws of the State of North Carolina,
Published according to Act of Assembly, by
James Iredell,
now one of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court
of the United States.
Edenton ;
Printed by Hodge & Willis, printers to the State of North Carolina,
M, DCC, XCI."
This book, giving in full the more important "Acts of the
Assembly" of ITorth Carolina from 1714 to 1791, has, I
repeat, interested me greatly, and it is, perhaps, not unnatu-ral
to assume that it would be of interest to other I^orth
Carolinians. And while there are other copies of the book
extant, the number is so very small as to make it practically
out of the question for five Booklet readers in a hundred to
learn directly from it the nature of our eighteenth century
statutes. A summary of its more notable features therefore
may be not wholly without merit.
4 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
The book, as I have suggested, does not give in full all
the laws passed from 1714 to 1791 ; this, of course, would be
impossible in a work of 700 pages. The careful threshing
of Judge Iredell eliminated nearly all the laws obsolete in
1791 or repealed before that time, and all the private Acts
of the Assembly. Of these acts only the titles are given, fol-lowed
by the word "obsolete" or "private" or the date of
repeal. It is to this manner of sifting that the elimination
of many of the laws of the 1714-1715 Assembly is due, or
as the book has it
:
"Laws of North Carolina. Anno Regni Georgii I, Regis Magnse
Brittannia;, Franciae and Hibnernise, Secundo. At a General Biennial
Assembly, held at the house of Captain Richard Sanderson, at Little
River, begun the 17th day of November, 1714, and continued by several
adjournments, until the 19th day of January, 1715."
Among the acts, marked "obsolete" we note the first, "An
Act Concerning Marriages" ; the fourth, "An Act Prohibiting
Strangers Trading with the Indians" and the sixth, "An
Act Exempting JSTew-comers from Paying Levies for One
Year." Chapter 7, "An Act for the Better Observing the
Lord's Day, Called Sunday, the 30th of January, the 29th
of May, and the 22d of September; and also for the Sup-pressing
Prophaneness, Immorality and Divers Other Vicious
and Enormous Sins," was repealed in 1741, and only the.
title is here given ; this is also true of chapter 8, "An Act
for Establishing the Church, and Appointing Select Ves-tries."
It is also interesting to note that the ninth act was
one "for Liberty of Conscience" and for accepting the afiir-mation
of Quakers, and that the tenth, "An Act Kelating to
the Biennial and other Assemblies ; and regulating Elections
and Members," was "repealed by His Majesty's order."
But of course we can not go through the book in this hap-hazard
fashion, noting on page after page the things that
most impress us. Instead let us take up some of the sub-
INDIANS^ SLAVES AND TORIES. 5
Jects most likely to interest the reader. For my part I have
searched out with especial zest all the legislation bearing on
those three extinct classes of our population—slaves, Indians
and Tories—and it is of the legislation affecting these that
the editors of the Booklet have kindly asked me to write.
It will, perhaps, be just as well to consider first the statutes
regarding slaves and slavery.
I.
—
Legislation Eegaeding Slaves and Servants.
The first statute regarding servants and slaves that I have
noticed is chapter 24 of the Acts of the Assembly of 1Y41,
which met at Edenton. The first section of this act declares
that "no person whatsoever, being a Christian or of Chris-tion
parentage * * * imported or brought into this
Province, shall be deemed a servant for any term of years"
unless by indenture or agreement. This is followed by other
regulations regarding "Christian servants." If disobedient
or unruly, they might be carried before a justice of the peace
and sentenced to not more than 21 lashes; if they ran away
and were recaptured, they were to serve double the time so
lost. This law also provided that if any person should "pre-sume
to whip a Christian servant naked," without an order
from a magistrate, such person should forfeit 40 shillings,
proclamation money, to the party injured. Servants might
carry complaints to magistrates who might bind masters or
mistresses "to answer complaint at the next county court."
If any master discharged a servant while sick, before the
servant's term of service expired, the county court was to
levy on the master for enough to enable the church wardens
of the parish to care for the sick servant until death or re-covery.
If he recovered, the servant was free. Free per-sons,
for minor offenses, were punished by fine, servants by
whipping, not exceeding 39 lashes. Free persons trading
with slaves were fined "treble the value traded for," or if
to THE NORTH CAKOLINA BOOKLET.
unable to pay this, themselves sold as servants. Any free
person brought over as a slave could recover twice his value
and compel his abductor to return him to his own country.
Runaway slaves, acknowledging no owner, were committed
to jail and advertised for two months; then, if the owner did
not appear, hired out by the authorities. An iron collar was
put about the necks of all slaves so sold.
Masters could designate one slave on each plantation to
carry a gun. 'No other slave was permitted to carry any
kind of weapon. Only slaves wearing liveries were per-mitted
to leave the plantations without passes. IsTo slave was
allowed, "on any pretense whatsoever to raise any horses,
cattle or hogs." Runaway slaves could be outlawed.
l^egroes, mulattoes or Indians, giving false testimony in
courts, were severely punished
:
"Every such offender * * * shall have one ear nailed to the
pillory, and there stand for the space of one hour, and the said ear to
be cut off, and thereafter the other ear nailed in like manner, and cut
off at the expiration of one other hour."
The offender might also be sentenced to "thirty-nine lashes,
well laid on, on his or her bare back, at the common whipping
post."
No slave could be set free except for meritorious service,
"judged and allowed by the county court." Any "negro,
mulatto or Indian slave, otherwise set free" could be taken
up and sold by the Church wardens, and the money applied
to the use of the parish. (Speaking of Indian slaves, it
would be interesting to know how many of this class there
were.
)
During the Revolutionary War it was asserted that Tories
liberated slaves and turned them loose for the purpose of dis-turbing
the peace, so that in this period emancipation was
made more difficult than before. No one could free slaves
except for meritorious service and by express permission of
IJ!^DIANS^ SLAVES AND TOEIES. 7
the county court. Slaves otherwise emancipated were turned
over to the sheriff and sold to the highest bidder, the person
delivering them to the sheriff getting one-fifth of the selling
price. The 1777 statute says that "the evil and pernicious
practice of freeing slaves in this State ought at this critical
and alarming time to be guarded against by every friend and
well-wisher to his country."
The Assembly of 1779 went even further, since many ne-groes
were "going at large to the terror of the good people
of the State," and directed that all slaves liberated before the
passage of the act of 1777 could be taken up and sold in the
same manner as those liberated after its passage. This law
—
which, by the way, seems to me to savor strongly of the ex
post facto principle—has this interesting proviso: "Pro-vided,
that nothing herein contained shall deprive of liberty
any slave, who having been liberated, and not sold by order
of any court, has enlisted into the service of this or the
United States previous to the passing of this act." It may
surprise some readers to learn of negroes fighting in the
Revolution, but there are records of pensions paid black
Revolutionary soldiers yet to be seen in the State Treasury
Department.
The General Assembly of 1753, which met at ISTew Bern,
amended the law of 1741 so as to prohibit any slave carrying
a gun unless the master gave bond for the slave's good be-havior,
and even then no slave could carry a gun after the
housing of the corn crop, and not more than one slave on
each plantation in crop season. Slaves discovered hunting
with dogs could be whipped, not exceeding thirty lashes.
The Assembly of 1774 passed an important statute setting
forth the penalty for killing slaves. For the first offense,
the guilty man or woman was to suffer one year's imprison-ment
; for the second offense, the death penalty was pre-scribed.
This act did not apply in the case of outlawed or
O THE NOETH CAKOLINA BOOKLET.
rebellious slaves or slaves "dying under moderate correc-tion."*
A peculiar statute is that of 177Y making it unlawful for
anv slave in Halifax, N^orthampton, Bute, Granville, Edge-combe
or Wake, to grow any tobacco for his own use. The
next session of the Assembly, which first met at ISTew Bern
and then at Halifax, passed a rigorous law against slave
stealers. The death penalty was prescribed for all such
criminals and for all persons carrying free negroes out of
the State for the purpose of selling them into slavery.
Chapter 5 of the Laws of 1786 recites that "the importa-tion
of slaves into this State is productive of evil conse-quences,
and highly impolitic" ; it, therefore, imposes the fol-lowing
import duties on all slaves brought into the State
whether by land or water
:
ISTegroes under 7 and over 40 years of age, 50 shillings;
between Y and 12, or between 30 and 40, 5 pounds ; between
12 and 30 years, 10 pounds. Slaves imported directly from
Africa, whatever their age, were subject to a tax of five
pounds each. The sixth section of this chapter also provides
that "every person who shall introduce into this State any
slave or slaves" from any of the free States should "enter
*It is interesting to observe, by the way, that this Assembly of 1774
is the last whose acts are introduced by Latin references to George III.
Its acts begin: "Anno Regni Georgii III, Regis Magna Brittaniffi,
Francise, and Hiberniae, Decimo Quarto. At an Assembly begun and
held at New Bern the 20th day of March in the fourteenth year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God of
Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc.,
and in the year of our Lord," etc.
How very differently reads the introduction to the very next section
of this book: "A Declaration of Rights. At a Congress of Representa-tives
of the Freemen of the State of North Carolina, assembled at Hali-fax
the 17th day of December, in the year of our Lord One Thousand
Seven Hundred and Seventy-six, for the purpose of establishing a con-stitution
or form of government for the said State."
INDIANS^ SLAVES AND TORIES. \)
into bond with sufficient surety in the sum of fifty pounds,
current money, for each slave, for the removing of such slave
or slaves" to the State from whence they were brought, within
three months thereafter.
It is also set forth in chapter 17 of the Acts of 1786 that
"many persons by cruel treatment of their slaves, cause them
to commit crimes for which many of the said slaves are exe-cuted,
whereby a very burdensome debt is unjustly imposed
on the good citizens of the State; for remedy whereof" all
former laws providing for reimbursing masters of executed
slaves at the public expense were repealed.
The next year (1787) an act was passed making it un-lawful
for any negro or mulatto to "entertain any slave in
his or her house during the Sabbath or in the night between
sunset and sunrise" on penalty of 20 shillings for the first
oft'ense and 40 for each subsequent offense.
In 1788 it was found necessary to enact a more stringent
law against trading with slaves. All free persons trading
with any slave without written permission from the master
specifying the articles in question, were to be fined ten
pounds for each offense. Slaves selling articles without per-mission
were to be reported to the justice of the peace and
given not over thirty-nine lashes.
II.
—
Legislation Affecting the Indians.
Let us next take up the laws regarding the Indians. Many
of these, of course, were obsolete when Judge Iredell made
his collection of laws, and are, therefore, excluded from the
book. It is very creditable to our ancestors that the first
Indian law of special note, that on page 119 (Laws of 1748),
is "An act for ascertaining the bounds of a certain tract of
land formerly laid out by treaty to the use of the Tuskarora
Indians, so long as they or any of them shall occupy and
live upon the same; and to prevent any person or persons
10 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
taking up lands, or settling within the said bounds, by pre-tense
of any purchase or purchases made, or that shall be
made from the said Indians"—''it being but just," as the
preamble says, ''that the ancient inhabitants of this province
shall have and enjoy a quiet and convenient dwelling place
in this their native country."
But the next law regarding Indians, passed in 1760, is
of very different tenor. It was adopted near the end of the
great French and Indian War, and is of sufficient importance
to justify the republication in full of the two most striking
sections
:
"13. And for the greater encouragement of such persons as shall enlist
voluntarily to serve the said companies, and other inhabitants of this
province who shall undertake any expedition against the Cherokees and
other Indians in alliance with the French; be it further enacted by the
authority aforesaid, that each of the said Indians who shall be taken a
captive during the present war by any person as aforesaid, shall, and is
hereby declared to be a slave, and the absolute right and property of
who shall be the captor of such Indians. * * * And if any person
or persons, inhabitant or inhabitants of this province not in actual pay,
shall kill an enemy Indian or Indians, he or they shall have and receive
ten pounds for each and every Indian he or they shall so kill, and any
person or persons who shall be in the actual pay of this province, shall
have and receive five pounds for every enemy Indian or Indians he or
they shall so kill, to be paid out of the Treasury, any law, usage, or
custom to the contrary notwithstanding.
"14. Provided, always, that any person claiming the said reward,
before he be allowed or paid the same, shall produce to the Assembly
the scalp of every Indian so killed, and make oath or otherwise prove
that he was the person who killed, or was present at the killing, of the
Indian whose scalp shall be so produced. * * * And as a further
encouragement, shall also have and keep to his or their own use or uses
all plunder taken out of the possession of any enemy Indian or Indians,
or within twenty miles of any of the Cherokee towns, or any Indian
town at war with any of his Majesty's subjects."
Two thousand pounds was appropriated for the purchase of
Indian scalps in the manner indicated in this statute.
In 1778 it appeared that "divers avaricious and ill-dis-posed
persons" had been defrauding and abusing the Chero-
INDIANS;, SLAVES AND TOEIES. 11
kees and stirring up much bad feeling, and a law was passed
making it unlawful to trade with this tribe of Indians with-out
license, or to trespass on their grounds. The penalty for
violation was a fine of 500 pounds ; failing to pay this, says
the law, the offender "shall stand in the pillory two hours, and
receive thirty-nine lashes upon his bare back, and shall stand
committed to the gaol of the district until such sums shall be
completely discharged and paid."
The first law passed at the session of 1786, held at Fay-etteville,
was one providing defense against Indians for the
citizens of Davidson County, "frequent acts of hostility ren-dering
it necessary that some measures be taken for their
protection." A company of 201 men was to be raised and
to stay in service two years, unless sooner disbanded by the
Legislature. I think, however, that this Davidson County
was in what is now Tennessee, as the Davidson County now
existing was not formed until 1822.
III.—How. THE Tories Were Treated.
And now let us consider some of the Eevolutionary and
post-Revolutionary laws regarding TorieSj. Immediately
after framing the Constitution, the Halifax Congress of 1776
adopted an ordinance requiring all citizens to take the oath of
allegiance to the State, the "whereas" being as follows
:
"Whereas, divers persons within this State have been in actual arms
against the liberties of the United States of America, or have adhered
to the King and Parliament of Great Britain against the same, * * *
with design to weaken and obstruct the necessary efforts of the said
States against the wrongs and hostilities of the said King and Parlia-ment
of Great Britain; and it being hoped that such persons are now
become sensible of the wickedness and folly of endeavoring to subject
their country to misery and slavery, and are penitent for the same—
"
free pardon and protection were to be granted all persons
taking oath to bear true allegiance to the State and to "do
no act willingly whereby the independence of the said State
may be destroyed or injured."
12 THE NOKTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
All persons refusing or neglecting to take this oath within
ninety days from that date "shall be and are hereby declared
incapable of bringing any suit or action, real, personal or
mixed, before any court, judge or magistrate within this
State; or being sued, plead or make defense; or of prose-cuting
any indictment ; or of purchasing or transferring any
lands, tenements, or hereditaments, the same shall be and are
hereby declared to be forfeited to this State, being first found
by inquest of a jury."
]^or was the General Assembly which met at 'New Bern in
April, 1Y77, in a mood to deal lightly with those who stood
in the way of American independence. The anti-Tory laws
were almost Draconian in their severity. "Every inhabitant
of the State owes and shall pay allegiance to the State of
IsTorth Carolina." The second section continues, redundant
words and phrases omitted:
"And if any person residing within this State * * * shall take
commission from the King of Great Britain: or knowingly and willingly
aid or assist any enemies at open war against this State, or against
the United States of America, by joining their armies, or by enlisting
or procuring or persuading others to enlist for that purpose, or by
furnishing such enemies with arms, ammunition, provision, or any other
article for their aid or comfort, * * * he shall be adjudged guilty
of high treason, and shall suffer death without the benefit of clergy, and
his or her estate shall be forfeited to the State. Provided, that the
judge may appropriate so much of the traitor's estate as may appear
sufficient for the support of his or her family."
By the third section of the act, imprisonment during the
war and confiscation of half his property is prescribed as the
punishment for any person who "shall convey intelligence to
the enemies of this State, or speak publicly against our pub-lic
defense, or excite the people against the government of
this State, or persuade them to return to a dependence on
the Crown of Great Britain, or maliciously discourage the
people from enlisting into the service of the State, or dis-
INDIANS^ SLAVES AND TORIES. 13
pose the people to favor the enemy, or endeavor to prevent
the measures carrying on in support of freedom."
All late officers of the King, and all persons who had
"traded immediately to Great Britain or Ireland" were to
give up J^orth Carolina citizenship or abjure allegiance to
England. Failing to depart they could be shipped at their
own expense to Europe or the West Indies, not to return on
pain of death.
When the Assembly met again in ISTovember of the same
year, the ardor of the members had in no wise cooled. They
divided the counties into districts, in each of which a mag-istrate
was to administer the oath of allegiance to "all free
male persons above 16 years of age," Avho had resided for one
week or longer in that district. ISTames of persons refusing
to take the oath were to be listed, and they were to be dealt
with in the manner noted in the last paragraph regarding
officers and traders refusing to take the oath.
A few weeks later the Assembly of 1777 took another step
forward and declared the forfeiture to the State of all prop-erty
belonging to any person who had left the State or "at-tached
himself to or aided or abetted the enemies of the
United States," unless such person should appear before the
1778 Assembly and be by it restored to citizenship. That
Assembly, which met in ISTew Bern, proceeded to put into
effect the act of its predecessors and appointed commission-ers
to sell the confiscated property. The second chapter of
the 1779 legislation names a number of those whose estates
were confiscated in accordance with this act, among the
names being William Tryon, Josiah Martin, Sir I^athaniel
Duckinfield, Edmund Fanning, Thomas MacKnight, and
many others.
Very naturally these confisaction laws excited the greed
and strengthened the audacity of the baser sort of Whigs,
and it is not surprising to find the 1780 Assembly acknowledg-
14 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
ing that "many acts of violence and barbarity have been lately
committed under pretense of seizing the property of disaf-fected
persons, these unwarrantable depredations being car-ried
so far as to deprive some poor persons of house and
kitchen utensils and wearing apparel, and many persons have
unlawfully seized upon and carried away negro slaves, and
other valuable effects [for] their own use, and slaves * * *
conveyed to distant parts, or publicly sold in violation of
law and justice." To remedy this, the Assembly again di-rected
that while the property of all persons who had then
or should thereafter join the Royalists, should be confiscated,
only the sheriff or confiscation commissioner should take
possession of property by virtue of this act; others seizing
property should repay the owners three-fold.
The sixth section of the act also recites that evil-disposed
persons, under pretense of distressing Royalists, had been
plundering South Carolinians indiscriminately. The
sheriff was directed to seize all such property, returning that
belonging to American sympathizers, and selling all belong-ing
to Tories. The seventh section, curiously enough, ex-empted
from taxation for that year all refugees from
Georgia.
This Hillsboro Assembly of 1780 also suspended the sale
of confiscated property, the reason assigned being that the
nearness of the British army (and the consequent gloomy
outlook for independence) caused the property to sell at
much less than its true value. The sales were revived next
year.
* * *
Peace came at last, however, and the Assembly of 1783,
recognizing the fact that "it is the policy of all wise States,
on the termination of civil wars, to grant an act of pardon
and oblivion for past offenses," directed that "all manner of
treasons, misprision of treasons, felony or misdemeanor com-mitted
or done since July 4, 1776, by any person or per-
INDIANS^ SLAVES AND TORIES. 15
sons whatsoever, be pardoned, released, and put in total
oblivion." Only officers in the King's army, Tories then out
of the State, persons who had committed capital crimes, and
those especially offensive Tories singled out by name—Peter
JVIallette, David Fanning and Samuel Andrews—were ex-cepted
from the provisions of this act. Both by the letter of
its statute and the spirit of its people, ISTorth Carolina re-solved
to forget the bitterness (but not the heroic deeds) of
a struggle in which, as in all great wars by men of our blood,
the main body in each side had fought "for the right as God
gave them to see the right."
With that same broad spirit of tolerance, therefore, which
caused our people in the first chapter of our book to pro-vide
"for liberty of Conscience," we leave them in this last
quotation, forgetting and forgiving (even so early as 1783)
those with whom they had differed in "the late unpleasant-ness"
and setting to work, all together, for the upbuilding of
the State. Thus ISTorth Carolina entered upon a long period
of healthy and untroubled development, while defeated Eng-land,
with a like tolerance, came to find pride in the heroism
of the men she had once faced in deadly conflict. Lord Ten-nyson
speaking both for and to the nation when he wrote:
"O thou that sendest out the man,
To rule by land or sea.
Strong mother of a lion-line,
Be proud of those strong sons of thine.
Who wrenched their rights from thee!"
THOMAS PERSON. *
By Stephen B. Weeks.
The Person family represents one unit in that great Eng
lish voelkerwanderung which began from the older American
colonies almost before thev were themselves out of swaddling
clothes and has gained more and more force as newer settle-ments
grew in strength until it has over-run and conquered
the American continent for the men of Anglo-Saxon blood.
Virginia had been planted little more than a generation when
hardy pioneers pushed out from her settled centers and in
the wilderness of Carolina carved out new hom.es for them-selves,
redeeming them from the wilderness and the savage.
These frontiersmen in their turn sent others to the new
and fertile lands' of the old Southwest and old ISTorthwest.
and these have again sent out conquering hosts to the shores
of the calm Pacific and to the naked plains and savage moun-tains
of the arid mid-region. Thus it follows that tht^ ran
P. P. V.'s are found as often in the far West, in tlie old
Southwest or in Carolina as in Virginia herself.
The Person family was one of those which thus left Vir-ginia
with that great migration that swept over her south-ern
border for a hundred years after the first settling of
Il^orth Carolina. It had been settled in Brunswick County,
Va., and had for its neighbors the Mangums, who were soon
to follow it to ISTorth Carolina. I find in the Quaker rej )rds
of southeastern Virginia a John Persons, the son of John
Persons (who spelled his name Passons), marrying Mary
Patridg on the tenth of the first month, 1691/2. I have no
records to prove my supposition, but it is possible that these
two Quakers, father and son, were the immediate ancestoi's
*Eeprinted by permission of Chas. L. VanNoppen, publislier, from the
seventh volume of the Biographical History of North Carolina.
Raleigh
THOMAS PERSON. iT
of that William Person who was the head of the family at
the time of its coming into Halifax County, ]^. C, about
1740. William Person (born 1700, died ITovember 11,
1778) took up land in Halifax, but seems to have soon
passed on into what is now Granville, for on its organization
as a separate county, in 1746, he became its first sheriff, an
office which he filled for a number of years. He was often a
justice of the peace, a county commissioner, a vestryman, and
in general a man of prominence and a leader in his county.
Pie married Ann , and his son, Thomas Person, com-monly
known as General Person, and whose name in his
own day was indifferently written and pronounced Person,
Persons, Parson, Parsons, and Passons, was bom January
19, 1733, probably in Brunswick County, Va. He grew up
in Granville County, IST. C, and there his life was spent.
He began life as a surveyor for Lord Granville, was noted
for the accuracy of his surveys and the faithfulness of his
work generally, and as his work made him acquainted with
the best lands, he thus accumulated a handsome estate. In
1788 he listed for taxation 82,358 acres, lying in Halifax,
Warren, Franklin, Orange, Caswell, Guilford, Rockingham,
Anson, and Wake counties, JSI". C, and in Davidson, Siunner
and Greene counties, Tenn. (State Rec, Vol. XXVI,
1275).
The first definite record of his appearance in public life
is on July 6, 1756, when he was recommended as a justice
of the peace for Granville (Col. Rec, Vol. V, 592). In
1762 he was sheriff of that county (ibid., VI, 895). His ap-pearance
in the Assembly was at the October session, 1764,
as the representative of Granville, and he won even in this
his first service sufficient recognition to give him a place on
the committee to settle the public accounts (VI, 1222). He
was not again in the Assembly so far as I have been able to
18 THE NORTH CAEOLINA BOOKLET.
learn until ISTovember session, 1768, and October session.
1769, when he again served on the Committee on Public Ac-counts
and on that of Privileges and Elections. It was
during this last session that his connection with the Regu-lators
began to have its influence on his fortunes.
The "Regulation" was one of a series of efforts made by
the people of JSTorth Carolina at various times to secure a re-dress
of grievances. It began as early as 1759 with the En-field
riots, which were directed against the land officers of
Lord Granville. A little later extortion began to grow up
among the county officers in various sections of the province.
Because of the lavish expenditure of Tryon's government,
provincial taxes were high, and, being levied on the poll, bore
unduly on the poor and thinly settled communities of the
middle section. In 1765 discontent became acute, and was
manifest as far east as Pasquotank. It broke into violence in
the present counties of Granville, Orange, Alamance, Guil-ford,
Rockingham, Surry, Chatham, Randolph, Rowan, Da-vidson,
Anson, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg and Iredell. The
discontented element called themselves "Regulators." Under
the leadership of Husband, Howell, Hunter, Butler and
others they published numerous addresses on the condition of
affairs. The organization gained headway. Its purpose was
to "regulate" the grievances of which they complained ; these
were excessive taxes, dishonest sheriffs and extortionate fees.
Their agreement, or articles of association, show that their
purpose was peaceful in character and that they were willing
to pay legal taxes and legal fees. They petitioned the gov-ernment
often for redress. This was often promised but
never granted. This failure to receive the redress asked no
doubt irritated many and led them to conunit indefensible
acts of license and violence. A rupture was narrowly averted
in 1768, and in September, 1770, occurred the riots in Hills-boro
when Fanning, John Williams, Thomas Hart and others
THOMAS PERSON. 19
were beaten, property destroyed and the court insulted and
broken up.
In the Assembly of 1769 John Ashe, of 'New Hanover, had
reported that Thomas Person, the member for Granville, was
frequently charged with perjury (Col. Rec, VIII, 118).
He was tried at December session, 1770, after the Hillsboro
riots, for perjury and extorting illegal fees, and there came
before the Assembly to prosecute that same Richard Hender-son
whose court had been insulted and broken up. The com-mittee
of investigation, through John Campbell, its chairman,
reported that "there is not any one of the charges or allega-tions
* * * in any manner supported," but that they were
exhibited "through malice and envy, with design to injure
the character and reputation of the said Thomas Person,"
and it was ordered that this report be published in the news-paper
of the day (VIII, 448, 449, 461). Henderson, the
prosecutor, was thereupon mulcted in the costs (VIII, 467),
which he failed to pay (IX, 717, 718). Tryon claimed that
the resolution to put the costs on Henderson was clapped up
by Person's friends ; at any rate, that resolution was repealed
at the next session (IX, 196).
In an anonymous letter printed in the Colonial Records
(VIII, 643 et seq.) it is said that Person was expelled from
this session of Assembly
:
"After this the General Assembly of the province was called, and an
election ensued, at which Herman Husband and Thomas Parsons were
chosen by the country party as members of the house; their enemy,
Fanning, was also chosen. When the house met their first step was to
expel Husband and Parsons from their seats; Husband they sent to jail;
Parsons, home. They then passed a Riot Act, the substance of which was
that any person or persons being guilty of any riot, either before or after
the publication of this act, within the jurisdiction of any court within
this province, shall and may be indicted, and when so indicted shall
appear and stand trial before the expiration of sixty days; and in ease
he, she, or they do not appear, noticed or not noticed, within the term
aforesaid, they shall and are hereby declared to be outlawed, and shall
suffer death without benefit of clergy, etc., and his lands, goods and
chattels confiscated and sold at the end of eight days."
20 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
This letter was no doubt tlie work of Rednap Howell, one
of the Regulation leaders, as it is from "a. gentleman in
iN'orth Carolina to his friend in ISTew Jersey," and Howell
came from that State to ]*Torth Carolina, The statements
made in other parts of the letter seem to be essentially cor-rect,
but I confess that I am unable to reconcile this expulsion
of Person with the favorable report which was made in his
behalf to this same Aisembly, and with his appearance again
as a member of the same Assembly at its session in IN'ovem-ber,
1771.
But the Assembly of 1770-71 did pass a Riot Act which
anticipated some of the essential features of the "five intoler-able
acts" of the British Parliament of 1774. It was so
brutal, so tyrannical and subversive of all liberty of the sub-ject
that it was condemned even by the English Government
as "irreconcilable with the principles of the constitution, full
of danger in its operation and unfit for any part of the Brit-ish
Empire." But in the meantime this act, more commonly
known as the Johnston Act, from its author, was put into
execution against the Regulators, and goaded them to fur-ther
resistance. Tryon collected an army from the eastern
counties, although in many sections the spirit of resistance
was almost as pronounced as in the Regulation country. On
May 16, 1771, with his army of 1100 men, organized, trained
and armed, Tryon came up with some 2000 Regulators at
Alamance Creek, now in Alamance County. The Regulators
were uinorganized, without officers, untrained and in part
unarmed. There was much parleying, the Regulators even
to the last petitioning for redress. Tryon forced a battle,
defeated the Regulators, took some prisoners, and with more
than Jeffreys' bloodthirstiness hanged James Few on the
field. Six others were hanged a month later, after having
recei\'ed the form of a legal trial.
Person's service to the Regulation was evidently in the
THOMAS PEESON. 21
council, not in the field, for lie was not present at the Ala-mance
battle, and it does not clearly appear in what form his
servi(;e was rendered beyond that he was a member of their
committee to whom the people were to give in their claims
for overcharges which the officers guilty of extortion, under
the pressure of popular indignation, had agreed to refund.
The committee was to have met for this purpose on May 3,
1771, but it is probable that events were then moving too fast
for peaceful methods (Col. Eec. VIII, 521, 535 ; Caruthers'
''Caldwell," 143). But it is certain that Tryon recognized
Person as a leader in this movement and did him the immor-tal
honor to include him in the list of those excepted from the
benefit of pardon. Tryon's exceptions included the four
leaders who had been outlawed. Husband, Howell, Hunter
and Butler, the prisoners, the young men who blew up Wad-dell's
ammunition train, and sixteen others mentioned by
name, of whom Person is the last (Col. Kec, VIII, 618).
How Person escaped trial and further punishment for
treason and how he secured his release do not clearly appear,
although tradition says it was through the personal friend-ship
between him and Edmund Fanning (ex rel. Peter M.
Wilson). Tradition says also that by permission of his
jailer Person made an all night ride to his home at Goshen
to see or destroy certain incriminating papers there, and re-turned
to jail before the break of day. It is said that Tryon's
troops visited his home looking for plunder as well as papers,
but found nothing, and this failure may have forced his re-lease
(Col. Eec, VIII, xxvii).
It is usually said that the Kegulators were Tories in the
Revolution. It is certain that few of them were enthusiastic
supporters of the Whig principles of 1776. But it is hardly
reasonable to expect this much of them. They were mostly
simple, honest, ignorant men who had grown restless under
ofiicial oppression ; they had been defeated and forced to take
22 THE NOETH CAEOLHSTA BOOKLET.
an oath to the king by the very men who in 1Y76 sought to
make them break the oath taken in 1771. In that struggle
the Regulators for the most part maintained a sullen neutral-ity.
Unlike their sympathizers of that day, Caldwell and
Person, they were unable to see that the principles of 1776
were but those of 1771 writ large ; that official oppression was
the same, whether exercised by petty despots at their doors
or by high lords and Parliament over sea ; and that the John-ston
Act of 1770 was but the prototype of the five intolerable
acts of the British Parliament of 1774, which set all Amer-ica
aflame.
But the Regulators were not allowed to go their way in
peace, l^umerous efforts were made to win them to the
cause of independence, and to these efforts Person lent his
influence. The Hillsboro Convention of 1775 appointed him
member of a committee to confer with such of the inhabitants
of the province "who entertain any religious or political scru-ples
with respect to associating in the common cause of Amer-ica,
to remove any ill impressions that have been made upon
them by the artful devices of the enemies of America, and
to induce them, by argument and persuasion, heartily to unite
with us for the protection of the constitutional rights and
privileges thereof" (X, 169).
Again, the Council of Safety, on August 3, 1776, resolved
that General Person and Mr. Joseph John Williams "do each
of them agree ^vith a proper person for the purpose of in-structing
the inhabitants of Anson County and other the
western parts of this colony in their duty to Almighty God,
and for explaining to them the justice and necessity of the
measures pursued by the United States of America" (X,
693).
But that the Provincial Convention of 1775 knew little of
the character of the Regulators in particular, or of human
nature in general, is shown by their making Richard Caswell,
THOMAS PEESOjST. 23
Maurice Moore and Henry Pattillo members of this commit-tee
to win them to the American cause. JSTothing shows more
clearly the greatness of Thomas Person than his participation
in the Regulation and his subsequent part in the Revolution.
Other Regulators, bj reason of narrowness of vision, or from
personal spite, or from littleness, might hang back or even
join the Tory interests, to which they were invited and urged
by the successor of tJie brutal Tryon, but not Person. As
Colonel Saunders has well said, the most ardent friend of the
Regulation might be willing to stake the reputation of the
cause on the character of Thomas Person, Church of Eng-land
man though he was, friend of education, wealthy if not
aristocratic, patriot and democrat of democrats.
Person Avas again in the Assembly in ISTovember, 1771, in
January and December, 1773, March, 1774, and April, 1775.
Although he was a commissioner on public buildings in Hills-boro
district in 1771, he seems nevertheless to have suffered
somewhat from his participation in the popular uprising ; but
as time passed on and efforts were made by Martin to quiet
the feelings of the Regulators, Person comes more and more
into prominence, and by sheer weight of character made him-self
a necessity to the colony.
As the struggle with Great Britain drew on he became one
of the foremost advocates of separation. On February 12,
1776, he writes to his father of the "advocates of liberty" (X,
450) ; on the 14th, his friend, Penn, a neighbor, citizen of
the same county, possibly a sympathizer with the Regulators,
now in the Continental Congress, perhaps in great measure
through his influence, surveys the situation and writes:
"Matters are drawing to a crisis. They seem determined to
persevere and are forming alliances against us. Must we not
do something of the like nature ? * * * The consequence of
making alliances is perhaps a total separation from Britain"
(X, 456). This letter was received, perhaps, about March
34 THE NORTH CAKOLINA BOOKLET.
1st. On the 3d the Provincial Council, of which Person was
a member, ordered the next session of the Provincial Congress
to be held at Halifax on April 2d. The delegates met on
April 4th; on the 8th, Harnett, Allen Jones, Burke, Abner
Nash, John Kinchen, Person and Thomas Jones were ap-pointed
a committee to take into consideration "the usurpa-tions
and violences attempted and committed by the king and
Parliament of Britain against America, and the further
measures to be taken for frustrating the same and for the
better defense of this province" (Col. Rec, X, xvii-xviii,
504) ; on the 12th, the committee brought in a resolution
empowering the delegates from I^orth Carolina in the Conti-nental
Congress "to concur with the delegates of the other
colonies in declaring independency, and forming foreign alli-ances."
And thus on April 12, 1776, ISTorth Carolina became the
first of the colonies to make a formal proposal for a declara-tion
of independence.
Was not this proposal as much or more the work of Thomas
Person than of any other man ? Perhaps we shall never find
evidence that will settle this point beyond dispute, but no
student of our history will dare claim that such an honor
could belong by right of work done to any other man more
than to Person or that any other citizen of our State was
more worthy of this great and signal honor.
Person was a member of all the provincial conventions and
congresses which took the place of the Assembly and of the
governor from 1774 to 1776.
1. Kew Bern, August 25-27, 1774 (C. P., IX, 1042).
2. E'ew Bern, April 3-7, 1775 (C. R., IX, 1179).
3. Hillsboro, August 20 to September 10, 1775 (X, 164.)
4. Halifax, April 4 to May 14, 1776 (X, 499).
5. Halifax, ITovember 12 to December 23, 1776 (X, 914).
He served on their important committees and in the last
THOMAS PERSON. 25
was on the committees which drafted the Bill of Rights and
the Constitution. So satisfactory was the latter to the people
of l!^orth Carolina that it remained in force for fifty-nine
years without change ; of the Declaration of Rights it is suf-ficient
to say that of its twelve clauses for the protection of
individual rights eleven were embodied in the first ten amend-ments
to the Constitution of the United States (Col. Rec, X,
xxiii, XXV ).
He had been chosen a member of the Provincial Council,
September 9, 1775 (X, 214). This body was the executive
head of the State and had Samuel Johnston as a member.
Johnston and Allen Jones represented the more conservative
element. They favored a strong government, a sort of repre-sentative
Republicanism, modeled on Great Britain. The
more progressive or radical wing, led by Willie Jones and
Person, favored a simpler , government and one more directly
responsible to the people. The Provincial Council under the
influence of the conservatives was slow, while the mass of the
congress was with the radicals. As a result for the Provin-cial
Council was substituted a Council of Safety, Person still
a member (X, 581), with no practical change in its functions
further than in name ; but with the radical Willie Jones as
the representative of the congress, instead of the conservative
Johnston who was not a member.
On April 22, 1776, Person was elected brigadier general
of the militia of Hillsboro district (X, 530) and was suc-ceeded
in this office in 1777 by John Butler. This was not
the time* when to be a militia general meant ease and quiet.
It meant work, the raising of troops for active service, drill-ing,
collecting supplies and actual fighting in suppression of
Tory marauders. It was no sinecure, but Person was never,
so far as I know, in actual battle. His service to the State,
like that to the Regulators, was in the cabinet, not on the
field.
26 THE NORTH CAKOLINA BOOKLET.
He was made by the last Provincial Congress a justice of
the peace for Granville (XXIII, 993) and a member of the
Council of State (X, 1013), his fellow-councilors being Wil-liam
Dry, William Haywood, Edward Starkey, Joseph Leech
and Thomas Eaton. He was nominated for the same office
in 1781, but failed of election (XVII, 810, 894), and again
in 1789, but at the latter period asked to have his name with-drawn
(XXI, 389, 390, 704). In May, 1782, he was nom-inated
for the Continental Congress but failed of election
(XVI, 90; XIX, 57) ; on May 11, 1784, he was elected to
the Continental Congress, but it was a time when there was
more expense and labor in being a member of the congress
than money and honor. Person never took his seat and his
name nowhere appears in the list of ISTorth Carolina Con-gressmen
(XVII, 79, 139, 143; XIX, 583).
In January, 1787, he was elected along with William
Green and Matthew Locke chief commissioner for receiving
the certificates of the Board of Commissioners of Army Ac-counts
(XVIII, 451, 459). It was their duty to receive
and correct the proceedings of the commissioners appointed
to settle the accounts of the ISTorth Carolina troops in the
Continental Line (XX, 630; XXI, 551) and thus bring to
a final settlement the accounts of Xorth Carolina with the
United States. It was a delicate duty and one requiring the
highest degree of honesty. Many frauds had been committed
in the preparation of these accounts. These were discovered
and were followed by a long investigation, the trial and pun-ishment
of the guilty parties (State Rec, XVII and XVIII,
passim; McRee's "Iredell," II, 155-6).
One of Person's most important services to the State was
as a leader of the anti-Federal party in the convention of
1788 ; but before proceeding to discuss that convention, which
was called to consider the Federal constitution, it is necessary
to review briefly the alignment of political parties. From
THOMAS PEKSOlSr. 27
1776 there were two clearly defined parties in the State.
They were a unit as to resistance to the aggressions of Great
Britain, but in domestic matters the lines of party cleavage
were sharply defined. One party we may call the Conserva-tive
; it was strongest in the east ; was led by Johnston, Ire-dell,
Hooper, Maclaine. It was aristocratic and wealthy,
stood for the slaveholding, commercial and mercantile inter-ests;
it preferred a strong central government and was slow
to advocate democracy. The other party we may call Kadi-cal.
It was stronger in the north and west. It was nearer
the soil and the people. Its leaders were Willie Jones, Per-son,
the Bloodworths, Spencer, Locke, Sharpe, Rutherford,
and others. They were ultra-democratic, even radical in
their tendencies and ardent advocates from the first of an ex-tremely
democratic government. The struggle began in the
first Halifax congress, April, 1776, or earlier, and was won
by the Radicals as is shown by the substitution of the Council
of Safety for the Provincial Council. The question of the
new constitution also developed differences and the April
congress deferred its adoption to a later congress to be elected
for that particular purpose out of deference to the wishes of
the minority. Johnston stood as a candidate for this con-gress
from Chowan County and was defeated (McRee's "Ire-dell,"
I, 238, 281) and this left him sulking in his tent. He
refused to serve as treasurer and Iredell bitterly resented his
defeat by writing his "Creed of a Rioter" (McRee, I, 335-
836) ; Iredell later resigned as attorney-general and Hooper
left the Continental Congress. But the Radicals were liberal
and patient and kept many of the Conservatives in office as
the price of their support (cf. Dodd's "Macon," 30; and
Saunders, Pref. N'otes, Col. Rec, X).
In 1780-81, as the tide of war surged into ISTorth Carolina
and went against her, the Conservatives grew in numbers and
power; after the war ended they championed the Tory in-
28 THE NOETH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
terests and continued to grow. Johnston was their perennial
candidate for governor, but Caswell was agreed on as a sort
of compromise. When the time for considering the Federal
constitution drew near each exerted itself to the utmost to win
control of the convention. The Radicals, whom we may now
call Anti-Federalists and who became the nucleus of the first
Republican party, demanded: (1) A free and absolutely in-dependent
state, for a few years at least; (2) a genuinely
democratic administration; (3) a general improvement in
educational advantages for the people. In accord with the
last of these demands the State actually entered on a plan of
public improvements which anticipated that urged in the
State thirty years later by Murphey and in the Union fifty
years later by Clay (Dodd, 14-90).
The Anti-Federalists won control of the convention. It
met in Ilillsboro, July 21, 1788. Person was a member from
Granville; on his motion Samuel Johnston was made presi-dent
(XXII, 6). He was himself a member of the commit-tee
on elections (XXII, 7). It is evident from the journals
that he took a leading part in the business, but he does not
seem to have been a frequent speaker. The first trial of
streng-th came on August 1, when the convention considered
the report of the Committee of the Whole House on a pro-posed
Bill of Rights and certain amendments. The preamble
to the report of the Committee of the Whole reads
:
"Resolved, That a Declaration of Rights, asserting and securing from
encroachment the great principles of civil and religious liberty, and the
unalienable rights of the people, together with amendments to the most
ambiguous and exceptionable parts of the said constitution of govern-ment,
ought to be laid before Congress and the convention of states that
shall be called for the purpose of amending the said constitution, for
their consideration, previous to the ratification of the constitution
aforesaid, on the part of the State of North Carolina." (XXII, 16.)
Iredell moved that all of this report be stricken out, that
the constitution be adopted and that certain amendments be
THOMAS PERSON. 29
then proposed. This motion brought out the strength of the
respective parties: For the motion, 84; against, 184; on
August 2d, the report of the Committee of the Whole was
again taken up and concurred with: yeas, 184; nays, 84.
After the Report of the Committee of the Whole was
adopted Willie Jones moved
:
"Whereas, this convention has thought proper neither to ratify nor
reject the constitution proposed for the government of the United States;
and as Congress will proceed to act under the said constitution, ten
states having ratified the same, and probably lay an impost on goods
imported into the said ratifying states:
"Resolved, That it be recommended to the legislature of this State
that vphenever Congress shall pass a law for collecting an impost in the
states aforesaid, this State enact a law for collecting a similar impost
on goods imported into this State, and appropriate the money arising
therefrom to the use of Congress." (XXII, 31.)
This resolution, passed by 143 yeas to 44 nays, the Federal
leaders voting in the negative, shows as clearly as words can
show that the desire of Jones, Person and other Anti-Feder-alists
was for a Federal government of limited powers and
that their purpose was not to establish an independent re-public
as has been recently claimed by Professor Dodd (see
his "Macon," p. 54), but to protect the interests of the states
against the centralizing tendency which was even then clearly
visible in the new constitution to those who had eyes to see.
Davie reports that both Person and Jones were holding out
the doctrine of opposition for four or five years at least.
Jones feared the Federal judiciary and Person the Federal
power to tax (McRee, II, 178, 239).
It was thus that ISTorth Carolina declined to either ratify
or reject the Federal Constitution by a decided majority of
100 votes. Whether it was the wiser policy to adopt first and
then ask for amendments or wait till the amendments were
adopted, a child can tell. As to which of these parties could
read the book of the future aright is equally easy of discern-ment.
30 THE NOETH CAKOLIWA BOOKLET.
Many public men in the State desired that a second Fed-eral
convention be called to revise the new constitution in the
light of the criticisms upon it, and Person, along with John-ston,
Iredell, Tim Bloodworth, Jos. McDowell, Sr., Dupre,
Locke, Alfred Moore, Spencer and Allen Jones were chosen
by the Assembly on ISTovember 24, 1Y88, to attend such a
convention of the whole United States "should one be called"
(XX, 538, 544; XXI, 94, 100). Their desire was for a
constitution more in accord with the will of the Kadicals and
that a constitution acceptable to Bloodworth and Person
would have been decentralized there can be no doubt.
The constitutional convention held in Fayetteville in 'No-vember,
1Y89, was a small affair. The government of the
United States had been organized under the constitution and
was working well. The Anti-Federalists had received as-surances
that the substance of the amendments proposed by
them would be incorporated into the constitution; eleven
states had accepted the instrument and l^orth Carolina and
Rhode Island alone remained out. The convention met iN'o-vember
16, 1789. Willie Jones failed to be returned by his
county. Johnston was again made president and Person was
again on the committee on elections. The convention went
into a Committee of the Whole to consider the constitution
and sat three days. The Anti-Federalists moved that its re-port
be rejected and that certain amendments be proposed.
These forbade interference with the election of senators and
representatives, dealt with the levying of direct taxes, the
redemption of paper money by the states and the introduction
of foreign troops. But the amendments were defeated by
187 nays to 82 yeas, Spencer, Caldwell, Bloodworth, Person
and others voting yea (XXII, 45, 46). The convention then
proceeded to adopt the constitution, 195 yeas to 77 nays.
Person, true to his convictions and game to the last, voted
nay (XXII, 48, 49).
THOMAS PERSOIN". 31
On ISTovember 24, 1789, when the Federal constitution had
been formally adopted, the Assembly proceeded to elect sen-ators
to Congress. Person was nominated by the house of
commons, but the Federalists were in power and such radicals
as Person and Bloodworth went down before Johnston and
Hawkins (XXI, 253, 614). When his party again came
into power in 1794-95 Person's race had been run, but he
had the pleasure of seeing his radical comrades Alexander
Martin and Timothy Bloodworth succeed Johnston and Haw-kins.
But, after all, Thomas Person's most important and valu-able
service to I^orth Carolina was not as an Anti-Federalist
member of the conventions of 1788 and 1789, nor as a mili-tary
man, nor as a philanthropist, but as a member of the
General Assembly. There he was always active, generally
a radical, always an argus-eyed guardian of the rights of the
people, an advocate, ardent, insistent and constant of the in-terests
of the masses, and consequently hated and always
feared by the representatives of the aristocratic, conservative
interests.
Person represented Granville County in the Assembly in
the house of commons almost continuously from 1764 to
1785 ; he was defeated in 1786 ; was in the senate in 1787
;
again in the house in 1788, 1790, 1793, and 1794. (It is
believed that the Thomas Person in the house in 1795 and
1797 was his nephew). In all, he represented his county
some thirty years, a length of service which in itself is a most
eloquent proof of his usefulness and of the appreciation of
his people. It does not require a long or an extended exami-nation
of the legislative journals to show his prominence and
usefulness. He served on the most important committees:
public accounts, military matters, privileges and elections,
propositions and grievances, finance, defence, depredations of
Tories, location of capital, affairs of ^orth Carolina Line,
32 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
manufacture of iron, raising regular troops and regulating
commissary department, on bill of attainder, paper money,
debts due to and from the public, Indian affairs, land grants, on
vesting power in Continental Congress to levy duties, claims
and depreciation, trial of impeachments, revenue, proposed
revision of the constitution, Virginia boundary, confiscated
property, etc. He was usually chairman of his committee
and presented many reports to the house; in 1784 he was
chairman of the whole ; never seeking the honors of the house,
he was an active working member, bringing in many bills,
serving on many special committees, presenting many peti-tions
and memorials from sections of the State remote from
his own. It is evident, too, that he was a fighter. No fonn
of what he thought injustice, illegality or graft could escape
his quick eye or pass without a protest. Thus in 1782, on
petition of O'Bryan, Duncan and Pittman, who were being
held as military deserters by Sumner, he recommended that
they be discharged from the Continental army (XVI, 137).
In 1783 he voted against the seating of his political friend,
Bloodworth, as it seemed to him illegal (XIX, 292). In
1784 he protested against the cession of Tennessee to the
Federal Government (XIX, 714), and had his protests been
heeded the troubles coming from the abortive state of Frank-lin
would have been avoided. He was particularly vigorous
in protest against whatever savored of injustice or class legis-lation.
Thus in 1785 he protested against the salt tax and
the uniform tax on lands because they placed undue burdens
on the poor, and against the confiscation act because it was
illegal, unjust and ex post facto (XVII, 409, 410, 419, 421).
There is plenty of evidence also that Person was a man
of strong feeling and made personal enemies. Thus Mac-laine
writes bitterly of his political methods, which were
never to produce ''his budget till he is pretty certain he has
sufficient strength to support it" (XXI, 504) ; and when the
constitution question was uppermost Thomas Iredell runs to
THOMAS PERSON. 33
his brother with a tale that Person had said in substance that
Washington was a damned rascal and traitor to his country,
for putting his hand to such an infamous paper as the new
constitution (McEee, II, 224, 225).
The feeling of the conservative and aristocratic party to-ward
him may be seen in a letter of Johnston to Burke, dated
June 26, 17Y7:
"The few good men, or men of understanding and business, who had
inclination or intend to be either of the legislature or executive depart-ments,
are by no means sufficient to counterbalance the fools and knaves
who by their low arts have worked themselves into the good graces of
the populace. When I tell you that I saw with indignation such men as
G—th E—d, T—s P—s—n [Griffith Rutherford and Thomas Person],
and your colleague Penn, with a few others of the same stamp, principal
leaders in both houses, you will not expect that anything good or great
should proceed from the counsels of men of such narrow, contracted
principles, supported by the most contemptible abilities." XI, 504.)
Even Caswell, with whom he had fought many battles and
whose personal ambitions he had so often advanced, was not
always true. He writes to Hawkins, September 29, 1786
:
"I can not say it gives me great pain to hear my old friend, the
general, was disappointed in the late election for Granville, or that he is
much mortified at being left out, as I flatter myself his country will
derive advantage from his absence from the legislature, which his jeal-ousy
prevented when present, and kept her from. However, he may yet
succeed in his favorite scheme of appointing a new governor for the next
year, as his pernicious opinions and false suggestions are gone forth and
he very likely will still have effrontery sufficient to endeavor to support
them when the governor, conscious of the rectitude of his own conduct,
and his friends, careless about the matter, may take no pains to contra-vene
his attempt. (XVIII, 751.)
From these extracts it is not hard to see that Person was
not one to fawn on those in power or to ask favors of the
great. It is also evident that his political life had in it
much of storm and stress and that he was a man who de-lighted
in the joy of battle. He was a man of wealth, but
not penurious. During the war his property was at the
service of the State. We find the State in 1781 repaying
him for a loan of salt (XVII, 971, 974) and between June,
34 THE NOETH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
1781, and April 25, 1782, he loaned Governor Burke $50,000
"to be replaced or paid bj warrant which I did not issue"
(XVI, 299). He assisted in securing the charter for the
University of l^orth Carolina in 1789 and was a member of
its first board of trustees, 1789-95. But this was not all.
While the University had been chartered no support had been
provided for it by the State. An effort was being made to
open its doors to students, but the trustees and faculty had
no money. Its fortunes were at the lowest ebb. The trus-tees
could or would do nothing in their private capacity, when
Person came forward, and on April 20, 1796, gave the infant
institution £500, and in April, 1797, £25 more. This sum,
aggregating $1050 in our money, was paid in silver dollars
at a time when hard money was almost unattainable. The
gift, for the time and section, a very large one, perhaps saved
the institution and started it on a career of usefulness. Per-son
Hall, known after 1837 as "the old chapel" and used in
more recent years as a chemical laboratory, was named in
his honor, and until the reopening of the University in 1875
all its diplomas were dated from Aula Personica. A street
in Raleigh, another in Fayetteville, and Person County,
erected in 1791, recall his name and fame.
General Person married his cousin. Tradition says her
name was Johanna Philpot, of Granville (b. September 15,
1739). She died insane and without issue. He had two
sisters, Martha, who married Major Thomas Taylor, of
Franklin County, and Mary Ann (b. May 6, 1736), who
married Major George Little, a son of Chief Justice Little,
and a Revolutionary patriot of Hertford County. General
Person adopted his nephew, William Person Little, who was
a son of this marriage, educated him at Sprig's College, near
Williamsboro, in Granville County, gave him much of his
property, and it is in his honor that Littleton is named. He
also had a brother, William Person (b. ISTovember 30, 1734),
and a brother, Benjamin (b, February 13, 1737).
THOMAS PERSON. 35
Person's family seat was at Goshen in Granville County.
The sycamore trees planted by him are still standing, but in
a decayed condition. He died in Franklin County, at the
home of his sister, Mrs. Taylor, on ISTovember 16, 1800, (not
1799, as Wheeler says) while on his way from Raleigh to
Goshen, and is buried at Personton on Hub Quarter Creek in
Warren County.
The Raleigh Register for Tuesday, IsFovember 25, 1800,
has a notice of his death and character. It is reproduced
here, for it shows the esteem of his own generation.
"Died. At the house of Major Taylor, in Franklin County, on Sunday,
the 16th inst., Thomas Person, of Warren, in the sixty-seventh year of
his age.
"This gentleman was long a member of the General Assembly of North
Carolina, as well before as since the Revolution, and at all times con-ducted
himself in such a manner as to manifest a proper and steady
regard, not only to the interests of his immediate constituents, but
likewise to the welfare and happiness of the people of the State at large.
"He was a member of the first convention and of all the subsequent
conventions had in this State. * * *
"He died as he lived, a firm believer and fixed Republican; and al-though
he left no children, * * * he has raised up for himself a
name which will neither be forgotten nor cease to be respected. * * *"
Archibald Henderson, a younger contemporary, congress-man,
and great lawyer, pronounced Person one of nature's
noblemen, and Colonel William L. Saunders, a Democrat af-ter
Person's own heart, says of him: "Wherever devoted,
intelligent, efficient patriotism was required, Person was
promptly put on duty. * * * And to-day ISTorth Carolina
bears in her bosom the bones of no purer patriot than those
of Thomas Person" (Col. Rec, VIII, xxx).
Sources: Private information from representatives of the Person
family for use in my "Life of Mangum"; the Colonial and State Rec-ords,
passim, where Person's public life is fully portrayed, with many
useful suggestions as to the complexion of political parties in that day
from Saunders' "Prefatory Notes" and Dodd's "Life of Macon."
SKETCH OF FLORA McDONALD.
By Mrs. S. G, Ayeb.
Flora McDonald was the daughter of Kanald, who was the
son of Angus, youngest son of Milton. She was born in
Milton in island of Uist, Argyleshire, Scotland, in 1Y26. I
have never yet learned the exact date. Her earlier years
were spent in her native Uist, where she could hear the roar
of Corrievrecken, and see the mountains of Currada and
Skye rise in solemn grandeur toward heaven; or at her
brother's home at Corrodale, where she had a commanding
view of Loch Boisdale and Loch Skipport, which separate
Uist from the main land and tihe Isle of Skye. Midst
scenes of grandeur and sublimity, the earlier years of Flora
passed away; but, her father having died, in a few years
after Flora's mother married Hugh McDonald of Armadale,
in the Isle of Skye.
Skye seems to have been more favored with schools and
seminaries than other portions of the Highlands at that time
and Flora having the advantage of the ancient institutions
was at an early age quite well educated and was deeply
imbued with a veneration for the system of clanship, and
loyalty to the house of Stuart.
In her teens she was sent to Edinburgh to complete her
studies and to acquire the grace and polish suited to her sta-tion
in life. That she succeeded most admirably may be
gathered from the way in which Dr. Johnson in his "Tour of
the Hebrides" speaks of her, as a "woman of middle stature,,
soft features, gentle manners and elegant presence." Mr.
James Banks in his "Life and Character of Flora McDonald'^
also says, "years ago I heard Malcomb McKay, who had been
in early life a Cornet in the British Army, remark, that he
had seen the Queen of England and many of her attendants,.
FLORA Mcdonald. 3Y
but for grace and dignity Elora McDonald excelled all the
women he ever beheld and that it was worth a day's ride to
see her graceful manner of sitting or rising from a chair,
that there was a perfection of ease and grace in that simple
act that could be felt but not described." This sounds extrava-gant
to a nineteenth century woman though we are all ready
to admit Flora a most extraordinary woman.
Flora McDonald was related to the Clanranald branch of
the family of that name, and was consequently descended
from a family of heroes, whose deeds of valor had afforded
themes for the immortal Ossian and whose prowess nearly
prevented the removal of the Scottish capital from Dun-staffanage
(Flora was imprisoned here) the palace of the
ancient kings of Scotland, whence the chair of Scone was
brought to crown the royal Bruce, and now forms an append-age
to the regalia of Britain.
Perhaps I have said enough of the lineage, personal ap-pearance
and general characteristics of Flora McDonald. Sir
Walter Scott speaks beautifully of her in "Waverly." Her
loyalty to the House of Stuart is represented as the ruling
passion of her life. Those who have read Waverly remember
Flora Mclvor. When Prince Charlie landed in Scotland and
raised the royal standard on the hills of Moidart and called
the chiefs of McDonald, Lochiel and Glengarry to uphold
that banner, the young and enthusiastic Flora in her High-land
home was heard to exclaim:
"Yes. Up with that banner.
Let forest winds fan her.
It has waved o'er the Stuarts ten ages and more;
In sport we'll attend her,
In battle defend her,
With hearts and with hands like our fathers before."
Ah ! but when that banner was trailed in the dust at Cul-loden,
and her prince seeking an asylum and a hiding place
in the glens and mountains, over which his ancestors had so
38 THE NOETH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
long exercised control, when he was persecuted and hunted
like a wild animal, hemmed in by the Duke of Cumberland,
(victor of Culloden) as by a wall of fire on the little Island
of Uist, sentinels stationed at every possible place of escape,
patrols were at every ferry and at every pass, even a fleet of
British cruisers had surrounded the island, false friends had
deserted him, and the timid ones shrunk away in despair, a
price was set upon his head, his enemies believed his destruc-tion
certain, men of iron nerve quailed and were unable to
effect his escape. jSTow a woman comes to do what brave men
dare not, she releases Prince Charles Edward from his island
prison.
Oh, woman, in our hours of ease
Uncertain, coy and hard to please;
When pain and anguish rack the brow,
A ministering angel thou.
And truly "a ministering angel" was Flora McDonald to
the poor, despairing Prince. When she was asked by Cap-tain
ISTeal and Lady Clanranald to help the Prince to escape
she said that the McDonald (her step father's), McLeod and
Campbell militia commanded every pass, the Prince was
known to be on the island, a price of thirty thousand pounds
was on his head, Loch Skipport and Loch Boisdale were
covered with English sails cruising about towards France so
that a sparrow could not go beyond their lines without their
knowledge. But with her ready wit she devised a plan.
She was shown the Prince in a miserable "shieling" on the
estate of her brother at Corrodale. She was so overcome, to
see her Prince, his clothes in tatters, half famished, prepar-ing
his frugal meal, that she knelt before him declaring her
readiness to die in the attempt to save him. The Prince
raised her from her kneeling posture and assured her "he
would always retain a deep sense of so conspicuous a ser-vice."
On the same day she returned to Milton to make ar-
FLORA Mcdonald. 39
rangements to take the Prince from Uist to Skye. The next
day, June 21, 1746, as she was trying to cross over to Orma-clade,
the seat of Clanranald, she was taken prisoner, having
failed to provide herself with a passport. On being arrested
she refused to answer any questions, and demanded to be
taken to the officer in command. This she was denied and
was committed to prison for the night. In the morning she
was taken before the Commander, who proved to be no less
a person than her stepfather, Hugh McDonald of Armadale,
to whose house in Skye she expressed a strong desire to go,
that she might avoid unpleasant and annoying encounters
with the soldiers on the island of Uist. Her request seemed
so natural, that he readily consented to give her a passport
for herself and ]S[eill McEachin McDonald who acted as her
servant. (He was the father of Marshal McDonald, Duke
•ji Tarentum, one of l^apoleon's ablest generals). Another
passport was also obtained for "Betty Burke," an Irish girl
whom she had m(^t on the island, and wished to carry to help
her mother spin flax and to keep them company while the
master of the house was absent. So unsuspecting was her
father that he even wrote to his wife giving reasons for send-ing
Flora from the island and recommending Betty Burke
for spinning, and giving leave to hire and employ her till
his return. After getting the passport Flora sent a mes-sage
to the Prince telling him that all was well, asking him
to meet her at Rasimish in Benbicula. In the meantime she
Avent to Lady Clanranald's and told her her scheme. Lady
Clanranald complimented her and supplied the necessary
dress to disguise the Prince as an Irish servant girl. The
dress consisted of "a. flowered linen govoi, sprigged with blue,
a light quilted garment, a cap and apron, and a mantle of
dun colored camlet, made after the Irish fashion with a
hood." She hired a six-oared boat to take them across to
Skye, telling the men when and where to meet her. With
40 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
Lady Clanranald and her servant boy MclSTeill she went to
meet the Prince who had gone by her directions to the wilds
of Benbicula. They found him preparing his own dinner
which was of the humblest fare. "At dinner Flora occupied
a seat on the Prince's right hand and Lady Clanranald on
his left." After dinner much to the Prince's astonishment
Flora told him he was to go with her as her servant girl and
showed him the disguise she had procured for him. The
Prince appreciated the ingenuity of the plan and, to the
merriment of the ladies, was soon transformed into a rather
awkward maid. Scarcely was this done when a messenger
came to announce that Captain Furgison had quartered at
Ormaclade, making it positively necessary that Lady Clan-ranald
should hasten back that any suspicion might be
averted. She took an affectionate farewell of the Prince and
left her brave kinswoman alone and comparatively unaided
to work out the escape of their dearly loved Prince. It must
have been most trying, indeed, to one so young, but she
seemed equal to the emergency. When Captain O'Neill, who
had up to this time been the inseparable companion of the
Prince, refused now to be separated from him, she stood firm
and told him if he did go all was indeed lost as she had pass-ports
for only three. Both O'Keil and the Prince were obliged
to yield and took a most affectionate leave, embracing each
other. That evening when they reached the seashore, wet
and weary, imagine their distress at not finding the boat
which they expected. They were obliged to pass the night on
the rock anxiously waiting, but as it did not come they ven-tured
to kindle a fire to dry their dripping clothes and warm
themselves, l^o sooner had they begun to feel somewhat
comfortable than "four wherries filled with armed men were
seen approaching," this obliged them to put out the fire and
look for shelter among "the bonnie blooming heather." For-tunately
they did not land or make any search, but, in a
FLORA Mcdonald. 4]^
short time, the wherries tacked and passed within gunshot
of the place where they were concealed. All of the next day
they were obliged to seek shelter, these three, among the
mountains of that "rock-girt sea," but in the evening their
boat came, and immediately set sail for Skye. The evening
was "calm, clear and serene" and a gentle favorable breeze
rippled over the water, but soon the sky began to lower, the
wind rose, the billows rolled mountain high and threatened
to engulf their little boat. The even temper of the Prince
seems not to have been ruffled by any reverse of fortune; it
is related of him that "he was superior to the elements, and
to cheer and animate the sailors he narrated incidents of
naval valor, and sung songs of the British Isle." Flora feel-ing
that her watchful care was not then necessary to her
Prince, closed her eyes and restored tired nature, and pre-pared
for the next day's trials. "While she slept the Prince
kept watch that she might rest undisturbed. Judge of their
anxiety, when day dawned, no land was in sight, and not
having a compass they could not tell where they were, or
which way to steer. "There is a Divinity that shapes our
ends rough hew them as we may." The seamen steered at
random, and in a short time were cheered by seeing the head-lands
of Skye, in the dim distance. What must have been
their feeling! When at Waterwish they were fired upon by
McLeod's militia. As the bullets fell thickly around them,
the Prince tried to persuade Flora to get in the bottom of
the boat. She refused to do so but insisted that he should do
so. Seeing that she was determined, the matter was compro-mised
by both taking shelter in the bottom of the boat until
they had gone beyond danger. About the middle of the next
day the boat entered a little creek near Moydhstat in Skye,
the seat of Sir Alex. McDonald who was at that time with
the Duke of Cumberland at Fort Augustus making plans for
the capture of the fugitive Prince, who was on his way to
42 THE NORTH CAKOLINA BOOKLET.
Lady Margaret McDonald's, Sir Alexander's wife ; she being
a strong Jacobite was anxious for the Prince to escape. She
was a daughter of the celebrated Susana, Countess of Alin-ton,
whom Dr. Johnson has immortalized as a beauty and a
wit and to whom Allan Ramsey dedicated his pastoral, says
:
"When Flora reached the castle with the Prince she was
surprised to find Captain McLeod quartered there fully em-powered
to examine and arrest all suspected persons. She
intuitively discovered that he suspected her, so instead of
avoiding a meeting with him she sought his society and by her
easy, pleasant manners so won him that he escorted her to
dinner and paid her much attention." As soon as the "Moun-tain
Dew" (I wish I could recollect the formula of this
famous drink ; Mrs. Furgison gave it to me but with other
papers was lost in the fire) was brought on Lady McDonald
and Flora retired leaving the gentleman to their "cup."
They went immediately to the private apartments of Lady
McDonald where the Prince was waiting for them. While
they were discussing means for his escape. Captain McLeod
knocked at the door. Flora sent the maid "Betty Burke" to
open the door, which she did and slowly retired from sight.
This little ruse disarmed the Captain of any suspicion he
may have entertained, and apologizing for the intrusion re-turned
to the hall. Lady McDonald called to their counsel
her husband's factor, Alex. McDonald of Kingsboro (after-wards
Flora's father-in-law). He asked that the Prince might
pass the night with him, at his home fourteen miles away.
To this they readily consented. While Kingsboro (Alex.
McD.) was getting the Prince away. Flora took leave of her
mother publicly and her manner was so self-possessed that
all of Captain McLeod's suspicion was allayed. They
walked from Moydhstat to Kingsboro in the pouring rain.
The mountain streams were full to overflowing and the Prince
came near betraying himself by the awkward way in which
FLORA Mcdonald. 43
lie managed his skirts, but after a good many narrow escapes
they reached the hospitable mansion of Kingsboro about mid-night.
The lady of the house was very much alarmed. She
feared that Flora had been imprudent in letting the boat
which brought them to Skye return to TJist, nor were her
fears long in being realized. The men on their arrival at Uist
told their suspicions and royal troops set out immediately in
purusit. The Prince at a late hour retired and enjoyed the
first refreshing sleep he had had for months past. In the
morning the lady asked for a lock of his hair as a memento
that he had passed a night under her roof; the Prince con-sented
and Flora at his request cut a lock which she divided
between Mrs. McDonald and herself. On another occasion
the Prince came near being discovered but Flora's self-pos-session
and ready wit saved him. Turning towards him she
commanded "Betty Burke" to put on the kettle, "Betty"
went to do as bidden and so escaped again, but Flora was
afraid to venture to hide him again in her mother's house
so determined to put off female attire and disguise him as
a farmer. This she did and he made his escape into the
country of the Laird of Eaasay, who was then outlawed, and
in his mountain home bid defiance to the troops of Hanover.
The McLeods of Raasay met Flora, the Prince and J^eill
McEachin at Portree and carried them into their own terri-tory,
not only at the risk of their lives, but knowing that
their daring act would operate as an excuse for the confisca-tion
of their entire estates. On July 1, 1746, the Prince
bade Flora "a tender and affecting farewell, ardently thanked
her for her protection during the past ten days, and for hav-ing
enabled him to escape from the wall of fire by which she
had found him environed, and which he could never have
passed without her aid and intrepidity. In affecting tones
he told her that he yet hoped to meet her at the Court of St.
James, when he would be able to reward her heroic devotion
44 THE NOKTH CAEOLINA BOOKLET.
to her unfortunate Prince Charles Edward. History tells
us though he was denied this privilege he never mentioned
her name except in the highest terms of respect.
The Prince escaped from Raasaj to France and Flora re-turned
to her brother's home in Uist. Soon after reaching
there she was called to appear before McLeod at Tallisker,
and answer to the charge of helping the Prince to escape.
Her friends entreated her to hide herself for awhile, but she
refused to do so and started unprotected and alone to answer
the summons. On her way to Tallisker she was met and
arrested, not being allowed to take leave of her friends, was
carried on board the sloop ''Furnace," Captain Furgison com-manding.
Three weeks later under an escort of soldiers she
was allowed, to bid her mother adieu, and was much hurt to
learn from her that her stepfather was implicated in her
offense, and that the people generally believed that he knew
when he gave his daughter the passport for "Betty Burke"
it was intended for the Prince. Flora bravely denied this
charge on her stepfather, saying that she only was to blame.
At her earnest request Kate McDonald was allowed to go with
her as her maid. She was again taken on board the Fur-nace,
but was soon considered a state prisoner of so much
importance that she was exchanged to a vessel commanded
by Commodore Smith, who was kind-hearted and very much
sympathized with his fair captive in her distress. By his
position and influence he was enabled to have her temporarily
transferred as a prisoner to Dunstaffage Castle. In Sep-tember,
she was again put on shipboard and carried to Leith
Roads, where she was tossed in one of England's naval pal-aces
until some time in ISTovember. During this time her
name had become famous, as the lass who helped Prince
Charles Edward to evade his foes and hundreds came from
Edinburgh to see and talk with its Scottish heroine. Among
the number were Bishop Forbes, Lady Bruce, Lady Cochran
FLORA Mcdonald. 45
and Lady Clarke, tlie latter of whom was so eager to do her
honor that she was "willing to wipe her shoes." On the
27th of ]^ovember, having been kept in captivity in Scotland
four months, she was placed on board the "Royal Sovereign"
and taken to London to await her trial on charge of treason.
Government discovering that the people so deeply sympa-thized
with her, that it was thought best not to put her in a
common prison or in the tower, but determined to place her
in the care of friends, who would be responsible for her ap-pearance,
and yet allow government an oversight and knowl-edge
of her correspondence and actions. "In this mitigated
imprisonment Flora remained a State prisoner in London
about twelve months" until in 1747 an act of indemnity was'
passed, which set her free, and permitted her to return to her
"native Highland home." It is said that during her long
imprisonment, she was ever cheerful, her address easy, ele-gant
and winning, while "a subdued and modest gravity deep-ened
the interest excited by her simple, artless character."
Upon one occasion, Frederick, Prince of Wales, demanded
of her how she dared to aid a rebel against his father's
throne ? With great simplicity she replied that she would
have done the same for him had she found him in like dis-tress.
The answer conquered his resentment and made him
a lifelong friend.
After her liberation she was a guest of Lady Primrose, and
crowds of the nobility came to pay respects to the heroine.
Her picture was painted for Commodore Smith and copies
were soon scattered throughout the kingdom. One of these
copies I have often seen and handled, it being the property
of the old lady before referred to—Mrs. Cathrine Furgison
;
since her death copies have been made from it (she most
positively refused to have any copies made during her life)
and I now have one of my own which I prize highly.
46 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
Flora soon tired of the attentions shown her in London
and longed foT the quiet of her own home and the mother's
love which she knew was waiting her there. In after life
'NeiW McDonald (the same for whom she got the passport
as her servant) was accustomed to say that he went to Lon-don
to be hanged, but, instead was honored by being sent
home with Flora McDonald in a coach and four.
In 1750 in the thirtieth year of her age she was married
to Alexander McDonald of Kingsboro, son of Kingsboro who
had helped in the Prince's escape. We learn from Boswell
that Flora's husband "was completely the figure of a gallant
highlander, exhibiting the graceful mien, and manly looks,
which our popular Scotch songs have justly attributed to that
character. He had his tartan plaid thrown around him, a
large blue bonnet with a knot of black ribbon like a cockade,
a brown short coat, a tartan waistcoat with gold buttons, and
gold button holes, a bluish philibeg and tartan hose. He had
jet black hair tied behind, and was a large stately man, with
a steady sensible countenance." Soon after her marriage her
husband's father died and they moved to the Kingsboro
estate, the home where she had found one night's rest for
the Prince, and here they entertained Dr. Johnson and his
friend Boswell. Writing to Mrs. Thrale, Dr. Johnson says
:
"Flora told me she felt honored by my visit, and I am sure
whatever regard she bestowed on me, was liberally repaid.
If thou likest her opinion thou wilt praise her virtues." He
slept in the same room and on the same bed which the Prince
had occupied on that memorable night in 1746. In the morn-ing
he (Johnson) left a strip of paper with these words
written with a pencil : '"Quaniatum cedat virtutihus aurum."
Boswell translated it: "With virtue weighed, what worth-less
trash is gold." Kingsboro's estate was in an embarrassed
condition, which during his father's lifetime had suffered in
consequence of his exertions in the cause of the Prince, having
FLORA Mcdonald. 47
lost his position as Factor in the management of his chief's
estate. As is the custom in the ^^old country" Flora had a
marriage contract which gave her all of her maiden property
beyond her husband's control ; Sir Walter Scott had this doc-ument
in his possession at the time of his death. She sacri-ficed
her rights hoping to help her husband to repair his
losses, and he thinking to better do so decided to try his for-tune
in the "l!^ew World." Accordingly in 1114:, they sailed
from Cambleton, Kintire, for Wilmington, ITorth Carolina,
on board the ship "Baliol."
The fame of Flora had crossed the water in advance of the
heroine and when she arrived at Wilmington a ball was given
in her honor, which she attended and ''took much pleasure in
the attention paid her eldest daughter, Anne, who was just
then blushing into young womanhood, and bore a striking
resemblance to her mother."
When she came to Cross Creek her old neighbors and
kinsfolk who had preceded her a few years gave her a truly
Highland welcome. "The strains of Pibroch and the martial
airs of her native land greeted her on her approach to the
capital of the Scotch settlement. "In this village she re-mained
some time, visiting and receiving visits from friends,
while her husband went to the western part of Cumberland,
looking for land." One day she went to Mrs. Rutherford's,
after Mrs. McAustin, (she occupied the house at that time
known as the Stuart place just north of the Presbyterian
church) and while there she saw a picture of "Anne of Jura"
assisting the Prince to escape. Looking at it she said to her
hostess : "Turn it to the wa, turn it to the wa, never let it
see the light again, it is na true. Anne of Jura was na
there and did na help the bonnie Prince." She lived on
Cameron's Hill in Cumberland for a short while, and attended
"preaching" at Longstreet and Barbecue, two Presbyterian
churches. The minister at that time was Rev. Mr. McLeod.
48 THE NORTH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
Her daughter Anne married Alex. McLeod of Glendale,
Moore County, in 1775. He afterwards distinguished himself
in European wars and rose to the rank of Major-General in
the British service. She died in Stein, Scotland. In the
year 1775-76, Governor Martin, of ISTorth Carolina, deter-mined
to raise a body of men from among the Scotch High-landers
to be sent to Boston and mustered into the "Royal
Highland Emigrant Regiment" to help General Gage to
break down all opposition there. He accordingly selected
Flora's husband and granted him the commission of Briga-dier-
General. In order to assemble the Scotch, balls were
given in different parts of the settlement. Flora attended
some, accompanied by her daughter Anne (now Mrs. Mc-
Leod) and a younger daughter Fanny. "Upon these occa-sions
Anne and Fanny reig-ned supreme and bore off all the
honors of the ball." January, 1776, "Kingsboro" McDonald
bought a piece of land from Caleb Tuchstone on the borders
of Richmond and Montgomery counties, and named it "Kil-liegray."
Here two of Flora's children died and were buried.
The road runs near the gTaves, which now are enclosed
by a plain rail fence, by the present owner, a Mr. McLeod.
I visited the spot during the winter of 1886 and was im-pressed
by the surroundings. They did not befit the last
resting place of Flora's children—simply a rail fence (true in
good condition and probably the best Mr. McLeod could
afford) around them, all overgrown with brush and weeds;
not even the name or date could be deciphered on the de-cayed
headboard. I felt had I the means how I should love
to put some mark there by which future generations might
know whose dust lay there, if it were nothing more than
this. "These are the children of Flora McDonald, the Flora
whom all admirers of feminine courage love to honor, she who
risked life, fortune and that which every woman holds most
sacred, reputation, to save her Prince, the unfortunate Charles
FLORA Mcdonald. 49
Edward." These words inscribed on a marble slab would cost
so little and yet would be sufficient to tell to all wbo read it,
whose graves they were. In the field a short distance from
the graves the remnant of what seemed to have been a neat
four-roomed cottage, my friend told me it had been the home
of Flora. I did not see any of the family, they having gone
to attend "the meeting" so the neighbors told us. In this I
was disappointed hoping to have gathered some information
from them in regard to the date of the children's death, their
names, etc. I hoped too to get the date of the transfer of
the property from the McDonalds to the McLeods, having
been told that the present owner was a descendant of the Mc-
Leod who bought the property from the McDonalds, and, ah
!
flattering hope whispered perhaps they treasured the old
deeds and I might see them too.
"When the royal banner was unfurled at Cross Creek in
1Y76, and the loyalist army marched towards Brunswick,
under the command of Brigadier-General Donald McDonald,
an officer sent by General Gage, who ranked Kingsboro
(Flora's husband,) she, with the true devotion of a wife, fol-lowed
her husband, and encamped one night on the brow of
Haymount, near the site of the U. S. Arsenal. In the morn-ing
when the army took up its line of march, midst banners
streaming in the breeze and martial music floating on the
air. Flora embraced her husband, and tears dimmed her eyes
as she breathed a fervent prayer for his safe and speedy re-turn
to their new home at Killiegray. In company with Mal-com
McKay (then sixteen years of age) she retraced her
steps home, and spent the first night with McKay's mother
at Longstreet." After the defeat of the loyalists at Moore's
Creek, and the capture of her husband Flora's health seems
to have broken. Her husband was kept a prisoner in Hali-fax,
]Sr. C, jail and she was not allowed to visit him at all,
50 THE NOETH CAEOLINA BOOKLET.
SO at his earnest request she decided to return to their home
in Scotland. She remained a year or two at Killiegray,
making frequent visits to Cross Creek where a hearty wel-come
always awaited her. After many difficulties with the
Whig scouts, she succeeded in getting a pass from Captain
Ingram (a Whig) in 1779. This enabled her to reach Fay-etteville,
l!T. C, and Wilmington, 'N. C, from which place she
made her way to Charleston, S. C. From there she sailed to
her native land. "On the passage the vessel was attacked by a
French cruiser; during the engagement Flora refused to go
below, and remained on deck urging the men to deeds of
daring. Her arm was broken in the fight, and she was ac-customed
to say she had fought for the House of Stuart and
for the House of Hanover, but had been worsted each time."
Her three sons, Charles, James and John, were in the Brit-ish
army, and Eanald and Sandy were in the naval service
of England. Fanny was the only child with her and she
seems to have been too young to give her mother the sym-pathy
and comfort she so much needed at this trying time.
Two letters written by Flora McDonald, one in 1780, the
other in 1782, were published in the "Jacobite Memoirs,"
and have since been republished, I think, in BlachwelV
s
Magazine, some time during the forties of the last century.
After peace was restored, her husband was liberated and
returned from ISTorth Carolina to Skye, where he lived with
his family till his death and was buried in Kingsboro bury-ing
ground. On the 5th of March, 1790, Flora died and was
buried in the church yard of Kilmuir in Skye "within a
square piece of brick wall, which encloses the tombs of the
McDonalds of Kingsboro," at the age of seventy (70) years.
It is said that at least four thousand persons attended the
funeral. "A great number of pipers assembled and simulta-neously
played the usual lament for departed greatness.
FLORA MCDONALD. 51
Three hundred gallons of the purest ^mountain dew' was
served out to the assembled multitude."
Her son, Colonel McDonald, provided a marble slab with
a suitable inscription, but it was broken when being carried
to the cemetery and every piece of it has been taken away
by tourists, anxious to possess some relic of the heroic woman.
Up to seventy years ago there was not even a simple mar-ble
stone to mark her grave.
In 1898 one of the Scottish towns, (I do not remember
which) elected to have a monument to Flora McDonald. It
was a woman in Highland dress. When the statue was
brought to the city, the woman was barefoot and the people
were so indignant that they refused to accept it. The last
accounts it still had not been unveiled.
Flora, by request, when buried was wrapped in the sheet
on which the Prince slept when at Kingsboro that memorable
night in 1Y46. It had twice passed through Wilmington and
Fayetteville, ^. C, as she never allowed it out of her posses-
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL
MEMORANDA.
COMPILED AND EDITED BY MRS. E, E. MOFFITT.
CLARENCE H. POE.
The following sketcli of Mr. Clarence Hamilton Poe, of
Raleigh, 'N. C, the author of the article on ''Indians, Slaves
and Tories: our early Legislation regarding them," is re-vised
from the 1908-09 edition of "Who's Who in America":
"Clarence Hamilton Poe; journalist; author; born in
Chatham County, iN'orth Carolina, January 10, 1881; son
of William B. and Susan (Dismukes) Poe; educated in the
public schools, and at home (his mother having been a
teacher) till 16 years of age when he began newspaper work.
Editor-in-chief of the Progressive Farmer since 1899 ; he is
now president of the Agricultural Publishing Company;
secretary-treasurer of the Mutual Publishing Company;
president of the Southern Farm Gazette Company ; secretary-treasurer
State Literary and Historical Association; chair-man
of the ]Sr. C. State Anti-Saloon League; acting chair-man
IsT. C. Child Labor Committee. Baptist. Democrat^
unmarried. Author: (in collaboration) "Cotton; Its Culti-vation,
Marketing and Manufacture," published by Double-day,
Page & Co., 1906, "A Southerner in Europe," Mutual
Publishing Co., 1908. Contributor to World's Worh, Re-view
of Revieivs, North American Review, Atlantic Monthly^
and other magazines."
Mr. Poe has two marked qualities that hardly ever fail to-make
a man worth much to himself and his country : first, he
is a persistent and systematic worker; second, he has the
analytical faculty which enables him to see the real signifi-cance
of things and to grasp the essentials. He thinks easily
and rapidly, and his energy enables him to carry his thoughts,
into execution. 'No man is doing more to advance the in-terests
of the South than he, especially in the line of Agri-
BIOGEAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL. 53
culture. Endowed with tremendous industry, genuine pa-triotism,
and lofty ideals, in time to come he will be widely
known as one of the rebuilders of the South. He has so en-larged
his activities that his editorial range stretches from
Maryland to Texas. His two papers, the Progressive Far-mer,
of Ealeigh, ]^. C, and the Southern Farm Gazette, of
Starkville, Mississippi, have a combined circulation of
about Y0,000, weekly, and these lists are increasing at a
great rate.
He is not only a remarkable editor but a man of fine busi-ness
capacity. He is a man of unusual talent and has to his
credit many successful magazine articles. He is devoted to
the history of ISTorth Carolina and serves as Secretary and
Treasurer of the State Literary and Historical Association,
the purpose of which is "the collection, preservation, produc-tion
and dissemination of our State literature and history;
the encouragement of public and school libraries ; the incul-cation
of a literary spirit among our people; and the engen-dering
of an intelligent, healthy State pride in the rising gen-eration."
Mr. Poe is a man of versatile talents, methodical and
painstaking, and withal an excellent citizen. Reared on a
farm in the country he sees the need of educating the masses
in the best modes of agriculture. He has inherited the
patriotism of a patriotic father who was a Confederate sol-dier
and served his country faithfully. He has inherited
those traits from an ambitious mother that have made him
progressive and painstaking in whatever he undertakes.
That he merits the confidence of his fellow-citizens is at-tested
by the numerous places of honor and trust that he
fills.
STEPHEN B. WEEKS.
Stephen Beauregard Weeks, the author of the article on
General Thomas Person, belongs to the new school of histori-
54: THE NOETH CAROLINA BOOKLET.
cal writers who came to the front at the close of the last
century. It is composed of the younger men who have been
trained in the science of historical investigation. To-day
Dr. Weeks stands among the foremost of II^Torth Carolina
historians.
The Weeks family was of Devonshire, England, and ap-peared
in ISTorth Carolina in 1727, when Thomas Weeks set-tled
in Pasquotank County, 'N. C. The subject of this
sketch is of the fifth generation. Dr. Weeks's mother was
Mary Louise Mullen (formerly MouUin), of Huguenot an-cestry
from Virginia. He was left an orphan at the age
of three years and was reared by an aunt, Mrs. Robertson
Jackson, of Pasquotank County, who taught him habits of
industry, economy and sobriety. He attended the country
school and prepared for entering the T. J. Horner School at
Henderson at the age of fifteen years. Prom Dr. Horner
he received his first real intellectual impulse.
In the year 1886 he entered the University of North
Carolina, where he took the degre of A.B. During two
years of post-graduate work there in English language, litera-ture,
German and Latin he took A.M. in 1887 and Ph.D. in
1888. The three following years, 1888-91, were spent as
honorary Hopkins scholar at Johns Hopkins University in
the study of history, political science and political economy,
and by what he called "invincible attraction" he turned to
history and has made that his life work.
In June, 1888, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary
Lee Martin, daughter of the Reverend Joseph B. Martin, of
the JSTorth Carolina Methodist Conference. Mrsi. Weeks
died in 1891, leaving two children.
Dr. Weeks's second marriage was with Miss Sallie Man-gum
Leach in June, 1893. She is granddaughter of Hon-orable
Wiley P. Mangum, who was Representative and Sena-tor
from ISTorth Carolina in the Congress of the United
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL. 55
States, and from 1842-1845 President of the United States
Senate. His career was highly distinguished and altogether
honorable to the State.
Dr. Weeks has held many important positions. He was
Professor of History at Trinity College; established the
Trinity College Historical Society at Durham, N. C. ; was
Fellow by Courtesy in Johns Hopkins University; and has
spent much time in original investigations along historical
lines. He was appointed by the Philanthropic Society of
the University of ISTorth Carolina to edit its register of mem-bers.
This gave him acquaintance with the great men of
the University, and he branched out from this into his life
work. He has the most complete collection of books on
JN'orth Carolina history, and the largest collection of auto-graphs,
pamphlets, and original letters bearing on our State
history from the Lords Proprietors to the present time. He
is an untiring collector of everything pertaining to I^orth
Carolina. He has contributed to the public many mono-graphs
on historical matters based on undoubted facts. In
July, 1894, Dr. Weeks accepted a position with the United
States Bureau of Education, which opened to him a broader
field for his chosen profession. He was one of the organizers
of the Southern History Association, which has issued ten
volumes of high historical value.
In the fall of 1899, his health requiring a change of cli-mate,
he obtained a transfer to the Indian service of the
ISTational Government, and was stationed at Sante Fe, l^ew
Mexico, as principal teacher in an Indian school. Later he
served as Superintendent of the San Carlos Agency School
in that Reservation. Though far removed from his native
State, his interest has not abated, but he was diligent in the
use of his spare time in giving the service of his pen for
the forward advancement of history.
56 THE NORTH CAKOLINA BOOKLET.
In 1902 the degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by
Wake Forest College.
After a few years in the far West, his health becoming
restored, he returned to ISTorth Carolina. He resides at
Trinity, in Randolph County, and is engaged in the prepa-ration
of an Index to the Census Records for 1Y90, an Index
to the Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, a
Bibliography of ITorth Carolina, a History of Education in
the Southern States during the Civil War, and other mat-ters
of history. Dr. Weeks's service to ISTorth Carolina is
invaluable—and while yet in the prime of life no one can
foresee what this active student of our history may yet search
out and spread before his fellows.
Facts for the above were obtained from T. M. Pittman's
sketch of Dr. Weeks in the Biographical History of IsTorth
Carolina, Vol. VII.
MRS. S. G. AYER.
Mrs. ' S. G. Ayer, daughter of Captain Charles Betts Cook
and Mary Langdon O'Hanlon, his wife, was born in Fayette-ville,
'N. C, just as the war cloud burst on the fair South-land.
The first recorded act of her childhood was knitting
a pair of socks for a Confederate soldier at the early age of
four and a half years. James Gee, who fought with General
Marion in South Carolina, was her great-grandfather. Mary
Gee, his wife, by her wit and coolness, saved the lives of two
patriots during the Revolution. Mrs. Ayer served as chair-man
for Cumberland County in 1907, an appointment be-stowed
by the Jamesto^^m Historical Committee of ISTorth
Carolina, She rendered most efficient aid and collected
many valuable and interesting relics for the l^orth Carolina
historical exhibit at the Jamestown Exposition. She mar-ried
in 1883 Samuel Gee Ayer. She is President of the
Liberty Point Monument Association, Fayetteville, N. C.
She inherits the spirit of her heroic Revolutionary ancestors.
ABSTRACTS OF WILLS PREVIOUS TO 1760.
FROM SECRETAKY OF STATE'S OFFICE.
Will of Peter Shrouck, Jidy 15, 1750, July 10, 1751;
brothers Michael and George Capehart; brother John Cape-hart
; father George Capehart, Executor. Test : Edy Citer,
John Cricket (Bertie).
Will of Stephen Stevens, Currituck, Apr. 20, 1748, Oct.
Court, 1748. Son Michael O'Neal, daughter Thomazin
Taylor, Sarah Eanshaw, son John Stevens, daughter Mary
Stevens, all my children. Thomas and John Stevens, Execu-tors.
Test: Thomas Taylor, Gilbert Portwood, James
Mercer.
Will of William Stevens, Beaufort, Feb. 22, 1750, March
Court, 1750. Sons James and William, John Barrow and
wife Penelope, Executors. Test: Ezekiel Dickenson, Sala-thiel
Mixon.
Will of Joseph Sanderson, Currituck, January 13, 1743.
Oct. Court, 1746. Wife Julia, sons Kowland and Thomas,
sons Samuel, William, Joshua, Benjamin and Joseph. John
Lurry (Leary?) Executor. Test: John Woodhouse, Wil-liam
Bagley, Samuel Jarvis.
Will of James Shirley, Cape Fear, Feb. 10th, 1837-8.
Son Desminiere, daughters Susannah and Ann. Wife Ann,
Exrx. Test: Dan Campbell, Armand D'Eossett, M.D.,
Roger Rolfe.
58 ABSTRACTS OF WILLS.
Will of Charles Stevenson, ISTorthampton, July 4tli, 1748.
l^OY. Court, 1751. Sons Benjamin, William, George and
Jesse, wife Mary, daughters Elizabeth, Martha, Susannah
and Olive. Test: John Dawson, Abram Hood, Edward
Streeter.
Will of John Sharee, Craven Co., Oct. 25th, 1730. Dec.
Court, 1730. John Thomas, Thomas Blake, Thomas Flybas,
Mehitable Kutledge, also my Exrs. Test : Jacob Hover, R.
Atkins.
Will of Eobert Shearer, Bertie, Oct. 22, 1727. Sons Rob-ert,
Arthur, John and William, wife Elizabeth, daughters
Prudence and Susannah. Wife, John Dew and Arthur Wil-liams,
Exrs. Test: Henry Gray, Joseph Boon.
Will of Daniel Shine, Craven, March 9th, 1757. August
Court, 1757. Sons John, Thomas and William, daughter
Elizabeth Vaughn. Son James, Tamer Shine and John
Oliver, Exrs. Test : Fumifold Green, Charles Williamson,
Charles Shine Wolf.
Will of Thomas Smithson, Pasquotank, ^ov. 2d, 1742.
Jan. Court, 1743. Son Joshua, daughter Marian, sons
Joseph and John, daughter Dorcas, daughters Mary Murden
and Tamer Morris. Wife Ann and son John, Exrs. Test
:
Richard Pritchard, Edmund Jackson.
Will of William Sitgreaves, Beaufort, July 5th, 1741,
March Court, 1742. Stephen Ford and my aunt Mary Lin-gard,
of Philadelphia, Exrs. Test: Michael Paquinet,
Michel Paquinet, Mary Paquinet.
Mks. Helen DeB. Wills,
Oenalogical Department.
Kriwards & Broughton Printing Co., Raleigh. N. C.
INFORMATION
Concerning the Patriotic Society
**Daug'hters of the Revolution"
The General Society was founded October 11, 1890,—and organized
August 20, 1891,—under the name of "Daughters of the American
Revolution"; was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York
as an organization national in its work and purpose. Some of the mem-bers
of this organization becoming dissatisfied with the terms of en-trance,
withdrew from it and, in 1891, formed under the slightly differ-ing
name "Daughters of the Revolution," eligibility to which from the
moment of its existence has been lineal descent from an ancestor who
rendered patriotic service during the War of Independence.
"^e North Carolina Society"
a subdivision of the General Society, was organized in October, 1896,
and has continued to promote the purposes of its institution and to
observe the Constitution and By-Laws.
Membership and Qualifications
Any woman shall be eligible who is above the age of eighteen years,
of good character, and a lineal descendant of an ancestor who (1) was
a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Conti-nental
Congress, Legislature or General Court, of any of the Colonies
or States; or (2) rendered civil, military or naval service under the
authority of any of the thirteen Colonies, or of the Continental Con-gress;
or (3) by service rendered during the War of the Revolution
became liable to the penalty of treason against the government of Great
Britain: Provided, that such ancestor always remained loyal to the
cause of American Independence.
The chief work of the North Carolina Society for the past eight years
has been the publication of the "North Carolina Booklet," a quarterly
publication on great events in North Carolina history—Colonial and
Revolutionary. $1.00 per year. It will continue to extend its work and
to spread the knowledge of its History and Biography in other States.
This Society has its headquarters in Raleigh, N. C, Room 411, Caro-lina
Trust Company Building, 232 Fayetteville Street.
Some Booklets for Sale
Vol. I
"Greene's Retreat," Prof. Daniel Harvey Hill.
Vol. I!
"Our Own Pirates," Capt. S. A. Ashe.
"Indian Massacre and Tuscarora War," Judge Walter Clark.
"Moravian Settlement in North Carolina," Rev. J. E. Clewell.
"Whigs and Tories," Prof. W. C. Allen.
"The Revolutionary Congresses," Mr. T. M. Pittman.
"Raleigh and the Old Town of Bloomsbury."
"Historic Homes—Bath, Buncomb Hall, Hayes," Rodman, Blount,
Dillard.
"County of Clarendon," Prof. John S. Bassett.
"Signal and Secret Service," Dr. Charles E. Taylor.
"Last Days of the War," Dr. Henry T. Bahnson.
Vol. Ill
"Trial of James Glasgow," Kemp P. Battle, LL.D.
"Volunteer State Tennessee as a Seceder," Miss Susie Gentry.
"Historic Hillsboro," Mr. Francis Nash.
"Colony of Transylvania," Judg« Walter Clark.
"Social Conditions in Colonial North Carolina," Col. Alexander Q.
Holladay, LL.D.
"Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, 1776," Prof. M. C. S. Noble.
"North Carolina and Georgia Boundary," Daniel Goodloe.
Vol. IV
"Battle Ramseur's Mill, 1780," Major Wm. A. Graham.
"Quaker Meadows," Judge A. C. Avery.
"Convention of 1788," Judge Henry Groves Connor.
"North Carolina Signers of Declaration of Independence, John Penn
and Joseph Hewes," by T. M. Pittman and E. Walter Sikes.
"Expedition to Cartagena, 1740," Judge Walter Clark.
"Rutherford's Expedition Against the Indians," Capt. S. A. Ashe.
"Changes in Carolina Coast Sine* 1585," Prof. Collier Cobb.
"Highland Scotch Settlement in N, C," Judge James C. McRae.
"The Scotch-Irish Settlement," Rev. A. J. McKelway.
"Battle of Guilford Court-house and German Palatines in North Caro-lina,"
Major J. M. Morehead, Judge O. H. Allen.
"Genesis of Wake County," Mr. Marshall DeLancey Haywood.
1
Vol. v.—(Quarterly).
No.1.
"St. Paul's Church, Edenton, N. C, and its Associations," Eiehard
Dillard, M.D.
"N. C. Signers of the National Declaration of Independence, Part II,
William Hooper," Mrs. Spier Whitaker.
No. 2.
"History of the Capitol," Colonel Charles Earl Johnson.
"Some Notes on Colonial North Carolina, 1700-1750," Colonel J. Bryan
Grimes.
"North Carolina's Poets," Rev. Hight C. Moore.
No. 3.
"Cornelius Harnett," Mr. R. D. W. Connor.
"Celebration of the Anniversary of May 20, 1775," Major W. A.
Graham.
"Edward Moseley," by Prof. D. H. Hill.
No. 4.
"Governor Thomas Pollok," Mrs. John W. Hinsdale.
"Battle of Cowan's Ford," Major W. A. Graham.
"First Settlers in North Carolina Not Religious Refugees," Rt. Rer.
Joseph Blount Cheshire, D.D.
Vol. Vl-(Quarterly.)
No. 1.
"The Indian Tribes of Eastern North Carolina," Richard Dillard, M.D.
"History Involved in the Names of Counties and Towns in North Caro-lina,"
Kemp P. Battle, LL.D.
"A Colonial Admiral of the Cape Fear" (Admiral Sir Thomas Frank-land),
Hon. James Sprunt.
"Biographical Sketches: Introduction; Maj. Graham Daves." By Mrs.
E. E. Moffitt.
October, No. 2.
"The Borough Towns of North Carolina," Francis Nash.
"Governor Thomas Burke," J. G. de Roulhac Hamilton, Ph.D.
"Colonial and Revolutionary Relics in the Hall of History," Col. Fred.
A. Olds.
"The North Carolina Society Daughters of the Revolution and its
Objects."
"Biographical Sketches: Dr. Richard Dillard, Francis Nash, J. Q.
de R. Hamilton and Col. Fred A. Olds," Mrs. E. E. Moffitt.
January, No. 3.
"State Library Building and Department of Archives and Records,"
R. D. W. Connor.
"The Battle of Rockfish Creek, 1781," James Owen Carr.
"Governor Jesse Frankklin," J. T. Alderman.
"North Carolina's Historical Exhibit at Jamestown," Mrs. Lindsay
Patterson, Miss Mary Hilliard Hinton.
2
"Biographical Sketches: Mrs. S. B. Kenneday, R. D. W. Connor,
James Owen Carr and Prof. J. T. Alderman," Mrs. E. E. Moffitt.
April, No. 4.
"Lock's Fundamental Constitution," Junius Davis.
"The White Pictures," W. J. Peele.
"North Carolina's Attitude Toward the Revolution," Robert Strong.
Biographical Sketches: Richard Renbury Creecy, the D. R. Society
and Its Objects, Mrs. E. E. Moffitt.
Genealogical Sketches: Abstracts of Wills; Scolley, Sprott and Hunter,
Mrs. Helen de B. Wells.
Vol. VII. (Quarterly.)
July, No. 1.
" North Carolina in the French and Indian War," Col. A. M. Waddell.
" Locke's Fundamental Constitutions," Mr. Junius Davis.
" Industrial Life in Colonial Carolina," Mr. Thomas M. Pittman.
Address: "Our Dearest Neighbor—The Old North State," Hon. James
Alston Cabell.
Biographical Sketches: Col. A. M. Waddell, Junius Davis, Thomas M.
Pittman, by Mrs. E. E. Moffitt; Hon. Jas. Alston Cabell, by Mary
Hilliard Hinton.
Abstracts of Wills. Mrs. Helen DeB. Wills.
October, No. 2.
" Ode to North Carolina," Pattie Williams Gee.
"The Finances of the North Carolina Colonists," Dr. Charles Lee
Raper.
" Joseph Gales, Editor," Mr. Willis G. Briggs.
" Our First Constitution, 1776," Dr. E. W. Sikes.
"North Carolina's Historical Exhibit at Jamestown Exposition," Mary
Hilliard Hinton.
Biographical Sketches: Dr. Kemp P. Battle, Dr. Charles Lee Raper,
Willis Grandy Briggs, Pattie Williams Gee. By Mrs. E. E. Moffitt.
January, No. 3.
" General Robert Howe," Hon. John D. Bellamy.
" Early Relations of North Carolina and the West," Dr. William K.
Boyd.
" Incidents of the Early and Permanent Settlement of the Cape Fear,"
Mr. W. B. McKoy.
Biographical Sketches: John Dillard Bellamy, William K. Boyd, Wil-liam
B. McKoy. By Mrs. E. E. Moffitt.
April, No. 4.
"St. James's Churchyard" (Poem), Mrs. L. C. Markham.
"The Expedition Against the Row Galley 'General Arnold'—^A Side
Light on Colonial Edenton," Rev. Robt. B. Drane, D.D.
" The Quakers of Perquimans," Miss Julia S. White.
" Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry," Judge James C. MacRae.
Biographical Sketches: Mrs. L. C. Markham, Rev. R. B. Drane, Miss
Julia S. White, Judge James C. MacRae. By Mrs. E. E. Moffitt.
3
Vol. Vm.-(Quarterly )
July, No. 1.
"John Harvey," Mr. E. D. W. Connor.
"Military Organizations of North Carolina During the American Revo-lution,"
Clyde L. King, A.M.
"A Sermon by Rev. George Micklejohn," edited by Mr. R. D. W. Connor.
Biographical and Genealogical Sketches: R. D. W. Connor, Clyde L.
King, Marshall DeLancey Haywood, by Mrs. E. E. MoflStt.
"Abstracts of Wills," Mrs. Helen DeB. Wells.
October, No. 2.
"Convention of 1835," Associate Justice Henry G. Connor.
"The Life and Services of Brigadier-General Jethro Sumner," Kemp
P. Battle, LL.D.
"The Significance of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence,"
Prof. Bruce Craven.
"Biographical and Genealogical Sketches: Judge Henry G. Connor,
Kemp P. Battle, LL.D., Prof. Bruce Craven," by Mrs. E. E. Moffitt.
January, No. 3.
"The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence," Mr. A. S. Salley, Jr.
"The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence," Prof. Bruce Craven.
"Mr. Salley's Reply."
"Mr. Craven's Rejoinder."
"Biographical and Genealogical Sketches: Prof. Bruce Craven, Mr.
Alexander, S. Salley, Jr.," by Mrs. E. E. Moffitt.
"Patriotic Objects."
"Information Concerning the Patriotic Society D. R."
Unveiling Ceremonies.
"Carolina," by Bettie Freshwater Pool.
"The Battle of King's Mountain," by William K. Boyd.
"Schools and Education in Colonial Times," by Charles Lee Smith.
"North Carolina Heroines of the Revolution," by Richard Dillard.
"Biographical and Genealogical Sketches: Bettie Freshwater Pool, Wil-liam
K. Boyd, Charles Lee Smith, Richard Dillard," by Mrs. E. E.
Moffitt.
North Carolina E^ducation
(Formerly N. C. Educational at Durham, N. C.)
Is a wide-awake monthly devoted to every phase of education
in North Carolina. If you are interested in any phase of it, then
Korth Carolina S^ducation should interest you.
One Dollar a Year is the Price
Edited by E. C. Bkooks, Chair of Education in Trinity College,
Durham, N. C, and W. F. Marshall, President Mutual Pub-lishing
Co., Raleigh, N. C.
Address, W. F. MARSHALL, Publisher, 108 W. Martin Street, Raleigt), N. C.
The North Carolina Booklet
A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION ISSUED UNDER
THE AUSPICES OF THE
NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION
THIS PUBLICATION treats of important
events in North Carolina History, such
as may throw light upon the political, social
or religious life of the people of this State
during the Colonial and Revolutionary
periods, in the form of monographs written
and contributed by as reliable and pains-taking
historians as our State can produce.
The Ninth Volume begins in July, 1909.
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION:
One Year, One Dollar; Single Copies, Thirfy-five Cents.
Miss Mary Hilliard Hinton, Mrs. E. E. Moffitt, Editors,
Raleigh, North Carolina,
Registered at Raleigh Post-office as second class matter.
Notice should be given if the subscription is to be discon-tinued.
Otherwise it is assumed that a continuance of the sub-scription
is desired.
Send all orders for back numbers to Mrs. E. E. Moffitt,
Raleigh, N. C.
All communications relating to subscriptions should be
sent to
Miss Mary Hilliard Hinton,
Midway Plantati-^n, Raleigh, N. C.
Genealogical Department
[loRTH CARoiiiriA Society
DflUOHTERS OF THE REVOUUTION
YOUR ANCESTRY CAN BE CAREFULLY TRACED
The Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, Pay-rolls of Revo-lutionary
Soldiers filed in State Auditor's Office, County
Records, Family Records, State Histories and
Biographies will be diligently
examined.
Fee for Such Researches, ST.OOto $10.00,
according to Difficulty of Research (not
less than S7.00 paid with order).
Write for particulars, enclosing stamp for reply, to
Mrs. Helen DeBerniere Wills,
(Genealogist for N. C. D. R. and Raleigh Circle Colonial Dames.)
Raleigh, North Carolina.
COATS-OF-ARMS
PAINTED
Coats-of-Arms painted, decorated with helmet, lambrequin, etc.,
and enclosed in passe partout $12.00
Same style and size, but unframed _ 10.00
A painted Coat-of-Arms, without helmet, lambrequin, etc. , un-framed.
5.00
India Ink Drawing of Arms 5.00
Searches for Coats-of-Arms, including (if found) a small sketch
of the arms 8.00
Arms burned on wood 5.00
Write for particulars, enclosing stamp.
Miss Mary Hilliard Hinton.
"Midway Plantation,"
Raleigh, North Carolina.
5 6
The Science of Accounts
SINGLE AND DOUBLE ENTRY
Book-keeping
A TEXT BOOK FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Graded School Edition. 65 pages, 25 lessons; cloth. Price, 65 cents. Will be
ready August 1st.
The Hi&h School Edition. 130 pages, 50 lessons, and supplement; cloth bound.
Price, $1.00, sent prepaid. This edition will be ready September 1st.
A 32-pagre Booklet with lO Sample Lessons will be sent feee to any subsriber
to the N. C. Booklet who applies for it.
Address
GEORGE ALLEX, Ralei&h, N. C.
S^^mith's O>-l/*d** iB-orwoA*k. S.^two*re oooVNonhSinfan^^^^^^ v./ emhistory. 25 years in business.
r»i-i TIT rt jTTf JTT -^11 kinds of books and relics
Raleigh, N. C. and Richmond, Va. bought and sold.
IF YOUWILL SEND US A POSTAL
and mention the N. C. Booklet,
we will send you
THREE FREE SAMPLE COPIES OF THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER.
The Progressive Farmer should be read by every North Carolina man or woman who
owns or operates a farm, and every farm owner should see that all his tenants read it
" In increased production and valuation of farm and stock. The Progrressive
Farmer has made me ."$100 to every $1 I have paid for it,"
says J. M. Parris, Jackson County, K. C.
THE PROGRESSIVE FARMER. RALEIGH. N. C.
ESTABLISHED BY CHAPTER 787,PUBLIC LAWS OF 1 903
AMENDED BY CHAPTER 714, PUBLIC LAWS OF 1907.
MEMBERS
J. BRYAN GRIMES, Chairman Raleigh, N. C.
W. J PEELE Raleigh, N. C.
THOS. W. BLOUNT Roper. N. C.
M. C. S. NOBLE Chapel Hill, N. C.
D. H.HILL Raleigh, N. C.
SECRETARY.
R. D. W. CONNOR - - - - Raleigh, N. C.
PURPOSES.
1. " To have collected from the flies of old newspapers, court records,
church records, private collections, and elsewhere, historical data pertain-ing
to the history of North Carolina and the territory included therein
from the earliest times."
2. "To have such material properly edited, published by the State
Printer as other State printing, and distributed under the direction of the
Commission."
8. "To care for the proper marking and preservation of battlefields,
houses and other places celebrated in the history of the State."
4. "To diffuse knowledge in reference to the history and resources of
North Carolina."
5. " To encourage the study of North Carolina history in the schools of
the State, and to stimulate and encourage historical investigation and
research among the people of the State."—Section 2, Chapter 714, Public
Laws of 1907.
The Secretary wishes to correspond with any person who is willing
to assist the Commission, by gifts of loans or manuscripts, in-formation
of the whereabouts of such documents, or
otherwise in carrying out the above purposes.
JIddress all Communications to the Secretary
Zht Btlantk ifire Uttsurance
Companv
Ifialeigb, mortb Carolina.
SOLICITS YOUR PATRONAGE
CASH CAPITAL $125,000
A HOME COMPANY, OWNED AND OPERATED
BY HOME PEOPLE.
CHAS. E. JOHNSON. President. H. W. JACKSON, Treasurer.
J. G. BROWN, Vice-President. G. H. DORTCH, Secretary.
CAPITAL $100,000.00 SURPLUS $100,000.0
Commercial IRational Banb
RALEIGH, N. C.
The policy of this bank is to conduct its business along
the most conservative lines; to restrict its opera-tions
to legitimate enterprises; to elimi-nate
all speculative ventures.
OFnCEKS
B. S. JERMAN, President. H. W. JACKSON, Cashier.
A. A. THOMPSON, Vice-President. E. B. CROW, Asst. Cashier.
J. J. THOMAS, Chairman of Board.
CITIZENS NATIONAL "BANK,
RALEIGH, N. C.
Our customers are guaranteed every accommodation their
business, balances and responsibility warrant.
THE OLDEST BANK—LARGEST BANK—AND
ONLY NATIONAL BANK IN RALEIGH.
JOS. G. BROWN, President. HENRY E. L-ITCHTORD, Cashier
DIRECTORS:
JOSEPH G. BROWN. A. B. ANDREWS.
R. H. BATTLE. DR. A. B. HAWKINS.
DR. RICHARD H. LEWIS. WM. J. ANDREWS.
IVEN M. PROCTOR. JOHN C. DREWRY.
S. C. VANN.
Thk Keystone A Southern "Woman's Journal, Published Monthly
by Southern Women. Now in Its 7th year.
Official Organ for the Clubwomen and Daughters of the Confederacy in
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi.
SUBSCRIPTION, 50c. PER YEAR
North Carolina Booklet, fl.OO per year—The Keystone and the North
Address
Carolina Booklet for f1.10 per year.
Miss MAEY HILLIARD HINTON,
Editor N. C. Booklet,
Midway Plantation, Ealeigh, N. C.
ARTISTIC „,
PRINTING lA^^pilHM
DURABLY AND
BEAUTIFULLY BOUND
LOWEST
PRICES
Club Programs and Embossed Stationery
ESTIMATES ON APPLICATION
10
fiirrccuuDmstances Alter Cases
same.
But Not our Cases. They are Always the
Guaranteed whether Filled or Gold.
Jolly-Wynne Jewelry Co.
RALEIGH, = = = - NORTH CAROLINA.
IlliQSH.B[iini
Raleigh, North Carolina
THE BIG
Hardware Men
PAINTS
MAJES