Dr. Hugh Willla
«on
Amoiif* of lior things ho usis
л
preacher,
professor, physician. politician. naturalist
and historian. And he also was one of the
North Carolinians who signt'd flit* l odoral
Constitution.
OF all historic places in Caro¬
lina, probably the two most
important are Edenton and
Hillsboro, both towns having
served as capital of Colonial Caro¬
lina. and both having produced a
long succession of distinguished
men — governors, generals and
other men of notable service.
There wus a settlement where
Edenton now stands as early as
1712, then known as "Queen Anne's
Creek." The first historian of the
period. John Lawson, in visiting
the section, keenly observed that
its women had "brisk and charming
eyes”— a circumstance for which
the section is still notable. But
the Virginian William Byrd in his
"Secret History of the Dividing
Line” did not think so highly of
the Edentonians, writing of them
contemptuously, using the term
"heathen" and other expressions
not so much used in the best society.
But Mr. Byrd is distinguished for
nothing quite so much as for his
antipathy toward North Carolina,
so his observations must not be
taken too seriously.
Home of Many Eminent Men
Small as it is. Edenton has been
the home of so many eminent men
that we cannot hope to take note
of all of them. Here lived Gover¬
nors Charles Eden < from whom
the town takes its name) and
Samuel Johnston; here was the
home of Joseph Hewes, a signer of
the Declaration of Independence.
As a member of the Continental
Congress, and as Secretary to its
Committee on Naval Affairs, Howes
Sirocured a commission in the Navy
or John Paul Jones, and is there¬
fore responsible for his becoming
the father of our Navy. Jones al¬
ways acknowledged this indebted¬
ness, and there is extant a letter
from Jones to Hewes in which he
says: "You are the angel of my
happiness.”
St. Paul’s church at Edenton is
the oldest corporation in North
Carolina, and within the quiet of
its churchyard rest many men who
loomed large in the life of Carolina
THE STATE. SCPTCMBCR 21. 1946
By R. C. LAWRENCE
during Colonial days, and whose
names will live forever in the his¬
tory of our State. It was at Eden¬
ton also that the historic "tea
party" was held, where more than
fifty women under the leadership
of Penelope Barker, patriotically
undertook to drink no more tea
until the troubles of the Colony
with the mother country had been
settled. And the town still possess¬
es the distinction of having the
oldest courthouse in the State.
But the greatest genius who ever
lived in Edenton was the colorful
figure. Dr. Hugh Williamson, whose
record reads like romance; a veri¬
table Don Quixote come to Caro¬
lina. where he rendered a service
most wide in its variety, most
valuable in its quality.
In his early manhood he was a
Minister of the Gospel, and from
the very universality of his genius
he must have been quite a preacher.
Then he deserted the pulpit and
became a mathematician, becoming
professor of that science on the
faculty of the University of Penn¬
sylvania. a post which he filled for
several years.
Restless in his disposition, he
now deserted mathematics for
medicine, and returning to Scot¬
land he took up the study of that
science at the University of Edin¬
burgh. Having completed his
studies and taken his medical de¬
gree. he again emigrated to Amer¬
ica, and settled down at Edenton.
where for a time he pursued the
practice of his profession as a phy¬
sician. But his mind was calibcred
for a public career, and we soon
find him in public life, engaging
in the animated political debates
of the period, and ere long we find
him a member of the Continental
Congress, in which he served with
high distinction, and where he
rendered important service, not
only to Carolina but to Colonial
America.
He took a colorful part during
the Revolution, rendering sub¬
stantial service in the field as sur¬
geon to the patriot troops, and did
other work which earned for him
the gratitude of the people of his
adopted State.
He was now one of the most
important figures in the State, and
when the time came to name dele¬
gates to the Convention which had
been called to meet at Philadelphia
to frame a Federal Constitution
for the infant Republic. Williamson
was named as a delegate along with
William R. Davie. Richard Dobbs
Speight and William Blount.
He was not a silent member of
this most important body, nor did
he leave its animated discussions
entirely to the lawyers. On the
contrary he took an active and
energetic part in the debates, and
the Madison Pa|>ers do full justice
to Williamson and to the character
of his patriotic service which he
rendered during the deliberations
of the Convention, and the im¬
portant part ho played in the
framing of our fundamental law.
Naturalist and Botanist
Thereafter Williamson became a
naturalist and a botanist, devising
new uses for plants in connection
with his pro to. si, son of medicine,
and travelling widely in his search
for new species of plants and flow¬
ers.
In his ripe manhood and mature
years, he turned historian, and in
1812 he brought out his two volume
"History of North Carolina." an
authoritative work and a valuable
source book for the inquirer into
the early history of our State.
Preacher, professor, physician,
politician— then statesman, nat¬
uralist and historian, what Caro¬
linian was more universal in the
quality of his genius?
Amiel denies genius as "Doing
easily what others find difficult is
talent; doing whet is impossible
for talent is genius." If this be the
correct definition, then most cer¬
tainly Williamson was possessed of
genius!
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