Blog Entry List
As we prepare for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we look to our revolutionary roots and seek answers to questions like “When Are We US?.” Stories that engage with the topics of freedom, civic responsibility, and the ideals of democracy help us commemorate our more than 250 years of history. The history of women’s suffrage in NC helps us understand how the war for a more just and equitable society continued even after the American Revolution.
Every major event has a moment that stands out.
North Carolina formed Jones County from Craven in 1779, and named the town of Trenton the county seat in 1784. Willie (pronounced Wiley) Jones, Revolutionary leader and president of the North Carolina Council of Safety, from Halifax is the county’s namesake. Born in 1741 in Surry County, Virginia, Jones moved with his family to Northampton County, North Carolina, just a few miles south of the town of Halifax, in 1753. That same year he was sent to England to be educated at Eton and returned to North Carolina five years later.
North Carolina formed Iredell County in 1788 out of Rowan County and named it in honor of James Iredell, Sr., a leading political and legal figure during the Revolution and early Republic. Iredell was born in Lewes, England, October 5, 1751, and emigrated to Edenton in 1767 where he served the Crown as deputy collector of customs for the port. He also read law under Samuel Johnston, later governor of North Carolina. The grandson of a clergyman, Iredell was a devout Anglican. Iredell married Johnston’s sister Hannah, and the couple had four children.
In 1780, the schooner (a ship with multiple masts) named Polly, owned by Henry White of Currituck County, headed out to sea with a crew of three—Henry White’s son Caleb White, Caleb’s brother-in-law Samuel Jasper, and Jack—a man Henry White enslaved. The Polly was soon captured by five British privateers, who chained its crew aboard their own ship. Jack, however, was able to convince his captors that he was loyal to Great Britain and could help them.
North Carolina formed Harnett County in 1855 out of Cumberland County and named it in honor of the eminent Revolutionary patriot and statesman, Cornelius Harnett. Born in April 1723 in Chowan County, Harnett’s family relocated to Brunswick County when he was still a baby. While his educational background is unknown, as an adult Harnett became a leading figure in the Wilmington community with interests in farming, milling, and mercantile ventures. An avowed Episcopalian, Harnett has also been identified as a Deist, not uncommon for men of his stature at the time.
Within seven months after his honorable discharge from the Continental Line, Ned Griffin had been betrayed, brutalized, and re-enslaved. In Griffin’s words, “some Time after Your Petitioners Return he was Seized upon by said Kitchen and Sold to a Certain Abner Roberson who now holds me as a Servant.” Somehow, Griffin found help to write and submit a petition “to be released from slavery” to Edgecombe County’s Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for its February 25, 1783 convening.
North Carolina formed Burke County from Rowan in 1777 and named it in honor of Dr. Thomas Burke, a physician, lawyer, member of the Continental Congress and later, Governor of North Carolina. Born in 1747 in County Galway, Ireland, Burke emigrated to Norfolk, Virginia in 1764 and began practicing law. He opposed the Stamp Act of 1765, became a supporter of American independence, and moved to Hillsborough in 1774.
This article is scheduled to appear in Recall, the magazine of the North Carolina Military Historical Society, and is published here with permission.
North Carolina’s path to independence was forged by individuals who organized protests, led troops, spread information, and built networks of support. North Carolinians never failed to adapt in the face of uncertainty as they imagined a new way of life for their colony. The five Patriots featured below are examples of individuals who were committed to defending their vision of freedom.
Edward “Ned” Griffin (c. 1765-1802), an enslaved man from Edgecombe County, North Carolina, waged both physical battles during the Revolutionary War and legal battles to gain his freedom afterward. Patriot calls for liberty during the Revolutionary period were at odds with slavery, but the laws of the new state worked to strengthen the system. A 1777 act of the state General Assembly prevented the emancipation of enslaved people.
North Carolina formed Rockingham County in 1785, out of what was previously the northern half of Guilford County. It was named in honor of Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham. Watson was born May 13, 1730, at his family’s ancestral estate, Wentworth Woodhouse, near Rotherham in Yorkshire, England. As Prime Minister from 1765 to 1766, Rockingham gained support from the American colonies by repealing the Stamp Act. During his second term, from March to June 1782, he helped begin peace negotiations and supported American independence.
This article is scheduled to appear in Recall, the magazine of the North Carolina Military Historical Society, and is published here with permission.
In the predawn mist of February 27, 1776, the quiet banks of Moores Creek in southeastern North Carolina bore witness to a brief but
This article is scheduled to appear in Recall, the magazine of the North Caroli