North Carolina General Assembly of 1785

10th North Carolina General Assembly (1785)
10th North Carolina General Assembly (1785)
Overview
Legislative body	North Carolina General Assembly
Jurisdiction	North Carolina, United States
Meeting place	New Bern
Term	1785
Senate
Members	54 Senators
Speaker	Alexander Martin
Clerk	John Haywood
Assistant Clerk	Sherwood Haywood
Doorkeeper	William Murphy
Assistant Doorkeeper	Nicholas Murphy
House of Commons
Members	114 Delegates Authorized
Speaker	Richard Dobbs Spaight
Clerk	John Hunt
Assistant Clerk	John Haywood
Doorkeeper	Peter Gooding
Assistant Doorkeeper	James Malloy
Sessions
1st
1st	November 19, 1785 – December 29, 1785

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1785 met in New Bern from November 18, 1785, to December 29, 1785. The assembly consisted of the 114 members of the North Carolina House of Commons and 54 senators of North Carolina Senate elected by the voters on August 19, 1785. During the 1785 session, the legislature created Rockingham County. As prescribed by the 1776 Constitution of North Carolina the General Assembly elected Richard Caswell to continue as Governor of North Carolina and members of the Council of State.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Councilors of State

As prescribed by the 1776 Constitution of North Carolina, the General Assembly elected Richard Caswell as governor on December 9, 1785, and the following members of the North Carolina Council of State:^[1]^[5]

Joseph Leech, Craven County, President, elected on December 10, 1785,
James Gillespie, Duplin County, elected on December 10, 1785
Winston Caswell, Dobbs County, Clerk^{[note 1]}
John Hawks, Craven County, elected on December 10, 1785
William McClure, Craven County, elected on December 10, 1785
John Spicer, Onslow County, elected on December 10, 1785^[6]
Green Hill, Franklin County, elected on December 12, 1785
Miles King, Richmond County, elected on December 28, 1785

James Glasgow continued as North Carolina Secretary of State.

Assembly membership

House of Commons members

There were 114 positions authorized for the House of Commons in this assembly, including one representative from each of six districts and 54 counties. Only 105 delegates are known to have attended this House of Commons assembly.^[7]^[5]

Fayette County, which was formed in July 1784 from the eastern part of Cumberland County, reverted to Cumberland County three months later, so does not appear in this assembly.^[5]

Greene, Sullivan and Washington Counties had formed the State of Franklin in an attempt to create a new state. They did not send representatives to this assembly.^[8]^[9]

Anson, Bladen, and Gates County only sent one elected official to the House of Commons.^[5]

The House of Commons delegates elected a Speaker (Richard Dobbs Spaight), Clerk (John Hunt), Assistant Clerk (John Haywood), Doorkeeper (Peter Gooding), and Assistant Doorkeeper (James Malloy). The following delegates to the House of Commons were elected by the voters of North Carolina to represent each county and district:^[3]^[4]^[5]^[7]

County/District	Delegate
Anson	James Terry^{[note 2]}
Anson	Vacant / Unknown
Beaufort	Henry Smaw
Beaufort	John Gray Blount^[10]
Bertie	Thomas Collins
Bertie	Andrew Oliver
Bladen	James Richardson
Bladen	Vacant / Unknown
Brunswick	Jacob Leonard
Brunswick	David Flowers
Burke	Joseph McDowell
Burke	Waightstill Avery
Camden	Enoch Sawyer
Camden	Selby Harney
Carteret	David Cooper
Carteret	Eli West
Caswell	Robert Dickens
Caswell	Adam Sanders
Chatham	Joseph Stewart
Chatham	Roger Griffith
Chowan	Dr. Hugh Williamson
Chowan	Clement Hall
Craven	Richard Dobbs Spaight
Craven	Abner Neale
Cumberland	Robert Rowan
Cumberland	David Smith
Currituck	Joseph Ferebee
Currituck	Dr. James White
Davidson	Elijah Robertson
Davidson	William Polk
Dobbs	Benjamin Coleman
Dobbs	William Sheppard
Duplin	Robert Dickson
Duplin	Joseph Thomas Rhodes
Edgecombe	Robert Diggs
Edgecombe	Etheldred Phillips
Franklin	Thomas Sherrod
Franklin	Durham Hall
Gates	Vacant / Unknown
Gates	Seth Riddick
Granville	Thomas Person
Granville	Philemon Hawkins, Jr.
Greene	Vacant
Greene	Vacant
Guilford	John Hamilton
Guilford	Barzillai Gardner
Halifax	John Whitaker
Halifax	John Baptista Ashe
Hertford	James Manney
Hertford	Robert Montgomery
Hyde	John Eborne
Hyde	Thomas Jordan, Jr.^{[note 3]}
Johnston	Hardy Bryan
Johnston	Benjamin Williams
Jones	Abner Nash
Jones	John Isler
Lincoln	John Sloan
Lincoln	Daniel McKissick
Martin	Edmund Smithwick
Martin	Samuel Williams
Mecklenburg	Caleb Phifer
Mecklenburg	George Alexander
Montgomery	James McDonald
Montgomery	Charles Robertson
Moore	John Cox
Moore	John Carroll
Nash	Micajah Thomas
Nash	John Bonds
New Hanover	James Bloodworth
New Hanover	John Pugh Williams
Northampton	Howell Edmunds
Northampton	Augustin Woods
Onslow	Edward Starkey
Onslow	Reuben Grant
Orange	William Courtney
Orange	William Cain
Pasquotank	Edward Everagin
Pasquotank	Abraham Symons
Perquimans	John Skinner
Perquimans	Robert Riddick
Pitt	John Jordan
Pitt	Richard Moye
Randolph	Joseph Robbins
Randolph	Aaron Hill
Richmond	Robert Webb
Richmond	Benjamin Covington
Rowan	Matthew Locke
Rowan	George Henry Barrier, aka George H. Berger
Rutherford	Richard Singleton
Rutherford	George Moore
Sampson	David Dodd
Sampson	John Hay
Sullivan	Vacant
Sullivan	Vacant
Surry	William Lewis
Surry	James Martin
Tyrrell	Nehemiah Norman^{[note 4]}
Tyrrell	Nathan Hooker
Wake	James Hinton
Wake	William Hayes
Warren	Henry Montfort
Warren	Wyatt Hawkins
Washington	Vacant
Washington	Vacant
Wayne	William Taylor
Wayne	John Handley
Wilkes	Jesse Franklin
Wilkes	William T. Lewis
Edenton District	Stephen Cabarrus
Halifax District	Dr. Charles Pasteur
Hillsborough District	John Taylor
New Bern District	William Tisdale
Salisbury District	Thomas Frohock^[11]
Wilmington District	Archibald MacLaine

Senate members

The Senators elected a President (Alexander Martin), Clerk (John Haywood), Assistant Clerk (Sherwood Haywood), Doorkeeper (William Murphy), and Assistant Doorkeeper (Nicholas Murphy). The following Senators were elected by the voters of North Carolina to represent each county:^[3]^[4]^[5]^[12]

County	Senator
Anson	Stephen Miller
Beaufort	John Smaw
Bertie	Jonathan Jaycocks
Bladen	Thomas Brown
Brunswick	Dennis Hawkins
Burke	Charles McDowell
Camden	Isaac Gregory
Carteret	John Easton
Caswell	Dempsey Moore
Chatham	Ambrose Ramsey
Chowan	Michael Payne
Craven	James Coor
Cumberland	Thomas Armstrong
Currituck	Willis Etheridge
Davidson	Anthony Bledsoe
Dobbs	John Herritage
Duplin	James Gillespie^{[note 5]}
Edgecombe	Elisha Battle
Franklin	Henry Hill
Gates	Joseph Riddick
Granville	Howell Lewis
Greene	Vacant
Guilford	Alexander Martin
Halifax	Benjamin McCulloch
Hertford	Thomas Wynns
Hyde	Abraham Jones
Johnston	Arthur Bryan
Jones	Frederick Hargett
Lincoln	Robert Alexander
Martin	Vacant / Unknown
Mecklenburg	James Harris
Montgomery	Samuel Parsons
Moore	Henry Lightfoot
Nash	Hardy Griffin
New Hanover	John A. Campbell
Northampton	Samuel Lockhart^{[note 6]}
Onslow	John Spicer^{[note 7]}
Orange	William McCauley
Pasquotank	Thomas Relfe
Perquimans	William Skinner^{[note 8]}
Pitt	John Williams
Randolph	Edward Sharpe
Richmond	Henry William Harrington
Rowan	Griffith Rutherford
Rutherford	James Miller
Sampson	Richard Clinton
Sullivan	Vacant
Surry	John Armstrong
Tyrrell	John Warrington
Wake	Thomas Hines
Warren	John Macon
Washington	Vacant
Wayne	Burwell Mooring
Wilkes	Benjamin Herndon

Legislation

The assembly passed the acts concerning:^[13]

establishing a post-war militia
jurisdictions of the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions, North Carolina justice of the peace and other courts
regulation of commerce and imports
collection of public debt
emitting paper currency
regulating the towns of Wilmington, Edenton, and Fayetteville; regulating and restraining the conduct of slaves and others in these towns
securing and quieting forfeited estates
raising revenues and suppressing excessive gambling
levying taxes and redemption of Continental money
opening land offices
dealing with traitors and loyalists
registration of marriage contracts
liquidating accounts of officers and soldiers of the continental line and reviving district board of auditors for a limited time
relief of disabled veterans of the late war
recovering artillery belonging to the state that was thrown into the river at Edenton
settling accounts between the United States and the state of North Carolina
making provision for the poor, including building houses for them
regulation of the town of Tarborough
resolving disputes regarding building mills in certain counties
relief of children and widows of soldiers that died in the service of the United States
creating Rockingham County from Guilford County and selecting board of trustees for Salisbury Academy in Salisbury District
annexing part of Pitt County to Beaufort County
preventing blocking or obstructing of ways leading to houses of public worship
empowering County Courts of Pleas and Quarter Session to deal with public roads, ferries and bridges
securing literary property
duties and salaries of public printer
destruction of wolves, wildcats, panthers, bears, crows, and squirrels in several counties
promoting learning in Davidson County at Davidson Academy
establishing Grove Academy in Duplin County
conveying common land to Smith Academy in Edenton
establishing Kinston Academy in Dobbs County
repairing jails and court houses, establishing a gaol in Edenton District
changing the location of the county court in Beaufort County from Bath to Washington
acts dealing with personal estates
pardoning the citizens of Washington, Sullivan and Green counties if they return to allegiance to North Carolina
establishing a Superior Court in Davidson County
temporarily preventing distillation of spirituous liquors in Davidson County
appointing tobacco inspectors in some counties
establishing towns: on the land of Whitmell Hill in Martin County on the Roanoke River; on the lands of Luke Mizell and William MacKay in Martin County; on the land of Mial Scurlock in Chatham, County; on the land of Jessee Peacock in Sampson County; in Lincoln County; at Guilford Courthouse named Martinville; in the fork of the Cumberland and Red River on the east side of the Red River in Davidson County; Morgan in Morgan District

For additional details on minutes of the assembly and laws, see Legislative Documents.^[13]

Notes

^ Winston Caswell was the son of Richard Caswell.
^ James Terry was unacceptable as a delegate because of his Loyalist past. The assembly requested a new election in Anson County in December 1785 for the next General Assembly.
^ There were problems with Thomas Jordon's qualifications because he held the position of Entry Taker. A new election was requested and the voters again elected Thomas Jordan.
^ Nehemiah Norman died on December 28, 1785.
^ Although elected to the Council of State on December 11, James Gillespie is thought to have finished his term in the Senate.
^ Samuel Lockhart was elected Sheriff of Hyde County and had to resign his position in the Senate. A new election was required at the end of December.
^ Although John Spicer was elected to Council of State, it is thought that he fulfilled his term in the Senate.
^ William Skinner was elected to another office, the Continental Loan office, Treasurer of the Continental Loan Office, on December 14, 1785. He was required to resign as delegate.

References

^ ^a ^b "North Carolina Constitution of 1776". Yale Law School. 1776. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
^ Norris, David A. (2006). "North Carolina Capitals, Colonial and State". NCPedia.org. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Connor, Robert Diggs Wimberly, ed. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina (PDF). Raleigh, North Carolina: E. M. Uzzell & Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wheeler, John Hill, ed. (1874). The Legislative Manual and Political Register of the State of North Carolina for the Year 1874. Raleigh, North Carolina: Josiah Turner, Jr.; State Printer and Binder. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Cheney, John L. Jr. (1974). North Carolina Government, 1585–1974. pp. 160, 164, 215–217.
^ Smith, William S. (1994). "John Spicer". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Lewis, J.D. "North Carolina State House of Commons of 1785". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
^ Arthur, John Preston (1914); [sic] "History of Western North Carolina – Chapter VI – The State of Franklin"; John Preston Arthur; 1914; (HTML by Jeffrey C. Weaver); October 1998. Retrieved from New River.
^ Troxler, George W. (1996). "State of Franklin". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
^ Maupin, Armistead Jones (1979). "John Gray Blount". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
^ Rumple, Jethro (1916). A History of Rowan County, North Carolina Containing Sketches of Prominent Families and Distinguished Men. Daughters of the American Revolution. Elizabeth Maxwell Steele Chapter (Salisbury, N.C.). pp. 87–89.
^ Lewis, J.D. "North Carolina State Senate of 1785". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Secretary of State, ed. (1785). Laws of North Carolina, 1785 (PDF). Retrieved November 18, 2019.

[6] Winston Caswell was the son of Richard Caswell.

[11] James Terry was unacceptable as a delegate because of his Loyalist past. The assembly requested a new election in Anson County in December 1785 for the next General Assembly.

[13] There were problems with Thomas Jordon's qualifications because he held the position of Entry Taker. A new election was requested and the voters again elected Thomas Jordan.

[14] Nehemiah Norman died on December 28, 1785.

[17] Although elected to the Council of State on December 11, James Gillespie is thought to have finished his term in the Senate.

[18] Samuel Lockhart was elected Sheriff of Hyde County and had to resign his position in the Senate. A new election was required at the end of December.

[19] Although John Spicer was elected to Council of State, it is thought that he fulfilled his term in the Senate.

[20] William Skinner was elected to another office, the Continental Loan office, Treasurer of the Continental Loan Office, on December 14, 1785. He was required to resign as delegate.

[Constitution1776-1] "North Carolina Constitution of 1776". Yale Law School. 1776. Retrieved September 4, 2019.

[Capital-2] Norris, David A. (2006). "North Carolina Capitals, Colonial and State". NCPedia.org. Retrieved September 4, 2019.

[Connor-3] Connor, Robert Diggs Wimberly, ed. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina (PDF). Raleigh, North Carolina: E. M. Uzzell & Company. Retrieved April 27, 2019.

[Wheeler-4] Wheeler, John Hill, ed. (1874). The Legislative Manual and Political Register of the State of North Carolina for the Year 1874. Raleigh, North Carolina: Josiah Turner, Jr.; State Printer and Binder. Retrieved April 9, 2019.

[Cheney-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Cheney, John L. Jr. (1974). North Carolina Government, 1585–1974. pp. 160, 164, 215–217.

[7] Smith, William S. (1994). "John Spicer". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 18, 2019.

[House-8] Lewis, J.D. "North Carolina State House of Commons of 1785". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 17, 2019.

[Arthur-9] Arthur, John Preston (1914); [sic] "History of Western North Carolina – Chapter VI – The State of Franklin"; John Preston Arthur; 1914; (HTML by Jeffrey C. Weaver); October 1998. Retrieved from New River.

[10] Troxler, George W. (1996). "State of Franklin". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 18, 2019.

[12] Maupin, Armistead Jones (1979). "John Gray Blount". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 18, 2019.

[15] Rumple, Jethro (1916). A History of Rowan County, North Carolina Containing Sketches of Prominent Families and Distinguished Men. Daughters of the American Revolution. Elizabeth Maxwell Steele Chapter (Salisbury, N.C.). pp. 87–89.

[Senate-16] Lewis, J.D. "North Carolina State Senate of 1785". The American Revolution in North Carolina. Retrieved April 17, 2019.

[Laws-21] Secretary of State, ed. (1785). Laws of North Carolina, 1785 (PDF). Retrieved November 18, 2019.

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v t e North Carolina General Assemblies by year convened and order
List of North Carolina state legislatures Senate President pro tempore of the Senate House of Commons House of Representatives Speakers of the House of Representatives (see Note)	1 (1777) 2 (1778) 3 (1779) 4 (1780) 5 (1781) 6 (1782) 7 (1783) 8 (Apr 1784) 9 (Oct 1784) 10 (1785) 11 (1786) 12 (1787) 13 (1788) 14 (1789) 15 (1790) 16 (1791) 17 (1792) 18 (1793) 19 (1794) 20 (1795) 21 (1796) 22 (1797) 23 (1798) 24 (1799) 25 (1800) 26 (1801) 27 (1802) 28 (1803) 29 (1804) 30 (1805) 31 (1806) 32 (1807) 33 (1808) 34 (1809) 35 (1810) 36 (1811) 37 (1812) 38 (1813) 39 (1814) 40 (1815) 41 (1816) 42 (1817) 43 (1818) 44 (1819) 45 (1820) 46 (1821) 47 (1822) 48 (1823) 49 (1824) 50 (1825) 51 (1826) 52 (1827) 53 (1828) 54 (1829) 55 (1830) 56 (1831) 57 (1832) 58 (1833) 59 (1834) 60 (1835) 61 (1836) 62 (1840) 63 (1842) 64 (1844) 65 (1846) 66 (1846) 67 (1848) 68 (1850) 69 (1852) 70 (1854) 71 (1856) 72 (1858) 73 (1860) 74 (1862) 75 (1864) 76 (1865) 77 (1866) 78 (1868) 79 (1869) 80 (1870) 81 (1872) 82 (1874) 83 (1876) 84 (1879) 85 (1881) 86 (1883) 87 (1885) 88 (1887) 89 (1889) 90 (1891) 91 (1893) 92 (1895) 93 (1897) 94 (1899) 95 (1901) 96 (1903) 97 (1905) 98 (1907) 99 (1909) 100 (1911) 101 (1913) 102 (1915) 103 (1917) 104 (1919) 105 (1921) 106 (1923) 107 (1925) 108 (1927) 109 (1929) 110 (1931) 111 (1933) 112 (1935) 113 (1937) 114 (1939) 115 (1941) 116 (1943) 117 (1945) 118 (1947) 119 (1949) 120 (1951) 121 (1953) 122 (1955) 123 (1957) 124 (1959) 125 (1961) 126 (1963) 127 (1965) 128 (1967) 129 (1969) 130 (1971) 131 (1973) 132 (1975) 133 (1977) 134 (1979) 135 (1981) 136 (1983) 137 (1985) 138 (1987) 139 (1989) 140 (1991) 141 (1993) 142 (1995) 143 (1997) 144 (1999) 145 (2001) 146 (2003) 147 (2005) 148 (2007) 149 (2009) 150 (2011) 151 (2013) 152 (2015) 153 (2017) 154 (2019) 155 (2021) 156 (2023)
Other	Executive Branch: Governor of North Carolina (List), Lieutenant Governor (since 1868), Cabinets, Council of State, Attorney General
Conventions	Hillsborough Convention of 1788, Fayetteville Convention of 1789
Provincial Congresses and Constitution	North Carolina Provincial Congress (1774–1776: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th), Constitution of North Carolina (1776, 1835 Convention, 1861 Convention, 1868 redraft, 1875 Convention, Constitution of 1971)
Notes: Prior to the Constitution of 1868: the lower house of the North Carolina Legislature was known as the House of Commons and the leader of the Senate was called the Speaker of the Senate.