North Carolina General Assembly of 1777

The North Carolina General Assembly of 1777 met in two sessions in New Bern, North Carolina, from April 7 to May 9, 1777, and from November 15 to December 24, 1777. This was the first North Carolina legislature elected after the last provincial congress wrote the first North Carolina Constitution. This assembly elected Richard Caswell as the state's first constitutional governor (he had been serving as acting governor by action of the provincial congress).

Each North Carolina county elected one Senator and two members of the House of Commons; 6 borough towns also elected one House member each.

House of Commons

Leadership

• Speaker: Abner Nash (New Bern)
• Clerk: Benjamin Exum (Dobbs County)

Members

• Anson County: George Davidson
• Anson County: William R. Pickett
• Beaufort County: Alderson Ellison was elected but out of the country; Nathan Keas was elected to replace him and took office December 4, 1777.
• Beaufort County: William Brown
• Bertie County: Zedekiah Stone
• Bertie County: Simon Turner
• Bladen County: Thomas Owen
• Bladen County: (vacant seat)
• Brunswick County: William Lord
• Brunswick County: Richard Quince, Jr.
• Burke County: Ephraim McLean
• Burke County: James Wilson
• Bute County: Green Hill
• Bute County: Benjamin Ward
• Camden County: Caleb Granby; took office December 8, 1777
• Camden County: Thomas Humphries; took office December 8, 1777
• Carteret County: Brice Williams
• Carteret County: Thomas Chadwick
• Caswell County: John Atkinson
• Caswell County: Richard Moore
• Chatham County: John Birdsong
• Chatham County: Mial Scurlock; elected county clerk; seat declared vacant November 15, 1777
• Chowan County: Thomas Benbury
• Chowan County: Jacob Hunter
• Craven County: Nathan Bryan
• Craven County: John Tillman
• Cumberland County: William Rand; elected county clerk; seat declared vacant November 15, 1777
• Cumberland County: Philip Alston
• Currituck County: James Ryan
• Currituck County: James White
• Dobbs County: Andrew Bass
• Dobbs County: Jesse Cobb
• Duplin County: Richard Clinton
• Duplin County: Robert Dixon
• Edgecombe County: Nathan Boddie
• Edgecombe County: Jonas Johnston
• Granville County: John Penn
• Granville County: Thomas Person
• Guilford County: John Collier
• Guilford County: Robert Lindsay
• Halifax County: Egbert Haywood
• Halifax County: Joseph John Williams
• Hertford County: Joseph Dickenson
• Hertford County: James Garrett
• Hyde County: John Jordan, elected county clerk, seat declared vacant November 15, 1777; Joseph Hancock elected to replace Jordan, took office December 11, 1777
• Hyde County: Benjamin Parmely
• Johnston County: Alexander Averet
• Johnston County: Henry Rains
• Martin County: Whitmell Hill
• Martin County: William Slade
• Mecklenburg County: Waightstill Avery
• Mecklenburg County: Martin Phifer
• New Hanover County: Alexander Lillington
• New Hanover County: Samuel Swann
• Northampton County: Jeptha Atherton, elected county clerk, seat declared vacant November 15, 1777; Robert Peebles elected to replace Atherton, took office December 6, 1777
• Northampton County: Howell Edmunds
• Onslow County: John King
• Onslow County: Henry Rhodes
• Orange County: John Butler
• Orange County: Nathaniel Rochester, elected county clerk, seat declared vacant November 15, 1777; Thomas Burke elected to replace Rochester, took office December 1, 1777
• Pasquotank County: James Ferebee, died before second session; Thomas Harvey elected to replace Ferebee, took office December 4, 1777
• Pasquotank County: Thomas Relfe
• Perquimans County: Jesse Eason
• Perquimans County: Benjamin Harvey
• Pitt County: William Robeson
• Pitt County: John Williams
• Rowan County: Matthew Locke
• Rowan County: James Smith
• Surry County: Charles Gordon
• Surry County: Joseph Winston
• Tryon County: Andrew Neel
• Tryon County: John Barber
• Tyrrell County: John Hooker
• Tyrrell County: Benjamin Spruill
• Wake County: John Rice, elected county clerk, seat declared vacant November 15, 1777; John Rand elected to replace Rice, took office December 5, 1777.
• Wake County: Thomas Wooten, elected county sheriff, seat declared vacant November 15, 1777; Tignal Jones elected to replace Wooton, took office December 6, 1777
• Washington County: John Sevier
• Washington County: Jacob Womack
• Edenton District: John Green
• Halifax District: Willie Jones
• Hillsborough District: William Courtney
• New Bern District: Abner Nash
• Salisbury District: David Nisbitt
• Wilmington District: William Hooper
• Washington (Western) District: John Turner

Senate

Leadership

• Speaker: Samuel Ashe (New Hanover County)
• Clerk: James Green, Jr. (Craven County)

Members

• Anson County: David Love
• Beaufort County: Thomas Respess
• Bertie County: John Campbell
• Bladen County: Thomas Robeson
• Brunswick County: Archibald Maclaine
• Burke County: Charles McDowell
• Bute County: Benjamin Seawell
• Camden County: John Gray
• Carteret County: James Parrot
• Caswell County: James Saunders
• Chatham County: Ambrose Ramsey
• Chowan County: Luke Sumner
• Craven County: James Coor
• Cumberland County: David Smith
• Currituck County: Samuel Jarvis
• Dobbs County: Benjamin Exum
• Duplin County: James Kenan
• Edgecombe County: Elisha Battle
• Granville County: Memucan Hunt
• Guilford County: Ralph Gorrell
• Halifax County: John Bradford
• Hertford County: Robert Sumner
• Hyde County: Willilam Russell
• Johnston County: Needham Bryan
• Martin County: William Williams
• Mecklenburg County: John McK. Alexander
• New Hanover County: Samuel Ashe
• Northampton County: Allen Jones
• Onslow County: William Cray replaced by John Spicer, December 8, 1777
• Orange County: Thomas Hart (North Carolina politician)
• Pasquotank County: Joseph Jones
• Perquimans County: William Skinner; appointed state treasurer, resigned seat
• Pitt County: Robert Salter
• Rowan County: Griffith Rutherford
• Surry County: Robert Lanier
• Tryon County: Charles McLean
• Tyrrell County: Archibald Currie
• Wake County: James Jones, resigned after first session; Michael Rogers elected and took office November 15, 1777
• Washington County: John Carter