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General Assembly sessions at Hillsborough, 1778–1784

The five sessions the state legislature held at Hillsborough, in 1778, 1780, 1782, 1783 and 1784; its other sessions of these years met at Halifax, Smithfield, New Bern and Wake Court House.

In briefAn act of the April 1782 session, held at Hillsborough, directed that future General Assemblies meet there until a proper place was fixed for the seat of government. With the war over, the April 1783 session, also at Hillsborough, repealed it. That year a post route opened between Hillsborough and Richmond, part of a push to make the town the permanent seat of government. Its backers pressed the question from session to session, and in 1785 a bill to fix the capital at Hillsborough lost 41 to 37. In November 1786, meeting at Fayetteville, the Assembly ordered the state treasurer and comptroller to take their offices and records to Hillsborough, to be convenient to most of the state's people; the comptroller was slow, and the order was repeated a year later. The treasurer's office was kept in a confiscated store known as the Blue House, though its records were carted to Tarboro and back in 1787 and 1788. On August 2, 1788 the convention meeting there fixed the seat of government at Isaac Hunter's in Wake County, and on August 4 it adjourned. On November 10, 1789 the House of Commons voted to pay John Armstrong of Orange County three pounds for taking the Treasury's books and papers from Hillsborough to Fayetteville, and five pounds each to nine men of the Orange Company of Horse who guarded the money on the road.

Read the 18 eventsAll storylines

67 works about General Assembly sessions at Hillsborough, 1778–1784 are indexed here.

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Hillsborough Presbyterian Church, on the site where the General Assembly met
Hillsborough Presbyterian Church, on the site where the General Assembly met

In the chronology

Events in this storyline, in date order. See these 18 dated events in the chronology →

  1. William Courtney represents the town of Hillsborough in the House of Commons Courtney held Hillsborough's borough seat in the House of Commons in the Assemblies of 1777 and 1778. At the August 1778 session held in Hillsborough he sat on joint committees on Indian affairs and on claims. People: William Courtney Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Nash, Hillsboro, Colonial and Revolutionary (1903), p. 71
  2. General Assembly holds its August 1778 session at Hillsborough The second session of the 1778 General Assembly met at Hillsborough, elected Whitmell Hill and Thomas Burke as additional delegates to the Continental Congress, and authorized 850,000 pounds in bills of credit to pay the state's war debts. The House adjourned to meet next at Halifax in January 1779. People: Thomas Benbury, Allen Jones, Thomas Burke Place: Hillsborough · Also named: Whitmell HillColonial and State Records of North Carolina: Minutes of the North Carolina House of Commons, Aug 08 to Aug 19, 1778 (vol. 12, pp. 816–880)
  3. The Assembly at Hillsborough clears Thomas Burke in his quarrel with Congress Congress had referred Burke's conduct to North Carolina after he walked out to break a quorum and sent back a rough answer when summoned. A joint committee chaired by William Hooper reported on August 14 that he was answerable only to the state, and the Assembly, which had re-elected him to Congress two days earlier, adopted the report. People: Thomas Burke, William Hooper Place: HillsboroughNash, Hillsboro, Colonial and Revolutionary (1903), p. 66
  4. General Assembly meets at Hillsborough and creates a Board of War Meeting at Hillsborough under Governor Abner Nash, the Assembly levied a provision tax in kind to supply the army and navy, passed acts on treason trials and confiscated property, and created a five-member Board of War. The Board of War held its first meeting in Hillsborough on September 14, 1780. People: Alexander Martin, Abner Nash, Thomas Benbury Place: HillsboroughColonial and State Records of North Carolina: Acts of the North Carolina General Assembly, 1780 (September session; vol. 24, pp. 344–357)
  5. General Assembly at Hillsborough relieves Richard Caswell of command of the state militia After commanding the North Carolina militia in the defeat at Camden, Caswell reported to the General Assembly sitting at Hillsborough. On September 12 the Assembly took his illness into account and relieved him temporarily of command of the state militia, leaving him the separate command of the North Carolina Partisan Rangers. People: Richard Caswell Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · NCpedia: Caswell, Richard
  6. Board of War, led by Alexander Martin, directs the war effort from Hillsborough The Board of War created by the General Assembly first met at Hillsborough on September 14, 1780, with Alexander Martin, John Penn and Oroondates Davis present. Through the fall it issued orders for arms, provisions and militia from the town and ran a shoe factory there for the army, then rose in late November to sit at Halifax from December 1. People: Alexander Martin, John Penn Place: Hillsborough · Also named: Oroondates DavisSearch the index · Colonial and State Records of North Carolina: Minutes of the North Carolina Board of War, Sep 14, 1780 to Jan 30, 1781 (vol. 14, pp. 376–495)
  7. The Assembly levies a tax on the Hillsborough District to repair the courthouse, stocks and streets An act taxed residents of the district and the town, with the money going to repair the courthouse and stocks and the town's streets. Place: HillsboroughLefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 65
  8. The General Assembly names Hillsborough its meeting place until a seat of government is fixed An act of the April 1782 session, held at Hillsborough, directed that future General Assemblies meet there until a proper place was fixed for the seat of government. With the war over, the April 1783 session, also at Hillsborough, repealed it. Boyd's History of North Carolina (1919) adds that the Assembly had chosen Hillsborough in 1781 and ordered the public building at New Bern sold, and that the next session rescinded the choice after Fanning's raid. Place: HillsboroughDocumenting the American South: Colonial and State Records of North Carolina, vol. 24, Laws of 1782, ch. XVII, p. 448 (repeal: Laws of 1783, ch. XXIII, pp. 510-511) · Also: NC Historic Preservation Office: Richard L. Mattson, History and Architecture of Orange County; Internet Archive
  9. General Assembly at Hillsborough elects Alexander Martin governor and grants western land to Continental soldiers The Assembly met at Hillsborough, heard Governor Thomas Burke's message about his capture, and elected Alexander Martin governor on April 22. Its laws granted land in a western military reservation to officers and soldiers of the Continental line and directed the sale of confiscated Loyalist estates. People: Alexander Martin, Thomas Benbury, Hugh Williamson, Thomas Burke Place: HillsboroughColonial and State Records of North Carolina: Minutes of the North Carolina Senate, Apr 15 to May 18, 1782 (vol. 19, pp. 1–128)
  10. The General Assembly at Hillsborough votes its thanks to Thomas Burke A day after choosing his successor, both houses resolved that the thanks of the General Assembly be given to Burke for his steady and constant attention to the duties of his office and his vigorous dispatch of the public business while he was governor. The resolution passes over his capture and parole in silence. People: Thomas Burke Place: HillsboroughDocumenting the American South: Resolution of thanks from the North Carolina General Assembly to Thomas Burke (Apr 23, 1782)
  11. A false alarm of a Fanning attack turns the legislators out into Hillsborough's streets With the General Assembly in session and General John Butler guarding it with 200 county militia, members were roused from bed and paraded in the streets before the report proved false. Fanning had in fact married and fled to South Carolina. People: John Butler, David Fanning, Thomas Burke Place: HillsboroughLefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 62 · Also: Nash, Hillsboro, Colonial and Revolutionary
  12. William Moore is named commissioner of confiscated Loyalist estates for the Hillsborough District The April Assembly at Hillsborough appointed commissioners to deal with estates taken from Loyalists, electing William Moore for the Hillsborough District. Place: Hillsborough · Also named: William Moore · Also mentions: Hillsborough DistrictLefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 63
Show all 18 dated events
  1. Assembly at Hillsborough elects Abner Nash and Hugh Williamson delegates to Congress On May 3, 1782, a joint ballot of the General Assembly at Hillsborough elected Abner Nash, Hugh Williamson, Benjamin Hawkins and William Blount as the state's delegates to Congress for the year. Nash had been returned to the House for Jones County, and Williamson sat for the town of Edenton. People: Abner Nash, Hugh Williamson, William Blount, Benjamin Hawkins Place: HillsboroughSearch the index · Colonial and State Records of North Carolina: Minutes of the North Carolina House of Commons, Apr 16 to May 18, 1782 (vol. 16, pp. 1–177)
  2. The Assembly names Thomas Davis state printer and tells him to set up his press at Hillsborough On the last day of the session Davis was appointed public printer and directed to establish his press in Hillsborough as soon as he could, to print the state's laws and legislative journals there. Place: Hillsborough · Also named: Thomas DavisSearch the index · Lefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 63
  3. General Assembly at Hillsborough opens the western land office and passes an act of pardon Meeting at Hillsborough, the Assembly re-elected Alexander Martin governor and chose Hugh Williamson, Benjamin Hawkins, Abner Nash and Richard Dobbs Spaight as delegates to Congress. Its laws opened a land office for western lands to redeem specie certificates and pay army arrears, and an Act of Pardon and Oblivion covered wartime offenses, with exceptions. People: Alexander Martin, Abner Nash, Hugh Williamson, Richard Dobbs Spaight, Richard Caswell, Benjamin Hawkins Place: HillsboroughColonial and State Records of North Carolina: Minutes of the North Carolina Senate, Apr 18 to May 17, 1783 (vol. 19, pp. 129–232)
  4. General Assembly at Hillsborough cedes the state's western lands to Congress The spring 1784 Assembly at Hillsborough passed an act ceding to Congress the state's claim to lands west of the Appalachian Mountains and an act giving Congress power to levy import duties. The House of Commons chose Thomas Benbury as speaker and elected Hugh Williamson and Richard Dobbs Spaight as delegates to Congress. People: Alexander Martin, Hugh Williamson, Thomas Benbury, Richard Dobbs Spaight Place: HillsboroughColonial and State Records of North Carolina: Acts of the North Carolina General Assembly, 1784 (Apr 19 to Jun 03, 1784; vol. 24, pp. 543–649)
  5. A bill to make Hillsborough the state capital fails by four votes Hillsborough's backers pressed the question from session to session, and in 1785 a bill to fix the capital there lost 41 to 37. Place: HillsboroughLefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 64
  6. The Assembly orders the state treasurer and comptroller to move their offices to Hillsborough Meeting at Fayetteville, the Assembly directed both officers to take their offices and records to Hillsborough so they would be convenient to most of the state's people. The comptroller was slow to comply, and a year later the order was repeated. Place: HillsboroughLefler and Wager, Orange County, 1752-1952 (1953), p. 64-65

Places in this history

Buildings, schools, churches and other sites named in the dated events on this page, the most often named first. The map shows them all.

Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange, Orange County GIS, OpenStreetMap and a few other published sources named on each site’s page; town and community pins show approximate locations.

All places and the county map →

Indexed works

Related works found in catalogs and archives across North Carolina. Each links to the institution that holds or provides it.

Filter these works by material, period, or place. Counts refer to works, not individual copies. A work may appear under more than one period or place.

Material

Histories 61Letters & correspondence 35Historical sources 13

Period

18th century 61Revolution (1775–1783) 50

Place

Orange County 67Hillsborough 66North Carolina (statewide) 65Eno River 26Granville County (neighboring) 13Chatham County (neighboring) 8

Governors' Papers: Samuel Johnston, Correspondence, March 1789

Williamson, Hugh, 1735-1819 · 1789

Hugh Williamson, one of North Carolina's delegates in Congress, writes in these March 1789 letters of Governor Samuel Johnston. The 18 images also concern the State of Franklin and the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Creek nations, with Hillsborough among the places named.

Included because: The record names this subject alongside a heading for the county or its towns.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Salary of Joseph Martin, Superintendent of Indian Affairs

Martin, Alexander, 1740-1807 · 1789

Salary papers for Joseph Martin, 1784 to 1789, covering his work as agent and then superintendent of Indian affairs, first for Virginia from 1777 and for North Carolina from 1783 to 1789. The documents bear the signatures of Governors Alexander Martin and Richard Caswell. Eighteen images.

Included because: The record names this subject alongside a heading for the county or its towns.

NC Digital Collections

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Session of November-December 1789: Joint Select Committees: Reports and papers, December 3 - December 14

North Carolina. General Assembly · 1789

Reports and papers of joint select committees of the General Assembly, 3 to 14 December 1789. They include a report on warrants drawn for Colonel Alexander Outlaw's guard station on the Tennessee River and one on a petition of Timothy Riggs, Rutherford County surveyor. Orange is among the counties named. Seventy-seven images.

Included because: The record names this subject alongside a heading for the county or its towns.

NC Digital Collections

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Governors' Papers: Samuel Johnston, Correspondence, August 1788

Stokes, Montfort, 1762-1842 · 1788

August 1788 papers of Governor Samuel Johnston, 42 images. Montfort Stokes, Hugh Williamson, Richard Winn and Charles Thomson are among the correspondents. Relations with the Cherokee, Chickasaw and Creek peoples and the State of Franklin run through the month, and Hillsborough is named.

Included because: The record names this subject alongside a heading for the county or its towns.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Governors' Papers: Samuel Johnston, Correspondence, March 1788

Sevier, John, 1745-1815 · 1788

John Sevier, leader of the State of Franklin, is among the writers in Samuel Johnston's March 1788 papers. Other names include John Baptista Ashe, Benjamin Hawkins, Thomas Pinckney, James White and Richard Winn, with Cherokee, Chickasaw and Creek affairs and Hillsborough also present. Thirty-four images.

Included because: The record names this subject alongside a heading for the county or its towns.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Governors' Papers: Richard Caswell, Correspondence, September 1787

Caswell, Richard, 1729-1789 · 1787

Richard Caswell's correspondence for September 1787, in the last months of his final term as governor before Samuel Johnston succeeded him. Across 36 images the papers touch Hillsborough, Warren and Washington counties and the Continental Congress.

Included because: Its title names this subject.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

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Governor Richard Caswell (2nd Administration) Correspondence: January 14-December 21, 1786

Caswell, Richard, 1729-1789 · 1786

Richard Caswell's correspondence from 14 January to 21 December 1786, during his second administration as governor, in 108 images that include proclamations. Topics range over wars with the Cherokee and Creek, enslaved people, enemy property, an embargo, fraud, debt and military trials. Philip Alston, Timothy Bloodworth, Griffith Rutherford, the Tar River and Hillsborough all appear.

Included because: Its title names this subject.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Governors' Papers: Richard Caswell, Correspondence, October 1786

Caswell, Richard, 1729-1789 · 1786

From Richard Caswell's second period as governor, 1785 to 1787: letters of October 1786 in 70 images. Caswell had first led the state from 1776 to 1779. The month's papers touch on Continental Congress affairs and on Halifax County and Hillsborough.

Included because: Its title names this subject.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Governors' Papers: Richard Caswell, Correspondence, August 1785

Caswell, Richard, 1729-1789 · 1785

Governor Richard Caswell's correspondence for August 1785, in 74 images, from the first year of his second run of terms. Duplin, Warren, Washington and Orange counties are named, along with Hillsborough and the Continental Congress.

Included because: Its title names this subject.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Governors' Papers: Richard Caswell, Correspondence, July 1785

Blount, Thomas, 1759-1812 · 1785

Thomas Blount is among the writers in Governor Richard Caswell's correspondence for July 1785. The 62 images concern Halifax County, Hillsborough, Orange County and the Continental Congress.

Included because: Its title names this subject.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Governors' Papers: Richard Caswell, Correspondence, September 1785

Thomson, Charles, 1729-1824 · 1785

September 1785 letters of Richard Caswell, written during his second period as North Carolina's governor. Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress, is among the correspondents, and Hillsborough appears in the month's business. Sixty-three images.

Included because: Its title names this subject.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Joint Papers: Material sent for perusal

North Carolina. General Assembly · 1784

Documents sent for the General Assembly's perusal in 1784, 48 images. Governor Alexander Martin, loyalists, land titles, justices of the peace and elections all figure, with Burke County and Hillsborough among the places.

Included because: The record names this subject alongside a heading for the county or its towns.

NC Digital Collections DPLA

NC Digital Collections record courtesy of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Search all 67 indexed works →

Start at OCPL

Books in OCPL’s Rebecca B. Wall Local History Collection whose titles, catalog subjects, or descriptions match this storyline. The Friends’ recommended starting points are labelled. Books marked Wider context cover the broader subject rather than this storyline itself.

  • Foundational · NC 342.756 BYRD Villainy Often Goes Unpunished: Indian Records From the North Carolina General Assembly Sessions, 1675-1789 Byrd, William L. · 2012

    William L. Byrd III gathers material on Native Americans from the session papers of North Carolina's colonial and early state legislature, 1675 to 1789, including matters touching the colony's treatment of Indians. Heritage Books first published it in 2002; this 2012 reprint has 309 pages with a bibliography and an index.

  • Foundational · NC 342.756 BYRD North Carolina General Assembly Sessions Records: Slaves and Free Persons of Color, 1709-1789 Byrd, William L. · 2011

    Enslaved people and free people of color as they appear in the session papers of North Carolina's General Assembly from 1709 to 1789, the years of the colonial assembly and the first state legislatures, gathered by William L. Byrd III. Heritage Books first issued the compilation in 2001; this 2011 reprint has 225 pages with a bibliography and an index.

  • Foundational · NC 328.3 BARNES Work in Progress: The North Carolina Legislature Barnes, Henson P. · 1993

    Henson P. Barnes, a Goldsboro lawyer, wrote this history of the North Carolina General Assembly soon after leaving the state Senate, where he served from 1977 to 1992 and was president pro tempore in his last two terms. The legislature published it in Raleigh in 1993; xxv and 439 illustrated pages with a bibliography and index.

Show 2 more
  • Wider context · NC 328.3 GRE The Quest for Power: The Lower Houses of Assembly in the Southern Royal Colonies, 1689-1776 Greene, Jack P. · 1963

    Jack P. Greene's first book traces how the lower houses of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia gained power at the expense of royal governors and the London government between 1689 and 1776, and how they came to lead the defense of colonial rights and train the first generation of national politicians. Published in 1963 for the Institute of Early American History and Culture at Williamsburg; 528 pages with tables and bibliographical essays.

  • Rebecca Wall Collection · NC 920 CON Revolutionary Leaders of North Carolina Connor, R. D. W. · 1971

    Lectures on North Carolina's Revolutionary generation that R. D. W. Connor gave at the State Normal and Industrial College in the spring of 1913. A survey of the colony and state from 1765 to 1790 is followed by studies of four leaders: John Harvey, Cornelius Harnett, Richard Caswell and Samuel Johnston. Published in 1916 as the college's Historical Publications no. 2; reprinted in 1971, 125 pages.

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Wars & Military Service →Law, Courts & Justice →The founding of the University and Chapel Hill, 1789–1795 →Creation of Orange County and Hillsborough, 1752–1766 →

Picture: Hillsborough Presbyterian Church, on the site where the General Assembly met. CC0. Photograph by Willthacheerleader18; via Wikimedia Commons

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