The Fifth North Carolina Provincial Congress or 1st North Carolina Constitutional Convention was the fifth and final meeting of the North Carolina Provincial Congress. Composed of 187 delegates from 35 counties and ten towns, it met at the court house in Halifax from November 12 to December 23, 1776, in the first year of American independence. Richard Caswell of Dobbs County was unanimously chosen as president, and Cornelius Harnett of Brunswick County as vice president.

History Resolutions This fifth provincial congress approved the first state constitution and a "Declaration of Rights" on December 18, 1776. It chose Richard Caswell as acting governor until the first General Assembly elected a state governor to replace Josiah Martin. The congress dealt extensively with raising a militia of 5,000 men to defend North Carolina. They also dealt with the ongoing Cherokee War taking place in the western part of the state.

Delegates

Each county was authorized five delegates to this congress. Some counties only had four delegates. In addition, nine districts or borough towns were also authorized a single delegate. These districts were the larger towns and population centers of the state. The concept of district representation was a hold over from the Province of North Carolina in colonial times. Washington District, in the western end of the state and later became a county, elected four delegates to the congress.

The following is a full list of delegates to the fifth congress by constituency.

ConstituencyNameAnson CountyGeorge DavidsonAnson CountyDavid LoveAnson CountyWilliam R. PickettAnson CountyCharles RobertsonAnson CountyThomas WadeBeaufort CountyJohn Barrow Beaufort CountyFrancis Jones Beaufort CountyThomas Respess Beaufort CountyThomas Respess, Jr. Beaufort CountyRobert Tripp Bertie CountyWilliam GrayBertie CountyNoah HintonBertie CountyJohn JohnstonBertie CountyThomas PughBertie CountyZedekiah StoneBladen CountyThomas AmisBladen CountyJames CouncilBladen CountyThomas OwenBladen CountyThomas RobesonBrunswick CountyLewis DupreeBrunswick CountyCornelius HarnettBrunswick CountyWilliam LordBrunswick CountyArchibald MacLaineBrunswick CountyMaurice MooreBute CountyJames DentonBute CountyThomas EatonBute CountyPhilemon HawkinsBute CountyBenjamin SeawellBute CountyBenjamin WardCarteret CountyWilliam BordenCarteret CountyBrice WilliamsCarteret CountyThomas ChadwickCarteret CountyJohn EastonCarteret CountySoloman ShepardChatham CountyJohn BirdsongChatham CountyMial ScurlockChatham CountyJeduthan HarperChatham CountyIsaiah HoganChatham CountyAmbrose RamseyChowan CountyThomas BenburyChowan CountyJacob HunterChowan CountyJames BlountChowan CountyThomas JonesChowan CountyLuke SumnerCraven CountyNathan BryanCraven CountyJohn TillmanCraven CountyWilliam BryanCraven CountyJames CoorCraven CountyChristopher NealeCumberland CountyWilliam RandCumberland CountyPhilip AlstonCumberland CountyRobert CobbCumberland CountyRobert RowanCurrituck CountyJames WhiteCurrituck CountySamuel JarvisCurrituck CountyKedar MerchantCurrituck CountyHollowell WilliamsCurrituck CountyThomas WilliamsDobbs CountyAndrew BassDobbs CountyBenjamin ExumDobbs CountySimon BrightDobbs CountyRichard CaswellDobbs CountyAbraham SheppardDuplin CountyJames GillespieDuplin CountyWilliam DicksonDuplin CountyThomas GrayDuplin CountyJames KenanDuplin CountyWilliam TaylorEdgecombe CountyElisha BattleEdgecombe CountyWilliam HaywoodEdgecombe CountyWilliam HornEdgecombe CountyJonas JohnstonEdgecombe CountyIsaac SessumsGranville CountyMemucan HuntGranville CountyRobert LewisGranville CountyJohn OliverGranville CountyThornton YanceyGranville CountyThomas PersonGuilford CountyIsham BrowderGuilford CountyCharles BruceGuilford CountyDavid CaldwellGuilford CountyRalph GorrellGuilford CountyJoseph HindsHalifax CountyWillis AlstonHalifax CountyJohn BradfordHalifax CountyJames HogunJames Hogun resigned his position after being commissioned in the North Carolina Line, and was replaced by Egbert Haywood.Halifax CountyEgbert HaywoodHalifax CountyBenjamin McCulloughHalifax CountySamuel WeldonHertford CountyLawrence BakerHertford CountyWilliam MurfreePossibly the father of William MurfreeHertford CountyDay RidleyHertford CountyRobert SumnerHertford CountyJames WrightHyde CountyJohn Jordan Hyde CountyAbraham Jones Hyde CountyJoseph HancockHyde CountyBenjamin Parmele Hyde CountyWilliam Russell Johnston CountyAlexander AveryJohnston CountyNeedham Bryan Jr.Johnston CountyHenry RainsJohnston CountySamuel SmithJohnston CountyJohn StevensMartin CountyWhitmell HillMartin CountyJohn HardisonMartin CountyThomas HunterMartin CountySamuel SmithwickMartin CountyWilliam WilliamsMecklenburg CountyHezekiah AlexanderMecklenburg CountyWaightstill AveryMecklenburg CountyRobert IrwinMecklenburg CountyJohn PhiferMecklenburg CountyZaccheus WilsonNew Hanover CountyJohn AsheNew Hanover CountySamuel AsheNew Hanover CountyJohn DevaneNew Hanover CountyJohn HollingsworthNew Hanover CountySampson MoselyNorthampton CountyJeptha AthertonNorthampton CountyRobert PeeblesNorthampton CountyHowell EdmundsNorthampton CountyJames IngramJames Ingram was commissioned in the North Carolina Line and replaced by Thomas Parker, who was elected to replace him.Northampton CountyThomas ParkerNorthampton CountyAllen JonesOnslow CountyBenajah DotyOnslow CountyThomas JohnstonOnslow CountyHenry RhodesOnslow CountyJohn SpicerOnslow CountyEdward StarkeyOrange CountyThomas BurkeSeated on December 16, due to voting irregularities in a first pole Orange CountyJohn AtkinsonOrange CountyJohn ButlerOrange CountyJohn McCabeOrange CountyJohn McCabeOrange CountyWilliam MooreOrange CountyAlexander MebaneOrange CountyJohn PaineOrange CountyNathaniel RochesterOrange CountyJames SaundersPasquotank CountyHenry AbbotPasquotank CountyDempsey BurgessPasquotank CountyDevotion DavisPasquotank CountyIsaac GregoryPasquotank CountyLemuel SawyerPerquimans CountyBenjamin HarveyPerquimans CountyMiles HarveyPerquimans CountyThomas HarveyPerquimans CountyWilliam HooperPerquimans CountyWilliam SkinnerPitt CountyGeorge EvansPitt CountyJames GorhamPitt CountyBenjamin MayPitt CountyWilliam RobsonPitt CountyEdward SalterRowan CountyJohn BrevardRowan CountyMatthew LockeRowan CountyGriffith RutherfordRowan CountyWilliam SharpeRowan CountyJames SmithSurry CountyCharles GordonSurry CountyWilliam HallSurry CountyRobert LanierSurry CountyJoseph WilliamsTryon CountyJohn BarberTryon CountyRobert AbernathyTryon CountyWilliam AlstonTryon CountyWilliam GrahamTryon CountyJoseph HardinTyrrell CountyBenjamin BlountTyrrell CountyJeremiah FrazierTyrrell CountyStephen LeeTyrrell CountyIsham WebbTyrrell CountyPeter WynnWake CountyBritain FullerWake CountyJames JonesJames Jones was deemed ineligible due to service in the Light Horse. He resigned his commission on October 25, 1776 and was re-elected to serve in the congress.Wake CountyTignal JonesWake CountyJohn RiceThe Congress Journal shows that it was John Rice as delegate for Wake County. William Brown was the delegate for Bath. This appears to be an error in the Lewis delegate listing.Wake CountyMichael RogersWashington DistrictJohn CarterWashington DistrictJohn HaileWashington DistrictCharles RobertsonWashington DistrictJohn SevierTown of BathWilliam BrownTown of BrunswickParker QuinceTown of CampbeltonThomas HadleyTown of EdentonJoseph HewesTown of HalifaxWillie JonesTown of HillsboroughWilliam JohnstonTown of NewbernAbner NashTown of SalisburyDavid NesbittTown of WilmingtonWilliam Hooper

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