The Story of Richard Caswell

"The Story of Governor Richard Caswell of Lenoir: includes NC history and many area families of the Revolutionary period."

THE STORY OF RICHARD CASWELL

Reproduced From The Heritage of Lenoir County 1981 with the kind permission of
The Lenoir County Historical Assocation, Kinston, North Carolina

To this day - two hundred and fifty-two years after his birth,- Richard Caswell has never been fully recognized.No one man has meant more to his state and the development of the Kinston area than Caswell. No satisfactory biography of him has been written mainly because all his records were lost at sea. Except for the records of the land office the only collections of early documents referring to Richard Caswell which throw much light on his public career are the Colonial Records of North Carolina and the State Records of North Carolina.Each year, however, the historians such as Charles Holloman unearth more bits of infor-mation to piece together the fabric of this fascinating man's life.Time and time again important events are held, history books written, and they fail to even mention his name.But he was the only person to ever attain the high office of Chief Executive of North Caro-lina, an office which he was the first to fill after the Independence, and which he held for six terms of one year each. And he was from Kin-ston. He also distinguished himself as a sol-dier, public servant and statesman.

He was born August 3, 1729 in Joppa, Maryland, now in Hartord County. His par-ents, Richard Caswell, Sr., and Christian Dal-lam were residing at their home called "Mulberry Point" on Chesapeake Bay. He re-ceived his formal schooling at the parish school.

At the age of sixteen Richard and his brother, William, came to North Carolina on horseback with letters of introduction and rec-ommendation from the governor of Maryland to North Carolina's royal governor, Gabriel Johnston, at New Bern William was given employment in the secretary's office.

At Tower Hill

Richard was made an apprentice to the sur-veyor general, James Mackilwean. For the next two years he lived with the Mackilwean family on their 850-acre plantation, Tower Hill, located at Stringer's Ferry on Neuse River near present Kinston.By 1747 his training was completed, and he became deputy surveyor general and got his first land grant. He built on it the home for his parents and their children called The Hill, was renamed Newington-on-the-Hill. (About 1840 it was renamed Vernon Hall by its owner, John Cobb Washington. After 1912 the house was rebuilt and presently owned by Felix Harvey.)

While living with the Mackilwean family, Ri-chard was introduced to North Carolina poli-tics. James Mackilwean, besides being surveyor general, was long a member of the General Assembly as was a neighbor, Dr. Francis Stringer. The political interests and ac-tivities were educational for Caswell and of-fered him opportunities to become acquainted with other political leaders: When Johnston County was formed from upper Craven in 1746, the county seat was for several months at Stringer's Ferry. Richard's brother, Wil-liam, and his father served as deputy clerk and clerk of the Johnston County court. Richard became an officer in the troop of horse of the Johnston County militia. Dobbs County was organized in 1759 and this subsequently be-came Lenoir in 1791.

On April 21,1752 Richard Caswell and Mary Mackilwean (born 1731), the daughter of James
and Elinor Mackilwean, were married. To this marriage three children were born, but only the
son; William who was born Septem-ber 24, 1754, grew to manhood. During the marriage the
family lived at the Red House, a plantation home at the site of the present Richard Caswell
Memorial Park in Kinston.
In 1758 June 20, Caswell married Sarah Heritage (1740-94), a daughter of William Heritage
and his first wife, Susannah Moore. To this marriage eight children were born: Ri-chardJr. (b.
lSept. 1759);Sarah (b. 26 Feb. 1762); Winston (b. 7 May 1764); Anna (b. 4 Dec. 1766);
Dallam (b. 15 June 1769); John (b. 24 Jan. 1772); Susannah (b. 16 Feb. 1775) and Christian
(b.9 Jan. 1779).


William Heritage and Caswell in Politics

Caswell's second father-in-law, William Heritage (1 700-1 769) also had a great influ-ence
upon Caswell's career. Heritage was a lawyer, planter, and political leader. From 1738 until
his death, he served as clerk of the General Assembly, an influential post in the colonial
government. Caswell studied law un-der him and was admitted to the bar April 1, 1759.
From 1754 to 1776, Caswell was a member of the colonial assembly and from 1770 to 71, he
was speaker of the house.
At the assembly which convened on Dec. 12, 1754, the freeholders of Johnston County elected
as one of their two representatives Ri-chard Caswell, who was then only twenty-five years of
age. This confidence which the people placed in Caswell was repeatedly expressed during the
next twenty years until the colonial assemblies came to an end.
He was one of the legislative committee ap-pointed to report on the selection of the seat of
government. They favored Tower Hill in 1756, and Governor Arthur Dobbs purchased "Tower
Hill" plantation to prevent others from speculating at the expense of the province
Accordingly on November 4,1758, Caswell and Stephen Cade presented a bill for erecting a
city on the Neuse at Tower Hill and for build-ing there the governor's house and public offices
(Colonial Records V,1021). But the Albermarle members and other rivals, who wanted the
capital elsewhere, by a close vote got a petition passed praying the king to disal-low their
former action in favor of Tower Hill, and this was done in 1759. It was reserved for
Governor Tryon in 1766 to get New Bern finally agreed upon as the capital, after twenty years
of wrangling.

Advocate for Free Schools

As a legislative leader he played a key role in the development and enactment of legislation relating to trade and industry, the court sys-tem, public defense, and humanitarian con-cerns. Most remarkable was his proposal for "erecting and establishing a free-school for every county' using as initial funding several thousand pounds granted to the province as reimbursement for aid rendered the Crown in the French and Indian War. Caswell wrote the concept into the state's first constitution, as chairman of the drafting committee of the provincial congress of 1776 that drew up the document.

Caswell the Commander

At the Battle of Alamance May 16, 1771, Caswell commanded the right wing of Tryon's army which defeated a poorly equipped army of about 3400 Regulators. The battle brought the rebellion of the Regulators to an end just as the administration of Governor William Tryon was also ending in North Carolina, as he had been appointed Governbr of New York in the meantime.
Though loathed by the Regulators and their sympathizers, Tryon was far from being the completely despised figure shown by some North Carolina historians. The North Caroli-nians, particularly at the then provincial capital of New Bern; undertook to provide a stout de-fense of their ex-Governor, upholding his character.
Among the Dobbs militiamen who fought at Alamance were Colonel Richard Caswell, Cap-tain Simon Bright, Captain Abraham Sheppard and Justice George Miller.
On December8, 1773 John Harvey, speaker of the Provincial General Assembly appointed nine persons to serve as a "Standing Commit-tee of Correspondence and Inquiry.'' This committee was composed of Speaker John Harvey, Robert Howe (later a Continental Army Major General), Cornelius Harnett, William Hooper (later a signer of the Declaration of Independence), Richard Caswell (later Gov-ernor and Major General), Edward Vail, John Ashe (later Governor and Militia General), Jo-seph Hewes (later a signer of the Declaration of Independence) and Samuel Johnston (later Governor).
On August 25, 1774 a major event took place in New Bern that helped lead directly to the Declaration of Independence.

The First Provincial Congress of NC.

By then the spirit of rebellion reached such a point that the first Provincial Congress of North Carolina met in New Bern. The member-ship of this Congress consisted principally of members of the General Assembly which had been called to meet under British authority, but seized the occasion to also conduct an anti-British convention.
This Congress elected William Hooper, Jo-seph Hewes and Richard Caswell to represent the Province in the first Continental Congress had proposed to meet in Philadelphia Septem-ber5.
On September 3,1774 accompanied by his son, William and a servant, Caswell set out from the Red House. Traveling on horseback they finally reached Philadelphia by the 17th when Caswell took his seat in the Continental Congress, remaining until its adjournment Oc-tober 28. No written record was kept; however, John Adams in a statement made to Judge William Gaston some decades later said, "We always looked to Richard Caswell for North Carolina. He was a model man and a true patriot.'
The Provincial Congress met April 5,1775 and received the report of the delegates pro-posed by the Continental Congress for resist-ing British tyranny. They simply proposed a boycott of British goods as the instrument of persuasion in seeking better treatment from the British authorities, It was comprised princi-pally of members of the General Assembly which had been called into session by the then Royal Governor, Josiah Martin.
He dissolved the Assembly on April 8 after "strong and disagreeable messages had been exchanged." This was the last General Assem-bly ever to meet under British auspices in North Carolina. They went across the street, probably to the Tavern , and heard the rec-ommendations of the Continental Congress and again elected Hooper, Hewes, and Caswell to the Second Continental Congress which was to meet in Philadelphia in May.

The Second Continental Congress

He reached his destination on May 9 and wrote to his eldest son, William then eighteen years old, describing the military displays he had witnessed on the journey, which caused him to urge the North Carolinians to emulate the example of the other colonists.
He said that on May 1 at Petersburg, Vir-ginia, "The express told him the news of the Baffle of Lexington, where 37 Bostonians had been killed and similar number wounded' &emdash;April19, 1775.
When he reached Philadelphia, the streets were filled with war-like music and 2,000 men marched out daily to the commons to drill. In closing he expressed his opinion to his son, that it will be "A reflection on North Carolina to be behind her neighbors. It is indispensably necessary to form companies, to arm them, and to elect officers. I will join on my return home, as a private if necessary. Some will ob-ject that it will be acting against the govern-ment. Answer them that we are preparing ourselves to defend our country and to support our liberties." (Colonial Records, IX, 1247).

My Dear Son,
By a gentleman bound to Tar River, 1 now write to inform you that after I parted with you, Mr. Hewes and myself proceeded on our jour-ney as follows: Sunday evening we arrived at Petersburg in Virginia where we met the ex-press with an account of a Battle between the King's Troops and the Bostonians. The next day we crossed James River and lodged at Hanover Court House, where we had an account of 1,500 men being under arms to proceed to Williamsburg in order to oblige Lord Dunmore (Royal Gov. of Va.) to return some powder he had taken out of the magazine and lodged on board of a man-of-warm James River. The next day we were constantly meet-ing armed men who had been to escort the Delegates for Virginia on their way towards this place. Then when we got down to Potow-mack (Potomac) side before the boats re-turned here were part of the Militia of three counties under arms, and in the uniforms of hunting shins. They received us and con-ducted us, on the return of the boats, to the water's edge with all the military honors due to general officers.
We then crossed the river, and learned at the ferry on Maryland side that a company of Independent in Charles Co. had attended the Virginia Delegates from thence under arms. Their Company consisted of 68 men besides officers, all genteelly drest in scarlet and well equipped with arms and warlike implements, with drum and file.
Then finally we arrived at Baltimore through a most terrible gust of lightning, thunder wind, hail and rain and they conducted us to our lodgings at the Fountain Tavern (Grant's).
The next day we were prevailed on to stay at Baltimore, where Co/. Washington, accompa-n/ed by the rest of the Delegates, reviewed the troops. The next day we breakfasted at my old Master Cheynes and dined at Susquehannah; crossed the river and lodged at the ferry house. As / had in some measure been the cause of the Virginia gentlemen going 'round the bay by recommending that road, and being the only person in the Company acquainted with the road, I was obliged to keep with them so that / did not call on any of my relations. I sent George (servant) to Joseph Da/lam's where he left the letters I brought for our friends and was informed my grandmother and all friends were well except Mrs. Dallam who had been poorly some time. The next day we go to Wilmington where we fell in with several of the Maryland Delegates and came all into the City (Philadelphia) to dinner on the 9th. instant
Yesterday the Congress met (May 10, 1775) agreeable to appointment, and this day it was resolved that they enter upon the con-sideration of American grievances on Monday next. Here a greater martial spirit prevails, if possible, than / have been describing in Virgin-ia and Maryland. They have twenty-eight Companies complete, which make 2,000 men, who march out to the common and go thro'their exercises twice a day regularly. Scarcely anything but war/ike music is to be heard in the streets, There are several Com-panies of Quakers, they are raising men/n New York and all the nothern governments. I here-with inclose you a paper in which is a list of the killed and wounded of the King's troops. On the side of the Bostonians, thirty-seven were k//led outright, four are missing, and / forget the number wounded - / think thirty odd.
Thus, you have the fullest account l am able to give of these matters; and as the account is so long, 'Twill not be in my power to com-municate the same to any other of my country-men and friends but through you. You may therefore remember me in the strongest man-ner to your uncles, Captain Bright, and others. Show them this letter, and tell them it will be a reflection on their Country to be behind their neighbors; that it is indispensably necessary for them to arm and form into a Company or Companies of Independents. When their Com-panies are full, 68 private men each, to elect officers; viz, a captain, two lieutenants, an ensign and subalterns, and to meet as often as possible and go thro' the exercise, Receive no man but such as can be depended on; at the same time, reject none who will not discredit the Company. If / live to return, / shall most cheerfully join any of my countrymen, even as a rank and file man; and, as in the common cause am here exposed to danger, that on any other difficulties I shall not shun whilst / have any blood in my veins, but freely offer it in support of the liberties of my Country.
Tell your uncles, Clerk Samuel and Sheriff Martin, it may not be prudent for them so far to engage yet awhile in any Company as to risk the loss of their offices. But you, my dear boy, must become a soldier and risk your life in support of those invaluable blessings which once lost, posterity will never be able to re-gain.
Some men, I fear, will start objections to the enrolling of Companies and exercising the men and will say it will be acting against Gov-ernment. That may be answered "that is not so"; that we are only qualifying ourselves and preparing to defend our Country and support our liberties. I can say no more at present. But that God Almighty protect you and all and His blessing attend your good endeavor is the ardent prayer of, my dear child, your affection-ate father
Richard Caswell
P.S. Only show this letter to such as / have described above and don't let it be copied. Consult Capt. Bright, etc.
(The original letter is in the Caswell Papers, NC. Archives.)
What dramatic event in Caswell 's life caused him to turn from the trusted servant of the royal governors to that of a leader of sedition and actual treason?
During the period of 1754 to 1775 that Caswell was a member of the Colonial assembly he held his private views in strictest confi-dence. His public actions were ambivalent. Royal governors continued to trust him until April 1775; yet he held throughout the same period the highest confidence of the populace and their leaders in the assembly.
However, after his return from the Second Continental Congress, Royal Governor Josiah Martin reported that Caswell became the "most active tool of sedition" which certainly proved to be true.
Caswell had conceived a daring plan to put all governmental powers at the disposal of the provincial congress. He prevailed upon coun-cil secretary Samuel Strudwick to defect with the public records and hold them at the dis-posal of the provincial congress.
Alarmed by rumors of plans to take the gov-ernor and council prisoners, Martin fled the palace, calling upon the council members to join him aboard the British warship Cruzier
In the dark of night, it is said, Martin spiked the palace cannon which had not been carried off. Next he took two trusted servants and buried what arms and ammunition he could not carry off under the cabbages in the patch of the palace kitchen. Then, putting out word that he was going to spend a quiet weekend with Chief Justice Hand, he packed a few clothes and rode sedately out through the streets of New Bern, then galloped to Fort Johnston. Then from aboard the ship, he issued a procla-mation threatening death to anyone who at-tacked him.

Commander ot the Minutemen

When the Third Provincial Congress met at Hillsborough in August 21, 1775 arrange-ments were made for supporting the Continen-tal Congress with funds, and for raising troops both for the Continental Army and six battal-ions of Minutemen to serve the State. Each battalion of Minutemen was to have a comple-ment of five hundred men each. Caswell was appointed Commander of the Minutemen of the New Bern District.
Even before he was elected Governor, Ri-chard had little time for home life. As he was preparing his house at Newington, believed to be the location of present Vernon Hall, his wife had their youngest child, Susannah. She was born February 17, 1776 at John Herritage's homeplace Harrow, near Woodington.
Then came news that the Scotch High-landers were moving down the Cape Fear River to join forces with the British regulars at Wilmington. So just ten days after the birth of his little daughter, Caswell had to hurry away to his military duty of leading the Minutemen of Dobbs and neighboring counties to intercept them.
This was done successfully at the Battle of February 27, 1776.
(See Baffle of Moore's Creek Bridge later in this chapter.)

Fifth Provincial Congress

When the fifth Provincial Congress met at Halifax on November 12,1776 for the purpose of drawing up the first constitution of the state, Caswell's popularity won at Moore's Creek made possible his election as president of this Congress better known as the Halifax Conven-tion.
Dobbs County was represented in addition to Caswell by Simon Bright, Abraham Shep-pard, Benjamin Exum and Andrew Bass. Caswell was elected president and took the highest position of leadership in writing the Constitution adopted for the State.
The wisdom shown.ty the makers of the Constitution of North" Carolina was not in devising original theories or even in using un-familiarwords, but rather in the balanced judg-ment that led them to omit unsound ideas and to adopt those principles of government best suited to the needs of the people of that time.
In the Constitution proper the most impor-tant departure from the colonial system was the strict limitation of the powers granted to the governor. He was to be elected annually by the General Assembly to which he was to be subordinate. The governor was not to hold office more than three years successively. He was denied power to transact any important business without the executive council, etc. Experience had taught the framers of the Con-stitution to fear executive tyranny so much that they went to the other extreme by making the authority weak. Caswell stated that he "found his handstied attheverytimeefficientconduct of the war called for my authority.' But by sheer force of personal influence and per-suasiveness, Caswell accomplished a remark-able amount of work.

Caswell Becomes Governor

January 16, 1777 Caswell took the oath of office in the palace at New Bern.
On April18, he was elected to his first regu-lar term by the General Assembly. He served until 1780 as the constitution allowed only three successive terms. As governor he was incessantly raising and equipping troops. Be-sides providing for its own defense, the state sent more than eighteen thousand officers and men including Continentals to the aid of other states. Caswell was in poor health when he left office in April 1780.
During these three years, the most critical years of the Revolution, Caswell resided at his Newington estate near Kinston, and the town was in fact the Revolutionary capital of the State.

Kinston&emdash;The Revolutionary Capital

Meetings of the Council of State and of the General Assembly were generally held in Kin-ston during these three years. The town was frequented by numerous high- ranking offi-cials, military and civil, from other parts of North Carolina as well as other states and foreign countries. Tradition holds that the Tower Hill plantation was also used for meetings.
But it was at this time that HARMONY HALL became the residence of James Glasgow, Secretary of State, and his office with the official records was lodged there until Kinston was threatened by a British force moving up from Wilmington in the spring of 1781 when the records were removed to Salisbury.
At that time Richard Caswell was no longer Governor of the State; but he was the highest ranking officer of the State militia holding the rank of Major General, and had a large responsibility for the defense of the State. The State Board of War sometimes met in Harmony Hall, and other official meetings were often held there during this period.
Kinston attained a recognition and a status in the State and nation which it has never since held.

The Revolutionary War Closes

October 18, 1781 at Yorktown, Virginia, General Cornwallis surrendered his army of eight thousand men to General George Wash-ington.
But it was not until 1783 in Paris, France that the U.S. and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Paris which formally closed the Rev-olutionary War. Seven long years of struggle, sacrifice and starvation had passed since the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
Despite ill health, Caswell commanded the North Carolina Militia under General Horatio Gates at the disastrous Battle of Camden Au-gust 16, 1780, sharing the shame of the de-feat.
From May 1782 to 1785 he served as state controller general and made headway in bring-ing order to the public accounts. In 1785 he was again elected governor and, by successive elections, served until 1788.
When not serving in the governor's office, Caswell had always been elected to represent Dobbs County in the General Assembly. His vigorous support of the proposed federal Con-stitution alienated his Dobbs constituency, and it denied him a seat in the constitutional convention held at Hillsborough in 1787. He was, however, reelected to the legislature.

The Declaration of Independence

Caswell was also elected as one of the Delegates to meet in Philadelphia in 1787. With his health in decline, he appointed William Blount to his place. This Convention framed the Constitution of the United States. Richard Dobbs Spaight seems to have taken the most active part for the NC. delegation and certain corre-spondence which passed between Spaight and Caswell shows evidence that Caswell exer-cised some influence through Spaight. Never-theless, that is the reason he was not one of the signers of the Constitution nor the Declara-tion of Independence since he felt his first duty was to his state.

Personal Duties

Despite his diligent attention to his public office, he had to find time to operate his indigo works near Kinston, general framing operations, grist mill where corn and flour were ground for supplies and a tannery. He even sent supplies to General Washington's army.
But he needed his plantations to take care of the large family and responsibilities that fell on his shoulders. For not only did he provide for his father and mother and the five remaining. members of his family when they moved to Kinston, but also his own children and their children.

The Death of Caswell

From 1784 to 1789 tragedy fell thick and fast to the ailing Caswell. On December 27, 1784 the General Assembly declared Richard, Jr., dead since he had disappeared a year ago coming back from Charleston. He left a daugh-ter, Sarah, aged two and her mother to be cared for by the Caswells.January 5,1785 Samuel, Caswell's brother died suddenly at age forty-two. The next day his oldestson, William died. He was only thirty and left a one-year-old son to be reared by Caswell. His brother Martin also died in 1789. They all apparently died from the yellow fever.
Susannah married a cousin, John Lovick, who had been reared by her father who took him, his brother and sister upon the death of both their parents.
Anna married John Fonville early in 1783 when she was sixteen. He died Christmas Day of that year.
Winston became his father's secretary when sixteen. He married Nancy Mackilwean. They had one male child. He died in 1797 at age thirty-four.
Richard Caswell made his will in 1787. He died November 8, 1789.
On July 20, 1799 the clerk of court of Lenoir County sent a certificate to Secretary of State in Raleigh certifying that Dallam Caswell was the sole surviving executor of the will of Gov-ernor Richard Caswell (Legislative papers no. 204-NC. Archives, "Memorial of Dallam Caswell").
While presiding over the state senate at Fay-etteville, Caswell suffered a fatal stroke of paralysis. A state funeral was held at Fayetteville. His body was then taken to Kinston and buried in the cemetery at the Red House plantation. His widow, Sarah Heritage, died at Newington in 1794.

Caswell's Estate

While Richard Caswell was regarded as a wealthy man during his lifetime, it was found soon after his death that he had died penniless. The financial wizardy of public life was lacking in the management of his private affairs. The claims of creditors promptly exhausted his personal estate and their remaining claims were large enough to consume his lands as well. Some of these had been mortgaged to help finance the Revolution. The provisions made for his family in his will were to no avail.
In December 1804, his last surviving son, Dallam Caswell, writing at some length upon the destitute circumstances of the heirs of Ri-chard Caswell who, he said, had lost their pat-rimony as a result of judgments executed against the estate of his father, and petitioned the General Assembly to cancel a State claim which if collected, would take away the re-maining tract of land of his late father's estate.
In vain he pointed out the services of his father to the State while serving at a salary depreciated by inflation more rapidly than it was raised during the Revolutionary period. He pointed out also the personal sacrifices made by his father to attend to the public busi-ness. The General Assembly was not impre-ssed. The family was left to shift for itself. Thus came to an end the career of Kinston's First Citizen.



CASWELL'S PAPERS LOST

The loss of Caswell's personal records and papers was a great historical tragedy.
At his death his papers were said to have passed into the hands of Mrs. William West of Kinston, daughter of Dallam Caswell, the governor's last surviving son. In 1835 Hardy Bryan Croom, then a prominent citizen of Le-noir County and scholar of some note, under-took to write a complete biography of the late governor. He obtained the papers from Mrs. West and migrated to Florida. On completion of his manuscript, Croom planned to take the volume along with the Caswell papers to New York to have them published.

He sailed from Charleston, S.C. in the sum-mer of 1837 with his family on The Home. Off the North Carolina Coast the ship encountered a tropical storm of hurricane proportions and was run aground at Oregon Inlet. The high tide swept The Home once again into the sea, but by hoisting sails, the crew was able to beach the ship some six miles north of Ocracoke Lighthouse.
As the vessel struck the beach the forecastle was broken off on impact spilling the women and children gathered there into the sea. Only two women were saved. The Croom family was among the 70 passengers and 25 crew members lost. Caswell's papers were reported to be in Hardy Cryan Crooms suitcase and never found.


REPORTS ON CASWELL

NEW BERN, N. C., January14, 1777 (From the New Bern Gazette &c.)
On Friday last his Excellency RICHARD CASWELL, Esq., Governor of this State, ar-rived here. He was met about six miles from town by about thirty Gentlemen of horseback, who accompanied him to New Bern, the bells ringing as soon as he entered the town. Being conducted to Mr. Edward Wrenford's tavern, where a handsome collation was prepared, he received the Continental officers and soldiers (drawn up for the purpose) a salute with small firearms. The fort, Pennsylvania Farmer, and other vessels in the harbour, fired many guns, under a display of the colours of the United States; and in the evening, the town was hand-somely illuminated.
On Monday the 13th instant, the inhabitants of the town assembled and waited upon his Excellency with the following congratulatory
Address:
"To his Excellency RICHARD CASWELL, Esq., Governor, Captain-General, and Commander-in-Chief in and Over the State of North Carolina &emdash;The ADDRESS of the INHABITANTS of the town of NEW BERN:
May it Please your Excellency,
Permit us, in the sincerity of our hearts, to Congratulate Your Excellency on your unsolic-ited advancement, by the unanimous suffrages of the representatives of the freemen of this State, to the supreme command of the same, the highest honour a grateful people can be-stow,
Uninfluenced by private ambition and sordid interest, you have ever pursued the good of your country. Mankind have been taught, by your example, that the love of liberty, and a steady perseverance in acts of private and pub-lic virtue are the surest ways to preferment, and the best title to the honours of a free State. We have not a doubt, therefore, but that your Excellency's endeavours in your important station will give full satisfaction to the most sanguine expectations of the public.
In this pursuit, we hope your Excellency will receive the support and assistance of every lover of liberty and friend to his country; and, as the inhabitants of the Town of New Bern wish to be distinguished as such, you may depend upon our most hearty concurrence and best endeavours to make your administration easy to yourself and happy to the people.
HIS EXCELLENCY'S ANSWER &emdash;To the inhabitants of the town of NEW BERN:
Gentlemen-,For your congratulations on my appoint-ment to the supreme command of this State, and your favourable and kind sentiments of my principles and conduct, be pleased to accept my most cordial thanks. My election to that important office, by the unanimous suffrages of the representatives of a free people, unsolicited by me, I consider as the highest honour I could receive, and Shall ever think it my duty to pursue every measure inmy power for the benefit and prosperityof this State, and to promote the happiness and safety of its inhabitants. In doing which, if l am so happy as to give Satisfaction to the public, my utmost wishes will be answered.

In the course of my administration, I shall hope for, and thankfully receive, the support and assistance of
every lover of liberty and friend to his country. As such, the inhabitants of the town of New Bern have ever
distin-guished themselves. The respect and civilities I have received from them on former occa-sions (of
which I retain the most grateful sense) together, Gentlemen, with your present assurances, give me the
strongest reliance on your concurrence and endeavours to make my administration easy to myself and
happy to the people.'


CASWELL'S CHILDREN

William Caswell
William, son of Richard and Mary (Mackil-wean) was born Tuesday, the 24 September, 1754.
He was Register of Deeds when in Septem-ber 3,1774 he went to Philadelphia with his father, Richard Caswell, who was delegate from North Carolina to the First Continental Congress.
May 11, 1775 his father wrote to him describing the growing spirit of the Revolu-tion. Caswell advises his beloved son to pre-pare to risk his life in the service of his county.
William, not quite twenty-one years of age, entered as an ensign in the 2nd Regiment of the N. C. Continental Line Dept. 1,1775. He was dispatched to join General Washington's forces in the north. Served with valor, wounded at Brandywine, and was Captain of 5th. North Carolina Regiment of Continentals.
Both he and his step-mother's brother, Col-onel John Heritage, were with General Washington's forces during the miserable winter at Valley Forge. One of his few com-plaints in his letters to his father was of the 'vermin constant plague of the soldiers in the field.
In 1778 he returned to Kingston (renamed Kinston in 1784) in failing health.
He became Brigadier General and fought against Cornwallis' army as it marched from Wilmington to Guilford Courthouse and conti-nued until the surrender at Yorktown, Virginia on October18, 1781.
On December 22. 1782 at age twenty-eight he married Gathra Mackilwean, daughter of his mother's brother, Francis Mackilwean. They had one child named Richard William Caswell who was born May 17, 1784. HoweverJ,on Janu-ary 6, 1785 William died at the age of thirty. His wife died later that same year. Their infant son was taken to rear by his grandparents, Governor Richard and Sarah Caswell.


Richard Caswell
Richard Caswell, Jr. was born September 15, 1759, second son of Richard Caswell and Sarah Herritage at Woodington, family planta-tion on Southwest Creek in the present Woodington Township of Lenoir County. "Harrow" an adjoining plantation belonged to William Heritage, Richard's grandfather, who was a prominent lawyer.
During the Revolutionary War, Richard was highly active in the State militia. He joined the Minutemen militia and was commissioned an ensign by the Committee of Safety of Dobbs County on September 23, 1775, eight days
after he became sixteen years old. The follow-ing year, in February of 1776 he and his com-pany of Minutemen took part in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge. By 1780 he held the rank of major in the militia brigade command headquarters for the New Bern District and was eventually a colonel.
On March 26, 1782 he married in Craven County Mary Mackilwean, a daughter of Cap-tain Francis Mackilwean (deceased) and wife Mary, niece of Governor Caswell's first wife. Her name was also Mary Mackilwean. They had one child, a daughter, named Sarah Richard Caswell, who was born in 1783. They lived in HARMONY HALL.
By December of 1784 Richard, Jr. was a suc-cessful merchant in Kinston, and he made a voyage from New Bern to Charleston, S. C. to purchase a cargo of goods for transhipment by sea to New Bern. His ship sailed from Charles-ton December 27,1784. Neither ship nor any person aboard was ever seen again. He was then twenty-five years old. It is presumed it was taken by pirates.
In December of 1785 the General Assembly passed an Act appointing James Glasgow and Francis Child, then of Kinston, as trustees of his estate. They appointed William White (he married Anna Caswell, sister of Richard, Jr.) to settle the estate.
However, due to the heavy loss of invest-ment, the remaining assets were sufficient to pay only 18% on the debts. The efforts of Governor Caswell to answer himself for the large debts remaining until his death in 1789 resulted in numerous and damaging lawsuits against his executors, contributing to the de-pletion of his estate.

Sarah Caswell
Sarah was the second child born February 26, 1762. She was married in Dobbs County in
1779 to John Sturgis Mackilwean who was a brother to Governor Caswell's first wife. Sarah died in 1786 at age twenty-four and her hus-band, two years later. Three small children, Elizabeth, Sarah and Richard Francis Macku-wean, were taken by Governor Caswell and his wife to rear. (The grandparents died in 1789 and 1794 respectively).


Winston Caswell
Winston was the third child. He was born May 7,1764. In 1780 at the age of sixteen he began serving as secretary to his father and was officially Private Secretary to Governor Caswell when he was again Governor of North Carolina from April 1,1785 to December 80, 1787.
In 1788 Winston Caswell became Deputy Clerk of the Court of Dobbs County. His uncle, Martin, Clerk of the County Court of Dobbs, died in office and Winston succeeded him as Clerk. When Dobbs County was abolished in 1792, Kinston, then the county seat of Dobbs, became the county seat of the new county of Lenoir. Winston then became Clerk of the County of Lenoir and held that office until he died January 10,1799 at age of thirty-four of yellow fever.
He married Holland Green and had one child.
Governor Caswell's will made in 1787 named as his executors his three surviving sons, Winston, Dallam and John. Only Win-ston was of majority age when the Governor died in November of 1789; therefore only Win-ston was qualified when the will was probated in 1790. It was still uncompleted
when Win-ston died.

Anna Caswell
Anna was the fourth child of Governor Caswell and Sarah. She was born December4, 1766.

Dallam Caswell
Dallam was the Governor's fifth child. He was born June 15, 1769. He was the only surviving son when the will was finally probated in 1799.

John Caswell
John was the sixth child and born January 24, 1772. Like his older brothers, he prepared for a career as a lawyer and served an appren-ticeship as an assistant to the Clerk of the County Court at Kinston.
He married in 1793 Mary Gray Sheppard. They had one child, a son named Benjamin. She was the daughter of Col. Benjamin Shep-pard of Glasgow County (now Greene Co.) whose plantation called "Snow Hill" became the county seat and site of the Greene County town.
John died intestate April 14,1795 at the age of twenty-four. His widow married William Lovick of Kinston, one of the three orphans taken in by Caswell and also nephews of his wife. One of the Lovick children is buried behind HARMONY HALL
.
Susannah Caswell
Susannah, the seventh child, was born February 16, 1775. She married about 1794 John Lovick, another cousin who had been reared by her parents. In 1796 he and Susannah filed a petition for partition of Gov. Caswell's lands to determine his distributive share, He died about 1799. They had one child, Sarah

.
THE CASWELL BIBLE
The Bible belonging to Gov. Richard Caswell containing much of the Caswell family history. Information on preface page as follows: "The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testament! Newly translated out of the original Tongues and with the former Translations Dili-gently Compared and Revised by His Majesty's Special Command Appointed to be read in Churches Oxford. Printed by Basrett, Printer to the University MDCCXL 1737.'
This item given in memory of donor's
mother, Mrs. Thomas R. Myers, nee Anne
Wadsworth Blakemore, a lineal descendant of
Richard Caswell and his second wife, Sarah
Heritage.
Mrs. Thomas Fletcher Bates
**Note-The bible is posted in the Archives section of the Lenoir County Bibles section

CASWELL MONUMENT

On Aug. 3,1981, the 100th Anniversary of the dedication of the Richard Caswell Monu-ment in Kinston was observed. On Aug. 3,1881, Hon Zebulon B. Vance, U.S. Senator, gave the dedication address."Our proceedings this day mark an ere-I trust a better one-in our history. If I mistake not, this is the first in the shape of a monument or commemorating stone ever erected at public expense in the State of North Carolina to any son who ever served her. What a humiliating truth! Let us be candid with ourselves and say, what a shameful truth! That of the long list of sages, soldiers and statesmen who founded her government, established and preserved her liberties, and by their genius and their blood have contributed to her glory, and promoted through generations the prosperity and happi-ness of her people, not one before this day has ever had consecrated to his memory so much as a picture, a statue or a son of remembrance by the State he served so well
"Oh, My Countrymen, let us amend these things. Today we have done a good work. Let us make the future more careful of the fame of the faithful and the brave, to whom we owe somuch - .. There is hope that North Carolina will yet do justice to the memory of her great dead.
With this thought in mind the Lenoir County Historical Association decided to dedicate the 'History of Lenoir County' to Richard Caswell.
In 1880 the North Carolina General Assem-bly passed a bill appropriating $500 for the purpose of erecting a monument on the grave of Richard Caswell, the first provincial gov-ernor of North Carolina.
Under pressure from several Kinston citi-zens, the act was amended to allow the monu-ment to be located in the town rather than at the gravesite, some two miles westward, at the discretion of Governor Jarvis.
The Caswell Memorial Association was formed, with F. F. Cox as president, to raise additional funds of $1,300 for a "worthy" monument.

The Unveiling
The day of the unveiling, Aug. 3,1881, was a big one for the Kinston Lenoir County area. The monument was to be erected in the center of Caswell and Queen streets and downtown merchants went all out in their decorations.
Gov. Jarvis, several legislators, numerous military regiments, the Masons and former Gov., now U.S. Senator Zeb Vance, took part in a processional which proceeded from Nunn's Hotel at Queen and North streets, down North Street, south on McIlwean to Shine, up Shine to Queen and then north to the monument. More than 12,000 persons wit-nessed the parade in spite of the intense heat as only August can produce.
Caswell was lauded in a lengthy speech by U.S. Senator Vance who recounted the history of North Carolina and Caswell's role in the founding of a new nation, The news filled sev-eral pages when reprinted in the Kinston Jour-nal the next day.
In a Masonic ceremony, the cornerstone was laid which contained medals and coins, Masonic documents and copies of contempo-rary newspapers.
The monument unveiled was a 30-foot obe-lisk carved of Richmond granite with a 16-foot long shaft.
During the great Kinston fire of 1895 the heat was so intense that the obelisk was cracked. It was later replaced in 1908. Some of the monument now marks Caswell's grave.

Monument Moved
The monument stood in the center of Queen and Caswell streets until 1934 when it was moved to the Courthouse lawn. It had been struck several times by errant drivers and dur-ing the move the obelisk was broken.
The obelisk and another piece of the monu-ment was replaced and the original discarded in the old city dump south of Herritage Street near Spring Hill Street which is now privately owned.
Fortunately for Kinston, Jake West discov-ered the remains there in 1973 and donated one part to the Caswell Neuse Historic Site, where it lies on the grave of Richard Caswell and the three other parts of the shaft were donated to the St. John's Masonic Lodge No. 4 A, F and M on North Herritage Street.
Gov. Caswell was the first recorded master of St. John's Lodge No. 4. It was appropriate that these parts of the monument be placed on the grounds of the lodge for the public to view.


Transcribed and submitted by Clair Hadley

GEORGE WASHINGTON PAPERS containing Gov. CASWELL letters

"CASWELL FAMILY" Research Project on Old Dobbers

CASWELL Cemetery information The cemetery is in disrepair!

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