NORTH CAROLINA IN THE COLONIAL WARS


North Carolina and her citizens played a major part in wars of the colonial period.  Chief among these were the following:

Queen Anne's War, 1702-1713,  the French and Spanish  frequently landed and plundered North Carolina's coast.

Tuscarora War, 1711 - 1713,  the powerful Tuscarora Indians in eastern North Carolina feeling the pressure of European settlements massacred many white settlers, precipitating a two year war that ended with defeat for the tribe, the remnants of which moved to New York to join their Iroquois brethren.

Yemassee War, 1715, North Carolina sent troops to aid South Carolina in the defeat of Yemassee Indians, which had very similar causes to the Tuscarora War.  

War of Jenkin's Ear / King George's War, 1739 - 1748,  North Carolina sent 400 men as part of an ill-fated British expedition against Spanish Cartagena.  Most of the Tar Heels did not return.  Spanish privateers cruised off the North Carolina coast and Spanish forces briefly captured and plunderer of both Beaufort  and Brunswick.

French and Indian War, 1754- 1763, North Carolina made major contributions of men and supplies.  North Carolina participated in  the disastrous Braddock expedition and the later successful Forbes campaign, both against the French Fort Duquesne (renamed Fort Pitt).  North Carolina troops built Fort Dobbs near Statesville,  and there repulsed a major Indian attack.  North Carolina troops fought Cherokee Indians,  and with the help of  South Carolina and Virginia, gained an important victory near  the present town of Franklin, North Carolina.

War of the Regulation, 1771  after years of unrest among back-country settlers, called Regulators, Royal Governor William Tryon led the colonial militia from eastern North Carolina to  victory at the Battle of Alamance, on May 16, 1771.  This represents one of the first armed conflicts in America of frontier vs. Tidewater economic interests.  It was the last of the major colonial conflicts and a prelude to the American Revolution in North Carolina.

NORTH CAROLINA SOCIETY OF COLONIAL WARS:
A FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY

By: John Baxton Flowers III*
2001

The Society of Colonial Wars was established in 1892 in New York City.   In 1896 the General Society had its first assembly with fourteen state societies presented. But, it was over half a century later before the gentlemen of many southern states followed.   At a meeting of the General Society held at Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, May 13, 1949, a charter was granted to establish a Society of Colonial Wars in the State of North Carolina.

There are a number of reasons why North Carolina was late in the establishment of a group to honor the memory of its citizens who participated in the establishment of the British Empire on American shores.   North Carolina had early societies to honor their Revolutionary ancestors.   North Carolina had played a well known and important role in the American Revolution. Less well known at that time was the role that the colony of  North Carolina had played in the colonial wars for Empire. The top leadership in the State took the lead in establishing the Society of the Sons of the Revolution in 1893, and in l896 North Carolina began efforts to reestablish her state society among the constituent societies of the Cincinnati which had been originally formed in North Carolina in October, l783 at Hillsborough but which by 1805 was inactive. With the Sons of the Revolution and the Cincinnati well established in the state, efforts to form additional new societies were slow in coming. Scholarship on state history in the early 20th century, led by the North Carolina Historical Commission and the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, made many Tar Heels aware of their earlier role in the colonial wars. When it was learned that North Carolina was the last of the thirteen original states to form a Society of Colonial Wars (South Carolina organized in l931), state pride took over, and following the end of World War II a number of gentlemen in the state pledged to form the State Society of Colonial Wars, and petitioned the General Society for a charter. From records that are available, we know that the group was led by James G. W. MacClamroch (who later changed the spelling of his name to MacLamroc), an attorney of Greensboro, whose connections with members of the General Society had given him a strong desire to form a North Carolina Society. MacClamroch initially joined the Virginia Society when there was as yet no North Carolina Society. He was aided in forming a North Carolina Society by William H. Ruffin of Durham, Dr. Wallace E. Caldwell of Chapel Hill and William H. Bason of Raleigh. These men formed the Organization Committee, as is shown on stationary that they had printed.

After what was a long delay in getting the organization of the Society moving, it was decided that the organizational meeting would take place in Chapel Hill at the Carolina Inn on May 27, 1950. Dr. Archibald Henderson, the distinguished historian, mathematician, scientist, official biographer of George Bernard Shaw and faculty member at the University of North Carolina, was invited to take the Chair and preside over the Organization Meeting. At this meeting a committee was appointed to draft a constitution and bylaws and transact any business that might come before the Society. In addition, and most importantly, officers were elected. As might be expected, James G. W. MacClamroch was elected governor of the Society with Walter G. Green, Jr. of Burlington, deputy governor. Calhoun Pruitt of Rockingham was elected secretary- treasurer; William H. Bason of Raleigh, registrar-genealogist; Luther T. Hartsell, Jr. of Concord, chancellor and Dr. Wallace E. Caldwell of Chapel Hill, chaplain.

James MacClamroch had become a friend of the venerable Dr. Arthur Adams, a member of the faculty at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, and one of  the driving forces among hereditary societies in the United States. Dr. Adams attended the organizational meeting. At that time he was registrar-general of the Society of Colonial Wars, and had been instrumental in urging a formation of the Society of Colonial Wars in North Carolina. Dr. Adams addressed the assembled members and prospective members, and then was elected to represent North Carolina at the national level as deputy governor general for North Carolina. The state was well represented, as Dr. Adams was known for his faithfulness to the advancement of the General Society, and he did not neglect his duties on behalf of his Tar Hell friends. A half after six o'clock, following the meeting which was held at four o'clock at the Inn, the group adjourned to a private dining room for dinner. It is amusing to note that the dinner tariff was but $2.50. A dinner in that establishment today is many times greater! At this dinner Dr. Adams spoke on the origins, ideals, principles and objectives of the General Society of Colonial Wars. The Society got off to a great beginning. Attending the organizational meeting were the following gentlemen: McDaniel Lewis, William H. Ruffin, Luther T. Hartsell, Jr., William Ashe Bason, Calhoun Pruitt, W. M. Richardson, Jr., E. Walker Duvall, Walter G. Green, Jr., Paisley Boney, Jr., James G. W. MacClamroch, Dr. Archibald Henderson, William H. Bason, Dr. Wallace E. Caldwell, Edward E. Caldwell, Charles W. Caldwell and William Bennett Little, Jr. It should be noted that a report made by registrar- genealogist, William H. Bason, as late as May 8, 1951 shows that W. M. Richardson, Jr., Edward E. Caldwell and Charles W. Caldwell never submitted papers to the Society and did not qualify as members.

It is also interesting to note that the ancestors that the founding members represented were among the most distinguished families in the colony with subsequent distinguished service to the state. Also among the founding members were gentlemen with ancestors that were prominent in Virginia, South Carolina and Massachusetts. The author had a conversation in l978 with James MacClamroch, in which Mr. MacClamroch told him that the founders were insistent that all members of the North Carolina Society be descended from "worthy members of the colonial establishment, as well as be gentlemen of the highest social and professional standing in their respective communities." This attitude might, in part, explain why the Society did not grow as rapidly as some other state societies did. The North Carolina was unusually selective in its membership.

The Yearbook of the General Society of Colonial Wars for l950 shows that the North Carolina Society had 24 members, and that 16 were present at the first meeting at the Carolina Inn. The l951 Yearbook shows that the membership had risen to thirty-four, that the meeting, which appears to have been an annual Court, was held at the Carolina Inn again, at which time attention was given to formulating a constitution for the Society. Mr. Lawrence Lee, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina, spoke on "The Town of Brunswick," which was settled about l725 on the Lower Cape Fear River a dozen miles below Wilmington. It is interesting to note that the late Mr. Lee became closely associated with the development of Old Brunswick Town and wrote extensively on the subject. He later headed up many scholarly projects in South Carolina and Georgia, and became a noted l8th century historian. He joined the Georgia Society of Colonial Wars when he lived in Savannah.

The l952 Yearbook shows that membership in North Carolina had stalled at 34, but the Carolina Inn at Chapel Hill had become the site of the annual Court. In l954 the membership was still static (based on figures submitted some months before) but when the annual Court was held at the Carolina Inn on May 29, officers were elected to serve, though no names are given. The l955 Yearbook shows that the membership had risen to 40 and the previous May 29th meeting was described as " A most successful and constructive annual Court..."

James G. W. MacClamroch served as Governor of the Society through l951 when he was succeeded by Walter Guerry Green, Jr. Green served until l953 when he was followed by James MacClamroch who served a year. McDaniel Lewis took over in l954 and served until l956. McDaniel Lewis was keen to get new members into the Society. He was a lifelong student of North Carolina history, and later served with distinction on the North Carolina Historical Commission which oversaw the work of the North Carolina Department of Archives and History, now the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Though a Greensboro stockbroker, he was a native of Kinston, and he knew and was connected to many of the colonial families of the eastern part of the state. McDaniel Lewis continued to urge eligible gentlemen to join and represent their ancestors in the work of the Society. He was often at historical gatherings, and as he approached a group which he knew to be eligible, it was known that he would undoubtedly bring up the subject of joining Colonial Wars. When you saw McDaniel Lewis coming, you knew that he would be urging membership development. He believed in promoting the awareness of our history, and felt that organizations were the best way to achieve broad goals.

McDaniel Lewis was succeeded by Luther Thompson Hartsell, Jr. of Concord, who served from l956 to l958, and he in turn was succeeded by Calhoun Pruitt who began his administration in l958 and served until l960. Mr. Pruitt, a resident of Rockingham, was among the most outstanding members from the early years of the Society. In the 75th anniversary history of the General Society which was published in l967, Calhoun Pruitt is shown as serving as deputy governor general, representing North Carolina, the first member that is found in the records to serve in a General Society office.

Calhoun Pruitt was followed in l960 by William Alderman Parker of Raleigh, who served as governor until l962 and was followed by Daniel Newton Farnell of Greensboro, who served a longer term from l962-1966 and was succeeded by William Bennett Little, Jr., of Raleigh, another founding member of the Society. In l967 the secretary of the North Carolina Society was Thomas Dilworth Parker of Charlotte, one of the most distinguished attorneys in North Carolina.

From the beginning, historical projects were envisioned, but just what was carried out remains a mystery and deserves more research. As time passed, there was a greater awareness to fulfill  the mission for the Society, to actively promote the history of the colonial period.

Paul Welles, Jr. of Raleigh, became governor of the Society in l968 and served only for a year. In l969 Calhoun Pruitt was elected for another term and served until l970. The Society was beginning to flounder and membership was in a slump. Annual Courts were irregular. These were the war years of great social unrest, and hereditary societies had fallen out of favor. Few sons were following their fathers and grandfathers into membership in selective organizations.

In l970 Benjamin Franklin Folger, of Elkin, assumed the reins of the Society and held the position of governor until l979 when he turned the organization over to Albert Carl Wirth, Jr. of Raleigh, who remained as governor until l984.

During Albert Wirth's administration there was an effort to get members into the Society. All to little avail. There were many years when there was no real activity beyond the most basic of council meetings. In fact, the condition of the North Carolina Society was so poor, that in l983 the Governor General, Robert Vincent Martin of Savannah, wrote to Richard Boddie, then the new Deputy Governor General for North Carolina, to inquire what he could do to stimulate interest. 1983 was the year that Major Haywood L. Robertson of Virginia Beach, Virginia, who was representing North Carolina on the General Council, stepped down and Richard Boddie of Durham took over. Governor General Martin urged Mr. Boddie to help keep the state society active, and pledged his personal support to help in any way deemed necessary.  The conditions were viewed by the General Council as grave.  Paul Welles, Jr. took another turn as governor from l984 to l986 at which time Richard Franklin Boddie of Durham was elected governor, and Welles became Deputy Governor General.

During Richard Boddie's term as governor, efforts continued to get new members, and younger members, and the annual Courts were faithfully held at the Hope Valley Country Club in Durham. Richard Boddie had improved the situation enough that by l988 Kendrick Van Pelt and Richard Boddie attended the General Council meeting in May, and on October 19, l989 the Society hosted the Governor General, Gustave A. Hickscher II, and his wife, at a gala dinner at the Hope Valley Country Club in Durham. Also in l989 a Society contribution was sent to the restoration fund of the Joel Lane House in Raleigh.

Kendrick Van Pelt became a member of the Society of Colonial Wars in l972 and was retired to Chapel Hill in l984. He served as Secretary-Treasurer of  the North Carolina Society and then became Governor of the Society in l988, and served until l990 when he was elected to serve as Deputy Governor General. He was followed as Governor by William Alexander Smith, Jr., of Cary, who served from l991 to l993 and afterward served a term as Deputy Governor General.

From l996 to l999 Kendrick Van Pelt served as Deputy Governor General, and Myron Carroll Banks of Raleigh served as Governor of the North Carolina Society. Myron Banks served ably as Governor until l999 when he became Deputy Governor General and continues in that office.

We might pause here to recognize those who served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Society. Secretaries and Treasurers are vital to the well being of any organization, and their faithful work often goes unrecognized. From l954 to l962 William Bennett Little, Jr. served as Secretary- Treasurer, and he was followed by William Alderman Parker who served from l963 to l967.  Luther T. Hartsell III served during l968 and l969 and was followed by William Ashe Bason from l970 to l973 when David Carlos Smith, Jr. took over and served until l982. Charles Lee Smith III served in l983 and was followed by Albert Carl Wirth, Jr.,  after he stepped down as Governor.  Albert Wirth served until l986.  In l987 Kendrick Van Pelt served one year and was followed by William Harley Dartt, who served until l990, when Albert Wirth, Jr.  served another two year term from l991 to 1993. He was followed by Robertson L. Miller who served from l994 to l999.

Membership figures that have been found indicate that in l966 there were only 31 members of the North Carolina Society.  By l992 that figure had risen to 46, and in l994 was up to 51.  The Society was moving forward, if slowly. The Society sent delegates to the General Council, and on May 12-13, l995 William A. Smith, Jr., Roger Miller Pegram and Kendrick Van Pelt represented the North Carolina Society at the General Council meeting at Newport, Rhode Island.

In l996 Myron C. Banks, Roger Miller Pegram, William A. Smith, Jr., and Kendrick Van Pelt were at the General Council meeting in Charleston, S.C. where the State Society received a direct membership and retention grant of $1,200 from the General Society.  That same year in the Matching Grant Program of the General Society, North Carolina gave to the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts at Old Salem to purchase artifacts for the museum and its new addition.  Membership was up to 54 members. The next year Grant Mark Peterson of Cary, was placed on the Committee on Tablets  and Monuments of the General Society.  Delegates to the General Council in Savannah, Georgia, May 2-3, l997 were Ben Field and Kendrick Van Pelt.   The leadership of the state society was clearly moving forward.

In l997 the North Carolina Society contributed to the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts for the acquisition and display of colonial artifacts. They also contributed to the North Carolina Division of Archives and History to help acquire, edit and index the colonial records of the state.  The membership was up again, in l997 stood at 59.  The leadership of the state society in l998 remained in the hands of Myron C. Banks and Robertson L. Miller, and Kendrick Van Pelt continued as Deputy Governor General.  Grant Peterson continued his service on the Committee on Tablets and Monuments of the General Society. Delegates to the Richmond General Council meeting on May 8-9, l998 were Myron C. Banks, Roger M. Pegram and Grant Peterson. That same year the Society contributed to both the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts and to the Carolina Charter Corporation to help edit the colonial records of North Carolina.

In l999  Grant Peterson of Cary was elected governor of the North Carolina Society. He had served the Society ably for a number of years and was active in the work of the General Society as well.  Progress had been slow in coming to the North Carolina Society, but momentum was building.  By the year 2000 the Society was enjoying regular Courts in the autumn and spring, which were held at the University Club in Durham (which coupled with nearby Chapel Hill, has been the cradle of the North Carolina Society).  Interesting programs have been presented by some of the most noted speakers in their respective fields, and to show that the Society has moved into the 21st Century in full force, a Web Page has been created to promote the purposes and plans of the Society and to help with membership development.  Contributions to worthy historical projects continue.

Under the leadership of Grant Peterson, the Society has begun to take up the traditions of the General Society, such as wearing red blazers to the more informal business Courts. Formal dress has long been the tradition at evening Courts.  A silk Society tie, featuring the logo of the Society as well as the ancient seal of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina, has been produced in England for the members of the Society, and an esprit de corps that has not existed in many years has begun to reemerge. Under Governor Peterson's leadership, membership has risen, but there have been sad losses as well with the deaths of longtime members of the Society.  Yet the Society is moving forward in both membership and service to the community.

Under Grant Peterson's leadership, the Society offices have been restructured. Currently Myron C. Banks is Deputy Governor General for North  Carolina;  Grant Peterson is Governor; David V. Brooks is Deputy Governor; Henry A. Phillips isSecretary-Registrar; Kendrick Van Pelt is Treasurer; David Benjamin Rich III is Chancellor and Blake Tyner, John Hull McLean and Paul Welles, Jr. are members of the Council.

In l991 the Samuel Victor Constant Society was formed by the General Society, and named for the Founder of the Society of Colonial Wars. Those who contribute to this program are named  Fellows. The monies generated by this fund go to endow a Chair in American  colonial history at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Myron Carroll Banks is the first member of the North Carolina Society to become a Samuel Victor Constant Fellow.

On May 13, 2001 the Society could celebrate the fifty-second year since their chartering in l949. However, the Society will host a formal Court on Saturday night April 21, 2001 at the University Club in Durham. At this event, the first fifty years will be the highlighted. On this occasion, a printed Roster of all the former members with the records of their qualifying ancestors, as well as a history of the General Society, and of the North Carolina Society since its chartering in l949, will be presented to all members. Copies of the Roster will be sent to all the research libraries in the state, and to the General Society archives.

In keeping with the wishes of the Founders, the Society has maintained the high quality of its membership. There have been gentlemen members from all the professions and many with high educational attainment.  Many members have been recognized for their civic contributions, and two members have been honored by Queen Elizabeth II with the Most Venerable Order of St. John, for their contributions to British-American life. Many have been leaders of the democratic government that the Society was formed to nurture and honor. There have been two governors of North Carolina, Robert W. Scott, and James Terry Sanford (later U.S. Senator), as members, along with U.S. Senator Samuel James Ervin, Jr., and the Hon. Gordon Gray, an Assistant Secretary of Defense, and President of the University of North Carolina.   A look at old membership rosters reads like a Who's Who of the "great and the good," in North Carolina.  Most recently a former Governor General of the Society, Halcott Mebane Turner of Virginia, with deep roots in the soil of North Carolina, became a member of the North Carolina Society.

It appears that the turn of the new Millennium has brought the North Carolina Society of Colonial Wars good fortune in its leadership and in its outstanding membership, which currently stands at 60.  Just as the Tar Heel gentlemen set out to accomplish from their first meeting, the North Carolina Society is dedicated to the preservation of the principles of freedom and to making future generations aware of their colonial heritage, which culminated in the formation of the United States of America in l776.

A half century of service and struggle has truly become a Golden Anniversary!

* John Baxton Flowers III is a native Tar Heel and a cultural historian who has been widely published in both the scholarly and popular  press. A member of the North Carolina Societyof Colonial Wars since l973, he currently serves as vice president of Augusta State University in Georga.

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