Regulators In The Family Tree...!

Here is a little more of the family history from my Mother's side of the family.

The main reason I'm putting this on here, is because it demonstrates a couple of things we should be aware of today!

First lesson, appointed government officials are always more evil to deal with than elected officials! PERIOD! Our present government is a prime example of how true this is...!

Second lesson...the people, the common people can affect the actions of most all officials, providing they protest or challenge those actions in large enough numbers!
This is a long post, but I feel that it's message is important enough to have you read!

In the 1750's and 1760's the Tidewater (coastal area) aristocracy of North Carolina owned numerous slaves who worked on their plantations, and were mostly English aristocracy descendants. During this time the Piedmont (hill area) was settled by people moving there from eastern North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey. Many established small farms, usually without slaves; only a few were aristocrats.

The Lower House of the Provincial Assembly was composed of representatives elected by each county. As immigrants poured into the Piedmont, the Assembly was slow to establish new counties, and often when they were established, small new counties were established also in the Tidewater. This resulted in the back country settlers being under-represented in the Assembly By 1776 Orange County, in the Piedmont, contained a larger white population than the total in five Tidewater counties. The five Tidewater counties had a total of 25 votes in the Assembly and Orange County had two.

At the same time the Piedmont counties had a number of county officials, appointed by the Governor, who were abusive and corrupt. Since county officials were not paid salaries, they often kept all or part of the taxes, and charged exorbitant fees for deeds and other legal documents for which the farmers had to pay cash. In the Tidewater, citizens did not have to pay cash since they could give a mortgage on their goods in warehouses or property.

By 1765 the small farmers of the Piedmont began denouncing high taxes, rents, fees and the malpractice of county officials. Mass meetings were common by 1768, and in 1770 one body, meeting in protest, numbered about 3,700. As the movement momentum, more demands were made, and these were published as Regulator's Advertisements, hence the name Regulators!

James Emerson was one of the 109 signers of the Regulators Advertisement #9 published on or about April 30, 1768.

The Regulators became more outspoken in their demands and more settlers joined the group until Governor Tyron decided military action was necessary to restore order in the area and insure control by the provincial Government. The Governor took to the field with several units of the Militia, and on May 16, 1771 defeated the Regulators in the battle of Alamance. During the battle several Regulators were captured. The next day, May 17, 1771 James Few, one of the leaders of the Regulators, was hung on the battlefield.

After the Governor's return to Hillborough, the 12 captured Regulators were tried for treason.The trial lasted until June 18, 1771 when all twelve were found guilty. On June 19, 1771 six of the Regulators were hung on a small hill about 1/4 mile east of the county courthouse. Today the site is marked by a bronze tablet in a small area enclosed by an iron picket fence.

Because of the public reaction after the hangings, the Governor did not hang the other six; instead he suspended their sentences. James Emerson was notified officially of his pardon on August 1, 1772 at Hillsborough, North Carolina.

It's amazing to me that these folks could put a gathering of 3,700 to protest...considering the mode of transportation and communication of the day.

We struggle to get 1000 people to show up at a meeting to protest wrong-doing in government! These folks had 3,700 and all without the help of cell phones, the Internet, email and telephones! To me...that shows dedication!

Now, my friends, let's get some coffee and sit in the kitchen! I'll show you a few old pictures...OK?