The North-Carolina standard., 1844-09-18
"srATE OF NoRrH CAROLINA,

4 l.,
the annexed paper was obtained by me from Mai.
William Davie, in its present situation. soon after
! the death of his father, Gen. William r. Dayie,
and given to DR.. Joseph McKnit by me. 10 search
1 ing for some particular paper came across this,
and knowing the handwriting of John McKnitt
Alexander, took il up and examined it.
! {" Given under my hand this 25th Nov. 1880.
(Signed) "SAML. HENDERSON.
8. And the Hon. Montford Stokes late gov
ernor of North Carolina, testified, in $780, that he
knew the handwriting of J. KcKriu Alexander;
that the paper found among Gen. Davies is the
hand writing of John McKnitt Alexander, and no
doubt It was the same to which Jno. McKnt Al
exander's memorandum /" on the file" referred -
Gov Stokes also saw in the possession OF Dr. Will
hanson, in 1893. the copy that WIS sent to hlm,
together with letter from John McKnitt Alex
ander and conversed with DIR. w. on the subject.
| f. Though DIR. Williamson has made no allu-
sion to this document in his history of North Ca
rolina, the omission is to be reasonbly accounted
for by the fact that he stopped his narrative at the
date Of l77l, intending to resume his work and
bring it down to 1890 afterwards find. howev-
er upon the original jou' nails of the North Caro-
lima Congress, IN april 1875. IA month before the
Virginia resolvps) q resolution imstruetimg our
delpgates IN philadelphia to go for lNDEPEN-
DENCE.
Those resolutions were presented in the nation
al Congress, and copy of them has been long
ton city Dr. Williamson says nothing of them
in his history of North Carolina-an omis-
sion which is no doubt, to be accounted for on
the ground already suggested in regard tethe
Mecklenburg declaration. To say that his omit
ting the latter discredts their authenticity, would
involve the absurdty ofadmitting that in like man.
ner his omission of the former disproves them
Yet we have seen that the original record of the
former is still in existence, and the copy sent to
the Congress at PhiIadel phia was found among
the public papers.
Every candid and intelligent mind must per-
ceve in these things united together, very strong
combination of evidence to prove that the forego-
ing is a true copy of the Mecklenburg declaration
of independence of Goth May, 1775.
The inference thus drawn from Martins procla-
nation John McKnitts certificate, John McKnitt
Alexander's papers, the copy of the declaration of
independence, or {" resoIoes', found amongst Gen.
Davies papers, the corresponding copy left by
John McKnitt Alexander, and another one seen
in 1898 in the possession of DR.. Williamson, rea-
soma bic as that inference is, does not rest upon
these grounds alone. A number of highly res
peclable men, and some eminent men of '76, have
testified unreservedly to the, FACT that IN DE-
PENDENCE WAS DECLARED By tie people of
Mecklenbure, May 2oth, 1775. And not a man
or scoman in Meekkcn6xrg, old enough to Temem-
the eDents of1775, has eDer been foued, sOho did
not recouect that meeting in, Charlotte on the
Goth May, 1775, resolred to be free and tadepen-
dent
/. Mai. John Davidson the last survivor of fthe
meeting, bore evidence of the fact in writing, In
October, 1880. /
2 Req. Francss Cummings, of Georgia, stated
the same thing in letter to the Hon. Nat: Macon,
dated in November, 1919.
8. General joseph Graham, Of Lincoln county,
stated the same upon his own knowledge in let
ter written in October, $780, the interesting details
of which there is not room to insert at length
4. The same fact was attested in statement
made in writing in 1920 by George Graham, then
aged 62 William Hutchinson, then aged 68; Jo-
mas Clark, then aged 81 Robert Robinson, then
aged 68 all residing then in North Carolina,
but now dead
$. A certificate of John S;neson, of Providence,
made on the goth January, 1920, asserted the same
fact -
g. And the certificate of James Johnson, of Ten |
nessee, made onuthe l Ith October, 1927, confirm
ed it by his positive recollection. These witness
es, must be borne in mind, were not obscure men
of doubtful fame. For intelligence and integrity
of character they might have risked In their life
time comparison with the same number OF per-
sons any where in the world.
Nearly all the witnesses named, beginning
with j. McKmitt ALEXANDER concurred in stating I
that CAPTAIN JAMES JACK was sent as
to Philadelphia, with these Mecktea-
burg resolves of 1775;" and it is remarkable,
when taken in connection with the question more
under investigation, 10 wit, EZEKIEL
PoLK's patriotism,) that CAPTAIN JACKS
statement should have testified without any hes-
tancv that EZEKIEL Polk SoGs one Of those soho
took The Iead' IN these MeckLemburg resOIuss.
The statement follows in his Oacn aoords, viz:
Captain Jacks certificate.
Having seen in the newspapers some pieces
the declaration of independence by the
people Of Meckenburg county, in the State Of North
Carolina, in May, 1775 and being solicited to state
what know of that transaction, l would observe,
that for some time previous to, and at the time
those resolutions were agreed upon, resided in
the town of Charlotte, Meekleuburg county was
prIvy 10 a numter of meetings of some of the
most influential and leading characters Of that coun-
ty on the subject, before the final adoption of the
al the time they were adopted
among those who appeared TO take the lead, may
be mentioned HeZekah Alexander, who geneEay
acted as chairman, John McKnitt Alexander as
St cretary, Abraham Alexander, Adam Alexander,
Mai. John Davidson, Maj. afterwards GEM VIM.
Davidson, Col Thomas Polk, EZEKIEL POLK,
Dr. Ephram Brevard, Samuel Martin, Duncan
Ochletree William Wilson, Robert Irwin. 4
When the resolutions were fnally agreed on,
they were publicly proclaimed from the conrt-house
door 10 the town of Charlotte and received with
every demonstration Joy by the Inhabitants.
81 then solicited to be the bearer ofthese pro-
.eedngs Congress. SET out the following month,
say June,) and in passing through Salisbury, the
general court was sitting And at the request of
he court handed copy of the resolutions to Col