On this day 250 years ago at Peyton Randolph’s home in Williamsburg, 25 ex-Members of the House of Burgesses write and sign a letter to the other Burgesses informing them of “the Receipt of the Letters and Resolves from Boston”, Maryland and Philadelphia and declaring

That it is the Opinion of all the late House of Burgesses who could be convened on the present Occasion, that the Colony of Virginia will concur with the other Colonies in such Measures as shall be judged most effectual for the Preservation of the Common Rights and Liberty of British America that they are of Opinion particularly that an Association against Importation will probably be entered into, as soon as the late Representatives can be collected, and perhaps against Exportations also after a certain Time. But that this must not be considered as an Engagement on the part of this Colony, which it would be presumption in us to enter into, and that we are sending Dispatches to call together the late Representatives to meet at Williamsburg on the first Day of August next to conclude finally on these important Questions.

The signers of this letter included many familiar names and some who you may have not heard about, but all deserve recognition for joining the call for the meeting on August 1, which would then directly lead to the First Continental Congress and ultimately our national Declaration of Independence:

Peyton Randolph, Moderator. Ro. C. Nicholas Edmd Pendleton Will: Harwood Richd. Adams Thom Whiting Henry Lee Lemuel Riddick

Th: Jefferson Mann Page Junr. Charles Carter Senr. Jas. Mercer R Wormeley Carter Go: Washington Francis Lightfoot Lee Thos Nelson jr. R Rutherford

Jno Walker James Wood Wm Langhorne T Blackburn Edmd Berkeley Jno. Donelson P. Carrington Lewis Burwell (Gloster)

You can learn a little about one of these little-known Founding Fathers — William Harwood — who served as a militia colonel, was elected to represent Warwick County (today’s Newport News) in all five Virginia Conventions that governed Virginia during the Revolution, and was also elected the first Virginia House of Delegates by visiting his surviving home Endview Plantation, just outside of Yorktown.

Sources: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Concerning_non-Importation_and_a_General_Convention

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/William_Harwood,_Jr.

https://www.newport-news.org/visitors/things-to-do/attractions-and-museums/1/historic-endview/