On this day 250 years ago the First Provincial Congress met in Exeter, New Hampshire. The Provincial Congress elected John Wentworth of Somersworth as its Chairman, John Giddinge as Treasurer and John Sullivan and Nathaniel Folsom as Delegates to the First Continental Congress. The Provincial Congress also named a Committee composed of Wentworth, Meshach Weare, Josiah Bartlett, Christopher Toppan and John Pickering, Jr. to lead Patriot efforts after the Provincial Congress adjourned. Ironically, John Wentworth’s cousin who was also named John Wentworth was the Royal Governor of New Hampshire. The First Provincial Congress and Committee led by John Wentworth operated in open defiance of the orders issued by Governor John Wentworth.

Also on that same day, the Patriots of Wilmington, North Carolina led by William Hooper called for a Provincial Congress to meet on August 25, 1774.

Sources:

https://www.dncr.nc.gov/blog/2023/12/07/first-provincial-congress-c-50

Click to access newhampshiresfiv00walk.pdf

On this day 250 years ago, the Patriots of Hanover County, Virginia adopted the Hanover Resolves.

Source: https://historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HMLTT_hanover-courthouse_Hanover-VA.html

https://roadtorevolution.com/hanover-county-courthouse/

On this day 250 years ago, Patriots met at the Coffeehouse in New York City to prepare resolutions in response to the Boston Port Act and the Intolerable Acts. The conservative leaders in New York most of whom would end up as Loyalists, opposed a radical response and the resolutions adopted in New York did not go as far as many of the resolutions adopted in the other colonies. However New York did join the other colonies in calling for a continental congress.

Source: https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbpe.10602000/?st=gallery

On this day 250 years ago “a general Meeting of the Freeholders and Inhabitants of the County of Fairfax” at the courthouse in Alexandria adopted the Fairfax Resolves. These resolutions were drafted primarily by George Mason with the assistance of George Washington. The meeting was presided over by George Washington and recorded by Robert Harrison as Clerk. The meeting named Washington and Charles Broadwater as Fairfax’s delegates to the Virginia Convention scheduled for August 1 in Williamsburg. The meeting also named a Committee of 25 members including Washington, Mason, and Broadwater that became the governing body of Fairfax County during the Revolution.

The Fairfax Resolves were considered by many as the most comprehensive and cogent of the scores of resolutions that were adopted by counties and towns in all of the colonies in response to the closure of the Port of Boston and the other Intolerable Acts. They became the basis for the Virginia Convention’s instructions to its delegates to the First Continental Congress and set the agenda for the acts of the Congress.

Sources:https://founders.archives.gov/?q=%2218%20July%201774%22&s=1111311111&sa=&r=4&sr=

Also on this day in Yorktown, Virginia, the York County Resolves were adopted.

https://www.visityorktown.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=4666&month=7&year=2024&day=18&calType=0

https://www.visityorktown.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=4667&month=7&year=2024&day=20&calType=0

https://www.visityorktown.org/DocumentCenter/View/8008/Historic-Yorktown-Celebrates-Major-Milestones-in-2024-with-a-Series-of-Anniversary-Celebrations

On this day 250 years ago, the Patriots of Hanover County, Virginia adopted the Hanover Resolves.

Source: https://historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HMLTT_hanover-courthouse_Hanover-VA.html

https://roadtorevolution.com/hanover-county-courthouse/

On this day 250 years ago, George Mason and George Washington make final edits to the draft Fairfax Resolves at Mount Vernon. They spend the night at Mount Vernon and ride into Alexandria the next day to present the proposed Resolves to the Fairfax County meeting.

Source: https://www.loc.gov/collections/george-washington-papers/articles-and-essays/fairfax-resolves/

On this day 250 years ago a Newton, New Jersey, the freeholders of Sussex County adopted resolutions urging the repeal of the Boston Port Bill and the other Intolerable Acts.

Source: http://www.getnj.com/historicroadsides/sussex.shtml

Also on this day, the Patriots of Surry County, Virginia adopted their Resolves against the Intolerable Acts.

Source: https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/672b0c83-5d0c-4bed-85f0-57599c7a60b1/content

On this day 250 years ago in Philadelphia “a Provincial Meeting of [75] Deputies Chosen by [11 Pennsylvania] Counties” met to adopt resolutions in support of Boston and Massachusetts. The Pennsylvania Resolutions proclaimed the Intolerable Acts “unconstitutional,” pledged aid to Boston, and declared

that there is an absolute necessity, that a congress of deputies from the several colonies be immediately assembled, to consult together, and form a general plan of conduct to be observed by all the colonies, for the purposes of procuring relief for our suffering brethren, obtaining redress of our grievances, preventing future dissensions, firmly establishing our right, and restoring harmony between Great-Britain and her colonies on a constitutional foundation.

and that

if the congress shall judge agreements of non-importation and non exportation expedient, the people of this province will join with the other principal and neighbouring colonies, in such an association of non-importation from and non-exportation to Great-Britain as shall be agreed on, at the congress.

Source: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=evans;c=evans;idno=N10448.0001.001;node=N10448.0001.001:4;rgn=div1;view=text

On this day 250 years ago, a meeting of the inhabitants of Fairfax County, Virginia at the county courthouse in Alexandria elected George Washington and Charles Broadwater as Burgesses to the next session of the Virginia Assembly. The meeting lasted two hours and was “conducted with great order and regularity” according to an observer. The candidates provided a “Hogshead of Toddy” to the voters, and George Washington that evening hosted at an expense of 8 Pounds, 5 Shillings and 6 Pence “a Ball to the Freeholders and Gentlemen of the town . . . [with] Coffee and Chocolate, but no Tea. This Herb is in disgrace amongst them at present”

Source: https://founders.archives.gov/?q=%2214%20July%201774%22&s=1111311111&sa=&r=2&sr=

Also on this day, 109 men from Lenox, Massachusetts signed the Non-Importation Agreement circulated by the Boston Committee of Correspondence. There were only 181 families living in Lenox 15 years later so the 109 men represented a clear majority of the population. 55 of these men would go on to serve in the Militia or Continental Army during the Revolution.

Source: https://lenoxhistory.org/tag/lenox-revolutionary-war/

And also on this day 250 years ago, the Patriots of both Chesterfield and Gloucester Counties, Virginia separately adopted Resolves in support of Massachusetts and in opposition to the Intolerable Acts.

Sources: https://chesterfieldhistory.com/revolution-timeline.html; https://gloucesterva.gov/tourism/events/1774-gloucester-county-resolves

On this day 250 years ago, approximately 75 citizens of Attleboro, Massachusetts signed the Solemn League and Covenant circulated by the Boston Committee of Correspondence. About sixty of their names are still legible but all should be remembered for their commitment to the Patriot cause.

Attleboro’s Solemn League and Covenant