On this day 250 years ago at the Orange County Courthouse in Virginia, the freeholders of Orange County elected James Madison Jr. and William Moore as the County’s delegates to the Fifth Virginia Convention. This was Madison’s first election to public office. He would remain in public service for the next 40 years and become a Signer (and a “Father”) of the Constitution and President of the United States.

Source: “Certificate of Election of James Madison, Jr., and William Moore, 25 April 1776,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-01-02-0052. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 1, 16 March 1751 – 16 December 1779, ed. William T. Hutchinson and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1962, p. 165.]

On this day 250 years ago at the Sandy Hook lighthouse in New Jersey, 16 British seamen were captured by New Jersey militia. They had come ashore to get water from either the HMS Asia or HMS Phoenix to get water. Both British ships were patrolling New York harbor to intercept trade to the Americans. The militia also burned the British boat that carried the men ashore and filled in the well in the lighthouse so the British could not use it in the future.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SandyHookNJ/permalink/26490233727272455/