Many Surnames in this Post.

Following up my earlier post, here are the minutes of the September 1775
meeting of the Cumberland Co  Committee of Safety.

Foreward -- Regarding Committees of Safety, I am by no means an expert on
this subject and welcome comments by others, but my understanding is that
Committees of Safety were set up in most colonies on a statewide, and
county-wide in many cases, basis in 1775 as the forces for revolution grew in
strength.  Their purpose appears to have been firstly to provide a
local/state "Department of Defense" type apparatus, for supporters of
rebellion.  In reviewing the minutes of the Cumberland County Committee,
their concerns are with the procurement/organization of arms, men, gunpowder,
and the politics surrounding the beginning of the revolution itself (what
should be done, what should be said, etc.)  I probably bungled that badly by
simplifying.  I found a 1904 treatise on the subject here:
http://www.committee.org/PCOSindex.htm.  But I have no idea whether it is
accurate, complete, etc.

MINUTES -- Cumberland Co, Committee of Safety,  Tuesday 26th of September
1775. Agenda of this meeting was the  election of county officers ....Note:
admonishment to "proceed in their Debates and Deliberations with Order,
Decency, and Decorum".

At a Committee held for Cumberland County on Tuesday 26th of September 1775.
Present, Mr. Chairman [George CARRINGTON], Mr. [James] PLEASANTS, Mr. [John]
MAYO, Mr. [Littleberry] MOSBY, Mr. [Carter Henry] HARRISON, Mr. [Richard]
JAMES, Mr. Joseph CARRINGTON, Mr. George CARRINGTON junr., Mr. [John]
NETHERLAND, Mr. William SMITH, Mr. Robert SMITH, Mr. [Maurice] LANGHORNE, Mr.
[Joseph] CALLAND, Mr. [Richard] EGGLESTON, Mr. [Frederick] HATCHER, John Hyde
SAUNDERS, Clerk, Mr. [Henry] MACON, Mr. [Edward] HASKINS, Mr. John WOODSON
and Mr. Charles WOODSON.

Mr. Chairman recommended to the different Members of the Committee to proceed
in their Debates and Deliberations with Order, Decency, and Decorum:--And
then proceeded to lay before them the Business of the Day, and informed them
that they were met together agreeable to their last Adjournment, to nominate
to the Committee of Safety such Persons as they should think proper for
Officers in the Militia, agreeable to the Ordinance of Convention.

Unanimously resolved, that this Committee, in the Nomination of such Officers
for the Militia under the Ordinance of the Convention, shall and will observe
the same Rules as were observed by the late Convention in chusing Field
Officers for the Standing Service and that they will proceed by Ballot, and
that no Officer shall be nominated unless by the Votes of a Majority of the
Committee.

[Paragraphs below inserted for easier reading]
The Committee proceeded to the Nomination of a County Lieutenant, by Ballot,
and after the several Members had given in their Votes to the Clerk of the
Committee; Ordered, that Mr. Mosby, Mr. Netherland and the Clerk of the
Committee do examine the Votes for the said Office and report the same to the
Committee;  Then the said Littleberry Mosby, John Netherland, together with
the Clerk of the Committee proceeded to examine and count the Votes, and
found them to stand as follows;--For George CARRINGTON, Esqr. 13;--for John
MAYO, Esqr. 3;--for William FLEMING, Esqr. 2, Votes; and for Carter Henry
HARRISON, Esqr. 1 Vote; George CARRINGTON Esqr. Appearing to have a Majority
of the Votes; Resolved unanimously, that the said George Carrington be
nominated to the Committee of Safety by this Committee as a proper Person to
receive the Commission of County Lieutenant.

Then the Committee proceeded to nominate a Colonel for the said County in the
Manner aforesaid, and the same Persons who examined the Ballots for the
County Lieutenant were now ordered to examine and count the Ballots for the
Commission of Colonel and to make Report, who withdrew, and after examining
and county the Votes, found them to stand as follows:  For William FLEMING,
Esqr. 8; Carter Henry HARRISON, Esqr. 5; for Beverly RANDOLPH, Esqr. 3; for
John MAYO, Esqr. 2 Votes; and Henry SKIPWITH, Esqr. 1 Vote;

Then the Committee proceed to vote by Ballot for William FLEMING and Carter
Henry HARRISON, Esqrs. And the Persons aforesaid being appointed to examine
the Ballots found them to stand as follows, which they reported to the
Committee:  For William FLEMING, Esqr. 10; for Carter Henry HARRISON, Esqr. 7
Votes; Resolved therefore, that the said William FLEMING be nominated by this
Committee to the Committee of Safety as Colonel for the County.

Then the Committee proceeded to nominate by Ballot a Lieutenant Colonel, and
the same Persons being appointed to examine the Ballots reported the Votes as
follows:  For Beverly RANDOLPH, Esqr. 11; for John MAYO, Esqr.5; and for
Henry SKIPWITH, Esqr. 2 Votes:  It appearing by the said Votes that Beverly
RANDOLPH, Esqr. Had a Majority in his Favour:  Resolved therefore that the
said Beverly Randolph be by this Committee nominated to the Committee of
Safety as a proper Person for the Commission of a Lieutenant Colonel for the
County.

Then the Committee proceed to nominate a Person to act as Major of the said
County, and the Persons appointed to examine the Ballots reported to the
Committee the Votes as follow:  For Henry SKIPWITH, Esqr. 8; Thomas
DAVENPORT, Esqr 5;, Edward HASKINS, Esqr. 4, Votes, and David COUPLAND, Esqr.
1 Vote:

Then the Question was whether the said Henry SKIPWITH or Thomas DAVENPORT, on
whom the greatest Numbers of Votes fell, be nominated as a Major for the said
County, for which the Committee proceeded to vote by Ballot and the same
Persons being appointed to examine the Ballots and report to the Committee,
reported as followeth:  Mr. Henry SKIPWITH, Esqr. 15; for Thomas DAVENPORT,
Esqr. 3 Votes:--A Majority of the Votes appearing in Favour of Henry
SKIPWITH, Esqr.: Resolved that the said Henry Skipwith be nominated to the
Committee of Safety for a Major's Commission in the Militia of this County.

Then the Committee proceeded to appoint proper Persons to lay off this County
in Districts, in Order to take a List of all Persons within the County,
either white or black, male or female, adults or infants for a general Survey
agreeable to the Resolution of the last Convention; Ordered, that Mr.
Chairman, Mr. Mosby and Mr. George Carrington junior do divided and lay off
the County into twenty four proper Districts for the Purpose aforesaid, and
allot to each Member his proper District.  Resolved, that Cumberland Court
House be the Place for the Rendezvous of the Minute Men of this County after
the Completion of the Company.

George Carrington (Chairman).
Thomas MILLER, Clerk for the Day
Teste. Thomas MILLER, Cl. Com

SOURCE:  Proceedings of the Committees of Safety of Cumberland and Isle of
Wight Counties Virginia, 1775-1776.   Edited by H.R. McIlwaine.  Printed as
Part of the Report of the Virginia State Library for the Year ending
September 30, 1918.  Richmond.  Davis Bottom, Superintendent of Public
Printing 1919.

I hope this helps some of you.

Best Regards,  Janet (Baugh) Hunter

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