Revolutionary Relative

           

 Maybe I am destined to be elected Kent County Commissioner. 

            When Randolph County, North Carolina, was formed on March 8, 1779, my ancestor William Merrell was sworn in as one of the 14 original justices -- or county commissioners. The next day he was named coroner -- kind of like the committee assignment I will receive after I am elected in November. 

            Until the first Randolph County Courthouse was built, commissioners met a few days every quarter in a private home. According to the minutes of the Pleas and Quarterly Sessions, routine business included approving the indenture of a five-year-old orphan girl to her guardian, licensing a tavern and approving a grist mill. By March 13, 1780, Gramps qualified as Justice of the Peace and signed for the purchase of two election boxes.

            Unfortunately, William's government career was not long-lived.   Although Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown on October 19, 1781, marking the end of the war, loyalists continued to attack representatives of the new republic. Several of the original 14 commissioners -- including William -- were attacked at their homes and killed. 

             Our forefathers never promised that self-government would be easy. Happy Fourth.