He died suddenly of a disease of the heart, and left a large family, some of whom still live in Granville.
One of his sons is a professor of a medical college in New Orleans, and another moved to Arkansas, another, Dr. John R. Hicks, one of the best and purest of men, died not long since, near Williamsboro in this county. The old homestead is now owned by a colored man, whose wife once belonged to one of Captain Hicks daughters. Her husband now owns the home from which her young mistress went years ago as a bride. How strange is the revolution of time and circumstance!
Captain Benjamin Norwood, like Robert Hicks, was one of the revolutionary heroes of Granville. On the approach of Cornwallis he recruited a company, and was present in the battle of Guilford, and, like Captain Hicks, behaved with great personal gallantry. He fought for some time after his men had ingloriously fled. The conduct of these two patriots should condone the conduct of their men, who unused to the pomp, pride and circumstance of war, utterly undisciplined, were opposed from the first to regular veterans. Captain Norwood did good service in the war, and died lamented and loved. He had two brothers who lived in other portions of the state. One in Lenoir, Caldwell County, and the other in Orange. His wife was a sister of Governor Aiken, of South Carolina, and Mrs. Cicero W. Harris, of Wilmington, is one of his descendants.
Robert Burton, born 1747, died 1825, lived and died in this county. He was born in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, and moved to Granville about 1775; here he was appointed an officer in the army. He was a member of the Continental Congress, 1787, and one of the commissioners to run the line between North Carolina and South Carolina in 1801, and Georgia.
He was distinguished as a successful farmer.
He married the only daughter of Judge Williams, and died in 1825, leaving nine children surviving, among whom were the Burtons of Lincoln, (Hon. Robert H. Burton and A. M. Burton.)
The Henderson family, has been long favorably known in North Carolina as one of distinguished ability. Its name has been inscribed on a county, on a town, and on a village; the talents of its members have been displayed at the bar, in the pulpit, on the bench, and in the halls of congress. The progenitor of this family in North Carolina was Richard Henderson, who came from Hanover county, Virginia, about 1762, and settled in this county.
I found in the Roll's office, London, among the records of the Board of Trade, these entries:
"1769, March 1st. At a meeting of the Council; present, Governor Tryon, John Rutherford, Benjamin Heron, Lewis De Rosett and Samuel Strudwick.
"Richard Henderson, Esq., was
appointed Associate Judge, &c., as also Maurice Moore, Esq."
I found among the papers of the Board of Trade, on file in the Rolls Office, London, a letter from Judge Henderson to Governor Tryon, dated September 24th, 1770, at Hillsboro, stating, "on that day, Herman Husbands, James Hunter, William Butler, Ninian Bell Hamilton, Jeremiah Fields, Matthew Hamilton, Eli Branson, Peter Craven, John Fruit, Abraham Teague, and Samuel Parks, armed with cudgels and cowskin whips, broke up the court and attempted to strike the judge, (Henderson,) and made him leave the bench. They assaulted and beat John Williams severely,
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