Re: Russ Family,Brunswick County,NC hosted George Washington,1791
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In reply to:
Russ Family,Brunswick County,NC hosted George Washington,1791
Ronald Mason 4/12/13
John Russ was a soldier in the Revolutionary War.By 1790, John Russ and wife Sarah Corbett Russ were living in either Bladen County or Brunswick County, NC , most likely Brunswick County since that is where he died.George Washington recorded in his diary that he "lodged at one Russ' 25 miles from Wilmington ," which is likely in Brunswick County since Washington also recorded "breakfasting at Mr. Ben. Smith," who was likely his former aide de camp who represented Brunswick County .It could be that George Washington lodged with John Russ and Sarah Corbett Russ since they were living in Brunswick County at the time.
From "The Diary of George Washington, from 1789 to 1791: Embracing the Opening of the First Congress, and His Tours Through New England, Long Island, and the Southern States"
by George Washington, Benson John Lossing
"Tuesday, 26th [1791 Apr 26].Having sent my Carriage across the day before, I left Wilmington about 6 o'clock, accompanied by most of the Gentlemen of the Town, and breakfasting at Mr. Ben. Smith's lodged at one Russ' 25 miles from Wilmington.--An indifferent House."
Excerpt from "http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19890901&id=50lOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XhQEAAAAIB AJ&pg=4431,331520"
Wilmington Morning Star, September 1989:
"Scion of a distinguished and wealthy South Carolina family, Benjamin Smith was born in 1756 to Thomas and Sarah Moore Smith. His mother was a daughter of "King" Roger Moore, a pioneer of the Cape Fear settlement of Brunswick and the builder of Orton.
Benjamin Smith was educated in England , and received legal training at the English Inns of Court there in 1774.
Returning to the colonies, he served in the Revolutionary War as an aide de camp to Gen. George Washington during the retreat from Long Island. He was with Gen. William Moultne dunng the campaign to drive the Bntish forces from Port Royal in South Carolina.
Smith's political career began in 1783, when he appeared in the Senate of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing Brunswick County. He remained in the General Assembly, with the exception of two years, until 1810, when he was appointed governor of North Carolina. He was speaker of the Senate for four years and was a member of the constitutional conventions at Hillsborough and Fayetteville , continuously pushing for the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.
The only time he is known to have much opposition to re-election was in 1790 when he refused to support a bill for the laying out of a town near Fort Johnston. His opposition, led by Charles Gause, make it quite clear that unless he backed the measure he would never again represent Brunswick County in the General Assembly. Smith was re-elected, and at the next session, at New Bern in 1792, he presented the bill for the creation of the town of Smithville , and the Assembly passed the bill.
Some think that the name was in honor of Smith; others, that it was so named to pacify him. Smith himself felt that it was given in derision because the town was expected to fail.
He and Charles Gause were two of the first five commissioners to administer the affairs of Simthville. The board was self-perpetuating until 1801, when the townspeople began electing commissioners. The name of the town was changed in 1887 to Southport and today not even a street in the town bears his name, only the township in which the town is located.
After his appointment as governor in 1810, Smith devoted his attention to what he considered important issues for North Carolina: the establishment of public schools so that every child, no matter his economic circumstances, might obtain an education; the establishment of a penitentiary system, the development of manufacturing and improvement of the militia."