Grave Marking – Governor Richard Caswell
10:30 am
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Kinston, NC

My name is Sam Powell,    I am the President of the North Carolina Society Sons of the American Revolution.

The North Carolina Society is part of the National Society SAR;  as such, each of our members has traced his ancestry back to a Patriot of the American Revolution.

The SAR has, as a basic tenet of our mission, the goal to promote patriotism by perpetuating the memory of the men who, by their sacrifices during the War of the American Revolution, helped to achieve the independence of the American people.

We are proud to be here with you today to do just that - to honor the memory of Governor Richard Caswell.

This hero of the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge served as a member of the NC Fifth Provincial Congress which had the duty of drafting our first North Carolina State Constitution, including the important “Declaration of Rights”.  Richard Caswell was subsequently elected President of that meeting of the Provincial Congress.  He was elected as a delegate to both the first and second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to serve with William Hooper and Joseph Hewes.  He was also elected to be our first state Governor.  In his military career, Richard Caswell served as Brigadier General of the New Bern District, and later as Major General of all North Carolina state troops.

I would like to share with you a quote from our speaker Morris Bass, Site Manager here at the Governor Richard Caswell Memorial Site:  “If one man could be credited with helping to found the independent state of North Carolina, then Richard Caswell should be given that credit.”  

It is fitting for us today to be standing at Richard Caswell’s burial site along the banks of the Neuse River ( which according to the Encyclopedia of North Carolina, was named by the English explorer Arthur Barlowe in 1584, for the Neusiok Indians; a tribal name that meant “peace”).  Let Richard Caswell rest in peace knowing that the cause for which he sacrificed much of his life has become a reality.

On behalf of the North Carolina Society Sons of the American Revolution,  I would like to express our appreciation to Regent Mary Ann Johnson and the Mosely-Bright Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution for inviting the Sons to participate in today’s program.  It is indeed an honor to be here and to be able to place our Patriot grave marker at the burial site of Governor Richard Caswell.

I would like to further recognize and thank one of our newest SAR members, Compatriot Charlie Broadway, for his part in bringing this event to the attention of our state society.

My appreciation extends to all SAR compatriots from across the state for their participation in the color guard and the wreath laying ceremony.  We have members whose travel routes have spanned from here to Charlotte and Wilmington.  Thank you, gentlemen, for your dedication.

The North Carolina Society Sons of the American Revolution is proud to be with you today to pay our respects to this outstanding Patriot of the American Revolution, Governor Richard Caswell.