Revised 12/29/25

The discontent of backcountry farmers with the system of taxes and fees in 1760s colonial North Carolina would give birth to what became known as the Regulator Movement. The formation of the Sandy Creek Association in 1766 by settlers in today’s Randolph County is arguably the beginning of the organized effort to seek relief in a system fraught with corruption. The Sandy Creek Association had little interest in stirring the population to revolt and simply wanted their grievances addressed by the colonial government.

• August (no date), 1766

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 1, Public notice concerning the actions of public officials

  At a session of Orange County court in August 1766, members of the Association circulated what would become known as Regulator Advertisement No.1, calling for each neighborhood to send delegates to a meeting

  “at some place where there is no liquor (at Maddock’s Mill, if no objection),”

  The meeting request was read in court, and government officials suggested October 10 as a convenient day for the meeting.

  

  

• August 20, 1766

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 2, Minutes of a meeting of inhabitants of Deep River

  “At a meeting of the Neighborhood of Deep River the 20th August 1766 unanimously agreed to appoint Wm Cox and Wm Masset (Moffitt) to attend a general meeting on the first Monday before November Court at Maddox Mill on Enoe…”

  The above “Wm Cox” is William Cox (1726-1801), son of William Cox (1692-1767) and brother of Harmon (1723-1812). Harmon was also likely in attendance, given his subsequent involvement. There’s no documentation indicating whether younger brothers Solomon (1734-1812) and Thomas (1726-1809) were present.

• October 10, 1766

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 3, Minutes of a meeting of inhabitants of Orange County

  “It was the judgment of the said meeting that by reason of the extent of the County no one man in it in a general way was known by above 1/10 man of the Inhabitants for which reason such a meeting (for a Public and free Conference yearly and as often as the case may require) was absolutely necessary in order to reap the profit designed us in that part of our Constitution of choosing representatives and knowing of what uses our money is called for.”

  William Cox was an appointed representative at this meeting.

  

• January (no date), 1768

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 4 – Association concerning meetings to investigate the actions of public officials

  “We the under written subscribers do voluntarily agree to form ourselves into an Association to assemble ourselves for conferences for regulating publick Grievances & abuses of Power in the following particulars with others of like nature that may occur

  1. That we will pay no Taxes until we are satisfied they are agreeable to Law and Applied to the purposes therein mentioned unless we cannot help and are forced”

  All of the Cox brothers, Harmon, Solomon, William, and Thomas, signed the petition. Note: Herman Husband later wrote that the date of this petition was April 1768. Husband, a Cox cousin, was a prolific writer and likely wrote/edited the advertisement.

  

• March 22, 1768

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 5 – Address from inhabitants near Haw River to the Orange County Vestry and General Assembly representatives

  “The request of the Inhabitants of the West side of Haw river to the Assembly men and Vestry men of Orange County Whereas the Taxes in the County are larger according to the number of Taxables than adjacent counties and continues so year after year, and as the jealousy still prevails amongst us that we are wronged & having the more reason to think so as we have been at the trouble of choosing men and sending them after the civilest manner that we could to know what we paid our Levy for but could receive no satisfaction for.”

  I have not found a record of the signatories for the March advertisement, but one can assume the Cox brothers supported the document.

• April 4, 1768

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 6 – Minutes of a meeting of the Regulators

  “At a general meeting of the Regulators held April 4th 1768 it was agreed to send Peter Craven and John Howe to request the late Sheriff and one Vestryman to meet 12 men that we shall choose on the Tuesday after the Court to produce to them a copy of the list of Taxables for each year…”

  A “general meeting” probably included William and Harmon Cox.

  

• April 8, 1768

  The “Mare Incident” and Hillsborough Confrontation

  Before the news of the Regulators’ Advertisement No. 6 could reach officials in Hillsborough, a Sheriff Hawkins of Orange County seized the horse and saddle of a Regulator for the settlement of taxes. Herman Husband wrote:

  “They (Regulators) immediately rose to the number of sixty or seventy, rode to Hillsborough, rescued the mare, and fired a few guns at the roof of Fanning’s house to signify they blamed him for all this abuse.”

  
• April 25, 1768

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 7 – Minutes of a meeting of the Regulators

  “Be it remembered that our Minister has paid us a visit upon a matter of more than ordinary weight and concernment and by the power of persuasions and argument hath restrained us from going to the Town of Hillsborough until the eleventh day of May unless there should be any distress for Levys…”

  Advertisement 7 suggests an effort of the cooler heads among the Regulators to be less confrontational. Nevertheless, Herman Husband and William Butler were arrested in early May for inciting a riot.

  I don’t know if any of the Cox brothers were involved in retrieving the mare, but their Quaker backgrounds lead me to believe they would be trying to calm things down.

• May (no date), 1768

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 9 – Petition from the Regulators concerning public fees

  “At a General Meeting of the Regulators and numbers of other Inhabitants of the County of Orange held at George Sally’s on the 21st May 1768, agreed on last meeting…We unanimously agree to renew our petition to the Governor, and as sundry forms of said Petition have been read here this day and signed by sundry neighbourhoods We appoint Wm Maffit, Wm Cox, Hermon Cox, John Lowe, John Marshall, James Hunter, Rednap Howell and George Hendrey to form one out of the whole refering to the separate complaints for information of Grievances and being conscious of our loyalty to King George the Third…And the Public who have any grievances are desired to send the same to some one of the Committee before next Monday come week when they are to meet at the house of Harman Cox on Deep river for the purposes above mentioned.”

  All of the Cox brothers, Harmon, Solomon, William, and Thomas, signed the May petition.

  

• May 7, 1768

  Depositions concerning complaints about taxes and fees for public officials

  “Orange County. William Cox paid two pounds seven and four pence for Letters of Administration last February was a year at Court and never has received them as yet altho’ application has been made by sundry messengers for them the 7th of May 1768.”

  The letters of administration sought by William Cox were regarding the death of, and settlement of the estate for, William Cox, Sr., who died in 1767. This is an example of the inconvenience and difficulty encountered by settlers in the backcountry when dealing with the local government structure.

• May 21, 1768

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 10 – Minutes of a meeting of the Regulators

  “At a General Meeting of the Regulators and numbers of other Inhabitants of the County of Orange held at George Sally’s on the 21st May 1768, agreed on last meeting…We unanimously agree to renew our petition to the Governor, and as sundry forms of said Petition have been read here this day and signed by sundry neighbourhoods We appoint Wm Maffit, Wm Cox, Hermon Cox, John Lowe, John Marshall, James Hunter, Rednap Howell and George Hendrey to form one out of the whole refering to the separate complaints for information of Grievances and being conscious of our loyalty to King George the Third…And the Public who have any grievances are desired to send the same to some one of the Committee before next Monday come week when they are to meet at the house of Harman Cox on Deep river for the purposes above mentioned.”

  

• May 30, 1768

  Minutes of the Committee of the Regulators

  “At a Committee of the regulators as by appointment of their General Assembly of May 21st (see paper No. 10) held at Thomas Coxes Mill by a movement from Harmon Coxes on Monday the 30th of May 1768, it was then and there ordered that the paper No. 11 should be presented to His Excellency our Governor and to the Hons the Members of His Majesty’s Council and that James Hunter and Rednap Howell do wait on His Excellency and their Honours with the same as also with the Petition No. 9, together with all the other papers that are to accompany them containing all our Transactions from the beginning, and that they present the same to His Excellency and their Honours in the Names and on the behalf of the regulators.”

  William and Harmon Cox signed the document.

• May 30 (est.), 1768

  Regulators’ Advertisement No. 11 – Petition from the Regulators concerning taxes and fees for public officials

  “Address of the Regulators to Governor Tryon and the Council, May it please your Excellency & your Honours, At a Committee of the regulators held May 21st 1768, a Committee was appointed to form a petition to be laid before your Excellency and your Honors, wherein among other things it was ordered us to implore the pardon & forgiveness of the Legislature, for whatsoever hath been acted amiss &c. see Paper No. 10. and as a Petition had been already formed we agree to let that stand and in lieu of a better present you with a plain simple narrative of Facts accompanied with and supported by authentic Papers and such as have been from time to time sent to our Officers…”John Low, James Hunter, Rednap Howell, Harmon Cox, John Marshel, Wm Cox, Wm Moffitt, George Hendry

  

• August (no date), 1768

  Petition by the Regulators concerning legal redress for grievances

  “To His Excellency Wm Tryon Esqre Governor & Commander in Chief over the Province of North Carolina. Whereas thro’ the exactions & extortions of several Officers of Orange, we have involved ourselves in many difficulties and by means of reports, falsely spread the contention has arose to a great extremity & being desirous to submit ourselves to the clemency of your Excellency, and to lay aside all method of redress of our grievances, but by a due course of Law and beg that your Excellency will forgive all our past offences by your gracious Proclamation, that peace and tranquility may be restored again, to all the Inhabitants of this Province, and confiding in your assistance and favour to execute the Laws against said exactions and extortions and conclude, Your dutiful Petitioners”

  Harmon Cox was among the Regulators signing the document above.

• September 24, 1770

  Regulators assembled in Hillsborough to bring attention to their demands. Judge Richard Henderson was presiding over the superior court when Regulators entered the courthouse and forced Henderson to leave the bench. Colonial official Edmund Fanning was dragged through the street before Regulators ransacked his house. Judge Henderson and Fanning fled town.

  

  An account of the event in the October 21, 1771 Boston-Gazette reported a group of Regulators
  “offered Fanning to repair his house and make good all his damage, if he would repay the money he had unjustly taken from them. To which he answered, that he only wanted revenge & revenge he would have.”

  

  Was William, Harmon, or their brothers involved? We know William had sought relief previously in Hillsborough’s court. He, Harmon, and their brothers were signing petitions and hosting Regulator meetings. If I had to bet, I’d say one or both were in Hillsborough, but committing violence would be against their Quaker faith.

• May 16, 1771

  The Battle of Alamance – On May 16, 1771, an estimated 1500-2000 Regulators confronted Governor Tryon and a thousand soldiers at what became known as the Battle of Alamance. The Regulators were defeated, losing twenty men and almost one hundred wounded.  

  

  We know Harmon Cox and his oldest son were at the battle, as both were captured. William was almost certainly among the Regulators, and odds are Thomas and Solomon were present as well.

  

• May 24, 1771

  Journal of the military campaign against the Regulators

  “The Orange Corps detached under the command of Col. Fanning to Herman Cox’s on Deep River, to make a requisition of provisions from the inhabitants on the south side of Deep River and Richland Creek. Heavy rains continued night and day.”

  

• June 5, 1771

  “Mr. Hermon Cox, You are to see that the Settlers on Deep River and Richland Creek (who sent the Flower required by His Excellency the Governor from those Settlements for the use of His Majestys Forces) pay to Adam Andrews and Peter Foncannon the Sum of Six pounds proclamation Money each, it being for the Hire of their Waggons which you pressed 768 to send the Flower by to the Army, which is at the rate of Fifteen shillngs per Day for each Waggon, the same that is allowed for the Waggons that attend the Army. This You are strictly required forthwith to comply with, in confidence whereof the Governor has released your Son. Mr Andrews has orders to make Report if you do not immediately comply with this Requisition. By Command of His Excellency, Edwards Bethabara. 5 June 1771″

  This entry reveals Harmon’s son, presumably Thomas (his oldest), had been captured at the Battle of Alamance. It’s unclear whether Harmon was to send instructions home or was taken there. He would stand trial in Hillsborough in just a few weeks.

  

  

  

• June 15-19, 1771

  The Trial and Execution – Trials for the prisoners began in Hillsborough on June 15, 1777. They had been paraded by Tryon’s army around the backcountry since being captured at the battle. Tryon wanted a quick trial as he would be assuming the governorship of New York immediately. Guilty verdicts were returned for twelve men with a sentence of death by hanging. On June 19, the condemned men were brought to the gallows at a location specifically selected by Tryon for maximum viewing by the public. Six of the prisoners were pardoned, including Harmon Cox. The other six were taken one by one to the gallows, stood on a barrel, and were hanged. Tryon departed the next day to assume his new position in New York.

  From Tryon’s Military Journal, June 19 entry:

  “The twelve prisoners condemned were escorted by the whole Army, under the command of Col. Ashe, to the place of execution, six were hanged and the other six reprieved until his Majesty’s pleasure should be known; this grace was granted in compliance with the wishes of the Army, the Officers having recommended them as objects of mercy.”

  

  

I have no summary of thoughts aside from what my wife has said about the history of my family in the Regulator movement: “This explains soooo much about you!” Indeed, I do have a strong sense of fairness and can understand how these settlers would band together when wronged. I’m proud of this heritage.

Sources of note:

• The War of the Regulation and the Battle of Alamance, May 16, 1771, William S. Powell
• Some Neglected History of North Carolina, William Edward Fitch
• The Colonial Records of North Carolina Vol VII
• Making a Considerable Tumult In The Streets: People, Papers, and Perspectives in the North Carolina Regulation (2006), James Broomall