PRINCETON — Resuming our look at the history of Mercer County, courtesy of Kyle McCormick’s “The Story of Mercer County,” (Charleston Publishing Co. 1957) and the signers of the Declaration of Independence, courtesy of Benson J. Lossing’s book “Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence,” which is a reprint of the 1848 original kindly provided on loan by Dr. O.J. Bailes, we now look at those who served and died for their country from Mercer County.

Those who died of their wounds during World War I included Mack Dillon of Princeton, private, Oct. 3, 1918, Co. D,. 7th Infantry; Walter G. Norton, Bluefield, corporal, 1918, Battery B, 10th Field Artillery; Fred B. Smith, Bluefield, sergeant, Sept. 29, 1918, Co., D. 318th Infantry; and George L. Stewart, Bluefield, corporal, July 24, 1918, Co. I, 4th Infantry.

Those who died of disease in the United States included Charles E. Belcher of Princeton, a cook with Battery f. of the 315th Field Artillery of tetanus on Jan. 7, 1918; Lawrence Clemons of Elgood, a private with  field hospital 241, 11th Sanitary Train, who died of pneumonia on Oct. 19, 1918; Cooley B.. Dicks of Bluefield, a private with the 53rd Depot Brigade, who died of pneumonia on Jan. 10, 1919; John P. Hairston of Bluefield, a private with 39th Co., 10th Battalion, 158th Depot Brigade, who died of Hodgkin's Disease on Feb. 10, 1919; James T. Honaker of Lowe  a private with Co. A. of the 11th Battalion, who died of pneumonia on Oct. 11, 1918; Dorsey B. Jennings of Princeton, a member of Co. H. of the 150th Infantry Regiment who died of gunshot wounds on Feb. 15, 1918; Sam. M. Lilly of Elgood, a sergeant with the 162 Depot Brigade who died of a gunshot wound; Ernest Mitchell of McComas, a private with the 161st Depot Brigade who died of tuberculosis on Feb. 15, 1919; George W. Rayborn of Springton, a sergeant with Co. D. of the 43rd Infantry who drowned on Jan. 31, 1918; Silas F. Snider of Pride, a private with the Field Remount Squadron of the 331 QMC who died of influenza and pneumonia on Oct. 16, 1918; John H. Smith of Athens, a private with Co. H. of the 63rd Infantry, who died of influenza on Oct. 7, 1918; Herbert C. Thornton of Oakvale, a member of the 40th Co. of the 155th Depot Brigade, who died of bronchial pneumonia on Oct. 20, 1918; and Merrell H. Thorn of Princeton, a private in the air service radio school at Columbia University who died from influenza and bronchial pneumonia on Oct. 9, 1918.

Going to the Lossing book, we come to Joseph Hewes, who was born to Connecticut Quaker parents who had moved to a farm in Kingston , New Jersey in 1730. He was educated at Princeton and apprenticed to a Philadelphia merchant to train in the commercial life. By the time his apprenticeship expired, his father lent him a little money capital, which combined with his good reputation and hard work, helped him amass an ample fortune.

Hewes moved to North Carolina at the age of 30, settling at Edenton which remained his home for the rest of his life. He developed a good reputation among the locals and while a comparative stranger among them, he was elected to the North Carolina legislature for the first of several consecutive terms in 1763.

Hewes , an early advocate of the patriot cause, was influential in calling for a general Convention of the people of that state, which met in the summer of 1774. He was one of the delegates elected to the Continental Congress that met in Philadelphia, in September, 1774 . He was immediately placed on a committee to draft a Declaration of Rights and also agreed to a general non-importation pact.

In 1775, he was re-elected to Congress. During this term, he was appointed the head of the naval committee, being in effect the first Secretary of the Navy. He also served on the "Secret Committee".

In 1776, he was re-elected to Congress, where he voted on and signed the Declaration of Independence. As soon as affairs permitted, he returned home to tend to his fortune and offer leadership on the homefront.

In July, 1779, he returned to Congress, but his health soon failed and he had to resign his seat on October, 29, 1779. Being too unwell to travel, he remained in Philadelphia, where he died on November 10, 1779, age 49. His funeral included Congress as a body and a large number of Philadelphia citizens. He was the first and only one of the signers of the Declaration to die in office.

To comment on this column write to me care of “Mercer County Memories” at P.O. Box 1199, Princeton, WV 24740 or e-mail me at delimartman@yahoo.com.