212 The Winning of the West 



The first step taken by the Watauga settlers, when 

 they had determined to organize, 24 was to meet in 

 general convention, holding a kind of folk-thing, 

 akin to the New England town-meeting. They 

 then elected a representative assembly, a small par- 

 liament or "witanagemot," which met at Robert- 

 son's station. Apparently the freemen of each little 

 fort or palisaded village, each blockhouse that was 

 the centre of a group of detached cabins and clear- 

 ings, sent a member to this first frontier legisla- 

 ture. 25 It consisted of thirteen representatives, who 

 proceeded to elect from their number five among 

 them Sevier and Robertson to form a committee 

 or court, which should carry on the actual business 

 of government, and should exercise both judicial 

 and executive functions. This court had a clerk 

 and a sheriff, or executive officer, who respectively 

 recorded and enforced their decrees. 



The five members of this court, who are some- 

 times referred to as arbitrators and sometimes as 

 commissioners, had entire control of all matters af- 

 fecting the common weal; and all affairs in con- 

 troversy were settled by the decision of a majority. 

 They elected one of their number as chairman, he 

 being also ex-officio chairman of the committee of 

 thirteen; and all their proceedings were noted for 

 the prudence and moderation with which they be- 

 haved in their somewhat anomalous position. They 



24 The Watauga settlers and those of Carter's Valley were 

 the first to organize ; the Nolichucky people came in later. 



25 Putnam, 30. 



