My NC ancestors are Abraham and Mourning (Monie) Denton, several great grandparents' back. Abraham was one of the signers of the Rowan Resolves, the precursor to the Declaration of Independence. I think Abraham and that bunch of guys were in the throes of realization that they were on the brink of revolution. I'm sure they went through all the inner conflicts imaginable before they finally had to acknowledge that , alas, the Mother Country didn't hold the "colonies" in all that much esteem.
It gets fun talkin' about the ancestors sometimes...like my gganduncle Gladis Donaldson, (who I think may have gone by the name Don), who got kilt by being knifed by three irate husbands who thought this musician guy was being too friendly with their wives. Story says this happened in Pecos, TX...but I haven't confirmed the nasty rumour yet...