FORMATION OF NORTH CAROLINA
COUNTIES
| County |
Year |
Origin, Notes |
| Alamance |
1849 |
Orange. |
| Albemarle* |
1664 |
Original County. Dissolved 1739. |
| Alexander |
1847 |
Iredell, Caldwell, Wilkes. |
| Alleghany |
1859 |
Ashe. |
|
Anson |
1750 |
Bladen. |
| Archdale* |
1705 |
Bath. Name changed to Craven
1712. |
|
Ashe |
1799 |
Wilkes. |
| Avery |
1911 |
Caldwell, Mitchell, Watauga. |
| Bath* |
1696 |
Original County. Dissolved 1739. |
| Beaufort |
1712 |
Name changed from Pamptecough. |
| Berkeley* |
1670 |
Albemarle. Name changed to
Perquimans 1681. |
| Bertie |
1722 |
Chowan. |
| Bladen |
1734 |
New Hanover. |
|
Brunswick |
1764 |
New Hanover, Bladen. |
|
Buncombe |
1791 |
Burke, Rutherford. |
|
Burke |
1777 |
Rowan. |
| Bute* |
1764 |
Granville. Divided into Warren,
Franklin 1779. |
|
Cabarrus |
1792 |
Mecklenburg. |
| Caldwell |
1841 |
Burke, Wilkes. |
| Camden |
1777 |
Pasquotank. |
|
Carteret |
1722 |
Craven. |
| Caswell |
1777 |
Orange. |
| Catawba |
1842 |
Lincoln. |
| Chatham |
1770 |
Orange. |
|
Cherokee |
1839 |
Macon. |
| Chowan |
1685 |
Name changed from Shaftesbury. |
| Clarendon* |
1664 |
Original County, Discontinued
1667. |
| Clay |
1861 |
Cherokee. |
| Cleveland |
1841 |
Rutherford, Lincoln. |
|
Columbus |
1808 |
Bladen, Brunswick |
|
Craven |
1712 |
Name changed from Archdale. |
| Cumberland |
1754 |
Bladen. |
| Currituck |
1670 |
Albemarle. |
| Dare |
1870 |
Currituck, Tyrrell, Hyde. |
| Davidson* (TN) |
1783 |
Washington (TN). Ceded to U.S.
in 1790. |
|
Davidson |
1822 |
Rowan. |
| Davie |
1836 |
Rowan. |
|
Dobbs* |
1758 |
Johnston. Divided into Glasgow,
Lenoir 1791. |
|
Duplin |
1750 |
New Hanover. |
| Durham |
1881 |
Orange, Wake. |
| Edgecombe |
1741 |
Bertie. |
| Forsyth |
1849 |
Stokes. |
| Franklin |
1779 |
Bute. |
| Gaston |
1846 |
Lincoln. |
| Gates |
1778 |
Chowan, Hertford, Perquimans. |
| Glasgow* |
1791 |
Dobbs. Name changed to Greene
1799. |
|
Graham |
1872 |
Cherokee. |
|
Granville |
1746 |
Edgecombe. |
| Greene* (TN) |
1783 |
Washington (TN). Ceded to U.S.
in 1790. |
| Greene |
1799 |
Name changed from Glasgow 1799. |
| Guilford |
1770 |
Rowan, Orange. |
| Halifax |
1758 |
Edgecombe. |
| Harnett |
1855 |
Cumberland. |
| Hawkins* (TN) |
1787 |
Sullivan (TN). Ceded to U.S. in
1790. |
|
Haywood |
1808 |
Buncombe. |
|
Henderson |
1838 |
Buncombe. |
| Hertford |
1759 |
Bertie, Chowan, Northampton. |
| Hoke |
1911 |
Cumberland, Robeson. |
| Hyde |
1712 |
Name changed from Wickham. |
|
Iredell |
1788 |
Rowan. |
|
Jackson |
1851 |
Haywood, Macon. |
|
Johnston |
1746 |
Craven. |
|
Jones |
1778 |
Craven. |
| Lee |
1907 |
Chatham, Moore. |
|
Lenoir |
1791 |
Dobbs. |
|
Lincoln |
1779 |
Tryon. |
|
Macon |
1828 |
Haywood. |
| Madison |
1851 |
Buncombe, Yancey. |
| Martin |
1774 |
Halifax, Tyrrell. |
|
McDowell |
1842 |
Burke, Rutherford. |
|
Mecklenburg |
1762 |
Anson. |
|
Mitchell |
1861 |
Watauga, Yancey. |
| Montgomery |
1778 |
Anson. |
| Moore |
1784 |
Cumberland. |
| Nash |
1777 |
Edgecombe. |
| New Hanover |
1729 |
Craven. |
| Northampton |
1741 |
Bertie. |
|
Onslow |
1734 |
New Hanover. |
|
Orange |
1752 |
Bladen, Granville, Johnston. |
| Pamlico |
1872 |
Beaufort, Craven. |
| Pamptecough* |
1705 |
Bath. Name changed to Beaufort
1712. |
| Pasquotank |
1670 |
Albemarle. |
| Pender |
1875 |
New Hanover. |
| Perquimans |
1681 |
Name changed from Berkeley. |
| Person |
1791 |
Caswell. |
| Pitt |
1760 |
Beaufort. |
| Polk* |
1847 |
Henderson, Rutherford. Abolished
1848. |
| Polk |
1855 |
Henderson, Rutherford. |
|
Randolph |
1778 |
Guilford. |
| Richmond |
1779 |
Anson. |
| Robeson |
1786 |
Bladen. |
| Rockingham |
1785 |
Guilford. |
|
Rowan |
1753 |
Anson. |
|
Rutherford |
1779 |
Tryon. |
| Sampson |
1784 |
Duplin. |
| Scotland |
1899 |
Richmond. |
| Shaftesbury* |
1670 |
Albemarle. Name changed to
Chowan 1685. |
| Stanley |
1841 |
Montgomery. |
| Stokes |
1789 |
Surry. |
|
Sullivan* (TN) |
1779 |
Washington (TN). Ceded to U.S.
in 1790. |
| Sumner* (TN) |
1787 |
Davidson (TN). Ceded to U.S. in
1790. |
|
Surry |
1770 |
Rowan. |
|
Swain |
1871 |
Jackson, Macon. |
| Tennessee* (TN) |
1788 |
Davidson (TN). Ceded to U.S. in
1790. |
|
Transylvania |
1861 |
Henderson, Jackson. |
|
Tryon* |
1768 |
Mecklenburg. Divided into
Lincoln, Rutherford 1779. |
| Tyrrell |
1729 |
Bertie, Chowan, Currituck,
Pasquotank. |
| Union |
1842 |
Anson, Mecklenburg. |
| Vance |
1881 |
Franklin, Granville, Warren. |
| Wake |
1770 |
Cumberland, Johnston, Orange. |
|
Walton* (GA) |
1803 |
Formed by GA inside NC.
Abolished 1812. |
| Warren |
1779 |
Bute. |
|
Washington*(TN) |
1776 |
Western lands. Ceded to U.S. in
1790. |
| Washington |
1799 |
Tyrrell. |
|
Watauga |
1849 |
Ashe, Caldwell, Wilkes, Yancey. |
|
Wayne |
1779 |
Dobbs. |
| Wickham* |
1705 |
Bath. Name changed to Hyde 1712. |
|
Wilkes |
1777 |
Surry, Washington (TN). |
| Wilson |
1855 |
Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash,
Wayne. |
| Yadkin |
1850 |
Surry. |
|
Yancey |
1833 |
Buncombe, Burke. |
NOTES:
Chart compiled by Marvin A. Grant Jr Copyright
© 1997-2008. Feel free to link to this page. You may copy
this for your own personal use, but if you want to post it to another website or
include it in any publication, be sure to include this copyright notice. Visit
my website at: http://www.martygrant.com
1. All counties marked with an asterisk * are no longer extant or no
longer within the bounds of North Carolina. North Carolina currently has 100
counties.
2. All counties formed from Bath and
Albemarle were actually "Precincts" of those two counties until 1739 when they
all became designated as "counties", when Albemarle and Bath Counties were
dissolved.
3. The 7 Counties marked (TN) are in what
is now the State of Tennessee, but when created, where considered in North
Carolina. This territory was ceded to the U.S. Government in 1790. From 1790
through 1796 this land was known as the "Territory South of the Ohio River". In
1796 it became the State of Tennessee.
4. Walton County, Georgia was formed
erroneously by the State of Georgia inside North Carolina's boundaries in 1803.
This caused quite a bit of confusion at the time. The county boundaries are
impossible to figure out, but was in the area of modern Jackson and Transylvania
Counties. In those days (1803-1812) the area was also claimed by Buncombe and
Haywood Counties.
REFERENCES:
"The Handy Book for Genealogists", Eighth
Edition. The Everton Publishers, Inc., Logan, UT 1991
"Map Guide to the Federal Censuses, 1790-1920",
William Thorndale and William Dollarhide, Baltimore. Genealogical Publishing
Co., 1987
"The AniMap County Boundary Historical Atlas",
Adrian B. Ettlinger from The Gold Bug,
Alamo, CA. (Computer Software). * They have maps showing the progression of
County Boundary changes for each state. Excellent program!. This is available
for purchase below (highly recommended!)
Last Updated
January 11, 2008
Home
| Surnames | Search
Engine | Contact Me
|
