EDGECOMBE COUNTY

Edgecombe was formed in 1741 from Bertie, although deeds begin in 1732 and one will dates from 1733. [No action had been taken on a bill to establish the county in 1734.] It was named in honor of Richard Edgecombe, who became Baron Edgecombe in 1742, an English nobleman and a lord of the Treasury. It is in the eastern section of the State and is bounded by Martin, Pitt, Wilson, Nash, and Halifax counties. The present land area is 505.03 square miles. The population from the 2010 Census was 56,552. Of that population, 21,923 were white, 32,435 were black or African American, 169 were American Indian, 113 were Asian, 15 were Pacific Islander and 1,326 were of a different race. Another 571 were reported to be of two or more races and 2,104 were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The first county seat was Edgecombe Court House. Tarboro was established in 1760 and was made the county seat in 1764.

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Edgecombe County is located in the Tar-Pamlico River Basin and is a part of the Coastal Plain region of the state.

References:

"American Factfinder." 2011. U. S. Census Bureau. Online at http://factfinder2.census.gov/. Accessed 3/3/2011.

Corbitt, David L. 2000. The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943. Sixth printing. Raleigh: State Department of Archives and History.

Powell, William Stevens, and Michael R. Hill. 2010. The North Carolina gazetteer: a dictionary of Tar Heel places and their history. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Additional resources:

North Carolina Digital Collections (Government & Heritage Library and NC State Archives)

NC LIVE resources

NC Natural Heritage Program database

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)