PERSON COUNTY GOVERNMENT:
www.personcounty.net
COUNTY SEAT: Roxboro
FORMED: 1791
FORMED FROM: Caswell
LAND AREA: 392.32 square miles
2018 POPULATION ESTIMATE: 39,507
White: 69.8%
Black/African American: 27.1%
American Indian: 0.9%
Asian: 0.4%
Pacific Islander: <0.1%
Two or more races: 1.8%
Hispanic/Latino: 4.4% (of any race)
From State & County QuickFacts, US Census Bureau, 2018.
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: 6TH
BIOGRAPHIES FOR
Person County
WILDLIFE PROFILES FOR
Piedmont region
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
REGION: Piedmont
RIVER BASIN: Neuse, Roanoke, Tar-Pamlico, Map
NEIGHBORING COUNTIES: Caswell, Durham, Granville, Orange
Person County, located in the Piedmont region of northern North Carolina, was formed in 1791 from Caswell County and named for Revolutionary War general Thomas Person. It is partially bordered by the state of Virginia. Early inhabitants of the area included the Occaneechi Indians, followed by English and German settlers. The county seat, Roxboro, was incorporated in 1855 and named for the town of Roxburgh, Scotland. Person County's other communities include Hurdle Mills, Gordonton, Bushy Fork, Brooksdale, Moriah, Bethel Hill, and Concord. Notable physical features of the county include Hyco Lake, constructed by Carolina Power & Light Company in the early 1960s as a cooling reservoir for a steam electric-generating plant, Flat River, Castle Creek, and the Tar River.
Person County historic sites include Webb House, built in the early 1800s, and Hall House, built ca. 1900 and considered the oldest brick house in Roxboro. Cultural institutions include the Roxboro Little Theatre, the Person County Museum of History, the Person Players, Timberlake Art Gallery, and the Person County Nature Society. Person County hosts several annual events and festivals, including the Person County Agricultural Fair, the Person-ality Festival, and Pops in Person.
Agricultural crops grown in Person County include tobacco, wheat, corn, and soybeans. Manufactured products include parachutes, aluminum siding, textiles, and auto parts. Minerals such as pyrite, limonite, kyanite, malachite, and azurite are mined in the county. In 2004 Person County's population was estimated to be 37,000.
Annotated history of Person County's formation:
For an annotated history of the county's formation, with the laws affecting the county, boundary lines and changes, and other origin information, visit these references in The Formation of the North Carolina Counties (Corbitt, 2000), available online at North Carolina Digital Collections (note, there may be additional items of interest for the county not listed here):
County formation history: http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/ref/collection/p16062coll9/id/289949
Index entry for the county: http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/ref/collection/p16062coll9/id/290091
References:
Stuart T. Wright, Historical Sketch of Person County (1974).
Additional resources:
Corbitt, David Leroy. 2000. The formation of the North Carolina counties, 1663-1943. http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/ref/collection/p16062coll9/id/290103 (accessed June 20, 2017).
Person County Government: http://www.personcounty.net
Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development: http://roxboronc.com/index.html
DigitalNC, Person County: http://www.digitalnc.org/counties/person-county/
North Carolina Digital Collections (explore by place, time period, format): http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/home/browse
Image credits:
Rudersdorf, Amy. 2010. "NC County Maps." Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.
23 October 2012
Comments
Wanted to know about the
Wanted to know about the family with the last name person is there still any people with that last name stiil live there
Looking for the same thing.
Looking for the same thing. My grandfather name is Person looking for info
Hello,
Hello,
Looking in public records, it appears there are at least a few people with the surname Person in Person County. Checking whitepages.com, for instance, indicated that there is someone with the last name Person in Roxboro, the county seat of Person County. You may wish to contact the local public library in Person County to determine if they have any current directories for Person County. Their website may be found at http://www.personcounty.net/index.aspx?page=176.
Good luck in your research!
Michelle Underhill, NC Government & Heritage Library
Greetings,
Greetings,
My great Grandmother name was Clarine Mitchell b in Durham or Woodsdale, NC about 1898-1900. She left there and moved to Portsmouth, VA in her mid teens. SHe didn't know her mother who died when she was a baby and we don't have a name. Her father name was Crute Mitchell( not sure if Crute is a nickname or middle name). Need help in finding out about her family. I am trying to find out who her mother was ( the family is African American)
Thank you
Bethany Perry
Dear Ms. Perry,
Dear Ms. Perry,
Thank you for taking the time to post your question to NCpedia. I just sent you an email to connect you wtih Genealogical Services at the NC Government & Heritage Library. Their contact information may be found at http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/contact.html. Someone will follow up with you soon on your inquiry.
Good luck in your research!
Michelle Underhill, Digital Information Management Program, NC Government & Heritage Library
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