North Carolina County Formation: Dates and Parent Counties

By Kelly Agan, North Carolina Government & Heritage Library, 2015

Date
County
Formed From (or Date Extinct)
1664
Albemarle
Original county: Extinct 1689
1664
Clarendon
Original county: Extinct by 1667
1668
Chowan
Albemarle [Shaftesbury, 1670-82]
1668
Currituck
Albemarle [Carteret, 1670-82]
1668
Pasquotank
Albemarle [Carteret, 1670-82]
1668
Perquimans
Albemarle [Berkeley, 1670-82]
1696
Bath
Original county (extinct after 1724)
1705
Beaufort
Bath [Pamptecough, 1705-1712]
1705
Craven
Bath [Archdale, 1705-1712]
1705
Hyde
Bath [Wickham, 1705-1712]
1722
Bertie
Chowan
1722
Carteret
Craven
1729
New Hanover
Craven
1729
Tyrrell
Chowan, Bertie, Currituck, Pasquotank
1734
Bladen
New Hanover
1734
Onslow
New Hanover
1741
Edgecombe
Bertie
1741
Northampton
Bertie
1746
Granville
Edgecombe
1746
Johnston
Craven
1750
Anson
Bladen
1750
Duplin
New Hanover
1752
Orange
Johnston, Bladen, Granville
1753
Rowan
Anson
1754
Cumberland
Bladen
1759
Dobbs
Johnston
1759
Halifax
Edgecombe
1760
Hertford
Chowan, Bertie, Northampton
1761
Pitt
Beaufort
1763
Mecklenburg
Anson
1764
Brunswick
New Hanover, Bladen
1764
Bute
Granville
1768
Tryon
Mecklenburg
1771
Chatham
Orange
1771
Guilford
Rowan, Orange
1771
Surry
Rowan
1771
Wake
Johnston, Cumberland, Orange
1774
Martin
Halifax, Tyrrell
1777
Burke
Rowan
1777
Camden
Pasquotank
1777
Caswell
Orange
1777
Nash
Edgecombe
1778
Wilkes
Surry, District of Washington
1779
Franklin
Bute
1779
Gates
Chowan, Hertford, Perquimans
1779
Jones
Craven
1779
Lincoln
Tryon
1779
Montgomery
Anson
1779
Randolph
Guilford
1779
Richmond
Anson
1779
Rutherford
Tryon
1779
Warren
Bute
1779
Wayne
Dobbs
1784
Moore
Cumberland
1784
Sampson
Duplin
1785
Rockingham
Guilford
1787
Robeson
Bladen
1788
Iredell
Rowan
1789
Stokes
Surry
1791
Buncombe
Burke, Rutherford
1791
Glasgow
Dobbs
1791
Lenoir
Dobbs
1792
Cabarrus
Mecklenburg
1792
Person
Caswell
1799
Ashe
Wilkes
1799
Greene
Glasgow
1799
Washington
Tyrrell
1808
Columbus
Brunswick, Bladen
1808
Haywood
Buncombe
1822
Davidson
Rowan
1828
Macon
Haywood
1833
Yancey
Burke, Buncombe
1836
Davie
Rowan
1838
Henderson
Buncombe
1839
Cherokee
Macon
1841
Caldwell
Burke, Wilkes
1841
Cleveland
Rutherford, Lincoln
1841
Stanly
Montgomery
1842
Catawba
Lincoln
1842
McDowell
Rutherford, Burke
1842
Union
Anson, Mecklenburg
1846
Gaston
Lincoln
1847
Alexander
Iredell, Caldwell, Wilkes
1849
Alamance
Orange
1849
Forsyth
Stokes
1849
Watauga
Ashe, Wilkes, Caldwell, Yancey
1850
Yadkin
Surry
1851
Jackson
Haywood, Macon
1851
Madison
Buncombe, Yancey
1855
Harnett
Cumberland
1855
Polk
Rutherford, Henderson
1855
Wilson
Edgecombe, Nash, Johnston, Wayne
1859
Alleghany
Ashe
1861
Clay
Cherokee
1861
Mitchell
Yancey, Watauga, Caldwell, Burke, McDowell
1861
Transylvania
Henderson, Jackson
1870
Dare
Currituck, Tyrrell, Hyde
1871
Swain
Jackson, Macon
1872
Graham
Cherokee
1872
Pamlico
Craven, Beaufort
1875
Pender
New Hanover
1881
Durham
Orange, Wake
1881
Vance
Granville, Warren, Franklin
1899
Scotland
Richmond
1907
Lee
Moore, Chatham
1911
Avery
Mitchell, Watauga, Caldwell
1911
Hoke
Cumberland, Robeson

Resources:

Corbitt, David Leroy. 2000. The formation of the North Carolina counties, 1663-1943. http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/ref/collection/p16062coll9/id/290103.
(This resource is a history of the formation of North Carolina's counties, footnoted with annotations to legislative actions and contains maps and illustrations.)

Subjects: 
Counties
Authors: 
Agan, Kelly
From: 
Government & Heritage Library, State Library of North Carolina.

28 February 2015 | Agan, Kelly

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