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.)
28 February 2015 | Agan, Kelly
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