The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-10-08
COUNTIES WHICH HAVE DISAP.
FEARED
An Interesting Sketch of the Formation
and Changes in North Carolina.

An Interesting Sketch of the Formation
and Changes in North Carolina.
Unlike States, which are sovereign
and indestructible and which we're
creators of the Union, counties are the
creatures of the legislature and can be
created, abolished or re-established at
will. AS stars have disappeared from
the quiet sky, so on roll of coun-
ties names once shone which have dis
appeared forever.
Like the lost pleiad -
Seen no more below
In 1865 the country on both sides OF
Albemarle sound was erected into Al,
bemarle county, and that on the West
bank of Cape Fear into CIaredon coun-
ty. About 1890 both sides of PamIico
river was erected into Bath county.
These three, Albemarle, Bath and
Clarendon were thus the A. B. O.. of
North Carolina history. In 1871, the
country North of Albemarle Sound
was divided into C~arteret, Berkeley and
~GhaftesbUry precincts. In 1858 Car
teret vas changed to Currituck, Berk.
ley became Pesquotank and Perqui-
mons, and Shaftesbury was renamed
Chowan In 1922 another precinct
further South was named Carteret,
which Ill 1929 became the present Car
tret county. Bath county was divi-
ded into Wickham, PamptiC o Ugh and
Archdale precincts. In 1873 after the
government was transferred by the
Lords Proprietors to the King, the pre
cincts became counties, the names Of
the last three above mentioned being
changed, and the counties of Abe
marie, Bath and Clarendon abolished d
Thus as early as 1888 three counties
had been abolished and the names of
six precincts embryonic ~counties) had
been altered-a total of nine. Since
then seven county names have disap
peared as follows: Bladen county was
at first Pelham. In 1879 Butte, named
after the unpopular Earl of Butte, was
abolished and its territory divided into
two new counties named after the
patriots Franklin and Warren. In
the same year, the county which bore
the name of the royal Governor TryoD
was divided and the new counties were
named in honor of Generals Lincoln
and Rutherford, Each of these has
| since been sub divided, D0bbs county,
named after another royal Governor,
retained it's name till 1894. after the
revolution, when it was divided into
Lenoir and Glasgow. Johnston and
Martin, though they also bore the
names of royal Governors, continue to
do 50 to this day, probably because we
had Republican Governors who were
named Martin and Johnston. Glasgow
named after the Secretary of State,
upon the discovery Of frauds perpe
trated by him against the State, was
| changed to Greene in 1899 In 1884
Cumberland county, named for the
bloody victor of Cuiloden, was changed
to Fayette county, but it was changed
back to Cumberland by the next leg
~isIatura. In 1916 Polk county was Gre
ated. In 1913 1t was abolished. After
seven years it was again re established
in 1855 In the case Of Mill vs. Viii
liams, SO N. G. Reports, the Slnreme
court affirmed the power of the legisla-
ture to abolish any county at its pleas,
ure. Thus sixteen county names have
disappeared, Carteret, Berkeley, Shaftes-
bury, Pampticough, Wickham, Arch
dale, AlbPmarle, Bath, Clarendon,
Pelham, Butte, Tryon, Fayette, Dobbs,
Glasgow and Polk. Carteret was af-
terward bestowed on another county,
and Polk after an eclipse was re estab-
lished.
Astomeroly verbal, or literal, changes
Duplin named after Viseount. Duplin,
has in the friction of the years lost one
Of it's ''p"s; ~Edgecombe, named after
the Earl of Mt. Eigecumb has materi-
ally changed its photography Surry
named after Surry county in England
and Forsyth which was named for
Col. Benjamin Forsythe, who fell in
Canada in 1914, have both lost an sc"
in rolling down the years; and Cleve-
land, NAM d for Col. Benjamin CIeve-
land, n of the heroes of Kings Noun
tain, has by legislative enactment lost
the ga"
Among the numerous changes in the
names of towns may be noted Viii
mington, formerly Newton Greenville,
once Martinhnrnneh. FaxattevilIa-