The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-04-13
SHARED IN REVOLUTION
Her Famous Old Schools and Church
Congregations Described.
FIRST ORGANIZED PRESBYTERlANlSM
One Of the Fairt st Portions Of North Carolina.
interesting Stories Of the Great Men
the County Has Produced in
All Lines of fort.

Dupln county at the first, 1749, touch
ed the borders of New Hanover, Bladen,
Cumberland, Johnston, Craven and Ons-
low. The eastern part of Johnston be-
came Dobbs county in 1853 and the
western part of Dobbs became Wayne,
1879. Jones county on the eastern bor-
der of Duplin was formed from Craven,
1779. Until 1884 Duplin included what is
now Sampson county and in this paper
the old name will be used to cover the
whole territory. 1t was one of the fair
est portions of North Carolina. Large
streams which flowed through every
part Of it indicated fertile lands and af-
forded cheap and easy transportation
for the timber and naval stores which
We're then the chief articles of COM
merce. The Indians were excellent
Judges of location which furnished
materials for easy and luxurious living;
and their chief settlement was near the
present town of Kenansville. large
mound in which they buried their dead
long stood about mile from the court
house, indicating at once their owner
ship and their good sense. The public
highway ran from Wilmington to
Smithfield, dividing the county into
nearly equal sections. The courthouse
stood on this road about the centre of
the county. Four miles north of the
court house the road forked, the right
leading to Dobbs court house which
stood two miles across and up the
river from White hall. The foundations
of the old building may still be seen on
the plantation of James Whitfield, Esq.
Into this beautiful region there came,
singly or in groups, men who by taste
and experience We're prepared to make
the most and the best of it. They were
from different quarters, but the largest
and most influential body of them came
from Maryland. The mention of a few
families will make this appear: Clark,
Wright Beck. Houston, Hollingsworth,
Hines Tin Maryland written also
Kinds. Hynes, Hyndes). Darden writ
ten Durding in Maryland to this day.,
King, Hobbs, Kinnear written in
Maryland Conier), Rutledge. Carr,
Dixon, Kirby (Kerby), Sutherland,
Gibson tGleeson, Glessen), Bowden,
Millard Meredith, Howard, Blackman,
Cooper Hynson Winders tWinters),
Ballard, Cook, Fennell (Fennile, Fin
nell, FenniD, Murray, Chason (Ches-
tom, Bell, Carroll, Hicks, Torrance
(Tarrance) Thompson, Dunn l think,
though 1 am not sure, that Bunting,
Holmes and Sampson came from New
England to Maryland and thence to North
Carolina and Duplin county.
1t will be of interest to glance at the
history of some of these families. They
came from good homes on the eastern
shore of Maryland which had been set
tied since 1851, bringing with them some
wealth, considerable intelligence and a
certain degree of familiarity with the
best social and domestic life of the time.
The Dixons were men of force and
speedily obtained recognition and place.
One of them was the first clerk of the
county. Many years later one of the
descendants, James Dixon, long held the
sare office Robert and James were
several times elected to the Legislature.
Joseph Dixon was member of Con-
gresS and left sum of money, large
for those times, 20 educate the poor
children of the county, OF the Kings
two We're members of the Legislature
ard one, William r., was a member of
Congress in this State, Senator from
Alabama, and Vice President. Daniel
Gibson was for twenty years in one or
other branch of the Legislature. Of the
Wrights Thomas was for number of
years sheriff. while David and William
Were several times members of the
Legislature. Thomas Hicks was a MEM
Der Of the Convention of 1874 and 1775.
also of the Legislature of 177S. He died
soon afterwards. Andrew and Daniel
Thompson came to Duplin before 1888.
In that year the former married Ann
Hicks and on her death. 1879. married