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North Carolina History Timeline

1663 Carolina Charter granted by King Charles II to the eight Lords Proprietor

1664 Albemarle, Clarendon, Craven counties formed

1667 Clarendon County abandoned

1668 Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank and Perquimans precincts (of Albemarle) formed

1670 Settlement of Craven Co. (on the Ashley River in SC) begins

Colony-wide General Court established

1690 French colony from VA settle on Pamlico River

1696 Bath County formed

1705 Archdale (Craven), Pamptecough (Beaufort), Wickham (Hyde) precincts formed

1706 Bath (town) becomes first incorporated town in NC

1710 New Bern founded by DeGraffenreid and Swiss and German colonists

1711-1715 Tuscarora War

1712 Beaufort, Craven, Hyde counties names changed from Pamptecough, Archdale and Wickham

1722 Bertie, Carteret counties formed

1725 Patents issued to settle lower Cape Fear

1729 Seven of the eight Lords Proprietors sell their shares to King George II, making North Carolina a royal colony

New Hanover, Tyrrell counties formed

1734 Bladen, Onslow counties formed

1739-1748 Spanish Alarm

1739 Highland Scots settle Cape Fear Valley

Bath and Albemarle counties discontinued

1741 Edgecombe and Northampton counties formed

1743 Granville district boundary established

1746 Granville and Johnston counties formed

1750 Anson and Duplin counties formed

1752 Orange County formed

1753 Rowan County formed

Moravians from PA settle in piedmont at Wachovia

1754 Cumberland County formed

District courts established in Edenton, Enfield, New Bern, Wilmington and Salisbury

1755-1763 French and Indian War

1758 Dobbs and Halifax counties formed

1759 Hertford County formed

Halifax district court replaces Enfield

1760 Pitt County formed

1762 Mecklenburg County formed

1764 Brunswick and Bute counties formed

1768 Hillsborough District court established

Tryon County formed

1768-1771 War of the Regulation

1771 Guilford, Surry, Chatham and Wake counties formed

1774 Martin County formed

1775 Governor disbands court system

1776-1783 Revolutionary War

1776 Granville district lands confiscated

1777 Burke, Camden, Caswell, Nash, and Wilkes counties formed

1779 Tryon and Bute counties discontinued

Franklin, Gates, Jones, Lincoln, Montgomery, Rutherford, Randolph, Richmond, Warren, and Wayne counties formed

1782 Morganton District court established

1784 Moore and Sampson counties formed

State of Franklin formed

1785 Rockingham County formed

1786 Onslow County records destroyed by storm

1787 Robeson County formed

Fayetteville District court established

1788 State of Franklin discontinued

Site chosen for new capital

Iredell County formed

1789 North Carolina ratified the Constitution

North Carolina ceded western lands to federal government

Stokes County formed

1791 Buncombe, Glasgow, Lenoir and Person counties formed

Raleigh becomes state capital

Dobbs County discontinued

1792 State capitol building in Raleigh completed

Cabarrus County formed

1795 Daughters begin to inherit equally with sons

1797 Lincoln County records may have been destroyed by fire in private home

1798 New Hanover County courthouse fire may have destroyed some records

1799 Glasgow County discontinued

Ashe, Greene, Washington counties formed

1806 County Superior Courts formed and District Court abolished

1808 Columbus and Haywood counties formed

1812-1814 War of 1812

1822 Davidson County formed

1828 Macon County formed

1833 Yancey County formed

1836 Davie County formed

1838 Henderson County formed

Trail of Tears: most of North Carolina's Cherokees are moved west to Indian Territory

1839 Cherokee County formed

1841 Cleveland, Caldwell, and Stanley counties formed

1842 Catawba, McDowell, and Union counties formed

1846 Gaston County formed

1846-1848 War with Mexico

1847 Alexander County formed

1849 Alamance, Forsyth, and Watauga counties formed

1850 Yadkin County formed

1851 Madison and Jackson counties formed

1855 Polk, Harnett, Wilson counties formed

1859 Alleghany County formed

1861-1865 Civil War

1861 North Carolina secedes from the union

1868 North Carolina readmitted to the union upon adopting a new constitution

Many of the state's laws changed radically.

New court system established

Marriage bonds discontinued

1870 Dare County formed

1871 Swain County formed

1872 Graham and Pamlico counties formed

1875 Pender County formed

1881 Durham and Vance counties formed

1898-1899 Spanish-American War

1899 Scotland County formed

1903 North Carolina Historical Commission formed (now Division of Archives and History)

1907 Lee County formed

1911 Avery and Hoke counties formed

1913 State law requires vital records registration