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University of Virginia Library F262.E2 T9 1920 ALD History of Edgecombe county, N
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HISTORY
OF
EDGECOMBE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA
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BY J. KELLY TURNER and JNO. L. BRIDGERS, JR.
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RALEIGH EDWARDS & BROUGHTON PRINTING CO. 1920
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F 262 . EZT9 1920 254801
COPYRIGHT 1920 J. KELLY TURNER
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TO
THE MAKERS OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY HISTORY -PAST AND PRESENT-
WHETHER UPON THE FIELD OF BATTLE; IN THE HALLS OF STATE; OR THE HUMBLE HOME; THIS VOLUME IS AFFCTIONATELY INSCRIBED.
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
ORIGIN AND SETTLEMENT
Immigrants from Virginia-Early Indian troubles-Town Creek settled 1720-Tar River expedition 1722-Economic con- ditions of settlers-Precinct established-Political controversy 1733-1742-Period of immigration-Commercial expansion- Halifax town 1744-Erection of new counties-Tarboro incor- porated-Account of Spanish War and incidents.
CHAPTER II
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COLONIAL GOVERNMENT
English policy-Precinct courts Oyer and Terminer courts- Courts of Justice Superior Court in Enfield-Political rep- resentation contested-Function of local courts Quit rent con- troversy-Taxation-Riot and rebellion-Corbin seized-Mar- tin visits Tarboro-Political significance-War of Regulation -Tyron's appeal to the people-County representation.
CHAPTER III
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REVOLUTION
Pre-Revolutionary controversies-War preparations-Leaders and response to the cause-Troops in the revolution-Members in the Provincial Congress-Military organizations-Tempo- rary government-War incidents in Tarboro-Tory uprisings -Martin plans negro insurrection-Economic conditions- Power of imprisonment suspended-Deserters in Edgecombe -Battles of Swift and Fishing Creeks-Wilmington aided- Close of hostilities.
CHAPTER IV 104
POLITIOS AFTER THE REVOLUTION
General Washington's visit-Rise of parties-Edgecombe and Federal convention-Delegates to the Continental Congress- County courts organized-County government-Inferior courts and Quarter Sessions Convention of 1835-Organization of parties-Henry Clay's visit 1845-Political effect-Political leaders-Whig agitation-Democratic controversy-War with Mexico-Edgecombe volunteers-Military leaders-Coalition of parties-Southern Rights movement-Campaign of 1860.
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CHAPTER V
SLAVERY
Indian slaves-Indentured servants-Negro slavery-Economic importance-Inducement for importation-Law concerning slavery-Local regulations-Law affecting servants-Patrol system and its purpose-Hiring days-Method of punishment State vs. Will-Value of slaves Social life-Religious life- Cause of religious indifference-Slavery and politics.
CHAPTER VI
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WAR BETWEEN THE STATES
Political convention of 1861-Awakening of public sentiment- Leaders of secession movement-Response to the call for troops -Edgecombe Guards at Bethel-Military muster-Military leaders-Edgecombe in earnest-Internal conditions-Federal troops in Tarboro-Battle Daniel School house-Destruction of Tarboro threatened-Contributions to the Confederacy-Con- ditions in 1865.
CHAPTER VII and VIII 237, 259
RECONSTRUCTION
Economic conditions-Federal regime-Activities of republican party-Frauds in county government-Political organizations -Negro activities-Outrages committed-Retaliation-County government resumed-Suspension of Quarter Session of Court and Pleas-Political controversies-Free negro problem-Mu- nicipal politics-Democratic victory-Resumption of law and order-Leaders in reconstruction.
CHAPTER IX
281
POLITICS SINCE 1880
Democratic control over court system-Republican struggle in politics-Political campaigns-Rise of populist party-Political leaders-Fusion of parties-Party controversies-Campaigns of 1892 to 1898-Edgecombe in the war with Spain-Campaigns of 1900-Political significance-Economic conditions.
CHAPTER X 326
AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRIES AND INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT
Agriculture-Early methods of farming-Tobacco culture- Introduction of marling and composting-Cattle raising- Method of Stock farming-Manufacturing-Erection of banks -Commercial activities-Early road improvement-Plank roads Stages-Water navigation-Railroads-Modern meth- ods of industries.
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CHAPTER XI
EDUCATION
Early education-Period of opposition-Clergymen schoolmas- ters-Effects of the revolution-Rise of academies-Leaders in educational movement-State aid for free schools-Free educa- tion for paupers-County appropriations-Free school contro- versy-Movement for common schools-Consolidation of school districts-Educational promoters-Modern education-System of conducting schools.
CHAPTER XII
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BAPTISTS
Origin and controversies to 1782-Expansion after the revolu- tion-Dissensions over church organization-Rise of the Mis- sion Baptist-Character and services of Joshua Lawrence- Dissensions over church organization concluded-Rise of negro churches.
CHAPTER XIII
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EPISCOPAL
English church and early governors-Edgecombe parish erected-Early controversies-Religious conditions-Church government-Edgecombe parish divided and political contro- versy-Glebe lands and effect on the activities of the early clergymen-St. Mary's parish divided-Period of decay-At- tempts at religious revival-Conventions 1790 to 1794 and 1819 -Calvary church 1833-Period of expansion-Present condi- tions.
CHAPTER XIV 458
PRESBYTERIANS AND SONS OF TEMPERANCE
Early conditions-Itinerant ministers during the colonial period-Activities of lay members-First church organized- Home missionary plans-Sunday school activities-Leaders in church work-Layman's movement-Controversy with Bap- tists-Period of expansion-New church in Tarboro.
CHAPTER XV METHODISTS
467
An account of the early Methodists and their religious convic- tions-Joseph Pilmoor's services-Methodist controversies- Activities of James O'Kelly-Results of Whitefield's teachings -Division of Carolina Circuit-Account of Asbury's visits- Revivals during the colonial period-Pastorate of Dr. Doub- Period of expansion-Camp-meetings-Negro missions-Sketch of Associate Reform Methodists-Account of Ellis meeting- house, Mckendree church, Swift Creek Mission, Temperance Hall, and other churches Conditions to 1900.
INTRODUCTION
This work was begun several years ago, while Mr. Turner was a student at Trinity College. It has been completed with the co- operation of Mr. Bridgers, after interruption due to the World War. Certain features of their labors deserve mention.
The careers of individuals and the description of notable events are subordinated to the treatment of movements, industrial, eco- nomic and political. The dominating theme is the environment and activity of the average man as involved in organs of govern- ment, labor systems, religion, education, economic life, and political affairs. For information and data the authors have util- ized a wide range of material, manuscript records, laws, news- papers, biographies, histories and unwritten traditions. The work is, I believe, a wider and more varied presentation of the life of the people than is conceived in our county and local histories.
A varied feature of the work is its information regarding that vital but neglected period of local history, the years between the Revolution and the Civil War. There came to maturity institu- tions and forces which originated in early days. How often are these years of development glossed over in our local histories for the benefit of the tumult and the shouting of martial times!
For these reasons I feel that the authors deserve recognition and commendation for a meritorious as well as a patriotic work.
Trinity College. Dec. 12th, 1919.
W. K. BOYD.
PREFACE
This volume was undertaken by reason of a deep appreciation for the county of Edgecombe and her worthy history. We never realized the force of Job's utterance, "Oh that mine enemy would write a book," until well into the work. Locating and interpret- ing ancient and musty records, running down hazy traditions, whose origin is well nigh lost to memory and attempting to verify them, has been no easy task. How often have we wished that we had left the search to that uncertain somebody else. However, out of loyalty to our native county, we have not hesitated or turned back.
The people of Edgecombe are intelligent, law abiding, indus- trious, resourceful, and progressive; but they are marked by one bar sinister, a most serious fault, that they have not properly appreciated their county, themselves, and the efforts of individual leaders. But they will grow, develop, and broaden with the process of time, and in so doing will stand foremost in all that makes and marks a most notable and worthy people.
We have labored faithfully to record Edgecombe's past. Doubt- less we have made mistakes and errors; but we say to those who would criticize, "Do not tell us of our errors and mistakes, but report them to the next one who will be so bold as to undertake to write a history of Edgecombe.
Pictures of many men, which deserve to be inserted, are not, because after earnest and diligent effort copies could not be pro- cured. This history is put forth, trusting that it may be received in the spirit that impelled us to write it.
Grateful acknowledgments are hereby made for the assistance given by Dr. L. R. Wilson, Chapel Hill; J. P. Breedlove, Libra- rian of Trinity College, Durham, N. C .; A. T. Walston, R. H. Gatlin, Frank Powell, Miss Sarah Norfleet, Rev. B. E. Brown, Mrs. T. W. Thrash, late J. B. Bradley, H. S. Bunn, Tarboro, N. C., and R. D. W. Connor, Raleigh, N. C. Especially indebted are we to Dr. W. K. Boyd, Department of History, Trinity Col- lege, of Durham, N. C., for helpful criticisms and inspiration while writing these pages.
December 12, 1919.
J. KELLY TURNER, JOHN L. BRIDGERS, JE.
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ALBEMARL COUNTY,
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N. CAROLINA PRECINCTS 1663-1729
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MAP SHOWING THE TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF EDGECOMBE PRECINCT IN 1733
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CHAPTER I+
ORIGIN AND SETTLEMENT
Many years before the appearance of civilized man in the new world, even ere the daring eye of the brave mariner wandered across the waters of the Atlantic, the forests of the Albemarle section in North Carolina were traversed by roving savages. Whence the aborigines came has never been discovered, and their origin will in all probability remain an enigma as long as time shall last. On the upper waters of Tar River dwelt the Tusca- roras and the Cotechneys, the most numerous and warlike of the North Carolina Indians, who roamed the forests and fished the streams at will. Torhunte, an Indian town, situated on the River Tar, was occupied by these tribes until the year 1712. This village and Tosneoc,1 about twelve miles from the present town of Tarboro, were the gathering places for the Tuscarora tribe. Here they assembled to plan their wars, and reassembled again after the conflict to divide their spoils and captives.
It was late in the fall of 1656 that a small scouting party left the northern confines of Virginia and settled in the northeastern part of the Albemarle section. The settlements, which were then continuous until the beginning of the eighteenth century, was arrested by a sudden outbreak of Indians. However, tem- porary peace about 1710 placed new desires among the settlers to open up new locations and to penetrate deeper into this unex- plored region. At this time the early expansion from Albemarle began. The Tuscaroras on the west, although still a strong and brave tribe, were not unfriendly in their disposition. Their hunt- ing grounds that lay on the Neuse, Roanoke, and Tar Rivers had not been encroached upon, and they gave every indication of enjoying a free trade with the whites, who supplied them with the commodities they most desired.
The migration was slow. A few young men, more energetic and with a more restless disposition than their neighbors, deter- mined to seek new lands in a more fertile country. There were probably only fifteen or twenty men who came from Nansemond
"Do not read this book unless you have read the preface.
1 Torneoc was also a principal Indian village and gets its name from the Tar- paco River, which later became Tar River.
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HISTORY OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY
by way of the wilderness to the frontier of the Albemarle section, with no provision or equipment, except a rifle and a bag of ammu- nition, to supply their needs. These men did not come as con- querors, nor as outcasts.
In the latter part of the eighteenth century peace reigned in Virginia; the freeman enjoyed more or less religious liberty, and representative government. No oppression from religious creeds or political dogmas that hampered the settlers in later periods induced the party to leave their peaceful homes. The men were daring, hardened, and sturdy Virginians, nourished in the love of adventure, and defied the dangers lurking in a primeval forest.
Among the early settlers were men who bore the names of Battle and Jarvis, who came in peace, and purchased lands from the Indian King and became staunch friends of the natives. This small band soon discovered, however, that their early purchases did not carry them beyond the limits of Virginia, and the rents im- posed by the Virginia colony pushed them further westward, across the Roanoke. Men of freedom-loving natures and with desires for a freer life than the civilization of Virginia offered, they pene- trated deeper in the wilderness to avoid the tithes levied by the Virginia government.
The Governor of Virginia resented the situation of the settlers in Albemarle, and while the movement was in progress, sent in- structions to make the rents more onerous upon the settlers who had purchased lands and received deeds from the Indians. The Governor accordingly required all who had secured lands to take out patents from him and pay the customary tribute. Many patents were issued, but the more restless element moved on west- ward to the Roanoke and Tar. By 1720 the shores of the Chowan were well occupied, while the Pamlico was inhabited forty miles above Bath Town, almost touching the bounds of what is now Edgecombe County.
In the meantime the dissensions in the colony at the opening of the century involved the Indians, who took part with one side or the other of the political contestants. Shrewd politicians led the Indians to believe that the new Governor, Hyde, who arrived in the meantime, was a person to be distrusted by them, while the rapid growth of the whites in the south along the water courses of the Pamlico and Neuse created fear among them lest they
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ORIGIN AND SETTLEMENT
should be forced back and finally driven from their old hunting grounds. The fears held by the Indians proved to be not in vain.
The influence exerted over the Indians by the schemes of ignoble men brought destruction upon the heads of all. Indians wan- dered throughout the land at their leisure, destroying the farms of the temporary settlers, confining the inhabitants themselves to their forts. Industry of every kind was checked by the devasta- tion and terror of the savages, thus checking the settlements in the region that afterwards became Edgecombe.
Another cause that retarded permanent settlement was prob- ably the method of living by the people. Their life was one of satiety. If one would give full credence to the reports returned by the early explorers, it must be concluded that the men avoided every task involving physical labor and inconveniences. Lawson says some of the men were very laborious and made improvements in their way, but that this character could not be applied in gen- eral. The indication of enjoyment and pleasure away from the settled lands of the Old Dominion gave them no incentive for physical activity. Possibly there was no section in the colony where a subsistence suitable to the majority of the settlers could be so easily procured than in this fertile country which after- wards became Edgecombe. The principal employment was that of hunting, fishing, rearing horses and cattle. The level plains covered with nutritious grasses were the home of wild horse and cattle. Agriculture was not developed or encouraged in any form. Indeed, the living conditions of the settlers was on the same plane with that of the savage both being accustomed to eat meat without bread. Women were the more industrious sex, making all the cloth and keeping the household supplied with articles of wear.
The tranquil ease of the fast increasing whites and the dislike for their civilization engendered a hate in the breast of the savage that found satisfaction only at the expense of massacre and murder. The untrammeled plains and forests had been the home of the red man in times of peace and war. From time imme- morial he had roamed the hills unconscious of the dangers from the pale faces across the seas. An Indian uprising was directed against the defenseless settlers; innocent women and children fell victims to the slashing tomahawk of the bloodthirsty savage.
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HISTORY OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY
Many people fled, leaving their rude huts to be consumed by the flames, and returned to Virginia, whence they came. A fort of protection was hurriedly built at Reading's plantation on Tar River about 1720. The remaining whites gathered here to repel the attack and to protect their lives. The Tuscaroras and the Cotechney Indians combined to storm the fort at an untimely hour. In the meantime the Indians had been considerably weak- ened because of a lack of provisions. The onslaught was made. however, but was successfully repulsed by the defenders of the fort. The leaders of the colonists, assisted by John Moore, who remained at Fort Reading for a month with his army, negotiated with Tom Blount, the Indian chief of the Tuscaroras, for peace. Before the truce had expired for the negotiation, and before the Indians could recuperate from their long period of hunger, Colonel Moore was aided by a new army. The struggle against the whites then became futile, and the majority of the Tusca- roras departed from this section to New York, after Torhunte had been destroyed by Colonel John Barnwell in 1712. King Blount and his people were given a reservation between Tar and Neuse Rivers. They remained here until the second migration of whites to Edgecombe in 1732, and then were removed to Roanoke River at the request of the Indians themselves.
The Indian war, although destructive and depressing, resulted in great benefit for the future welfare of the settlers. The weak- lings were frightened by the warfare of the Indians and returned to Virginia. This made way for the migration of the better type of industrious settlers from Virginia, who sought the fertile lands upon the Tar, Roanoke, and Neuse Rivers, and their tributaries.
When the Lords Proprietors outlined their policy for the colony of Carolina, they established four counties, Albemarle, Bath, Clarendon, and one in the south. Albemarle, the vast territory between Weldon and Currituck, was later divided into six pre- cints. Chowan,1 one of the largest, contained all the territory south of the Virginia line and north of Albemarle Sound, extend- ing westward to the extreme limits of the colony.
1 Colonial Records, Vol. III, pp. XIII, says: Albemarle was divided into six pre cincts, Chowan, Perquimans, Currituck, Pasquotank, Bertie, and Edgecombe. This is probably an error in copying from the original laws. Edgecombe could not have been an original precinct, since in 1782 a request was made to erect Edgecombe Precinct.
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ORIGIN AND SETTLEMENT
By 1722 settlements in this vast territory west of the Chowan had extended so far that it was necessary for a new precinct to be established. This new precinct was called Bertie, and con- tained all the territory west of the Chowan River.
A few years after the Indian troubles a new group of settlers were led across the borders of Virginia into the more western parts of the newly erected precinct.
This second tide of immigration was mostly of the highest type of manhood of Virginia. The law of primogeniture, then en- forced in that colony, gave to the oldest son the sole hereditary right and compelled the younger males of the family to cast their lot away from home or become clergymen. Many of these young men were of a roving disposition and were imbued with an ad- venturous spirit. The church did not appeal to them as a pro -_ / fession, and they cast their lot on the more western frontier. Although the majority of the early settlers were of the gentry type, there were also many of the servant class, who came after having served the time of their indenture. They were anxious to secure farms of their own and live an independent life apart from their former masters. Many others came also who had no other desire than to get out of the borders of the Old Dominion.
Just as the first permanent settlement in the colony began at the mouths of the rivers, the interior settlement of this section began at the mouths of the creeks, expanding as the remaining Indians were driven toward the frontier. The mouth of Town Creek marked the beginning of the settlement in 1720. Two years later the present vicinity of Tarboro was settled by a small party of young Virginians. Here the land was undulating and very fertile in the low grounds of Fishing and Swift Creeks and Tar River. Rippling brooks made frequent water courses, supplying an excellent pasturage for the settlers' cattle. The settlers en- countered many hardships in establishing homes in this region. The Indians, although conquered and weakened by previous wars, were not satisfied with the daily encroachment upon their homes. They were, however, gradually driven southward toward the colony of Bath across from Contentnea, as the settlement pro- gressed. Here they erected forts after their crude fashion and lived in safety until besieged and annihilated by the rapidly in- creasing colonists.
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HISTORY OF EDGECOMBE COUNTY
The western part of Bertie Precinct increased rapidly in pop- ulation, making progress both in civilization and importance. By 1723 there were twenty families on Tar River alone. Among the freeholders here in 1723 were James Thigpen, Thomas Elliott, Paul Palmer, James Anderson, Francis Branch, Samuel Spruill, James Long, Thomas Hawkins, William Burgis, William Arren- ton. Some of these families still have representatives among the county's citizens, while the counties of Halifax and Nash, when cut off, carried some of these settlers, and their descendants also live in those counties. Paul Palmer was one of the strongest Baptist preachers of his time and created a strong religious senti- ment among the colonists.
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