Place:Rockingham, North Carolina, United States

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NameRockingham
Alt namesRockinghamsource: Getty Vocabulary Program
TypeCounty
Coordinates36.4°N 79.783°W
Located inNorth Carolina, United States     (1785 - )
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,096. Its county seat is Wentworth. The county is known as "North Carolina's North Star."

Rockingham County is included in the Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Settling and founding

Between 1728 and 1733, the Dan River Valley was surveyed by William Byrd II. He soon thereafter purchased 20,000 acres of the land, attracting prospective farmers. The region's first western settlers came from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia and were of German, English, Scottish, and Irish descent. The county was officially formed in 1785 from Guilford County. It was named for Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, British Prime Minister from 1765 to 1766 and again in 1782. Rockingham's administration was dominated by the American issue. Rockingham wished for repeal of the Stamp Act 1765 and won a Commons vote on the repeal resolution by 275 to 167 in 1766. This made him a popular figure among British colonials in America, who would later become known as "Americans". People in North Carolina were still fond of him in the years following the independence of the United States.

Development of industry

By the early 19th century a network of grist mills had been established along the Dan and Smith rivers. The textile industry was founded in 1813 with construction of the first cotton mill at the junction of the Dan and Smith rivers. Founded by John M. Morehead, it was one of the first cotton mills in the state.[1] The county was the location for the Searcy & Moore arms factory, which was at Hogans Creek, a small village 20 miles northwest of Greensboro. The factory produced firearms called the "N.C. Rifle" for the Confederate States of America forces during the Civil War. Owned by Alexander M. Searcy and Dr. J. S. Moore, the small factory made hundreds of rifles for the South between 1862 and 1863. The town of Stoneville was incorporated in 1877. Francis Henry Fries later establish several mill sites in the region, with the construction of the Mayo Mills plant in 1895 in the village of Mayodan and another site in what became the town of Avalon in 1899.[1] In 1911 a large fire destroyed the Avalon Mill. The town was soon thereafter abandoned and its workers were transferred to Mayodan, while some of the other residents relocated to Stoneville. The 60 or so Avalon company houses were put on logs and rolled by mules and horses to Mayodan, where some still stand.[1] The only remains in Avalon are the mill's powerhouse, railroad tracks, and the dam works. The Mayo Mill, which was later called the Washington Mills-Mayodan Plant, closed in 1999.[2]

Timeline

Date Event Source
1772 Probate records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1785 County formed Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1785 Land records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1785 Marriage records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1786 Court records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
1790 First census Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1790 No significant boundary changes after this year Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
1913 Birth records recorded Source:Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources

Population History

source: Source:Population of States and Counties of the United States: 1790-1990
Census Year Population
1790 6,187
1800 8,277
1810 10,316
1820 11,474
1830 12,935
1840 13,442
1850 14,495
1860 16,746
1870 15,708
1880 21,744
1890 25,363
1900 33,163
1910 36,442
1920 44,149
1930 51,083
1940 57,898
1950 64,816
1960 69,629
1970 72,402
1980 83,426
1990 86,064

Research Tips

External links

www.co.rockingham.nc.us


This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Rockingham County, North Carolina. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.