Book Report: Edgecombe County, Along the Tar River

Is your family from Edgecombe County, NC? Would you like to learn about the place they lived? I do and that is what prompted me to purchase this book. It has taught me many things.

I drove over the Tar River recently from our home in New York State to to a family vacation on Hilton Head, SC. There was no opportunity to stop but I hope to return.

 

 

Three sons of James Alford [my 6^th great – grandfather], Lodwick Alford, Goodrich Alford and Julius Alford, lived in Edgecombe County in the mid 1700s. The brothers all owned land there.

 

The earliest place I can locate my Brown family is in Edgecombe County, NC. My 5^th great grandfather, Edward Brown lived there. He and the Alford family were there about the same time. 

 

This book helped me learn about the area they called home.

 

 

Edgecombe County, Along the Tar River

 

By Monika S. Fleming

The Making of America Series

Arcadia Publishing

Charleston, 2003

 

 

“Edgecombe County is located in northeastern North Carolina on the western edge of the coastal plain. It is about 75 miles east of Raleigh and just over 110 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the state’s earliest settlements and has a rich agricultural history that expanded into industry in th elate nineteenth century, as the region was rebuilding after the Civil War. The county also has been home tostate and national leaders in the military and politics, and has produced several acclaimed artists and writers. While some individuals stand out, most residents are average people whose lifestyles nonetheless produce the interesting community that is the story of this book."

 

Contents

 

Life Along the River in the Eighteenth Century

The Antebellum Years of Growth and Prosperity: 1800 – 1860

War and Recovery: 1860 – 1880

Progress and Change: 1880 – 1920

Growing Pains: 1920 – 1960

Social, Educational, and Industrial Change: 1960 – 1990

Economic Turmoil and Natural Disaster: 1990 – 2000

Bibliography

Index

 

The Royal Governor Burrington created Edgecombe Precinct in 1732 and the Tar River appears on a map in 1733. Native Americans who lived there included the Tuscarora tribe that camped along the river. The first settlers, many who had traveled south from Virginia, lived along waterways. 

 

 

The book includes maps, photographs of prominent people, historic buildings, road signs, documents and more. It includes information on history, politics, geographical changes, wars and battles. Prominent families are mentioned.

Is Edgecombe County the home of your family? Give this book a read.