History of

Gates & Herford Counties, NC

New! 51 Page Illustrated Booklet

Early days in Gates and Herford Counties in North Carolina, are recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this new 51-page spiral-bound booklet, comprised of excerpts from several vintage books. These source materials include John Hill Wheeler's Historical Sketches of North Carolina (1851); Sketches of Prominent Living North Carolinians by Jerome Dowd (1888), North Carolina, A Guide to the Old North State (1939), a product of the WPA; A New Geography of North Carolina (1954-65).

The tri-color front cover is printed on 80# card stock and has been protected with a vinyl sheet. The text is printed single-sided on 60# opaque paper, with the print enlarged to fit the 8.5" x 11" paper and improve readability.

Towns mentioned in the booklet include: Gates County -- Gatesville (county seat), Corapeake, Eure, Gates, Hobbsville, Roduco, and Sunbury. Herford County -- Winton (county seat), Ahoskie, Cofield, Como, Harrellsville, St. John, Tunis, Mapleton, and Murfreesboro.

Among the many subjects included are: Geological and Physical features, such as part of the Great Dismal Swamp Bennett's Creek, and the Chowan, Meherrin and Wiccacon rivers, ; Members of the General Assembly from each County before 1851; Early notables -- General Horatio Gates, Hardy and William Murfree, Gen. Thomas Wynns, Kenneth Rayner, John Wheeler, the Riddick family, General Kedar Ballard, C.S. Brown, and others; Slave Insurrection in Herford County in 1831 led by Nat Turner (with a list of those murdered); Visits by William Byrd, Bishop Asbury, and George Washington; Richard Gatling, his early machine gun and his agricultural inventions; Roy Parker School of Printing; Transportation, Religion and Education, including Chowan College and Murfreesboro Academy; the Chowanoke and other Indians; Race relations in Herford County; Lost festival called Fisherman's Court, a 'bear' supporter of Grover Cleveland, stories about place names, an unused jail, the old "Nanticoke" steamboat, and other curious bits of history and trivia.

The Dowd excerpts are biographies of W. N. H. Smith, William Paul Roberts, and D.A. Barnes. The WPA section offers a nostalgic glimpse of the area from a 1939 vantage point, offering historical notes and scenic wonders, such as the Great Dismal Swamp.

Our North Carolina booklets are a good resource for learning about the history, geography and social climate of places where you or your ancestors have lived or places you plan to visit.

Wouldn't this make a unique gift?