Anson County

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Anson County was named in honor of British Admiral Lord George Anson, a First Lord of the Admiralty. He commanded the vessel which brought Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Germany, to her future husband King George III. Germans emigrated to the area around Anson County, as did many settlers from the British Isles, Africa, and Moravia. In 1750 Anson County was formed from Bladen County. At that time, it reached all the way to the Mississippi River. Although it has been cut in physical size five times since then, the people of that county have enabled its presence to reach beyond the Mississippi to the far corners of the world.

The following counties were once part of Anson County: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Graham, Guilford, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Montgomery, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Scotland, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Tryon, Union, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, Yancey.

From New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States, Thomas J. Baldwin and J. Thomas, M.D., Lippincott, Grambo & Co., Philadelphia, PA, 1854 (page 46):

ANSON - A county in the S. part of North Carolina, bordering on South Carolina, has an area of 650 square miles. Rocky river forms its entire boundary on the N., and the Yadkin or Pedee on the E. It is also drained by Brown's and Lane's creeks. The surface is undulating or hilly; the soil is mostly fertile. Cotton is the staple product: Indian corn is also cultivated. In 1850 this county produced 389,828 bushels of corn; 35,796 of wheat; 95,113 of sweet potatoes, and 10,864 bales of cotton. The quantity of cotton was the greatest produced by any county in the state except Surry. It contained 26 churches and 2 newspaper establishments. There were 11 corn and flour mills, 9 saw mills, and 2 tanneries. Granite underlies a portion of the county. The forests contain the white oak and other hard timber. The Yadkin furnishes motive-power for several cotton factories in this county. It is intersected by a plank-road leading to Cheraw, South Carolina. Capital, Wadesborough. Formed in 1749, and named in honour of Admiral Anson, the famous navigator. Population, 13,489, of whom 6657 were free, and 6832 slaves.

 

Page last updated:  Wednesday, 11-Jul-2007 20:11:59 MDT.

 

Dale Deason

 

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