PETITIONS FOR THE FORMATION OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY
[The following two petitions were submitted to the North Carolina General Assembly meeting in November 1790. The resulting bill to form Buncombe County was not passed in that session. The bill was re-submitted the following year and was passed. Some of the signatures are faded and quite difficult to interpret.}
State of North Carolina | 25th Sept. 1790 | |
Burke County |
The Honourable the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina now Sitting at Fayette Ville. he Petition of the Inhabitants of that part of Burke County lying west of the Appalachian Mountain Most Humbly Sheweth That the local Situation of your Petitioners renders it exceedingly difficult and (in the winter season of the year) almost impossible to attend at the Court House of said County as Jurors, witnesses, &c., a number of the inhabitants on the west side of said mountain living seventy or eighty miles distance from said Court House and several very bad mountains to cross. And by annexing or adding that part of Rutherford County lying west of the Apalachian Mountain to that part of Burke County west of the Mountain, your Petitioners conceive that there would be a sufficient number of inhabitants to form a respectable County — Therefore Hope your Honours will take their case under your most prudent consideration and in your Wisdom grant them a Separate County if you should consider expedient, as your Petitioners Humbly conceive it would conduce to the ease & Convenience of Inhabitants, and your Petitioners will every pray.
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(Second sheet of names follows)
[torn] Brittain | Tho Bounds | Nathan Smith |
James Love | Joshaway Chanler | Henry Robbers |
Wm. Gudger | John Roberts | Baxaller Barnet |
John Chambers | Adam Biffle | James Givin |
Gabriel Elkins | James Same | Baxter Davis |
Benja. Gregory | James Stanphil | Jacob Beyler |
Wm. Bailey | John Street | Peter Deveas |
John Gregory | John Gillahan | John Dillard |
James Cravans | William Dever | Wm. Grigory |
John Weve | Jacob Caler | Samuel Randolph |
Wm. Tinker | Wm. Gillahan | Richard Dever |
Tho Dillard | Jacob Beefell | Nathaniel Armstrong |
(Third sheet of names as follows in first two columns and fourth sheet of names as follows in the third column.)
Adam Dunsmoor | William Jones | Richard Dever |
James Dunsmoor | William Young | John Bounds |
William Dunsmoor | John Patton | Henry Roberts |
David Dunsmoor | Janes Gouge | Aston Chote |
Aaron Patton | Joseph Rise | Edward James |
William Graham | Zemeh Gudger | Gilberd Barnet |
Alexd. Graham | James Battle | William Reader |
John Graham | John Whitson | John Sames |
Benjamin McWhorter | Thomas Whitson | Wm. Whitson |
John Wiles | John Davidson | D. Vance |
Robert Patton | Ephraim Davidson | Philip Hoodenpyl |
Wm. Long | Arch:d Neill | Jno. Baker |
-no Lekey | John Neill | Jno. Langford |
— Ba—an | Gabriel Ragsdale | David Hinton |
Humphry Cuningham | Richard Highwer | Wm. Henton |
John Alexander | John Philips | Hickman Hensley |
Wm. Alexander | Daniel Smith | John Hensley |
Thomas P. Alexander | Jacob Caseegh | Obediah Hammon |
James Alexander | John Philips | Charles Calleway |
Jno. Davidson Juner | Wm. Ingram | William Morris |
Nathan Bartlet | John Beefel | Thomas Ray |
Jno. Bartlet | Goldman Ingroman | John Hughes |
William Davidson | Jacob Beyler senior | Hickman Hensly |
John Davidson | Abraham Beyler | John Edwards |
George Davidson | David Beyler | |
Hugh Davidson | John Gillem | |
David Hill | Robt. Logan | |
Thomas Davidson | Joseph Smith | |
John Patton | Samuel Smith | |
William Alexander | Nathaniel Smith | |
Benjamin Gudger | ||
Joseph Forsythe | ||
George Cunningham | ||
Aaron Graham |
State of North Carolina Rutherford County The Honourable the General Assembly of the State of North Carolina now sitting at Fayetteville. The Petition of The Inhabitants of that part of Rutherford County lying west of the Apalachian mountains most humbly Sheweth That whereas your Petitioners from their local situation living at a great distance from the Court House of said County the most western part of our Settlements being sixty or eighty miles distance and the mountains (especially in the winter season) being almost impassible, renders it exceeding difficult and inconvenient for your Petitioners to attend Court as Jurors Witnesses &c. Your Petitioners considering themselves intitled to the same ease Convenience and privileges of your other Citizens Hope that your Honours will take their distressed case under your prudent Consideration and in your Wisdom grant us a new County by adding that part of Rutherford & Burke Counties lying West of said Apalachain mountain into a separate County, which will conduce much to the ease of the Inhabitants and your Petitioners will ever pray.
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The 1790 Census of Burke and Rutherford Counties
Enumeration in the 1790 Census was done by Militia Companies. In Burke and Rutherford Counties, four of these companies fell in the area which became Buncombe County in 1792. These were the Eleventh and Twelfth Companies in Burke County and the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Companies in Rutherford County. Persons living in the area covered by these Companies in 1790 are considered qualifying ancestors for the First Families of Old Buncombe. |