The History of Rowan County, North Carolina

When Rowan County, North Carolina was formed in 1753 from Anson County, it covered the entire NW quadrant (27 present counties) and all of Tennessee.  Rowan County was named for Matthew Rowan (d. 1760), acting governor at the time the county was formed. Salisbury (the county seat) was at the junction of the east-west Trading Path and the north-south Great Philadelphia Road where thousands passed thru.  Lying in the Grancville Proprietary, the Land Office closed in 1753 and there was no way to gain title to vacant until the North Carolina State land office opened in 1778.  Thus, no deeds are available and you must look to tax lists.  Best book is Rowan Co. NC Tax Lists 1757-1800:Annotated Transcriptions which has 163 tax lists, "Delinquents and Runaways" and "Scouting Parties" for Indian alarms by Jo White Linn, PO Box 1948, Salisbury NC 28145-1948 at $43.50 ppd. [Proddigy BBS "Taxing Matters in NC" by Myra V. Gromley, C.G.  The North Carolina counties that where at one time, either in part or in whole, within the original borders of "Old" Rowan are:

The above is a somewhat liberal interpretation of county formations as several were formed from multiple counties.

Genealogist tracing families that resided in this region are met with some special challenges. It is not uncommon to have an ancestor remain on the same piece of land but be in up to 4 counties within their lifetime. Another common occurrence is for generations of a family to move up the river valleys. As one moves back in the genealogy of these families they most likely will find their ancestors, at some point in time, residing in some version of Rowan County. This is usually a stroke of good luck, as Rowan County is blessed with an abundance of records dating back to 1753. On the other hand, you may find your early Rowan ancestor suddenly disappear from Rowan and show up in one of the counties north and/or west of Rowan.


A History of Rowan Co. NC by Rev Jethro Rumple (GPC0 p 46)

...But the "Pennsylvania Dutch" has almost ceased to be heard on our streets where once its quaint tones of mingled German, French, and English were so familiar. The dialect is gone, but the accent and the idiom still linger on many tongues, and the traditions and folklore of the old world still flow in a deep undercurrent in many families.

Not long after the Scotch-Irish and Pennsylvania Germans came into the territory of Old Rowan, came another people that have added much to the wealth of the State. I mean the Moravians, or United Brethren. These people purchased a tract of 98,985 acres called the "Wachovia Tract," in what is now Forsyth County, but originally Rowan. This was in 1751, but the deed for the tract was signed in 1753, and in the autumn of this year twelve single brethren came from Bethlehem, Pa., and began the settlement of Bethabara. Bethany was founded in 1759, and Salem in 1766; Friedburg and Friedland, in 1769 and 1770. In 1804 the well-known Salem Female Academy was founded, at which many of the fair daughters of the South have been educated.

Along with these settlers from Ireland and Germany came, from time to time, others of English, Welsh, and Scotch descent, who have mingled with the former in working out the destiny of Old Rowan-the mother of counties.

Although Rowan was not settled by Cavaliers or Huguenots, or by the aristocracy of old-world society, she has good reason to be proud of the early pioneers who laid here the foundations of their homes. They were men and women who had suffered for conscience' sake, or fled from despotism to seek liberty and happiness unrestrained by the shackles of a worn out civilization.

Last updated August 07, 1999
The Genealogy of John Crook Sr. Home Page