A Florentine navigator named Giovanni da Verrazano, in the service of France, explored the coastal area of North Carolina between the Cape Fear River area and Kitty Hawk.

1587

Virginia Dare is born , Roanoke Island (The Lost Colony), First English Citizen born in the "New World"

1663

Carolina Charter granted by King Charles II to the eight Lords Proprietor.

Albemarle County was formed.

1668

Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank and Perquimans precincts (of Albemarle) formed.

1690

French colony from VA settle on Pamlico River.

1696

Bath County formed.

1705

Archdale (Craven), Pamptecough (Beaufort), Wickham (Hyde) precincts formed

1706

Bath (town) becomes first incorporated town in NC

1710

New Bern founded by DeGraffenreid and Swiss and German (Palatine) colonists.

1711

Carolina is divided into North and South Carolina

1711-1715

Tuscarora Indian War

1712

Beaufort, Craven, Hyde counties names changed from Pamptecough, Archdale and Wickham.

Craven County records destroyed by Indians

1722

Bertie, Carteret counties formed.

1725

Patents issued to settle lower Cape Fear.

1729

North Carolina becomes a British Colony.

Seven of the eight Lords Proprietors sell their shares to King George II.

New Hanover, Tyrrell counties formed

1734

Bladen, Onslow counties formed.

1739-1748

Spanish Alarm

1739

Highland Scots settle Cape Fear Valley.

Bath and Albemarle counties discontinued

1741

Edgecombe and Northampton counties formed.

1743

Granville district boundary established.

1746

Granville and Johnston counties formed.

1750

Anson and Duplin counties formed.

1751

North Carolina's first newspaper, "North Carolina Gazette" is published.

1752

Orange County formed.

Onslow County records destroyed by storm.

1753

Rowan County formed Moravians from PA settle in piedmont at Wachovia

1754

Cumberland County formed.

District courts established in Edenton, Enfield, New Bern, Wilmington and Salisbury.

1755

Onslow County records destroyed by storm.

1755-1763

French and Indian War.

1758

Dobbs and Halifax counties formed.

1759

Hertford County formed.

Halifax district court replaces Enfield

1760

Pitt County formed.

1762

Mecklenburg County formed.

1764

Brunswick and Bute counties formed.

1768

Hillsborough District court established.

Tryon County formed

1768-1771

War of the Regulation.

1770-1774

New Bern is the colonial capital.

1770

Bladen County courthouse fire.

1771

Guilford, Surry, Chatham and Wake counties formed.

1774

The First Provincial Congress met in New Bern and committed North Carolina to joining the revolutionary movement.

1775

Governor Josiah Martin disbands court system.

The Second Provincial Congress established two regiments and a state goverment.

1776-1783

Revolutionary War

1776

First battle of the Revolution in North Carolina was fought against Scottish Loyalists at Moore's Creek Bridge, near Wilmington, on 27 Feb 1776.

The Fifth Provincial Congress adopted a state constitution and elected Richard Caswell as the first governor.

North Carolina was the first colony to declare officially its readiness for independance and 1 Apr 1776, furnished ten regiments to the Continental Army.

Granville district lands confiscated

1777

Burke, Camden, Caswell, Nash, and Wilkes counties formed.

1779

Tryon and Bute counties discontinued.

Franklin, Gates, Jones, Lincoln, Montgomery, Rutherford, Randolph, Richmond, Warren, and Wayne counties formed.

1780

13 June 1780, Battle of Ramsour's Mill .

7 October 1780, Battle of King's Mountain.

1781

1 February 1781, Battle of Cowan's Ford.

British surrender at Yorktown.

Guilford County courthouse fire.

Orange County records destroyed when buried in woods to avoid capture or destruction by Cornwallis.

Wayne County records may have been destroyed in courthouse fire.

1782

Morganton District court established.

1784

Moore and Sampson counties formed.

State of Franklin formed.

North Carolina offers to cede an area of what is now eastern Tennessee to the federal government. The inhabitants retaliated by forming the State of Franklin, John Sevier was the governor. The United States refused to recognize Franklin and when Sevier's term expired in 1788, and no successor was chosen, North Carolina resumed control.

1785

Rockingham County formed.

1786

Onslow County records destroyed by storm.

1787

Robeson County formed.

Fayetteville District court established.

1788

Raleigh chosen as site for state capital.

Iredell County was formed from Rowan County.

1789

North Carolina 12th original state (of 13) ratified the Constitution.

North Carolina ceded western lands, present-day Tennessee, to federal government.

Stokes County formed.

Hyde County courthouse fire.

1791

Buncombe, Glasgow, Lenoir and Person counties formed.

Dobbs County discontinued

1792

Town of Raleigh was laid out and the state capital completed.

Cabarrus County formed .

1795

Daughters begin to inherit equally with sons

1797

Lincoln County records may have been destroyed by fire in private home.

1798

New Hanover County courthouse fire may have destroyed some records.

1799

Glasgow County discontinued.

Ashe, Greene, Washington counties formed.

1800

Bladen County courthouse fire.

1806

County Superior Courts formed and District Court abolished.

1808

Columbus and Haywood counties formed.

1812-1814

War of 1812

1819

New Hanover County courthouse fire may have damaged some records.

1822

Davidson County formed.

1827

Hyde County courthouse fire.

1828

Macon County formed.

1830

Buncombe and Hertford courthouse fires.

1832

Wake County register's office fire.

1833

Yancey County formed.

1835

Montgomery County courthouse fire.

1836

Davie County formed.

1838

Henderson County formed

Trail of Tears: most of North Carolina's Cherokees are moved west to Indian Territory.

1839

Cherokee County formed.

1840

Montgomery County courthouse fire.

New Hanover County courthouse fire may have damaged some records.

1841

Cleveland, Caldwell, and Stanley counties formed.

1842

Catawba, McDowell, and Union counties formed.

Currituck County fire.

1846

Gaston County formed.

1846-1848

War with Mexico

1847

Alexander County formed.

1848

Chowan County court records destroyed by acting clerk.

1849

Alamance, Forsyth, and Watauga counties formed.

1850

Yadkin County formed.

1851

Madison and Jackson counties formed.

1854 Iredell County courthouse fire.

1855

Polk, Harnett, Wilson counties formed.

1857

Pitt County courthouse fire.

1859

Alleghany County formed.

1860

6 November, slave states call conventions to consider secession.

20 December, South Carolina is the first of seven states to secede.

1861

Clay, Mitchell, and Transylvania counties formed.

North Carolina secedes from the Union.

4 February, convention of seceded states held in Montogomery, Alabama.

8 February, Constitution of Confederate States of America (CSA) adopted.

9 February, CSA elects Jefferson Davis as the Provisional President.

18 February, Jefferson Davis Inaugurated.

4 March, Abraham Lincoln Inaugurated.

12 April, Confederates attach Fort Sumter, South Carolina.

13 April, Fort Sumter surrenders.

15 April, President calls out the state militias to suppress the insurrection.

17 April, Virginia secedes.

21 July, First Battle of Bull Run (Manasses), Virginia.

1861-1865

Civil War

1862

Hertford and Jones courthouse fires.

Washington County records destroyed by bombardment.

1865

Ashe, Buncombe, Cherokee courthouse fires.

Alexander, Brunswick, Burke, Rowan records destroyed.

1866

Davidson County courthouse fire.

Cohabitation records begin for freedmen.

1868

North Carolina readmitted to the union upon adopting a new constitution Many of the state's laws changed radically.

New court system established Marriage bonds discontinued.

Anson County courthouse fire.

1869

Washington County courthouse fire.

1870

Dare County formed.

Clay County records destroyed by fire.

1871

Swain County formed.

1872

Graham and Pamlico counties formed.

Guilford County courthouse fire.

1873

Watauga County courthouse fire.

1874

Gaston County courthouse fire.

1875

Pender County formed.

1876

Cabarrus and Greene courthouse fires.

1878

Lenoir County courthouse fire .

1879

Swain County courthouse fire.

1880

Lenoir County courthouse fire.

1881

Durham and Vance counties formed.

Washington County courthouse fire.

1884

Martin County courthouse fire.

1886

Montgomery County may have suffered record loss from courthouse fire. The clerk said that he saved the records but that they were "in a state of great confusion."

1889

Moore County courthouse fire.

1892

Harnett County courthouse fire.

1893

Bladen County courthouse fire.

Caleb Bradham, a young pharmacist from New Bern, North Carolina, begins experimenting with many different soft drink concoctions; patrons and friends sample "Brads Drink" at his drugstore soda fountain, in 1898 Brads Drink is renamed to Pespi Cola.

1894

Harnett County courthouse fire.

1895

Cherokee County courthouse fire.

1898-1899

Spanish-American War

1899

Scotland County formed.

1901

Governor Charles B. Aycock introduced a far-reaching program of education throughout the state.

1903

North Carolina Historical Commission formed (now Division of Archives and History).

Wright Brothers made the first successful powered flight by man at Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk.

1907

Lee County formed.

Mitchell County records destroyed in move to new courthouse.

Rutherford County courthouse fire.

1911

Avery and Hoke counties formed.

1913

State law requires vital records registration.

Jackson County records lost when county seat moved.

1921

Sampson County clerk's office fire.

1926

Cherokee County courthouse fire.

1932

Alleghany County courthouse fire.

Haywood County records destroyed in move to new courthouse.

1935

Some Warren County records may have been destroyed.

1957

Brunswick County clerk's office fire.

1967

Alexander County courthouse fire.