As Bladen county/ mother of grand
mother of Harnett cohnty'and 5* oth
er North Carolina coimtieV-£fe-*®i^ja
ting its 200th saalriaWsar.f;;: it seems
fitting to publish the brieft sketch of
the county’s histor^Vf^sttgn.iby .Hec
tor H Clark for the Bi-Centennial edi- ,„
tion of tlio-a-JBftWHf^Toiirnal. . it fol- "
lows, but only that' part which is* of
more general interest: -
dhe,Cape lV«nliiiw!i^,i|p4s*toi' In
o-Bhriy Setti<**ents {
Bladen county's.? sett-leinerit^p^s^i-,
and development are bound ,as that of +
all other sections, iq modes of trans
portation and comnttuikation. .In the
day of settlement of the county, riv
ers were the only means of carrying
commerce in quantkies^and to any ap
predable distance. The movement of
all products was towards>4»me water
course. Hence the settlement of Bla- ..
den along Cape Fear aiql ■ South riv- ,
ers. The-Onlie Fear being much dagg
er. attracted more o fthe early settlers,
hut along both rivers the early set
tlers patented lands,* developed plan
tations, bnilt their colonial homes,
owned slaves and came to. be what we
revere as the aristocracy.' The; peo
ple who lived some considerable; dis
tance from the rivers were said to live
in the "backwoods.” j
Attempts were made in 1732 in the
General Assembly to erect two new
"precincts”. Onslow, and; Bladen, real
ly equivalent to counties. These at
tempts as well as others in 1733 were
unsuccessful. When the: matter was
brought before the’council in Edentou
it was again declined and it was said
"In Bladen there are not over three
freeholders, Nathaniel1 Moore,. Thomas
Jones and Richard Singletary, andnot
over 30 families, including these free
holders.” The proposal was h finally -
passed November lltli,. 1934, and sign
ed by the Governor March 1st, 1735. „
At the same time it was provided
that land grants might be paid to the
Crown in commodities at prices ftxed -
some 'of which are: Rice 10 shillings 'f.
per 100 pofihdsv to be fit for the Euro
pean market; well' dressed deer skins,
2 shillings find 6 pence per .pound; to- •*
bacco at 8 -pencemndi 4 .shillings . per
j Kumd, (the latter from Albemarle -.
county only.) ...
A letter addressed by a missionary
of the Church of England td the Bis- v
hop of London is indicative ' of the -
character and disposition of'the early
settlers of Blftden. He urged "that
“thirty pounds'- be :paid ■ to.; some "sober
clergyman to be ‘sent- over to Bladen ,
precinct, where. the;‘Governor is. settled
at Brunswick (now. Brunswick coun
ty ) and where he tells me in liis rteigh
lw.rhood are people well disposed to
join with him in making up a hand
some maintenance.’* The requirement "
that the-clergyman be sober, and the
disposition to contribute probably ac- >
counts for the ■ type of citizenship ,
which the county ias-always boasted
of.
Krsf Court! HoUse
In 1738 the first court house1 was
located in Elizabeth. r If is1 said!that
the location was 'about 3 miles' up the
river from the. ipnwtent site -of Eliza
hethtown!at a pla-ce -wnien • «
known as Court House Landing
Whether this is true. I. do not know,
hut Mrs. John1 McDowell has. a large
key, evidently very old', and it is re
l>ute<V to be the key to the bid cour
house which stood at Court House
Landing. Doubtless*ttiist. key will be
exhibited with manycether 'interesting
relies on the day of'the celebration. ,
Magistrates In IWS'
The names of- the magistrates com
missioned in. 1738 will be of interest
as many of .them are identified With
present day families, plantations and
localities. ; They were i Matthew* Ro
wan, Roger' Adams, Thotnas John
ston/ William Forbesp Stomas Locke,
Nathaniel Moore, ' William'"Maxwell,
John Clayton, James ' Lyon, - John
Orange, Griff Jones, Hugh Blanning,
8ainueL Woodward,' Robert Hamilton,
•Toe Davis.
* Cmtnties<kft
In 1748 tlpe people of the Pee Dee
asked that’ a new County of Anson
he formed, 'iiti'was represented that?,
they had 800" "families, and they
claimed that the Court, House of
Bladen was 100-miles distant from
them. Anson whs ,forh?ed ?fi.’onr Bladen,
and again in 17u2‘;anptfier 'rslice was
taken to ferns" Oraiigetebunty^
• An order was madam 1761 for* the
laying' out of a town imBladen to toe
called Gross Greek, “for, * the. .benefit
of the back inhabitants of the Prov
ince.” The location . was- and is the
hf.ad of navigation' of the Cape fear 1
river. >"‘T>bnbtles& the "town was" laid
out for the convenience off the people
up country who hithled their ’ produce
to • the nearest pdint=where it could be
shipj^d-by water tO) av«oap»rt.
Court’ 'Hofrs^Mofod
^i Tbe-;: General -of 1174
-named commissioners to build a court
house at Elizabeth and ito .’remove the •
;ea*»ty court to the county town. It
may be that his was . the first action •
taken ’’toward the removal .of the court
house to which I have referred. In
April 1778 the Assembly ordered1 that a
court house be ' built at ^Ibfcrð
Town' after it was found that the Com
missioners-appointed to this -.duty in
1774 had failed to discharge their
trusts. William - Salter, Abraham
Barnes and James Clardy. were named .
to let the contract.
' •SOS': At Oafpture
Although’ Bladen was sparsely i set
tled when the Revolutionary War
came in. July, 1775, there were 800 of
the Bladen Militia in the capture of
Fort Johnson below Wilmington. They
Witnessed the departure of the last
Royal Governor* J6siah: Martin; when
he found refuge ’aboard a British ves
sel. Details of’the Battle of Eliza
bethtown and other - engagements: in
which Bladen county patriots fought
heroically will be. written by some
Other.
Members House Commons
The* ’ Bladen members of the House
of- Commons of 1 the General - Assem
bly: in -the colonial period from 1034- ,
35 -to It75 were:2 Hugh ? \ Blanning
John Dolleson,-Sic’Richard E^erharg,-;
William Forbes, - William oBartram, t
Thomas RobesOn. Joseph Clark, Isaac H
J0nes (who dedicated, the land of,*
Elfe&ttettftown) Robert Howe) Hiigh
Waddell,1’ ’ Joseph *" Williams, William :t+
McRee;1 John Gibbsf 'Thomas Thomas
Robeson,’-John Btirgln,1 W«1 jam Salter
and James’ Wbite.^-In’thelProviriclal ;
Congresses, 177441776 - i the * (delegates
were: William-; Salter, Walter Gibson, ,
James White, Thomas Owen* Thomas
Robeson, Jr., Nathaniel Richardson, .
Martin Colville, James Council, Thom
as Ainis.
^'Bobesoh Is Cut * Off
< In 1780 RobeSOn’ county’waU' formed
out of . Bladen* And v im 1788 thO’Great
Swamp section was added’ taRobeson.
So great a slice was taken by Robe
son that it is, now, often ■> calledi the
State of Robeson. , In( 1789 a part of
Bladen was given to Cumberland. In
‘all parts ur aH of the counties1 of An
son, '■Brunswick, Cohitobusf, Cumber
land, , ©range - find 1 Robeson. All of
them have, produced’ thefifiesfitype’-of
citizenship and. have developed .and
prospered. They have furnished to. the
state and hatiofi, .great statesmen, and
Illustrious men and. women. Worthy
dafifehters of a noble mother.
The Federal census of 1790 ; gave
Bladefi 837 free white males fiver1'116
years and'830finder r l6; 11863 ? ifree
white females 1 slaves ifc676.
Afternwar
Chaotic conditions existed1 through
out the country after,thp Revolution
ary war -principally because ;the., na
tional, ^tate and local /.goV^ents
had not become Well ordered- tMtil a
semblance of orders was obtaifiedund
definite policies were advanced there
was no progress, and people Wterf{con
cerned. not with-development1 but -with
existence. When recovery began, gen
eranvf Bladen Retired its. fair share
and its people depended largely on the
production of tar,' pitch;1 turpentine,
Staved headings, i shingles and lumber.
•The Shipment of these products was by
river to Wilmington.
. John Oiten, Oiir Governor
In 1828 Bladen County furnished its
first and only Governor to the state
When'John Owen was-elceted- ^ov
etnor Owen was *®an of‘great aMUty
Addressing the
urged better transportation, faculties,
Secularly opening of commimmataon
^tween Albemarle Sound and the
He laid iefort
was being Hone’ in' ?*ew York,
"5^WEnsinaa
y syg^iia' ;0f economy which held the
hands ofour: legislators from estab
lishing public Schools. He pleaded foir1
relief against unhealthy conditions ii
■ ■ the eastern counties, a and attributed
the , condition, to ; the want of drain**
. age. ; His proposed remedy was that
' the state own its own’ slaves and'hse
them in cleaning but' the rivers fot
iransiilortation dnd- in drafting -*the
'sWthnp-lands < in:i the-- ehst. 'Gdverpor
’*GWen ^ihbsfi have)-deeply* appreciated
" the1 Value of rtransportaition in develop
'T.ment. “ Afcrtthafcntiime'ifWhen ’railroads
were- new;fhe -proposed that a commis- ■
• sion toe ‘appointed. to ascertain the costs
of;-the Fayetteville' and Yadkin ’ Rail
road.
Two yearsf before the* expiration oif
' iGoVernor! 'OWensiterm he enteredTthe !
“Tac©‘ «gainst > Judges fb&nguTnnforithe
■'* United-; Statesv Senate. *- During, a- bit-'
-tercampaignMangum wrote a letter
to Owens-, challenging him to a dual.
The challenge was later withdrawn
and Owens retired from the’thee.' \
Tnforhiation from a reliable source
is that ‘the "'challenge of Governor
Owens byJUdgd MangUnU was brought:
iiabout1 by* John ’Chavis^ a remarkable
"negro,- whose-? life (finds nt* parallel. On
a wager that a negro could not be
educated he was sent. to Princeton
University.-, He completed his educa
tion and . returned to Granville county
near the Wake county1'line. -'He “was
licensed to' preach in the Presbyterian
church and -preached to both whites
and'-blacks. ''At-‘ the ' same .time he
-opened a school where; he taught the
whites during:the daynand negroes at
-night. Among the products of his
school one became Governor of the
state, another became United States
Senator, two of his students were sons
of Chief Justice’Henderson.
James I. McKay
James I. MjcKay of . .--Bladen was
elected to the, United States Congress
in -1834. He became chairman-rof;,the
Uohimitfcie: of Ways and' Means,. :and
3vas an acknowledged tariff expertaHis.
tariff act prepared with Bobt. J., Wal
ker,? Secretary jof'.the Treasury .became
an,? administration’measure. ,So satis
; factory was it that *no 'effort Wa'^tifade
-for? -fifteen
James I. McKay’s claim to* Tiigh’
philanthropic purposes^ .and broad1 Ms-s
ion Cari be gained’by'ifefbreiice. to his
wilt,'which was hdifiitted to^probate-•
-1^1855. = Itt'One'itemlre'’ UeviaediBell- r
font rpjh ntation-^-1400 iae4Ps near Eiiza
bethtown-HtfeU his Vrife, i‘EBa>za. Ann’ Mc
~®ayr duEfaig herTwidoWhood ’then ‘“in
. trusts forthe eountyof, BladetfoU the
express -condition that the saidMpfehta
. tion shall .be used as an exptfri&ental
" farm, and that the poor of the <Coun
ty, hnd. poor ,ahd' liidigfent orphans,
who' are "directed1 by law to be-/bound
outp'slibjtldf'be ktept,'1 maintained. .and
"employed 'on ««aid MpMfctatiohi under
'Such rules- iand ; .‘-r&gnfcLtionS a^'the
-, county - court shall fpseseMbe.”* * In”an- '
other, item-iof .the wittrliis <e*ec«tors
were direc^d to Jure out certain slaves
-for 2 or 3 years to raise a <fttncfc\tfor'
r' their'transportation to'the free-eotony -
■v of*!Eiberiav'and» to take rChuisitesaaeans
' foe-their transportation under .the. di
» Tection and. patronage-ofvthe Coloniza
tion-Society.
* v1 ■‘•RaillPdittdfe ©cflnl In
»> About this tfthe it. tieW form of trans
ports tiomwatfb popular. It.
■rwasridestlnedithe * change* would trend
the: growth and t development of the
counties. Especially did . it effect’Bla
den in halting growth along the rivers.
Railroads were building. The1'-Wilm
ington, Charlotte and Rutherfdrd Rail
way was' chartered in? 1853. . ( Building
-Started from 'Charlotte and (the road
* reached1 ' the point- to’ ‘where a town
was' located, ‘s This' town is ' Abbotts
r burg’ and ? is •umitfed' imhonor of Jo
seph XL-Abbotts, who came along With
the railroad in 1863 and established a
; large lutfibef business.'t Almost at once
I: AbbottSbarg-became the largest!ttown
in. Bladen-*county. .‘ For-’several years
; the: -railroad company, .maintained.. its
shops there. .They were removed after
’ the line reached Wilmington in 1873.
"After ! the railroad came’ through
('other -towns* grew‘Hp!ralbng "the line.
‘ (Imshort->order7 Blfedenboro, ”€larkton,
Council and ‘other towns begad to grow,
s The f-. railroads ( attracted t freight-rand
^passenger ■ transportations from 'the
! rivers. ? During, the. next fifty 'years
the people looked on the railroads as
the arteries of commerce. Consequently
uthe towns along-the fftilroads grew
•l gnd 'the'' surrounding ’cdtmty was1 de
' veioping ’rapidly.' ' ' «
^ Archie* MeL* Gr»ham.~"iEte:,4& known
^ to ills thousands aM-rien®! as 'I'&rdbie'’
Graham. Apart from his successful can
didacy a few years ago for represen
tafive fromSampson county to tho
General Assethbly, he' has never be
■ iforesoughtplidearpreferment. *How
f etef, he has been’ distinguished as a
lOn^-tftne laeihbe^'W^hn^B^iiirtaifl^n 3
* TBbard;'Which 'hPItorticmed'th fir-state's -
school"'funds amOng’thev'i&rtfotfeis 'And -
districts under the fSSrttfei?‘;
as a ..member of . thepresent Sfefieol *
CommissionywMcfe haswimostrabsolafco
control over the ^State's school funds i
under ;the mew regime." As a member
of both bbdles/he'has's^teytSSftfiMaftly, \
and shown a high'' degrecH of \ri|bod ‘
'Mhorse^Sense. •
Congressional-race rofrthe 5Mrd;di*- >
t trict; ia a son of the date rn&st highly ,
esteemed Dr. Graham, who-praetioed : __
for decades at Wallace, Duplin county.
His mother was one of the ' dis
tinguished Murphy family of Pender
•1 boiriity:L His h&idehce' as' a' "lawyer
:■ has -been: Clinton. 'He isl-fhertfOro
-State tftrfi&rtity.
be adjudged from the fact tbsftrh^is
; ki I«d#ardit5Wthfcui '
-awst rtiintimstely^ (Associated'’-Ifttli^the
three ;weete*niB0st *i'<mtujti)e90'X)f nthd ;
Third district 7 “ ^ ^ >
„ The. intellectuality. oifr MriVGisaham,
so far as heredity determines, it. may,
^Afahie”; ia a-frlenfllj^ f^lW^Hguts
ftoiPno* **&•$; riftrtceS: no ' grethWoiur. to ‘ r
P iiO#ery i)tt^orj*/^t ’ ‘is ft ‘8d'Wdfi£ht
worker. . The editor of The ¥i#C*
knowse A-rohitf <3htahaffi^ithdi’feboW#!$!fafc _
„he. iS( 30iofc»»ghly'->d«pBiKHIble. 1
; was . no . trouble.' about*- eoHectlngl Pfor
..the hundreds;jof.elfij5al. advertisaiB®jito •
published for. him in the oli'-SatephOB
^DetnoWat. 'When he, got ready tg pay, .
-he‘#(rtlid ^we’tntd1 tlie’ioffice;' daft fo*
* J’the1 «book,; ci&diif’ these- '‘cfta,i£e& hb'lli*
! t^ttdedl i to pay^ dhd ’*uitt H*rerftl>h& *#fi4
vrwtitfc. a efcieh:ifl* AhO—total. f'llr'tbafe
•respect tiheshas^ewl^tmetaHUtscii'
, writer V^xperieHcei and thairda^W^ito .
er a.of Eittsbero.- , T^ey‘jfljftitt
* whether! they• had collected or' not—•
not leaving, as some lawyers; do, der
‘■Shite’ail-sense Uf.jdStlce,1 the'plipbrsto
-lose 'Ittem^'fof 'whleltthe TawjPertdi&dl
Uaott **tSeir1 ‘ clients4 had1 <beenr
u?aa;rbSpon»tble! - * V
. That is ;ithe kmd of'*nan» Atehre fltttf
. ham-is, but -het-has some mightjrgl«I
men running.,agaihst Mm ..-and ;.tfaa
' Democratic voters,of the Third, district!
will have to do their own choosing.
FOURTH JUDICIAL IHSTBfiET
* >CNARE£S*'&OSS ]
©minty
- rtDwiHWft fta—y^^nne 8/HM84
u.Mr.nBosS'*>y nature? -amPtrnhJHig
ha« the , qualities .of head-end heart
"which will insnre the maintenance o|
the high .standards the people, of th$ *■
- Fourth '3udfciaflttsfrict' are 'acctt*