27-687: Williamsboro or Williamsborough is an unincorporated community in Vance County, North Carolina , United States. It was established in about 1755 as Williamsborough in Granville County in the Province of North Carolina . It became part of Vance County in 1881 when Vance County was founded. Williamsboro is located in Williamsboro Township , which is an administrative division of Vance County. The town of Williamsborough
54-677: A county manager Vance County is a member of the Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments . By the requirements of the North Carolina Constitution of 1868, counties were to be divided into townships, which were solely administrative divisions of the county. The following township make up Vance County: The unincorporated communities in Vance County have included Cornelius Gilliam Cornelius Gilliam (April 13, 1798 – March 24, 1848)
81-544: A female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.06. The county had the highest teen pregnancy rate in the state for the year 2005 as researched by the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina. The rate
108-445: A household in the county was $ 31,301, and the median income for a family was $ 36,389. Males had a median income of $ 28,284 versus $ 21,433 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 15,897. About 16.30% of families and 20.50% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.70% of those under age 18 and 19.30% of those age 65 or over. Vance County is governed by a seven-member board of Commissioners, who appoint
135-670: A man." He left the state after his second term expired, setting up a business in Washington, DC. The Democrats in the North Carolina legislature settled the political competition with the Republicans by following other southern states and passing a law in 1896 making voting more difficult, and a new constitution in 1899 that disfranchised most blacks by poll taxes , literacy tests and grandfather clauses . Contemporary accounts estimated that 75,000 black male citizens of
162-432: Is bounded by Townsville Township to the north; Dabney and Henderson Township to the south; John Kerr Reservoir, Middleburg Township, and Warren Township to the east, and Granville County to the west. Vance County, North Carolina Vance County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina . As of the 2020 census , the population was 42,578. Its county seat is Henderson . Vance County comprises
189-538: Is water. When originally established in 1881, the population of Vance County was approximately 9,000. From 1930 through 1970, the rural county population declined and growth slowed markedly as many blacks migrated to the North for better jobs and other opportunities in the Great Migration . Combined with other economic changes, this resulted in the county losing what had been its large African-American majority by
216-928: The Oregon Country . Cornelius Gilliam was born in North Carolina on April 13, 1798. Born in Buncombe County , he was the son of Epaphroditus and Sarah Ann (née Israel) Gilliam. In North Carolina he married Mary Crawford in 1820, and they had eight children, six of those daughters. He fought against the Native Americans in 1832 during the Black Hawk War in the Midwest, and in 1837 in the Seminole Wars in Florida . During
243-771: The Oregon Trail to the unorganized Oregon Country . Gilliam was in charge of the wagon train at the beginning of the journey, though the wagon train later split into smaller groups. After the Whitman massacre in 1847, the Provisional Government of Oregon organized a force of about 600 and made Gilliam colonel to prosecute the Cayuse. In 1848, he led his forces east to engage the Native Americans, arriving at The Dalles in February. His forces pressed on to
270-657: The Whitman Mission , arriving in March. Gilliam then headed back to The Dalles to resupply that settlement and then on to Oregon City to report to Governor George Abernethy when he was accidentally shot and killed in what is now Morrow County on March 24, 1848. His body was returned to Oregon City by Henry A. G. Lee and he was buried in Polk County at the Dallas Cemetery. Gilliam County, Oregon
297-480: The 1890 Census, Vance County was more than 63 percent African American . In 1894 a biracial coalition of Populists and Republicans elected African American George Henry White to the US Congress and gained control of the state house. The Democrats were determined to forestall this happening again. White strongly opposed the new constitution, saying "I cannot live in North Carolina and be a man and be treated as
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#1732798615633324-575: The Henderson, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area , which is also included in the Raleigh - Durham - Cary , NC Combined Statistical Area , which had an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023. The Occaneechi Native Americans were the first inhabitants of what became Vance County in 1881. The first white explorer of the region was John Lederer and his Native American guide in 1670. Originally part of colony of Virginia, King Charles of England redrew
351-660: The Seminole War he served as a captain. Following the war he settled in Missouri where he continued his military service as a captain in the state militia during the battles with the Mormons in 1838 . That year he was elected to the Missouri Senate to represent District 12, and was re-elected in 1842 to represent District 10. In Missouri, Gilliam was also the sheriff of Clay County . In 1844, he headed west over
378-519: The capture of Governor Thomas Burke during the American Revolution. Williamsborough was originally called "Lick" because it was a watering hole for cattle and then "Nutbush" because of the nearby creek with that name. The town grew up along the east-west and north-south stagecoach lines. The Nutbush Address was given by George Sims on June 6, 1765. Sims was from Nutbush. This address was a protest about provincial and county officials and
405-583: The colony lines in 1665, so what is now Vance County became part of the Province of Carolina and then the Province of North Carolina in 1725. In 1826, the first armed forces academy, the Bingham School , was built by Captain D. H. Bingham in Williamsborough, North Carolina . It served for a short time as a training school for military officers. In 1871, a hotel called the "Glass House"
432-420: The county was 48.21% White , 48.31% Black or African American , 0.20% Native American , 0.39% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 2.03% from other races , and 0.84% from two or more races. 4.56% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 16,199 households, out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.00% were married couples living together, 20.40% had
459-482: The fees they charged residents of Granville County. This later led to the Regulator Movement in North Carolina. When the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad was built in 1840, it bypassed Williamsborough. This, along with the end of slavery after the U.S. Civil War and the demise of plantation life, led to the decline of the town of Williamsborough. The town has been known as Williamsboro since 1893. There
486-535: The late 20th century. In the early 21st century, the white and black populations are nearly equal. As of the 2020 census , there were 42,578 people, 16,875 households, and 11,163 families residing in the county. At the 2000 census , there were 42,954 people, 16,199 households, and 11,647 families residing in the county. The population density was 169 people per square mile (65 people/km ). There were 18,196 housing units at an average density of 72 units per square mile (28 units/km ). The racial makeup of
513-521: The new county of Vance, the Democratic party could lose Vance to the Republicans and save Granville and Franklin for the Democrats. [U.S.] Senator Vance was a Democrat. He took kindly to this move and thanked the [North Carolina] Legislature for honoring him with naming the new county after him. At the same time...Vance showed his humor by always referring to Vance County as 'Zeb's Black Baby.'" In
540-609: The other counties, an example of gerrymandering : "The formation of Vance County was accomplished largely as a political expediency. It was in 1881 when Blacks in large numbers were voting solidly Republican . Granville and Franklin Counties were nip and tuck, Democratic or Republican. From the Democratic standpoint, Warren County was hopelessly Republican. But by taking from Granville, Franklin and Warren, those sections that were heavily Republican and out of these sections forming
567-438: The state lost the vote. In 1900 blacks numbered 630,207 citizens, about 33% of the state's total population. This situation held until past the mid-20th century and after passage of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 268.69 square miles (695.9 km ), of which 252.40 square miles (653.7 km ) is land and 16.29 square miles (42.2 km ) (6.06%)
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#1732798615633594-558: The white Democratic-dominated legislature in 1881 following the Reconstruction Era from parts of Franklin , Granville , and Warren counties. The county is named after Zebulon Baird Vance , a Governor of North Carolina (1862–65 & 1877–79) and United States Senator (1879–94). According to the 1955 book, Zeb's Black Baby , by Samuel Thomas Peace, Sr. , this was a political decision to concentrate blacks and Republicans in one county and keep Democratic majorities in
621-442: Was 110.4 per 1000 teens, significantly above the state average of 61.7 per 1000 teens. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.10% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 28.80% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.30 males. The median income for
648-706: Was a pioneer of the U.S. state of Oregon who was best known as the commander of the volunteer forces against the Cayuse in the Cayuse War . A native of North Carolina , he served in the Black Hawk War and Seminole Wars before settling in Missouri . There he served in the militia against the Mormons , was a county sheriff, and a member of the Missouri State Senate before immigrating to
675-484: Was a post office from May 14, 1879 to February 15, 1909. The first postmaster was John E. Haithcock. There is also a Williamsborough Township in Vance County, North Carolina. This township is a rural, non-functioning county subdivision of Vance County that was created to conform to the North Carolina Constitution of 1868. Historic sites in or near Williamsboro include: Williamsboro Township
702-486: Was established by Nathaniel Williams and his wife Elizabeth Washington. They were the parents of John Williams , who served in the Continental Congress and as a judge on the U.S. Supreme Court . Judge John Williams donated the land where the town was built and it was named after him in 1779. Williamsborough served as a temporary capital of North Carolina between the summer of 1781 and February 1782, after
729-400: Was opened near the community of Kittrell . It was so named because of the glass porches surrounding the hotel. It was a popular resort for hunters and later tuberculosis patients until it burned down in 1895. As the area that is Vance County prospered in the mid to late 1880s, there were efforts to create a county named " Gilliam " and later as "Dortch". However, Vance County was formed by
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