Gaston
Originally part of colonial Bladen County, the area today called Gaston County was part of Anson County in 1750, and subsequently ceded to the newly formed Mecklenburg County in 1762. Six years later, the area was again redistricted, to the short-lived Tryon County until 1779, at which time it was incorporated into Lincoln County. Lincoln County was divided in 1846, and its southern half was renamed Gaston for William Gaston, a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817, and a judge of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 1833 to 1844.
Tensions between the earliest European settlers and the Native Americans were eased considerably when the dispute over the boundary between North Carolina and South Carolina was settled in 1772, after which most of the local Native Americans settled on a reservation in South Carolina. Most early farms were small, cultivated primarily by white yeoman farmers. North Carolina’s colonial policy of restricted the size of land grants, and in Gaston County they tended to be about 400 acres each. One of the earliest grants in the area was given to Captain Samuel Cobrin, commander of a local militia company, on September 29, 1750.
German Influence
Beginning in the late 17th century, thousands of Rhinelanders began immigrating to the American colonies to escape the war and religious strife. The earliest group to come to North Carolina settled in New Bern in 1710. Within a few decades significant numbers had arrived in Philadelphia and moved out into the mid-Atlantic zone and southward. In most of the Atlantic colonies, English and Scotch-Irish settlers had already staked out much of the good land, so German pioneers soon concentrated on the sparsely settled central and western piedmont areas. A few German pioneers arrived in piedmont North Carolina in the 1730s and 1740s, but German immigration increased dramatically in the mid-1750s and continued throughout the century. The largest settlement was the Wachovia tract, which was granted to Moravians who had come from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and later founded (Old) Salem. During this same period, German pioneers began settling Gaston County and establishing homesteads after setting their sights southward from the Shenandoah Valley and beyond, via the Great Wagon Road. German settlers established themselves in clusters of independent farmsteads linked by extended family connections and by participation in Lutheran, Reformed, or, less numerous, German Baptist (Dunker) congregations.
By 1790 it is estimated 10 to 30 percent of the greater Piedmont population was of German origin. Outnumbered by English and Scotch-Irish neighbors, the Germans were perceived as a distinct group, and many of them strove to maintain German culture and ways. The use of the German language continued well into the 19th century, with a period of transition from German to bilingual, with predominant English usage established between 1825 and 1850. In the late 18th century, German dominated in many churches and families; by the 1835, sermons in Reformed and Lutheran congregations were often preached in both languages. By the late 19th century, use of German had all but disappeared.
Similar patterns appeared in architecture. Traditional German construction methods– often the work of artisans trained in the fatherland– usually prevailed from the 1750s through the 1780s. From the 1780s or 1790s into the 1820s, German Carolinians were often “bilingual” in architecture as in language, blending Germanic traditions and mainstream stylistic developments. Finally, in the period from the 1820s to the Civil War, as popular national ideals gained away throughout much of the countryside, German-descended families accommodated to these trends. Source Wikipedia
Gaston/Lincoln Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 584
Mt. Holly, NC 28120
Gaston County Historical Society
P.O. Box 429
Dallas, NC 28034
Broad River Genealogical Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 2261
Shelby, NC 28151-2261
(covers Cleveland, Gaston, Henderson, Lincoln, and Rutherford Counties in NC and a few SC counties)
The Genealogical Society of Old Tryon County
P.O. Box 938
Forest City, NC 28043
(covers Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, and Rutherford Counties in NC and a few SC counties)
Gaston County Courthouse
PO Box 1578
County Courthouse
Gastonia, NC 28053
Census
1850 Federal Census Index – by last name only
Cemeteries
USGS listing of cemeteries in Gaston County
Query Forums
Cities and Towns of Gaston County:
Alexis
Belmont
Bessemer City
Boogertown
Catawba Heights
Cherryville
Cramerton
Crowders
Dallas
Flay
Gastonia (County Seat)
Groves
High Shoals
Lowell
Lowesville
Mount Holly
Pinkney
Ragan Village
Ranlo
Ridge
Smyre
South Gastonia
Spencer Mountain
Stanley
Victory
News related to Gaston County, NC
“gaston county” nc – Google News
Gaston County couple win $1 million in lottery – Gaston Gazette
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Gaston County couple win $1 million in lottery
Gaston Gazette A Gaston County couple won $1 million in Saturday's Powerball drawing that saw another North Carolina couple win more than $141 million. … |
Election 2010: Filing period starts with a flurry – Gaston Gazette
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Election 2010: Filing period starts with a flurry
Gaston Gazette The first day of filing for this year's election saw 12 people â six challengers and six incumbents â sign up for a spot to serve Gaston County. … |
Blanton calling it a career as sheriff – Spartanburg Herald Journal
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Blanton calling it a career as sheriff
Spartanburg Herald Journal Burris was killed by authorities in Gaston County, NC, on July 6, after Burris fired shots at police officers who were investigating a report of suspicious … |
Trooper: Night of deer poaching turned deadly – Gaston Gazette
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Trooper: Night of deer poaching turned deadly
Gaston Gazette A night of deer poaching turned deadly for a Gaston County man run down in his front yard late Saturday night while investigating a ruckus involving gunfire … |
2 Rescued From South Fork River – WSOCtv.com
 CharlotteObserver.com |
2 Rescued From South Fork River
WSOCtv.com GASTON COUNTY, NC — Rescue crews searched the South Fork River Saturday afternoon for two men who were stranded after a kayak accident. … Two kayakers capsize on South Fork |
Unemployment up in December despite holiday jobs – Gaston Gazette
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Unemployment up in December despite holiday jobs
Gaston Gazette Gaston County has the 18th highest unemployment rate among NC counties. Cleveland County has the eighth highest rate and Lincoln County has the 15th highest … |
