I have these maps you found, and yes, there is a Pelham County noted on that
map (the 1780 verson as well). Today this area would be between the two Cape
Fear Rivers, in Bladen, Sampson, Duplin and Pender Counties.
It is interesting to note that the *official* NC maps drawn up from NC
records do not show this county in 1775 or 1780.
Please visit the Pasquotank site, click on the large state map image. This
will take you to a page with many of the *official* state county formations
down thru the years from 1700 to 1912. There is no Pelham County drawn in
any of these. This page is slow to load due to the large images...please be
patient.
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nc/county/pasquotank/
I have known of other counties that came into being then dissappeard in less
than a year..perhaps Pelham was one of these.
Robert Chancey
====================================
While researching some geographic problems in north-eastern SC (Kingston
[present Horry County], I was reading an old map titled _A New and Accurate
Map of North Carolina in North America_ which is dated as created in 1779
and
is presently in the collections of the University of Georgia.
This 1779 map clearly and distinctly records a county by the name of PELHAM
located west of New Hanover, east of Cumberland/Bladen, north of Brunswick,
and southwest of Onslow. A waterway named "Black River" runs through this
county at the meeting of the "NW Cape Fear River".
Does anyone have any historical information about Pelham County North
Carolina in 1779? It is not listed in my gazeteers and is probably a
significant place-name for Unknown County references... A web search of
"Pelham County North Carolina" returned nothing. The Pelham Township and
"populated place" in present Caswell County is too far north to be related.
A 1780 map in the same collection shows PELHAM to be near the town of Exeter
NC (which may have been in either Pelham or New Hanover [prob. now Pender].
Pender was created much later or I might assume a spelling error by the
cartographer.
Comments, references, and sources appreciated.
Carson Turner