Burke County History   The people and their culture, heritage and history, specifically those who settled in the Shadow of the Blue Ridge in the 18th Century.

They were composed of two major and distinct groups of settlers:

1. Northern Irish (Orangemen, Presbyterians, Scot-Irish), English, and Scottish were among the first to arrive after the French and Indian War. Unlike their English-speaking brethren to the east, these settlers arrived mainly from Pennsylvania,traversing the Shenandoah Valley and arriving at what today is Burke County.

2. The German-speaking community arrived early with the presence of Moravian Bishop August Gottlieb Spangenburg. First settling with companions in Quaker Meadow in 1752,the stay would not last long. Much like the The Roanoke Colony, this initial settlement would soon be abandoned. Being 70-80 miles from the nearest settlement the isolation was probably unbearable. Fortunate for these early colonists, their retreat to Wachovia was timely for the French and Indian War had begun.

Here are some selected events and resources that will help
you better understand the history of the people and the land:

BURKE COUNTY FORMATION

BURKE COUNTY Companies that made up the 1790 Morgan District Census

LAND GRANTS - A history of land surveying with the focus on BURKE COUNTY.

THE BURKE COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

BURKE COUNTY communities - Henry River Stories

BURKE COUNTY Sheriffs, 1776 to present

This page is always under construction

Please provide any suggestions you feel appropriate.

© 2016 By accessing this site, you hereby agree that any data posted is copyrighted by the NCGenWeb, the respective county host and/or individual contributors. Nothing contained herein is to be used for other than personal research and is not to be reposted, captured or cached on another server without the express written consent of the contributor.

Robin M. Barger - ©2016-present
Last Modified: