Source:
Mountain Area Information Network/Henderson
County
Henderson County was formed in 1838
from a portion of Buncombe County and named for Leonard Henderson
who was Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court
from 1829 to 1833. Polk County was formed from part of Henderson
and Rutherford Counties in 1855 and Transylvania County was
formed from part of Henderson and Jackson Counties in 1861.
A bill to establish the county was
introduced in the State legislature by Representatives Montaville
Patton and Phillip Brittain and State Senator John Clayton.
Eleven Commissioners were appointed
to establish the county seat. They were John Clayton, Esquire,
Colonel Sam Chunn, Captain Robert Jones, Reuben Deaver, John
Yount, Asa Edney, Richard Allen, John Miller, Benjamin Wilson,
Ephroditus Hightower and John Jarret, Sr.
The area which was to become Henderson
County was first settled as early as 1779 by pioneers from
Rutherford County NC and upper South Carolina. One of the
oldest recorded references is a Warrant to Survey for Abraham
Kuykendall of Rutherford County which reads:
"North Carolina No 113. David
Miller Entry offers of claim for land in the county of Rutherford
to the surveyor of said county. You are hereby ______ and
required as soon as may be to ___ of survey for Eabram Corkindall
a tract or parcel of land containing 300 acres in the county
aforesaid lying on Mud Creek River joining Eabram Corkindalls
and David Miller Land for Compliment this 20 Day of Oct
1779." Mud Creek lies in present day Henderson County.
The entry predates the formation
of Buncombe Co in 1792 and was therefore recorded in Rutherford
County NC.
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