Pitt County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States   North Carolina    Pitt County

History
Pitt was formed in 1760 from Beaufort County. The act was to become effective January 1, 1761. It was named for William Pitt the Elder, who was then Secretary of State for the Southern Department and Leader of the House of Commons. William Pitt was an English statesman and orator, born in London, England. He studied at Oxford University and in 1731, Pitt joined the army. Pitt led the young "Patriot" Whigs and in 1756 became secretary of state, where he was a pro-freedom speaker in British Colonial government. Pitt County is in the eastern part of North Carolina and is surrounded by Beaufort, Craven, Edgecombe, Greene, Lenoir, Martin, and Wilson counties. Courts were first held at the home of John Hardy until a courthouse could be built. The courthouse was built on Hardy's land near Hardy's Chapel. In 1771 Martinsboro was established, and in 1774 the courthouse was moved there. In 1787 Martinsboro's name was changed to Greenville, which is still the county seat.

Parent County
1760--Pitt County was created from Beaufort County. County seat: Greenville

Record Loss
1857--Courthouse fire destroyed most of the court records.

Neighboring Counties

 * Beaufort
 * Craven
 * Edgecombe
 * Greene
 * Lenoir
 * Martin
 * Wilson

Yearbooks

 * East Carolina University: 1923-1979
 * Pitt County students from NC colleges - via the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index

Web Sites

 * NCGenWeb: Pitt County - part of the USGenWeb Project