JOHNSTON COUNTY

Johnston was formed in 1746 from Craven. It was named in honor of Gabriel Johnston, Governor of North Carolina, 1734-1752. It is in the eastern section of the State and is bounded by Wilson, Wayne, Sampson, Cumberland, Harnett, Wake and Nash counties. The present land area is 791.85 square miles. The population from the 2010 Census was 168,878. Of that population, 125,349 were white, 25,546 were black or African American, 939 were American Indian, 1,021 were Asian, 51 were Pacific Islander and 12,653 were of a different race. Another 3,319 were reported to be of two or more races and 21,814 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The first court was held at the home of Francis Stringer at the Ferry of Neuse River. Court was held at Hinton's Quarter on the south side of Neuse River, 1759-1760, and probably before that date. In August, 1771, it was held at John Smith's. From 1771 to 1776 the county seat was called Johnston Court House. In 1771 Smithfield was established "where the Court House, prison and stocks now stand." Smithfield is the county seat.

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The majority of Johnston County is located in the Neuse River Basin and it is considered a part of the Coastal Plain region of the state.

References:

"American Factfinder." 2011. U. S. Census Bureau. Online at http://factfinder2.census.gov/. Accessed 3/3/2011.

Corbitt, David L. 2000. The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663-1943. Sixth printing. Raleigh: State Department of Archives and History.

Powell, William Stevens, and Michael R. Hill. 2010. The North Carolina gazetteer: a dictionary of Tar Heel places and their history. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Additional resources:

North Carolina Digital Collections (Government & Heritage Library and NC State Archives)

NC LIVE resources

NC Natural Heritage Program database

WorldCat (Searches numerous library catalogs)