A Community Study of Mecklenburg County
POPULATION AND ECONOMY
In the mid-eighteenth century, the land beyond town lay blanketed with tall grass, wild pea vines, and indigenous flora; the creek and river waters flowed clear, flooded with fish; and the forests burst with wild game, such as buffalo and deer, wild animals, and fowl. Fertile soil, a healthy climate, and a plethora of cheap land drew primarily Scots-Irish emigrants from the northern colonies—such as Maryland and Pennsylvania—and from the European countries of England, Ireland, and Germany. These settlers brought the Presbyterian faith to the Piedmont region and it became the dominant religion in the area.
At the start, the county’s population was small. In 1765, there were 791 white men above age 16. By the 1790 census, however, the population had grown rapidly. In that year, there were nearly 5,000 white males, 4,800 white females, and a total population of approximately 11,500. By 1840, the population had increased steadily to a total of 18,300. A drastic increase in the slave population contributed to the county’s population growth, for in 1790, slaves made up 14% of the population and by 1850 they constituted nearly 40%. Natural reproduction, cross-country slave coffles, and a boost in cotton production contributed to this change.
Despite the increase in the Mecklenburg County slave population, cotton was not the only crop produced and exported from the area. In the decades following the Revolution, corn and wheat remained the primary exports, though gold and cotton slowly gained prominence. The 1793 invention of the cotton gin eased the procedure of processing cotton, and by 1802, Mecklenburg County citizens owned the largest number of cotton gins in North Carolina. Because it was difficult to transport cotton overland to Charleston and because farmers wanted to avoid debt from a poor cotton crop, local farmers raised multiple cash crops. Wheat, oats, and corn, in addition to manufactured goods such as liquor, fur hats, wool, and flax seed oil all contributed to the Mecklenburg County economy.
