Editing Robeson County, North Carolina (section)

===Creation===
Robeson County was created by the [[North Carolina General Assembly]] in 1787 out of a western section of [[Bladen County, North Carolina|Bladen County]]. It was named for Thomas Robeson, a colonel who had led Patriot forces in the area during the Revolutionary War.{{sfn|Powell|1976|p=419}}<ref name= smith/>{{efn|Some historians wrote that the county was named for Robeson, an influential political figure, in an attempt to get his support for its creation.{{sfn|Sharpe|1952|p=4}} He died in 1785 before the county was created.<ref name= registerofdeeds>{{cite web| url = http://rod.co.robeson.nc.us/| title = Welcome To The Robeson County Register Of Deeds Website!| publisher = Robeson County Register of Deeds| access-date = December 16, 2022}}</ref>}} General John Willis, owner of the Red Banks plantation, lobbied to have the county's new seat of government located on his land. The site, to be known as [[Lumberton, North Carolina|Lumberton]], was chosen due to its central location in the county, proximity to a reliable [[Ford (crossing)|ford]] of the Lumber River, and as it was where several roads intersected. The first county courthouse was a wooden residence sold by Willis, which was moved into place after the land was cleared.<ref name= lottery/> 

Lumberton served as county residents' primary area of commerce for much of the area's early history, as transportation links with major regional cities elsewhere were tenuous.{{sfn|Land potential study, Robeson County|1969|p=6}} The [[1790 United States census]] recorded 5,356 county residents.{{sfn|Sharpe|1952|p=4}} The county's first [[U.S. Post Office]] was established there by 1796.<ref name= lottery>{{cite news | title = Lumberton Lots Disposed Of By Lottery; By 1852 Town Had Mayor, Three Stores; Growth Phenomenal In Last Century| newspaper = The Robesonian | page = 1A| date = February 26, 1951| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112525594/the-robesonian/}}</ref> That year settlers moved up the Lumber River and established Robeson's second white community, Princess Anne.<ref name= lumberriversp>{{cite web| url = https://www.ncpedia.org/lumber-river-state-park| title = Lumber River State Park| date = 2015| website = NCPedia| publisher = North Carolina Government & Heritage Library| access-date = December 11, 2022}}</ref> Much of the county's geography was not officially understood by surveyors until the early 1800s.<ref name= yeoman/> The county's boundaries were modified and remarked several times between 1788 and 1832.{{sfn|Corbitt|2000|pp=183–184}}