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Branson’s North Carolina Business Directory — 1890

Alleghany County, North Carolina

Area -300 Square Miles
Population 5,486: White 4,967, Colored 519

The county was formed in 1849 from a portion of Ashe county, and derives its name from the moutnains in which it is situated. It borders on the State of Virginia

Sparta, the county-seat, is about 180 miles north-west from Raleigh. Population about 100.

Surface: Hilly, and in places mountainous
Staples: Corn, wheat, oats, rye and livestock
Fruits: Apples, peaches, pears cherries &c.
Timber: Oak, chestnut, walnut, poplar, whitepine, maple &c.

Towns and Post Offices

Town Population
Cherry Lane 20
Delphi 20
Edmonds 20
Edwards X Roads 10
Elk Creek 50
Ennis
Glade Creek 25
Gray 55
Hooker 10
Laurel Branch 10
New River 40
Norman 20
Prather’s Creek 25
Sparta 148
Nulin
Piney Creek 75
Thompson
Topia
Whitehead

County Officers

Clerk Superior Court – R. S. Carson
Commissioners: M. E. Harden, D. C. Edwads, W. E. Cox, J. F. Roberts
Coroner: None
Register of Deeds: J. C. Roup
Sheriff: Wm. F. Thompson
Solicitor 7th District: Thomas Settle
Solicitor of County: W. C. Fields
Surveyor: J. H. Williams
Treasurer: Wm. F. Thompson
Standard Keeper: James Bozer
Superintendent of Public Schools: T. J. Carson, Jr.
Board of Education: Rev. S. M. Brown, chairman

Courts

Superior Court – First Monday after third Monday in March and September.
Inferior Court – Meets on First Monday in March and September

Townships and Magistrates

Cherry Lane – A. A. Woodruff, H. A. Duncan, Ch. Crouse, R. H. Gentry, S. W. Smith, J. F. Roberts
Cranberry – W. H. Cheek, J. Hampton, C. J. Taylor, H. Doughton, Josiah Caudill, John S. Miller, Terrill Caudill, Tobias Blevins, Jesse Atwood
Gap Civil – John Whitehead, H. M. Crouse, C. J. Edwards, J. M. Gambill, A. J. Wagoner, John Choat, George Mc. Reeves
Glade Creek – Wm. Evans, M. P. Carico, S. C. Douglass, Thos. C. Douglass, Fielding Carico, Thos. J. Douglas, W. H. Joiner, P. C. Higgins
Piney Creek – C. Parsons, Wm. Halsey, J. S. Parsons, J. C. Fields, W. W. Nash
Prather’s – Haywood Estep, Julius L. Smith, W. E. Cox, Allen Jones, A. W. Long

Churches

Church Post Office Pastor Denomination
Macedonia Glade Creek Meth.
Mt. Pleasant Mouth of Wilson Meth.
Mt. Zion Scottville Meth.
Shiloh Sparta Meth.
Selma Cherry Lane Meth.
Antioch Sparta B. E. Caudill Prim. Bap.
Elk Creek Sparta B. E. Caudill Prim. Bap.
Little River Sparta Prim. Bap.
Piney Creek Piney Creek Wm. Halsey Prim. Bapt.
Zion Sparta Com. Collins Prim. Bapt.
Sparta Sparta T. M. Honneycut Bap.
Union Sparta A. J. Taylor Prim. Bapt.
Mt. Carmel Piney Creek — Baldwin Union Bapt.
New Salem Sparta Calaway Blevins Union Bapt.
Shelter New River Union Bapt.

Ministers Resident

Pugh, John L. – Mouth of Wilson – Methodist
Roberts, F. B. – Cherry Lane – Methodist
Caudill, B. E. – Sparta – Primitive Baptist
Collins, Commodore – Sparta – Primitive Baptist
Halsey, William – Mouth of Wilson – Primitive Baptist
Wyatt, J. M. – New River – Primitive Baptist
Taylor, A. J. – Sparta – Primitive Baptist
Blevins, Calaway – Sparta – Union Baptist
Landreth, I. W. – Sparta – Union Baptist

Hotels

Carson House, Sparta – A. J. Carson

Lawyers

Boyer, J. R. – Sparta
Doughton, R. A. – Sparta
Fields, W. C. – Sparta
Vaughn, E. L. – Sparta

Manufactories

Kind Post Office Proprietor
Brooms Edmonds A. G. Carico
Brooms Edmonds A. O. Carico
Cabinet Sparta Miles Smith
Carriages Sparta W. M. Burchett
Coopering Edmonds Isaac Holt
Saddles and Harness Sparta W. K. Holbrook
Tannery Sparta Wesley Gilham
Blacksmith Edmonds A. McKnight
Blacksmith Edmonds Tim Murphy

Merchants and Tradesmen

Edmonds
Carico, A. C. – Livestock
Carico, F. H. – Livestock
Higgins, Martin – Livestock
Higgins, P. C. – Livestock

Edwards’ X Roads
Absher & Jones – General Store

Elk Creek
Edwards, D. C. – General Store

Laurel Springs (Ashe Co.)
Daughton, J. H. – Livestock
Grier, J. F. – Livestock
Miller, John S. – Livestock
Reeves, John – Livestock

Mouth of Wilson, Va.
McMillan, F. J. – Livestock and General Store

Norman
Norman, W. S. – General Store

Piney Creek
Weaver, W. C. – General Store

Prather’s Creek
Jones, J. C. – General Store

Sparta
Edwards, H. – General Store
Fields, Hackler & Co. – General Store
Gambill, W. S. – Cattle Dealer
Gentry, D. B. – Livestock
Thompson, William – Livestock

Mines

Kind Post Office Proprietor
Copper Sparta Noah Long
Iron Edmonds Hester Collins
Iron Edmonds James Galion

Mills

Kind Post Office Proprietor
Flour, corn and saw Cherry Lane M. Woodruff
Corn and saw Cherry Lane S. Bryan
Corn Gap Civil Lydia Jaines
Corn Gap Civil S. Edwards
Flour and corn Gap Civil Duncan & Son
Flour, corn and saw Glade Creek Wm. Higgins
Flour and corn Glade Creek Wm. Higgins
Flour, corn and saw Glade Creek H. S. Edwards
Corn and flour Piney Creek W. W. Nash
Corn and saw Prather’s Creek John Grubb
Flour, corn and saw Scottsville N. H. Vanhoy
Flour and corn Scottsville John A. Jones
Corn and Saw Sparta H. F. Jones & John Gambill
Flour, corn and saw Sparta Osborn & Fields
Flour, corn and saw Sparta Maxwell & Son
Flour, corn and saw Sparta A. Moxley
Flour, corn and saw Sparta Franklin Duncan

Physicians

Draughn, George – Sparta
Fowlkes, C. G. – Scottsville
Landreth, Stephen – Sparta
McSmith, O. – Sparta
Smith, John L. – Sparta

Schools

Collegiate Institute – Sparta
Brown, S. W. – Laurel Springs
Public Schools – twenty six for whites, three for colored

Teachers

Brown, Rev. S. W. – Sparta
Cox, W. E. – Elk Creek
Cheek, J. M. – Whitehead
Cornett, E. C. – Laurel Springs
Doughton, R. L. – Piney Creek
Fowler, R. J. – Sparta
Gentry, A. M. – Piney Creek
Hackler, F. L. – Sparta
Jones, Miss Jessie – Prather’s Creek
Jones, W. R. – Sparta
Kirk, W. M. – Laurel Springs
Long, Mathew – Laurel Springs
Long, Miss. Bettie – Laurel Springs
Reeves, Everett – Laurel Springs
Reeves, L. F. – Sparta
Whittington, Miss Nora – Scottville

Farmers

Cherry Lane – F. Bryan, H. Bryan, Frank Bryan, Stephen Johnson, M. Jennings, Thompson Kenaday, Wm. Kenaday, J. Woodruff, M. Woodruff, A. J. Woodruff

Edmonds – A. O. Carico, A. G. Carico, F. H. Carico, S. Robards

Edwards X Roads – James Adres, J. R. Cox, Reeves Cox, B. F. Edwards, M. Edwards, C. McGrady, Wm. Jones, M. T. Norman

Elk Creek – J. Atwood, Allie Black, Alex Black, Wm. Black, D. Black, J. Boyers, Cloyd Cox, J. Crause, A. J. Carson, Thos. Carson, C. Cox, W. E. Cox, S. G. Earmin, Lige Earmin, O. Edwards, D. C. Edwards, S. O. Edwards, Hiram Estep, H. D. Estep, J. J. Gambill, R. Gambill, A. Hampton, H. Hill, Norman Jones, Millard Jones, D. T. Jones, Allen Jones, Wm. Jones, D. C. Jones, M. T. Jones, Franklin McMillan, Alex McMillan, A. M. McMillan, Caleb Osborne, John Roup, Wiley Reeves, Alvin Richardson, A. D. Reeves, G. T. Reeves, H. S. Reeves, Richard Sanders, John Smith, F. South

Laurel Springs – Josiah Blevins, Tobias Blevins, W. B. Cheek, J. H. Doughton, R. L. Doughton, Calvin Long, John S. Miller, J. A. Osborne, C. Osborne, Joseph Phillips, W. B. Reeves, J. H. Stamper, C. J. Taylor, A. J. Taylor, Ben Taylor, Dock Taylor

Laurel Branch – T. M. Caudill, C. Cruise, T. L. Harris, H. Harris, J. G. Harris, Wm. Harris, M. V. B. Norman, D. J. Roberts, J. F. Roberts, E. Eimmons, A. M. Smith, M. Woodruff

New River – L. J. Caudill, S. F. Halsey, M. F. Osborne, L. Z. Osborne, S. C. Parsons, Joshua Pritchett, J. M. Parsons, Floyd Parsons, Freeling Parsons, Cleven Parsons, F. N. Roup, D. Sturgill

Norman – M. Edwards, P. C. Higgins

Piney Creek – Ira Halsey, J. R. Hyatt, Caleb Parsons, John S. Parsons, John Weaver

Sparta – Thomas Atwood, Marshall Brown, F. B. Cheek, W. B. Cheek, Henderson Cheek, J. F. Caudill, B. E. Caudill, A. Carson, A. J. Carson, R. S. Carson, T. J. Carson, D. A. Duncan, Wesley Duncan, G. W. Duncan, C. H. Doughton, F. S. Doughton, R. A. Doughton, J. B. Doughton, C. J. Edwards, Thomas Edwards, J. C. Edwards, H. J. Estep, David Evans, Wm. Evans, Reeves Edwards, Richard Edwards, Jr., Morris Edwards, Edwards, Cheek & Co., H. S. Edwards, Isham Fender, Allen Fender, W. C. Fields, Sol. Fender, Wesley Gilham, Robert Gambill, J. J. Gambill, John Gambill, William Gambill, James Gambill, R. C. Gentry, Jr., W. E. Hardin, William Hoppers, W. R. Holbrook, David Holbrook, J. T. Hawthorn, Alex Hampton, H. F. Jones, Thomas Jarvis, Thomas Moxley, Alex Moxley, Sr., George McReeves, W. L. Norman, J. H. Parks, Mrs. C. A. Parks, M. B. Reeves, Richard Rector, J. L. Smith, Joseph Shumate, T. H. Southerland, Richard Sanders, G. W. Sexton, L. D. Sexton, J. L. Smith, S. H. Thompson, J. T. Thompson, John Teder, Silas Teder, A. H. Toliver, Jesse Toliver, M. B. Toliver, Wm. F. Thompson, J. I. Thompson, Robert Thompson, A. C. Underwood, E. F. Vaughn, E. L. Vaughn, W. B. Woodruff, A. J. Waggoner, John Whited, Wm. Whited, Sam’l Wiley, Wm. Whitt