Key local figure
William Churton (active 1749 to 1767), a surveyor for Earl Granville's land office, staked out the lots of the town that became Hillsborough in 1754 on 663 acres he held in trust for Francis Corbin. He represented Orange in the colonial legislature from 1754 to 1762, and his survey was published in 1770 as A Compleat Map of North Carolina.
Source: NCpedia: Churton, William
1710–1767 as the Library of Congress records it · Library of Congress authority record ↗
4 indexed works are connected with this person, and the index includes one work by William Churton. 1 held at OCPL →
Works in the index that concern this person directly, or were written by them. Each links to the institution that holds or provides it; background reading with wider context sits further down.
Hand drawn in color on a sheet 92 by 135 centimeters, this map of the rivers Little and Eno is attributed to William Churton, 1710 to 1767, and listed with a 2015 catalog date. A stamp to the right of the title reads Mark Chilton, Orange County, NC, Register of Deeds. Topics include land grants along the Eno River and in Orange County. Part of UNC's North Carolina Collection.
Marshall L. Smith's brief life of William Churton, 1710 to 1767, the surveyor who laid out Hillsborough in the 1750s, with notes on the Churton family. Self-published in Hillsborough in 1998, 22 unnumbered pages with illustrations and maps.
Why this is here: Catalog heading in the UNC record: Churton, William, 1710-1767.
A colonial government journal from 1768 tracking the movements of insurgents in the North Carolina backcountry, with entries on the militia, sheriffs, tax collection, supplies and the intelligence reaching the council. William Churton, James Hunter, John Rutherford and George Sally appear in it, and the journal concerns Hillsborough and Orange County, the ground at the center of the Regulator unrest. Filed at CO 5/312.
Why this is here: Catalog heading in the Duke record: Churton, William.
First issue of the Hillsborough Historical Society Journal, July 1998, drawing on Mary Claire Engstrom's research on the town. Pieces cover William Churton, the surveyor who laid out Hillsborough; Edmund Fanning and the town in the Regulator troubles and the Revolution; the Third Provincial Congress, which met at Hillsborough in 1775; and figures and places of the old town: Mary Burke, known as Polly, the Presbyterian minister John Knox Witherspoon, Dr. Thomas Webb and Faddis Tavern.
Why this is here: Their name appears in the record.
A colonial act of 1760 establishing a town on land formerly granted to William Churton, on the north side of the river the title calls the River Ende, in the County of Orange. People named include Governor Arthur Dobbs, James Hasell and Samuel Swann, with town legislation as the topic. Reference: Colonial Office volume CO 5/336, North Carolina Acts 1755 to 1760.
Why this is here: Catalog heading in the Duke record: Churton, William.
Books in OCPL’s Rebecca B. Wall Local History Collection whose titles, catalog subjects, or descriptions match this person. The Friends’ recommended starting points are labelled.
Marshall L. Smith's life of William Churton (1710 to 1767), the Granville District surveyor who in 1754 laid out the town that became Hillsborough. Named Orange County's first register of deeds in 1752, Churton sat for Orange in the colonial assembly, helped extend the Virginia boundary line in 1749 and worked from 1757 until his death on a map of the province. Issued by the author at Hillsborough in 1998; unpaged, with illustrations and maps.
William Churton, surveyor for Earl Granville, came to the colonies around 1749 and in 1754 laid out the town that became Hillsborough, the Orange County seat. Stewart E. Dunaway's life history of him follows his surveying career and his family, illustrated with maps and facsimiles and closing with a bibliography and an index. Published by the author in Hillsborough in 2017 through Lulu; 166 pages.
Storylines this person is part of, earliest first. Each has its own page.
Dated events connected with this person, earliest first. See these 6 dated events in the chronology →
Buildings, schools, churches and other sites named in the dated events on this page, the most often named first. The map shows them all.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Site locations from the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office survey, Open Orange and OpenStreetMap; town and community pins mark the middle of their mapped buildings.
People named in the same dated entries as William Churton, those sharing the most entries first. Each line links one of the shared entries in the chronology, where its source is cited. A shared entry shows these people in the same event, not how well they knew each other.
The index lists works with an Orange County connection. To find everything else about William Churton, search these catalogs.
Searched with the Library of Congress heading Churton, William, 1710-1767, so the results are about this person and not others with the same name. Each link opens that catalog’s own results in a new tab. The Friends have not reviewed what they return.
Found a book OCPL doesn’t own? You can often borrow it through interlibrary loan at OCPL.
Background from selected state and local sources
Newspapers, photographs, and records of the time
Other catalogs to search and local organizations that can help.
More to discover
The Friends connect people with new library materials, local writers and publishers, and resources documenting Orange County.
