Durham County, North Carolina: History
The county was formed on April 17, 1881, from parts of Orange County and Wake County, taking the name of its own county seat. In 1911, parts of Cedar Fork Township of Wake County were transferred to Durham County and became Carr Township.
Free African-American families began settling in the area that is now Durham County after the American Revolution. The free Black Jeffries, Weaver, Locklear, Hedgepeth, Revell, Day, and Chavis families migrated to the area before the formation of Durham County.