Perquimans county was formed in 1668 as a precinct of the much larger County of Albemarle, and is home to the Newbold-White House. Built in 1730, the Newbold-White House is the oldest brick structure in the state.
From gathering food to building homes and surviving in the wilderness, the early settlers had little time for formal religion. In 1672, two missionaries by the names of William Edmundson and George Fox came to the Carolinas and spoke about religion. These gentlemen were of the "Society of Friends," otherwise known as Quakers. In what later became Hertford, at the house of Henry Phelps, the first religious meeting was held for the people living near the Perquimans River. Edmundson said, "(Phelps' neighbors) had little or no Religion, for they came, and sat down in the Meeting smoking their Pipes."
Later, Edmundson returned for eighteen days and spoke to the governor, precinct officials, and a number of the men and women in Perquimans and Pasquotank precincts, many of whom became Quakers. They soon organized the first church in North Carolina, which remained the colony's only organized religious body until 1701.
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BLACKBEARD !!
