Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. Transcribed by Sloan Mason. SAMPSON BOOK TELLS COUNTY'S STORY "Our Heritage" by Claude MOORE. Mt. Olive Tribune The Sampson County Heritage Book sponsored by the Sampson County Historical Society was released from the press last Saturday. This book will be of interest not only to Sampson County families but also to many friends and families in Wayne, Johnston, and Duplin because many of the early settlers had their roots in these counties. An unveiling of the book was held in Newton Grove on Saturday at noon with about fifty interested persons attending. A barbecue lunch was served and Oscar M. BIZZELL, the editor of the book presided. The book contains 771 pages and 15 chapters. The pages are of fine quality paper and will last 300 years. The first four chapters deal with the historical background of the county, the towns, townships, post offices and place names, the courts, judges, attorneys and law enforcement, political parties and elected officials and were edited by Mr. BIZZELL. Chapter V, edited by Mary J. PARKER, concerns the churches and religious organizations. The history of the schools of the county was written by Howard H. SIMPSON of Newton Grove and is told in Chapter VI. Chapter VII is the story of agriculture in the county and is told by Clarence L. WARREN. Chapters VIII and IX by Mr. BIZZELL are about roads, streams, transportation systems, and industrial development. Chapter X by Mrs. Katherine S. MELVIN is about medicine, the doctors and the allied professions. I wrote Chapter XI which is about the distinguished Sampsonians. I did 66 other articles scattered throughout the volume. Mrs. Virginia L. BIZZELL wrote Chapter XII which deals with soldiers of the wars and military events. It is of real interest to note that Sampson County furnished 1,860 soldiers for the Confederate Army. Chapter XIII, XIV, and XV by Mr. BIZZELL are entitled "Sampson County Lifestyle," "Clubs, Societies, and Civic Organizations" and "Publications about Sampson County." The year 1984 will mark the bicentennial of the founding of Sampson County. The publication of the history of the county was timed to mark the beginning of the bicentennial observances. A Bicentennial Commission has been appointed and has met several times. Plans are underway for a variety of events in Sampson County during 1984. Persons interested in this publication can contact Mrs. Alma BARCLAY. The release of this publication represents many hours of research, labor, and final preparation. The interest and enthusiasm of the Sampson County Historical Society must be given credit for the completion of this project, and individual support and contributions have been the source of more than 700 articles on families and individuals of the county. As a professional historian and writer, I know better than most that to recognize special or individual contributions is not only difficult but almost impossible because so many have given so much. I would be negligent in this endeavor though if special recognition and appreciation were not expressed to Mr. and Mrs. Oscar BIZZELL for an outstanding job, done in a professional and always pleasant manner. Thank you Oscar and Virginia. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Sloan Mason ==============================================================