Sampson County was formed in 1784, from Duplin County. Unfortunately, the older records were not preserved. Duplin County was formed in 1750, from part of New Hanover, and even their road and bridge records were not preserved. Nevertheless, this collection includes examples of road, bridge, and mill records, which was so crucial for populating the state, away from the coast. Sampson County boundaries remain the same since 1784 (it was never subdivided). All of these records were found in the miscellaneous county records boxes in the State Archives. There are overseer appointment books (3-volumes) which are not included in this book.