Roxobel

History

Roxobel Township, in the northwest corner of Bertie County, North Carolina, consists of the twin towns of Roxobel and Kelford and the surrounding 60 square miles of farms and plantations. It stretches from Roxobel in the north to the outskirts of Woodville in the south, and from the Roanoke River in the west to the border of Aulander in the east. Roxobel is the older town, dating to the early eighteenth century. In 1719, John Cotten, a major slave plantation owner from South Quay, Virginia, purchased 540 acres of land in what is now Bertie County and neighbouring Hertford County. He and his large family established settlements and plantations across this land. His son, Samuel Cotten, had already set up home in the area that became Roxobel and these lands were part of those acquired by his father.  He inherited the land on his father’s death, but he was hardly a model citizen: “Little is known of Samuel Cotten, except that he was hardy, vigorous, domineering and rich. He was not at all conventional in his relations with women and some other things, I suspect, and having lived to a great age more feared than loved.” The settlement was located at the intersection of two roads, one leading south to the Roanoke River, the other heading west, and was initially known as Cotten's Cross Roads. In 1756 the Cotten family moved to their plantation in Northampton County and the Granbery family moved into the area. Around 1808, possibly to commemorate William Granbery who died that year, the town was renamed Granberys Cross Roads. An indication of the growing population in the area was the establishment of the Bertie Church. Initially when it was set up in 1740 it was an ad hoc branch of a neighboring church, but in 1750 it was constituted as an independent Baptist church with…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• West Bertie Elementary
  Elementary · Kelford · 192 students · 16:1 ratio
• Aulander Elementary
  Elementary · Aulander · 132 students · 16.5:1 ratio