North Carolina

North and South Carolina were originally the single proprietary colony of Carolina under a charter granted by Charles II in 1663. Although divided in 1691, North Carolina did not receive its own governor until 1712. It became a royal colony in 1729. The first settlers were transplants from other provinces: Virginians moved into the Albemarle region while puritans from Massachusetts Bay established themselves near the Cape Fear River. These were followed later by French Huguenots, Scots Highlanders, Swiss protestants, Quakers, and Moravians from Pennsylvania.