Based on official courthouse records, private family documents and manuscripts, and the personal recollections of many who have since been gathered to their fathers, Rumple's work has all the characteristics of a well-formulated county history cum genealogy. With a genial and attentive eye on family history and tradition, chapters are devoted to the following subjects: first settlers; county organization; the courthouse; early settlers in Salisbury; Indian Wars; religious denominations and early churches; the Revolution; Committee of Safety; old families on the Yadkin River; old families of Rowan; the War of 1812; and the roll of Rowan County soldiers in the Confederate Army--the Roll itself occupying no less than 70 pages of text. This edition of Rumple's History includes a comprehensive index, as well as a Foreword written specially for this edition by the distinguished genealogist Jo White Linn.