Pitt County, North CarolinaEdit This Page
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North Carolina Pitt County
Guide to Pitt County North Carolina genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Pitt County, North Carolina | |||||||||
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 Location in the state of North Carolina | |||||||||
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| Founded | 1760 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | Greenville | ||||||||
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Contents |
County Courthouse
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Pitt County Courthouse
W 3rd St P O Box 35
Greenville, NC 27835
Phone: 252-830-4128
Courthouse burned in 1857
Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1913
Marriage records from 1866 and land records from 1762
Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1885[1]
History
Pitt was formed in 1760 from Beaufort County. The act was to become effective January 1, 1761. It was named for William Pitt the Elder, who was then Secretary of State for the Southern Department and Leader of the House of Commons. William Pitt was an English statesman and orator, born in London, England. He studied at Oxford University and in 1731, Pitt joined the army. Pitt led the young "Patriot" Whigs and in 1756 became secretary of state, where he was a pro-freedom speaker in British Colonial government. Pitt County is in the eastern part of North Carolina and is surrounded by Beaufort, Craven, Edgecombe, Greene, Lenoir, Martin, and Wilson counties. Courts were first held at the home of John Hardy until a courthouse could be built. The courthouse was built on Hardy's land near Hardy's Chapel. In 1771 Martinsboro was established, and in 1774 the courthouse was moved there. In 1787 Martinsboro's name was changed to Greenville, which is still the county seat.
Parent County
1760--Pitt County was created from Beaufort County.
County seat: Greenville [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
1857--Courthouse fire destroyed most of the court records.
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
Resources
Cemeteries
BillionGraves:
- Brownhill Cemetery, Greenville
- Reedy Branch FWB Church Cemetery, Winterville ('FWB' = Free Will Baptist)
- St. John's Cemetery, Grifton
- Short Family Cemetery, Pactolus
- White Oak MB Church Cemetery, Grimesland
Census
For tips on accessing Pitt County, North Carolina census records online, see: North Carolina Census.
Church Records
Baptist
- Flat Swamp. Constituted 1776.[3][4]
- Red Bank. Constituted 1758.[3][5]
- Whitfield's Meeting House. Established by 1789.[3]
Court
Following are a listing of transcribed Court Records for Pitt County:
A listing of Pitt County Records available at the North Carolina State Archives
Land
Pitt County Register of Deeds
100 West Third Street
PO Box 35
Greenville, NC 27858-1806
Telephone: (252) 902-1650
This office records land documents including deeds, deeds of trust, subdivision maps, leases, easements, assignments, agreements, deeds of trust cancellations, corporate documents, assumed names, and files Uniform Commercial Code financing statements on personal property. This office also serves as the custodian of certificates of births and deaths occurring in the County, issues marriage licenses, and certifies birth, death, and marriage certificates in the County. Veterans' military discharge records and notary public commissions are also kept here, and this office administers the oath to all notaries public. Recording fees and fees for certificates are charged.
A number of Deeds have been transcribed; click onto the Pitt County, NC Archives to view these records.
Local Histories
- Emily Loftin Collection
- Simpson-Bryan Collection
- Historic Places in Pitt County- included in National Register of Historical Places
- Pitt County Biographies
Maps
- Pitt County Townships
- 1895 Pitt County
- 1770 John Collett Map
- Formation of North Carolina Counties Map
- Pitt County from NC Digital Maps Collection
Military
Civil War
Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battle was fought in Pitt County.
- June 5, 1862 = Tranter's Creek[6]
- Map showing Civil War battles in North Carolina.
Civil War Confederate units
Brief history, counties where recruited, etc.
Newspapers
Probate
The Clerk of Superior Court is elected for four years and must be a resident of the county in which he or she is elected. Unlike clerks of court in other states, the Clerk of Superior Court in North Carolina has numerous judicial functions.
As judge of probate, the Clerk has exclusive original jurisdiction over matters relating to the probate of wills, and the administration of estates, including appointing personal representatives, auditing their accounting, and removing them from office if necessary. The Clerk also presides over many other legal matters including adoptions, incompetency proceedings, condemnation of private lands for public use, and foreclosures. The Clerk is responsible for all clerical and record-keeping functions of the district and superior court. In addition, the Clerk receives and disburses money collected each year from court fees and fines.
Pitt County Courthouse
100 W Third St
Greenville, NC 27835
Mailing Address:
PO Box 6067
Greenville, NC 27835
Clerk of the Superior Court
(252) 695-7100
- Pre-1790 - Pre-1790 Pitt County, North Carolina Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.
- 1858-1963 - Will Books 1 to 12 (1858-1963) have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.
A number of Wills and Estate Records have been transcribed, they can be viewed at the Pitt County, NC USGenWeb Archives
Taxation
Vital Records
Births
Marriages
- 1851-1867 - Pitt County Marriage Register, 1851-1867 at East Carolina University - free.
- 1866-1961 - Pitt County Marriage Index 1866-1961 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.[7]
Yearbooks
- East Carolina University: 1923-1979
- Pitt County students from NC colleges - via the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index
Societies and Libraries
Family History Centers
Web Sites
- NCGenWeb: Pitt County - part of the USGenWeb Project
- Pitt County at Our Family Tree
- Family History Library Catalog
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Pitt County, North Carolina. Page 512 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 George Washington Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists, 2 vols. (1930; reprint, Gallatin, Tenn.: Church History Research and Archives, 1990), 1:488, 490. FHL Book 975.6 K2p 1990
- ↑ "Flat Swamp Church," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com/, accessed 22 October 2012.
- ↑ Lemuel Burkitt and Jesse Read, A Concise History of the Kehukee Baptist Association: From Its Original Rise Down to 1808 (1808), Chapter 16. Digital version at St Paul's Seminary website.
- ↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 9 August, 2012)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/f/f5/Iginorthcarolinap.pdf.
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- This page was last modified on 4 May 2013, at 16:23.
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