Northampton County, North CarolinaEdit This Page
From FamilySearch Wiki
United States
North Carolina
Northampton County
| Northampton County, North Carolina | |||||||||
| Map | |||||||||
![]() Location in the state of North Carolina | |||||||||
![]() Location of North Carolina in the U.S. | |||||||||
| Facts | |||||||||
| Founded | 1741 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Seat | Jackson | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Contents |
County Courthouse
| | |||||
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Northampton County Courthouse
Jefferson St P O Box 120
Jackson, NC 27845
Phone: 252-534-2511
Reg of Deeds has birth, marriage and death and land records
Clerk Superior Court has divorce records from 1800
pro & ct rec from 1761[1]
History
Northampton County was formed in 1741 from Bertie County and was named in honor of James Crompton Earl of Northampton, an English nobleman. Located in the northeastern section of the state, it is bounded by the State of Virginia and neighboring North Carolina counties of Halifax, Bertie and Hertford. The Roanoke River determines the southwest boarder of Northampton following its flow from the Roanoke Rapids Lake in the northwestern corner of Northampton County. The Meherrin River marks the northeastern border. The present land area is 536 square miles and the 2003 estimated population was 21,782. Jackson is the seat of Northampton County and is an extremely fertile area along the Roanoke River with cotton, corn and peanuts being its principal crops. The first courthouse was built here in 1742 and was known as Northampton Courthouse; Jackson, NC was incorporated in 1823 and named after Andrew Jackson who was born near the NC/SC line, studied law in Salisbury, NC and later became the seventh President of the United States.
During the Nat Turner slave insurrection of 1831 in the adjoining Southampton County, Virginia, NC militia were mobilized at Jackson, NC in readiness for the anticipated slave uprising that was quelled prior to the militia's intervention. The Northampton County Courthouse was built in 1859 and it is purported that Cornwallis visited a tavern that was located diagonally opposite the Courthouse. Lafayette, the first Frenchman to come to the aid of the American revolutionary cause and whom the United States Congress commissioned a major general of the Continental Army on July 31, 1777 dined in Jackson on his 1825 triumphal visit to North Carolina.
Parent County
1741--Northampton County was created from Bertie County.
County seat: Jackson [2]
Boundary Changes
Record Loss
Some records are missing.
Places/Localities
Populated Places
Neighboring Counties
- Bertie
- Brunswick County, Virginia
- Greensville County, Virginia
- Halifax
- Hertford
- Southampton County, Virginia
- Warren
Resources
Cemeteries
- Search Northampton County Cemeteries at NCGenWeb
Census
For tips on accessing Northampton County, North Carolina census records online, see: North Carolina Census.
Church Records
- See a listing of Northampton County Churches at NCGenWeb
Baptist
There was a Baptist Church at Potecasi by 1778.[3]
Church of England
- Northwest Parish. Established by 1727.[4]
- St. George's Parish. Established by 1762. Vestry minutes begin 1773.[5]
Court
Family Histories
A great deal of information about several early Northampton County families is presented in:
- Dozier, Rebecca Leach, Lou Woodard King and Penn Perry. Twelve Northhampton County, North Carolina Families, 1650-1850: Bridgers, Daughtry, Futrell, Jenkins, Joyner, Lassiter, Martin, Odom, Parker, Stephenson, Sumner, Woodard. Baltimore, Md.: Gateway Press, 2004. FHL Book 975.649 D2d
Books and Articles
- [Binford] Bruner, Mary L. Binford Family Genealogy. Greenfield, Ind.: Wm. Mitchell Printing Co., [1925]. Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online - free; FHL Book 929.273 B512b.
- [Boddie] Leary, Helen F.M. "The Two William Boddies of North Carolina," The American Genealogist, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Jan. 1991):16-29; Vol. 62, No. 2 (Apr. 1991):106-110; Vol. 66, No. 3 (Jul. 1991):148-153. Available at FHL.
Land
The Northampton County Register of Deeds Office has real estate records extending back as far as 1741.
Northampton County Register of Deeds
Thomas Bragg Street
Jasper Eley Annex Building
PO Box 128
Jackson, NC 27845
Phone: (252)534-2511
Local Histories
Maps
The Northampton County NCGenWeb site has an array of maps and mapping projects using the Google Earth application. For a complete listing of map records click onto Northampton County Places
Northampton County maps from the NC State Archives Digital Maps Collection
Military
Civil War
Civil War Confederate units - Brief history, counties where recruited, etc.
Newspapers
Probate
Probate records, including wills & estate records are handled by the Northampton County Clerk of the Superior Court, located at the County Courthouse. Contact their office for details of what is available and fees.
Northampton County Courthouse
104 West Jefferson St
PO Box 217
Jackson, NC 27845
(252) 574-3100
- Pre-1790 - Pre-1790 Northampton County, North Carolina Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.
- 1741-1961 - Will Books A, 1 to 13 (1741-1961) have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.
A number of probate records have been transcribed or images and can be viewed on the following sites:
- NC Probate Records, 1735-1970: Northampton - from FamilySearch
- Index to Wills - NCGenWeb Northampton Co.
- NC County Records 1833-1970: Estate Records - from FamilySearch; indexed images of Northampton Co. Estate Records are included in this Collection
Taxation
Vital Records
Societies and Libraries
Family History Centers
Web Sites
- USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
- Family History Library Catalog
- NCGenWeb Northampton County
- Northampton County, NCGenWeb Archives
References
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Northampton County, North Carolina. Page 511 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ George Washington Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists, 2 vols. (1930; reprint, Gallatin, Tenn.: Church History Research and Archives, 1990), 1:476. FHL Book 975.6 K2p 1990.
- ↑ Donna Sherron, "North Carolina Parishes," accessed 12 October 2012. Digital version at Lost Souls Genealogy - free.
- ↑ Robert J. Cain, ed., The Church of England in North Carolina: Documents, 1699-1741 (Raleigh, N.C.: Division of Archives and History, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, 1999), 432, 501. FHL Book 975.6 K2cr.
Need additional research help? Contact our research help specialists.
Need wiki, indexing, or website help? Contact our product teams.
Did you find this article helpful?
You're invited to explain your rating on the discussion page (you must be signed in).
New to the Research Wiki?
In the FamilySearch Research Wiki, you can learn how to do genealogical research or share your knowledge with others.
Learn More


