Halifax County, North Carolina Genealogy

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Guide to Halifax County, North Carolina ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Facts
County seat: Halifax
Organized: January 1, 1759
Parent County(s): Edgecombe [1]
Neighboring Counties
Bertie  • Edgecombe  • Franklin  • Martin  • Nash  • Northampton  • Warren
See County Maps
Courthouse
NorthCarolinaHalifaxCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
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County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Halifax County is located in the eastern portion of North Carolina and its name was derived from George Montague, Second Earl of Halifax and president of the British Board of Trade and Plantations.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Halifax County Courthouse
King Street
Box 67
Halifax, NC 27839
Phone: 252-583-2101
Halifax County Website

Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1913, marriage records from 1867, divorce, probate records from 1868, court records from 1893, land records from 1729 and military discharge records from 1918.[3]

Halifax County, North Carolina Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1913 1867 1913 1893 1729 1868 1784
*Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1913. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

Many court records are missing. Many of the early marriage records are also missing.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1759 Halifax County was officially established in 1759 from Edgecombe County.
  • County seat: Halifax[5]

For animated maps illustrating North Carolina county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation North Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1664-1965) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[6]

Cities
Towns
Unincorporated communities
Census-designated places
Townships
  • Brinkleyville
  • Butterwood
  • Conoconnara
  • Enfield
  • Faucett
  • Halifax
  • Hobgood
  • Littleton
  • Palmyra
  • Roanoke Rapids
  • Roseneath
  • Scotland Neck
  • Weldon


History Timeline[edit | edit source]

In 1758 the residents of Edgecombe County petitioned the Governor and the Colonial Assembly requesting that the parish of Halifax be granted the status of an individual county - having functioned along with St. Mary’s Parish as the two original Edgecombe County parishes since its creation in 1741 from the southwestern section of Bertie County. Bertie County was formed from the western extension of Chowan Precinct (west of the Chowan River) in the year 1722, and was even earlier, an undefined part of the now extinct original Albemarle County 1664-1668. All territory within the boundaries of Edgecombe County north of the Fishing Creek and Rainbow Banks on the Roanoke River - approximately 711 square miles - was officially designated as Halifax County on January 1, 1759. Halifax County is located in the northeastern area of North Carolina and is bordered on all sides by seven neighboring NC counties. As suggested by Governor Author Dobbs, Halifax was named for George Montague II, Earl of Halifax, first Lord of the Board of Trade and Plantations. The county seat, also named Halifax (town) had been established in 1757 on the Roanoke River. Located on the fall line of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, the county has an interesting mixture of flat and hilly terrain and an excellent climate for agricultural pursuits. The original residents of this area along the southern banks of the Moratuck [Roanoke] River and Quankie Creek were the Tuscarora Indians.

In 1917 Milton Whitney, Chief of Bureau, U. S. Department of Agriculture submitted an official report to the US Government in which he stated that the early settlers of the Halifax County area came mainly from the British Isles. Many of them settled first in New Jersey and other northern States and then migrated to this county. Others came directly to Halifax County. The first settlements in Halifax County were apparently made near the watercourses. The first crops grown were corn, peas, potatoes, flax, and various vegetables. Live stock was brought in at an early date, and gradually increased in number. Flax was spun and woven into garments for home use. Considerable wool was produced and made into clothing at home. Tanneries were in operation at an early date, and furnished leather for making shoes. Nearly every settler grew tobacco for domestic use. Cotton was grown in small patches and made into homespun garments, the lint being separated from the seed by hand.

In 1774, the southeastern part of Halifax County was combined with part of Tyrrell County to form Martin County. Today Halifax County is comprised of twelve townships with a total population of 57,370 people (2000 Census). The Townships are: Brinkleyville, Butterwood, Conoconnara, Enfield, Faucett, Halifax, Littleton, Palmyra, Roanoke Rapids, Roseneath, Scotland Neck, and Weldon.

Land records of Edgecombe County, and Bertie District, are included in the record of deed series.

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

  • Bible Records at North Carolina Digital Archives - index and images

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Halifax County, North Carolina online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See North Carolina Cemeteries for more information

 

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 14,310 —
1800 13,945 −2.6%
1810 15,620 12.0%
1820 17,237 10.4%
1830 17,739 2.9%
1840 16,865 −4.9%
1850 16,589 −1.6%
1860 19,442 17.2%
1870 20,408 5.0%
1880 30,300 48.5%
1890 28,908 −4.6%
1900 30,793 6.5%
1910 37,646 22.3%
1920 43,766 16.3%
1930 53,246 21.7%
1940 56,512 6.1%
1950 58,377 3.3%
1960 58,956 1.0%
1970 53,884 −8.6%
1980 55,286 2.6%
1990 55,516 0.4%
2000 57,370 3.3%
2010 54,691 −4.7%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".


Church Records[edit | edit source]

Baptist

  • Davis's Meeting House, aka Concinnary. Established by 1783.[7]
  • Kehukee. Church built 1742. Also spelled Quehuky.[7][8] Edwards published a membership list dated 1742 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 129.
  • Lawrence's, aka New Meeting House, aka Fishing Creek; near Scotland Neck, N.C. Established by 1779.[7]
  • Lower Fishing Creek. Church built 1757.[7] Edwards published a list of early members in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 133-134.
  • Rocky Swamp, near Enfield, N.C. Established by 1773.[7]
  • Quankey, near Halifax, N.C. Established by 1799.[7]

Church of England

  • Trinity Parish, near Scotland Neck, N.C. Established about 1732.[9] A history was published in 1955.[10]

Methodist

  • Eden, near Enfield, N.C. Established by 1789.[11]


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

  • Halifax County Register of Deeds
    Court Services Building
    PO Box 67
    357 Ferrell Lane
    Halifax, NC 27839
    Phone: 259-583-2101
    Access the Property Index Search on their website
    Has copies of land records starting from 1732. Marriage records are available since 1825. Birth & death records are available since October 1913. Generally, it is more cost effective to obtain documents from the County offices for non-certified copies rather than the State Archives, so contact the Registry for availability & pricing.
  • North Carolina State Archives has copies of most records prior to about 1930. For a listing of available Halifax County records at the Archives, click onto our Guide. It is generally more cost effective to order directly from the County offices, so check the local offices first for document availability. Before ordering anything from the Archives, please read our Contacting the State Archives page.

Deed transcriptions:

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Warren CountyNorthampton CountyBertie CountyHertford CountyMartin CountyEdgecombe CountyNash CountyFranklin CountyNC HALIFAX.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War

Military record transcriptions:

Civil War

Regiments. Men in Halifax County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Halifax County:

- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company G
- 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company I
- 14th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 4th Volunteers, Company A
- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company K
- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry,usually known as the Bethel Regiment, Company I
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, Company F
- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company K
- 41st Regiment Volunteers - 3rd Cavalry, Company G

Civil War record transcriptions:

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

Voter Registration

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Indexes and Records

  • North Carolina State Archives has copies of most records prior to about 1930. For a listing of available Halifax County records at the Archives, click onto our Guide. It is generally more cost effective to order directly from the County offices, so check the local offices first for document availability. The Clerk of the Superior Court for Halifax County has copies of court, wills and estate records starting from 1759 if they have not been transferred to the State Archives.

Will and estate record transcriptions:

School Records[edit | edit source]

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

  • Halifax County Register of Deeds
    Court Services Building
    PO Box 67
    357 Ferrell Lane
    Halifax, NC 27839
    Phone: 259-583-2101
    Access the Property Index Search on their website
    Has copies of land records starting from 1732. Marriage records are available since 1825. Birth & Death records are available since October 1913. Generally, it is more cost effective to obtain documents from the County offices for non-certified copies rather than the State Archives, so contact the Registry for availability & pricing.

Online Records

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Listed below are archives in Halifax County. For state-wide archival repositories, see North Carolina Archives and Libraries.

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Center and Affiliate Library Locator map - search for local Family History Centers or Affiliate Libraries

  • Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
  • FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Affiliate Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Listed below are libraries in Halifax County. For state-wide library facilities, see North Carolina Archives and Libraries.

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Listed below are societies in Halifax County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see North Carolina Societies.

Halifax County Genealogical Society
Chaffin House
110 Mt. Road
PO Box 447
Halifax, NC 27839
Telephone 434-579-0083
Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  2. ↑ https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/halifax
  3. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Halifax County, North Carolina. Page 506-514 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 505-509.
  5. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
  6. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Halifax County, North Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_County,_North_Carolina, accessed 15 February 2020.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 George Washington Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists, 2 vols. (1930; reprint, Gallatin, Tenn.: Church History Research and Archives, 1990), 1:236, 475, 480, 483-484, 488. FHL Book 975.6 K2p 1990.
  8. ↑ Morgan Edwards, Materials Towards a History of the Baptists in the Provinces of Maryland Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Georgia (1772). Digitized by SCDL Collections.
  9. ↑ "Trinity Church," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com, accessed 22 October 2012.
  10. ↑ Stuart Hall Smith and Claiborne T. Smith, Jr., The History of Trinity Parish and Edgecombe Parish (1955).
  11. ↑ "Eden Church," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com, accessed 22 October 2012.
  12. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/9/91/Iginorthcarolinag.pdf.
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