Orange County, North Carolina Genealogy
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Guide to Orange County, North Carolina ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
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County Information[edit | edit source]
Description[edit | edit source]
Orange County is located in the north-central portion of North Carolina and was named for William V of Orange, the infant grandson of King George III of England.[2]
County Courthouse[edit | edit source]
Orange County Courthouse
200 S Cameron St
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Phone: 919-245-2675
Orange County Website
Registrar of Deeds has birth and death records from 1913, marriage and land records from 1754, divorce records from 1869, probate records from 1756 and court records from 1865.[3]
Orange 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.
| Birth* | Marriage | Death* | Court | Land | Probate | Census |
| 1913 | 1754 | 1913 | 1865 | 1754 | 1756 | 1784 |
Record Loss[edit | edit source]
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1781 Some records were lost/destroyed when they were buried to avoid destruction by Cornwallis during the Revolutionary War. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:
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Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]
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]
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History Timeline[edit | edit source]
Orange County was created out of parts of Bladen, Granville, and Johnston counties in 1752. At that time, it comprised a large section of the middle of the North Carolina colony, extending halfway from the Virginia line to the South Carolina line. It was named for the infant William V of Orange. His mother Anne, who was a daughter of King George II of England, was the dowager princess of the Dutch Republic.
At the time that the county was formed, there were 5 Native American tribes living in the area.
As other counties were created out of parts of Orange’s territory, these counties were created wholly out of Old Orange: Chatham (1771), Caswell (1777) and Person (created out of Caswell in 1791), and Alamance (1849). Other sections of the old county were combined with parts of other counties to create: Guilford (1771), which gave birth in turn to Randolph (1779) and Rockingham (1785); Wake (1771), Durham (1881), and Lee (1907). After all of this, Orange County was just a fraction of its original size.
Resources[edit | edit source]
Bible Records[edit | edit source]
- Bible Records at North Carolina Digital Archives - index and image
- Bibles at Orange County, NC USGenWeb Archives
- Family Bibles and Records at Genealogy Trails History Group - Orange County North Carolina
Biographies[edit | edit source]
Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]
Cemeteries[edit | edit source]
- North Carolina, Historical Records Survey, Cemetery Inscription Card Index at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images Also at: Ancestry ($)
Census Records[edit | edit source]
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± |
| 1790 | 12,216 | — |
| 1800 | 16,362 | 33.9% |
| 1810 | 20,135 | 23.1% |
| 1820 | 23,492 | 16.7% |
| 1830 | 23,908 | 1.8% |
| 1840 | 24,356 | 1.9% |
| 1850 | 17,055 | −30.0% |
| 1860 | 16,947 | −0.6% |
| 1870 | 17,507 | 3.3% |
| 1880 | 23,698 | 35.4% |
| 1890 | 14,948 | −36.9% |
| 1900 | 14,690 | −1.7% |
| 1910 | 15,064 | 2.5% |
| 1920 | 17,895 | 18.8% |
| 1930 | 21,171 | 18.3% |
| 1940 | 23,072 | 9.0% |
| 1950 | 34,435 | 49.3% |
| 1960 | 42,970 | 24.8% |
| 1970 | 57,707 | 34.3% |
| 1980 | 77,055 | 33.5% |
| 1990 | 93,851 | 21.8% |
| 2000 | 118,227 | 26.0% |
| 2010 | 133,801 | 13.2% |
| Source: "Wikipedia.org". | ||
Church Records[edit | edit source]
- 1700-1970 - North Carolina, Church Records, 1700-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Baptist
- Rocky River, near Siler City, N.C. Organized about 1757.[7] Now located in Chatham.
- South Country Line or Waters of Haw River. Constituted 1783.[8]
Church of England
- St. Matthew's Parish. Established 1752.[9]
Presbyterian
- Eno. Founded in 1755.[10]
- Hawfields. Founded about 1755. Now located in Alamance.[11] Official website.
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]
- 1862-1870 North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Assistant Commissioner Records, 1862-1870 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1863-1872 North Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1863-1872 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]
- American Cremation and Funeral Service in Durham
- Clements Funeral & Cremation Services in Hillsborough
- Hall-Wynne Funeral Service & Crematory in Durham
- Holloway Memorial Funeral Home, Inc. in Durham
- Hudson Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Durham
- Jones Funeral Home Inc in Chapel Hill
- Knotts Funeral Homes in Chapel Hill
- McClure Funeral Service in Mebane
- Walker's Furneral Home in Hillsborough
Genealogies[edit | edit source]
- Clendenin - White, Jo White. "Clendenin of Orange County, North Carolina: An Exercise in Southern Genealogical Problem Solving," The Genealogist, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Fall 1985):186-190.
- Thompson - Buchanan, Jane Gray. Thomas Thompson and Ann Finney of Colonial Pennsylvania and North Carolina, Lawrence, Closs, and John Thompson. Allied Lines of Finney, McAllister, Buchanan, and Hart. Oak Ridge, Tenn.: J.G. Buchanan, 1987. FHL Collection.
Guardianship[edit | edit source]
Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]
Local Histories[edit | edit source]
Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]
Click a neighboring county
for more resources
for more resources
- FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places
Migration[edit | edit source]
Military Records[edit | edit source]
Revolutionary War
- 1778-1833 Delamar Transcripts of Revolutionary War Petitions at North Carolina Genealogical Society - index ($)
- 1779-1782 North Carolina Revolutionary Pay Vouchers 1779-1782 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Civil War
- 1861-1865 North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1861-1865 North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
- 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
- 1885 and 1901 1885 and 1901 Confederate Pension Applications at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
- 1885-1953 North Carolina, Confederate Soldiers and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1953 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Regiments. Men in Orange 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 Orange County:
- -1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, usually known as the Bethel Regiment.
- -1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- -1st Brigade, North Carolina Reserves, Company I
- -1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company D
- -1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry,usually known as the Bethel Regiment, Company D
- -1st Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company I
- -2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company K
- -3rd Battalion, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain Mark Durham's Company
- -3rd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, 2nd Company G
- -6th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- -6th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company B
- -6th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company C
- -11th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- -11th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company G
- -13th Battalion, North Carolina Infantry, Company A
World War I
- 1914-1918 World War I Papers at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
- 1917-1919 North Carolina, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
World War II
- 1939-1945 World Ward II Papers at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
- 1940-1948 North Carolina, Discharge and Statement of Service Records, 1940-1948 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]
Newspapers[edit | edit source]
- UNC Black Student Movement Newspapers (1969-1981) (NC Digital Heritage Center)
- North Carolina Newspaper Digitization Project, North Carolina State Archives. Search full text newspapers published in Hillsboro.
- North Carolina Newspapers at DigitalNC
Obituaries[edit | edit source]
Other Records[edit | edit source]
Voter Registration
- 1868-1898 - North Carolina, Voter Registration Records, 1868-1898 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Periodicals[edit | edit source]
Probate Records[edit | edit source]
Online Probate Indexes and Records
- 1660-1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry $
- 1663-1979 North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1663-1789 Secretary of State Wills at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
- 1665-1998 North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry $
- 1720-1960 - Will Books A to F and 1 to 8 (1720-1960) at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
- 1735-1970 North Carolina Probate Records 1735-1970 at FamilySearch
- How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
- 1752-1795 Wills and Indentures 1752-1795 (images) at North Carolina Pioneers $
- 1752-1946 Will Books 1 to 13 and A to M (1752-1946) at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
- 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
- Pre-1790 Pre-1790 Orange County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills (North Carolina State Archives)
School Records[edit | edit source]
Yearbooks
- UNC-Chapel Hill: 1890-1978
- Orange County Students at NC colleges, yearbook index (NCGenWeb)
Social Security Records[edit | edit source]
- 1935-2014 United States Social Security Death Index at FamilySearch - How to use this collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
- 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.
Tax Records[edit | edit source]
- 1755 Tax Lists, Onslow County, 1755 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2 at Ancestry $
- 1755 Tax Lists, Orange County, 1755 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
- 1755 Tax Lists, Orange County, 1755 (images) at FamilySearch
- 1755 1755 Tax List of Orange Co., N.C., 1st tax list (transcript) at FamilySearch
- 1755 1755 Tax List of Orange County, North Carolina (transcript) at FamilySearch
- 1779 Tax Lists, Orange County, 1779 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2 at Ancestry $
- 1779 Tax Lists, Orange County, 1779 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
Vital Records[edit | edit source]
- 1800-2000 - North Carolina, Department of Archives and History, Index to Vital Records, 1800-2000 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Birth[edit | edit source]
- 1800-2000 North Carolina Birth Index 1800-2000 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1866-1964 North Carolina Births and Christenings 1866-1964 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
- 1913-1922 North Carolina, Center for Health Statistics, Vital Records Unit, County Birth Records, 1913-1922 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Marriage[edit | edit source]
- 1741-2004 North Carolina, United States Marriages at Findmypast
- 1741-2004 North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry $
- 1759-1979 North Carolina Marriages 1759-1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index
- 1762-1979 North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1763-1868 North Carolina, Civil Marriages, 1763-1868 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Death[edit | edit source]
- 1898-1994 North Carolina Deaths and Burials, 1898-1994 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1906-1930 North Carolina Deaths 1906-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images Also at: MyHeritage ($)
- 1908-2004 North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry $
- 1909-1975 North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry $
- 1931-1994 North Carolina Deaths 1931-1994 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
Divorce[edit | edit source]
- 1926-1975 North Carolina, County Divorce Records, 1926-1975 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
- 1958-2004 North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry $
Research Facilities[edit | edit source]
Archives[edit | edit source]
Listed below are archives in Orange 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 Orange 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 Orange County. For state-wide genealogical societies, see North Carolina Societies.
- The Durham-Orange Genealogical Society of North Carolina
PO Box 4703
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-4703
Website
- Historical Foundation of Hillsborough and Orange County
210 N. Churton St.
Hillsborough, NC 27278
(919) 732-2210
Email: info@orangeNChistory.org
Website
Websites[edit | edit source]
- NCGenWeb: Orange County - part of the USGenWeb Project
- USGenWeb Orange County Archives - many additional genealogical records of all kinds
- FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
Research Guides[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/orange
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Orange County, North Carolina. Page 511 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Orange 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Orange County, North Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_County,_North_Carolina, accessed 23 February 2020.
- ↑ "Rocky River Church," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com, accessed 22 October 2012.
- ↑ George Washington Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists, 2 vols. (1930; reprint, Gallatin, Tenn.: Church History Research and Archives, 1990), 2:566. FHL Book 975.6 K2p 1990.
- ↑ Donna Sherron, "North Carolina Parishes," accessed 12 October 2012. Digital version at Lost Souls Genealogy
- ↑ "Old Eno Church and Cemetery," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com, accessed 22 October 2012.
- ↑ "Hawfields Church," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com, accessed 22 October 2012.
