North Carolina, United States Genealogy

United States   North Carolina

Guide to North Carolina genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records

Welcome to the North Carolina page, First in FlightMost unique genealogical features:
 * 8 proprietors granted land 1663-1729; Granvilles continued to 1763
 * Poor natural harbors forced most settlers to come overland to NC
 * State births and deaths start 1913
 * The best U.S. handbook is Helen F. M. Leary, ed, North Carolina Research

Extinct or Historical Counties
Albemarle| Bath | Bute | Cherokee Reservation | Clarendon | Dobbs | Glasgow | Tryon

Click on the map below to go to a county page. Hover over a county to see its name. To see a larger version of the map, click here.

Counties gone to Tennessee or Virginia:  State of Franklin· Blount· Caswell (TN)· Davidson (TN)· Fincastle (VA)· Greene (TN)· Hawkins· Sevier· Spencer· Sullivan· Sumner· Tennessee· Washington (old)· Wayne (TN)

Extinct or Renamed Counties:  Albermarle· Albermarle Precinct· Archdale· Bath· Berkeley· Bute· Carteret Precinct· Clarendon· Cleaveland· Dobbs· Glasgow· Pamptecough· Pelham · Shaftesbury Precinct· Tryon· Wickham

Major Repositories
North Carolina State Archives · State Library of North Carolina · University of North Carolina Library · Duke University Perkins Library · National Archives Southeast Region (Atlanta) · Library of Congress

Migration Routes
Atlantic Coast Ports· Black Fox Trail · Catawba and Northern Trail · Catawba Trail · Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad · Fall Line Road Southern Road · Fayetteville, Elizabethtown, and Wilmington Trail · Great Valley Road · Jonesboro Road · King's Highway · Lower Cherokee Traders' Path · New River and Southern Trail · Occaneechi Path · Old Cherokee Path · Rutherford's War Trace · Secondary Coast Road · Unicoi Trail · Upper Road · Wilmington, Highpoint, and Northern Trail

Research Tools

 * Guide To Research Materials In the North Carolina State Archives 379 page county record inventory. Lists county formation date, courthouse disasters, record types (bonds, corporate, court, election, estate, land, marriage, roads, tax, wills), dates covered, if a book, boxed, or filmed.
 * The North Carolina GenWeb Project provides county information about formation date, parent county, county seat, bibliography, cemeteries, census, churches, towns, history, look ups, obituaries, queries, repositories, surname registry, and many Internet links.
 * How to order North Carolina Vital Records
 * Researching North Carolina Census Records*Message Boards and other Internet sites can help. CyndisList links to 24 categories of NC genealogy Internet sites.
 * State of North Carolina County &amp; City Government Court records
 * Rotating Formation North Carolina County Boundary Maps and Atlases
 * North Carolina Genealogy Network Group on Facebook
 * List of North Carolina Archives, Libraries, Publications, Historical &amp; Genealogical Societies
 * History &amp; Facts of North Carolina Counties
 * North Carolina Blacksheep Ancestors, NC prisoners, outlaws, court records, and executions.
 * Join a Community of North Carolina researchers! Ask questions, help others, and share your research successes on Facebook and/or Skype.
 * DigitalNC Collection: North Carolina's Digital Heritage

Wiki articles describing online Historcial Record Collections are found at:


 * North Carolina Births and Christenings (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina, Birth Index (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina, Civil Action Court Papers (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina County Marriage Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina County Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina Davidson County Vital Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina Death and Burial (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina Death Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina Estate Files (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina Probate Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * North Carolina State Supreme Court Case Files (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Obtain additional help

 * Call or chat with an experienced researcher
 * Join a Facebook Group
 * Consult a Professional Genealogist

Things you can do
Below list some of the many tasks you can help with:

To add your knowledge and help expand the wiki click here