Halifax County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States   North Carolina    Halifax County

History
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.

Parent County
1754--Halifax County was created 12 December 1754 from Edgecombe County. County seat: Halifax

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

Neighboring Counties

 * Bertie
 * Edgecombe
 * Franklin
 * Martin
 * Nash
 * Northampton
 * Warren

Cemeteries

 * Cemetery Census-Halifax County
 * Find-A-Grave - Halifax County
 * Halifax County-NCGenWeb Cemetery Page

Land
The Halifax County Register of Deeds has copies of land records starting from 1732. Marriage records are available since 1825. Birth &amp; 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 &amp; pricing.

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.

The 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.

North Carolina Vital Records has copies of newer records and is advisable for obtaining certified copies of Birth, Marriage, Death and Divorce records. Check their website for further details and fees.

Halifax County Register of Deeds Court Services Building P. O. Box 67 357 Ferrell Lane Halifax, NC 27839 Tel: 259-583-2101 Access the Property Index Search on their website

The following pages contain transcriptions of deeds:


 * W. W. Carter, Sheriff to John Justiss, 1813
 * James Carstarphen Records 1777-1785
 * Thomas Curlin to John Taylor, 1818
 * Thomas Curlin to Richard Bailey, 1818
 * Thomas Curlin to John Lee, 1819
 * Thomas Curlin to Thomas Carlisle, 1845
 * Edmund Daniel to Cory Cox, 1783
 * Zachariah Harman to Drewry Harrington, 1787
 * Milly Hyde to John Hyde, 1794
 * Henry &amp; Ann Long to Joel Walker, 1784
 * John Long to Joel Walker, 1775
 * John Peebles to John Curlin, 1810
 * Jesse Read Deeds
 * Mary Read to Aaron Pendry, 1769
 * Mary Read to Lydia Read, 1769
 * Mary Read to Moses R. Pendry, 1769
 * Matthew &amp; Sarah Roburn to John Long, 1778
 * John Taylor to Thomas Curlin, 1799
 * George Washington to John Cooper, 1791
 * Thomas Willie to Thomas Curlin, 1817

Local Histories

 * Halifax County History Index
 * Sally M. Stanton Letter
 * History and Pioneers of Halifax County
 * Historical Family Collections
 * Richard Thompson Family Letters
 * Those Kitchin Girls
 * William Hodges Kitchin Family
 * Sally's Family Place
 * Mingia Family History Pages
 * Bacon, Grady, Kitchin, Satterfield, Stack, &amp; Travis Families
 * Descendants of Hezakiah Morris
 * Descendants of James Gill
 * The Little Legend
 * The Hux Family From Halifax County
 * The Stiths Family
 * The Descendants of Richard Jordan I
 * Guide to the Robert Lynch Papers
 * The Haliwa-Saponi (from Wikipedia)
 * Sale of the Slaves of Cary Whitaker of Halifax
 * Biography of James Edward O'Hara
 * Halifax County 1860 Largest Slaveholders &amp; 1870 Surnames Match
 * Slaves named in Halifax Co. Wills, 1758-1854
 * Joseph Baysmore, a Historical Sketch of 1st Colored Baptist Church

Newspapers

 * Roanoke Daily Herald
 * Warren Record
 * Littleton News
 * The Lake Gaston Observer

Probate

 * Halifax County Wills Index

Taxation

 * Halifax County 1784 Taxables

Societies and Libraries
Halifax County Genealogical Society P.O. Box 447 Halifax, NC 27839

North Carolina Genealogical Society P. O. Box 22 Greenville, NC 27835

Edgecombe County Genealogical Society PO Box 656 Pinetops, North Carolina 27864

Tar River Connections Genealogical Society P O Box 8764 Rocky Mount, N.C. 27804

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Halifax County NCGenWeb Project
 * Halifax County USGenWeb Archives