Alexander County, North Carolina Genealogy


 * This article is about a western North Carolina county. For other uses, see Alexander.

United States   North Carolina    Alexander County

History
Alexander was formed in 1847 from Iredell, Caldwell and Wilkes counties. It was named in honor of William J. Alexander of Mecklenburg County, several times member of the Legislature and speaker of the House of Commons.

Alexander County is located in the foothills of the Brushy Mountains in western North Carolina. It is bordered on the south by the Catawba River and Catawba County, on the west by Caldwell County, on the north by Wilkes County, and on the east by Iredell County. Taylorsville, incorprated in 1851, is the county seat of Alexander County. Primary industry includes agriculture, furniture, and textiles. In 2003, the county celebrated its 156th birthday.

Parent County
1847--Alexander County was created 15 January 1847 from Caldwell, Iredell, and Wilkes Counties. County seat: Taylorsville

Record Loss
1865--Many court records were burned by Federal Troops.

Neighboring Counties
Caldwell | Catawba | Iredell | Wilkes

Cemeteries

 * Bentley Cemetery
 * Jolly Cemetery
 * Lebanon Cemetery
 * Mount Carmel Cemetery
 * Pisgah Cemetery

Court
North Carolina's court system, called the General Court of Justice, is a unified statewide and state-operated system consisting of three divisions: the Appellate Division, the Superior Court and the District Court Division. The Superior Court and District Court Divisions are commonly referred to as the North Carolina Trial Courts.

For some counties the trial Courts have been further subdivided into specialty areas such as Business Court, Family Court, Drug Court, Traffic Court, etc. More information on specialty courts for this county is provided on the left menu.

This web site for the Courts in Alexander County provides specific information on how North Carolina Trial Courts operate within Alexander County

Local Histories
Alexander County was established in 1847, the year of the first sale of land in the county seat (Taylorsville). With the proceeds from the sale, the first courthouse was built on the present site. When the Civil War began, Alexander County was 14 years old. The 1860 population was 5,837; yet Alexander County ranked high per capita in the number of Confederate soldiers serving in the war.The county is named in honor of the Alexander family who were leaders in Colonial North Carolina. Taylorsville is the namesake of either John Louis Taylor, Carolina agriculturist and political philosopher, or General Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States.

Maps
http://maps.co.alexander.nc.us/gomaps/index.cfm

Web Sites

 * NCGenWeb: Alamance County - free genealogy resources; part of the national USGenWeb Project