Duplin County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States   North Carolina    Duplin County

History
Duplin County was created in 1750 from the northern part of New Hanover County and is named for Thomas Hay, Viscount Dupplin, later 9th Earl of Kinnoull. The earliest immigrants were Welsh, who arrived in the 1700′s, and soon followed by German Palatines and the Swiss in the 1730′s and 1740′s. The Scotch-Irish arrived in 1736 with Henry McCulloch, a wealthy London merchant, to settle on a rich and fertile 71,160-acre land granted to him from the British Crown. The French Huguenots and English, who migrated from Virginia along with Scottish Highlanders who came from the upper Cape Fear region, also were among the earliest settlers to the area along with African-Americans. The early settlements were primarily along the river and larger creeks as these were the best means of transportation. Henry McCulloch established several settlements. One on the east bank of the Northeast Cape Fear River named Sarecta, became Duplin’s first incorporated town in 1787. Another settlement was established on the west side of the river on Goshen Swamp, and a third at a place referred to as Golden Grove, later to become the Town of Kenansville. (Source: Duplin County History).

Parent County
1749--Duplin County was created 17 March 1749 from New Hanover County. County seat: Kenansville

Record Loss
Many court records are missing.

Neighboring Counties

 * Jones
 * Lenoir
 * Onslow
 * Pender
 * Sampson
 * Wayne

African American
The first U.S. Federal census enumerating freed slaves was taken in 1870. Their records have been published:


 * Melton, Carol K.W. and Joseph W. Wescott III. 1870 Federal Census: The African American Population of Duplin County, North Carolina. Rose Hill, N.C.: Duplin County Historical Foundation, 2000.

Church of England
St. Gabriel's Parish served Duplin County.

Surviving records include Warden's Records of the Poor (1799-1817), which are kept at the North Carolina State Archives. Microfilm copy:.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Albertson

Genealogy
It is anticipated that this bibliography will eventually identify all known family histories published about residents of this county. Use this list to:


 * Locate publications about direct ancestors
 * Find the most updated accounts of an ancestor's family
 * Identify publications, to quote Elizabeth Shown Mills, about an ancestor's "FAN Club" [Friends, Associates, and Neighbors]

Yearbooks

 * Duplin County students at North Carolina colleges - a list alphabetized by surname from the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index

Web Sites

 * Duplin County, NCGenWeb - free genealogy resources; part of the national USGenWeb Project