Gates County, North Carolina Genealogy

Guide to Gates County, North Carolina ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

Description
Gates County is located in the Eastern portion of North Carolina and shares a border with Virginia. It was named for General Horatio Gates, an American brigadier general in the Revolutionary War.

County Courthouse
Gates County Courthouse P O Box 345 Gatesville NC 27938 Phone: 252-357-0850

Reg of Deeds has birth, marriage and death records Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and Court records from 1780 Register of Deeds PO Box 471 Gatesville, NC. 27937 Telephone: 252-357-0850 Fax:	252-357-1568 Website Clerk of Superior Court PO Box 31 Gatesville, NC 27938 Telephone: (252) 357-1365

History
Gates County was formed in 1779 from Chowan, Hertford, and Perquimans counties. It was named in honor of General Horatio Gates, who commanded the American Army at the Battle of Saratoga. Gates County is in the northeastern section of the State and is bounded by Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Chowan and Hertford counties, and the state of Virginia. The present land area is 340.67 square miles. The act establishing the county provided that commissioners be appointed to select a site centrally located for the erection of a courthouse, etc., and to have the building erected. In 1781, an act was passed to levy an additional tax for the completion of the public buildings. The Legislature of 1830-1831 passed an act which said that the place now known as Gates Court House, in the county of Gates, shall in the future be known and described by the name of Gatesville. Gatesville is the county seat.

Gates County was a part of an area originally called "Albemarle", named for George, Duke of Albemarle. Later, what is now Gates County was split into three separate entities: Hertford, Chowan, and Perquimans counties. Most of the land within the present boundaries was considered to be Nansemond County, VA, until 1728, when William Byrd had surveyed the "dividing line" between Virginia and North Carolina.

Parent County
1778--Gates County was created 14 April 1778 from Chowan, Hertford, and Perquimans Counties. County seat: Gatesville

Boundary Changes
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.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Neighboring Counties

 * Camden
 * Chowan
 * Hertford
 * Pasquotank
 * Perquimans
 * Southampton County, Virginia
 * Suffolk, Virginia

Family Histories

 * Southall - Warner, Seth. "Descendants of the Reverend Daniel Southall of Eastern North Carolina," The Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Fall 2007):175-190; Vol. 22, No. 1 (Spring 2008):107-127; Vol. 22, No. 2 (Fall 2008):221-240.

Land
Gates County Register of Deeds 202 Court Street P.O. Box 471 Gatesville, NC 27938 Phone: (252) 357-2411

Online Records Search Page

Gates County Register of Deeds office contains records concerning real estate recordings, including Deeds and Deeds of Trust. Copies of survey maps are recorded in the Register of Deeds office. Also recorded in this office are Marriage, Birth &amp; Death Records, as well as Military Discharge Records. Discharge records 50 years of age or older are available for public view. More recent discharge recordings are only available for the Veterans' needs.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Gates County for European settlers included:


 * Atlantic Ocean
 * King's Highway about 1704
 * Secondary Coast Road late 1730s

Revolutionary War

 * 1779 - 1782 - at FamilySearch — index and images

War of 1812
Muster Rolls 7th Company from Gates County - on Archives.org

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1885 - 1953 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company C
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company B
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company H

World War I

 * 1917 - 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * 1940 - 1948 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1660 - 1790 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1663 - 1979 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1665 - 1998 - North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1735 - 1970 - at FamilySearch.org — images
 * 1760 - 1800 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry.com — index and images


 * Pre - 1790 - Pre-1790 Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.


 * 1762 - 1964 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.
 * 1779 - 1819 - Images of Wills and Estates North Carolina Pioneers ($)

Taxation

 * 1782 - Tax Lists, Gates County, 1782 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
 * 1782 - Tax Lists, Gates County, 1782 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1786 - Tax Lists, Gates County, 1786 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
 * 1786 - Tax Lists, Gates County, 1786 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1789 - Tax Lists, Gates County, 1789 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
 * 1789 - Tax Lists, Gates County, 1789 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1815 - Tax Lists, Gates County, 1815 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections

Birth

 * 1800 - 2000 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1866 - 1964 - at FamilySearch.org — index

Death

 * 1898 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1906 - 1930 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1908 - 2004 - North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1909 - 1975 - North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1931 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index

Divorce

 * 1926 - 1975 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1958 - 2004 - North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriages

 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1783 - 1877 - Gates County Marriages 1783-1877 North Carolina Pioneers - fees applicable
 * 1851 - 1951 - Gates County Marriage Index 1851-1951 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * Gates County, NC Archives
 * Pre - 1799 - North Carolina Marriages to 1799, a database North Carolina Pioneers - fees applicable
 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1759 - 1979 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1762 - 1979 -  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1763 - 1868 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Societies and Libraries
Gates County Historical Society PO Box 98 Gates 27937

Websites

 * Gates County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Gates County NCGenWeb
 * Gates County USGenWeb Archives
 * North Carolina Pioneers North Carolina Pioneers $
 * North Carolina Pioneers North Carolina Pioneers $