Guilford County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Guilford County is located in the Central portion of North Carolina and was named for Francis North, First Earl of Guilford and father of the prime minister of Great Britain at the time.

County Courthouse
Guilford County Courthouse 201 S Eugene St PO Box 3427 Greensboro, NC 27402 Phone: 336-641-7556

Courthouse Burned 1872. Many older records are still avialable. See Record Loss section below

 Register of Deeds  Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1913. The office also has a limited list of slave deeds, available online at Guilford County Register of Deeds''

Offices for the Register of Deeds in Guilford County are located in the county seat in of Greensboro, and in High Point.

Greensboro Mail: Register of Deeds PO Box 3427 Greensboro, NC 27403 Telephone: 336-641-7556 Visit: 2nd floor of the BB&T building 201 West Market Street Greensboro, NC 27401

High Point Mail: Register of Deeds PO Box 1467 High Point, NC 27761 Telephone: 336-641-7556 Visit: 325 East Russell Avenue, Room 155 High Point, NC 27260

Email: [mailto:guilforddeeds@myguilford.com guilforddeeds@myguilford.com]

Hours: 8-5 Monday through Friday for both locations. Closed on all major holidays.

Clerk of Superior Court PO Box 3008 Greensboro, NC 27402-3008 Telephone: (336) 412-7400

For Divorce Records, contact the Clerk of the Superior Court.

North Carolina Vital Records

Mail: North Carolina Vital Records 1903 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699

Visit: North Carolina Vital Records - Cooper Memorial Health Building 225 N. McDowell Street Raleigh, NC 27603 Telephone: 919-733-3000 Fax: 919-733-1511

Hours: 8-3 Monday through Friday.

Parent County
1770--Guilford County was created 5 December 1770 from Orange and Rowan Counties, but it did not start administration of its territory until 1 April 1771, so no Guilford records exist before that date.

County seat: Greensboro

Boundary Changes
The law creating Guilford County was passed in 1770, and the county started administration of its territory on April 1, 1771. Any land records prior to that time will be in the records of other counties. Approximately, the western two-thirds of the county came from Rowan County, and the eastern one-third came from Orange County. Rowan was created in 1753 from Anson County, and Orange was created in 1752 from parts of Johnston, Bladen, and Granville counties.

"Old Guilford County" was three times larger than present-day Guilford County, since Randolph County was created from the southern third of Guilford in 1779, and Rockingham County was created from the northern third of Old Guilford in 1785.

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
1781 - Fire burned courthouse 1872 - Courthouse fire resulted in some loss of records.

Major Cities

 * Archdale (part)
 * Gibsonville (part)
 * Greensboro (Wikipedia link)
 * High Point
 * Jamestown
 * Julian
 * Kernersville (part)
 * Oak Ridge
 * Pleasant Garden
 * Sedalia
 * Stokesdale
 * Summerfield
 * Whitsett

Townships

 * Brownsummit
 * Bruce
 * Center Grove
 * Clay
 * Climax
 * Colfax
 * Deep River
 * Fentress
 * Forest Oaks
 * Fork
 * Friendship
 * Gilmer
 * Green
 * Jefferson
 * Madison
 * McLeansville
 * Monroe
 * Monticello
 * Morehead
 * Rock Creek
 * Sedgefield
 * Sumner
 * Vandalia
 * Washington

Neighboring Counties

 * Alamance
 * Davidson
 * Forsyth
 * Randolph
 * Rockingham
 * Stokes

African American
They have a local chapter for the North Carolina Piedmont/Triad. They have bi-monthly meetings. You can find out more information and a list of upcoming meetings on their website at: ncaahgs.org The center has a permanent exhibit and has several other special exhibits, events, and speakers. A list of special events, hours, and admission prices can found on their website at: www.sitinmovement.org
 * AAHGS-Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society
 * Bennett College yearbooks - 1961 to 2002
 * Bennett College scrapbook from 1945
 * International Civil Rights Center and Museum
 * North Carolina Agriculture & Technical State University

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch — index and images
 * New Garden Friends Meeting Cemetery, Greensboro (Benbow listings only)
 * Search Greensboro Cemeteries, a growing index to many cemeteries in Guilford County.
 * Union Cemetery is one of the most important burial sites for African Americans in Guilford County. The list is of all marked graves. It has been in use since the 1880s.

Baptist

 * Caraway Creek. Founded before 1773.
 * Cross Roads. Constituted 1786.
 * Matrimony Creek. Founded by 1778. Later located in Rockingham County. Church membership lists and minutes are available online, with an index at the end: online.
 * Sandy Creek. Founded 1755. Later located in Randolph County.

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


 * Greensboro

German Reformed

 * Old Brick Church, near Whitsett, N.C. Organized late 1700s.

Lutheran

 * Friedens Church, near Gibsonville, N.C. Organized before 1791.
 * Low's Lutheran Church, near Kimesville, N.C. Organized about 1771.

Presbyterian

 * Alamance Church, near Greensboro, N.C. Organized about 1764.
 * Buffalo Church, Greensboro, N.C. Organized about 1764.

County Records

 * 1833-1970 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Court

 * NCGenWeb Court and Land Records page

Land
The deed books are online! http://rdlxweb.co.guilford.nc.us/guilfordNameSearch.php Click on Old Index Books to find the indices.

Local Histories

 * Arnett, Ethel Stephens, Greensboro, North Carolina: The County Seat of Guilford, Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1955, 1983 (excerpt) (Google Books link)
 * Arnett, Ethel Stephens, The Saura and Keyauwee in the Land that Became Guilfod, Randolph, and Rockingham, Greensboro, North Carolina: Media, 1975.
 * Batchelor, John, The Guilford County Schools: A History, Winston-Salem, North Carolina: John F. Blair, 1991.
 * Bowles, David, Spring House (Book 1 in the Westward Sagas), Plum Creek Press, 2006.
 * Greensboro Business Directory, 1886 (GenWeb Archives)
 * Guilford County Bicentennial Commission, Guilford County, a Brief History, Greensboro, North Carolina: Guilford County Bicentennial Commission, 1971.
 * Guilford County, NC GenWeb Local History (includes links to book excerpts)
 * Hatch, Charles E., Jr., The Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1971.
 * Haworth, Cecil E., Deep River Friends: A Valiant People, Greensboro, North Carolina: North Carolina Friends Historical Society, 1985.
 * Haworth, Sara A., Springfield, 1773-1940: A History of the Establishment and Growth of the Springfield Monthly Meeting of Friends, High Point, North Carolina: Barber-Hall Printing Company, 1940.
 * High Point Business Directory, 1886 (GenWeb Archives)
 * Hill, Jane Smith, An Annotated Digest of Will Book A, Guilford County, North Carolina, 1771-May Court 1816, Heritage Books, 2007. (Google Books link)
 * Hughes, Fred, Guilford County: A Map Supplement, The Custom House, 1988. (excerpt)
 * Jordan, Pauls Stahls, Women of Guilford County, North Carolina: A Study of Women's Contributions, 1740-1979, Greensboro, North Carolina: Women of Guilford, 1979. (Google Books link)
 * Kars, Marjoleine, Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina.
 * Pegg, William Wesley, Sr., Something of the Story of Deep River, Greensboro, North Carolina: Self-published, 1980.
 * Robinson, Blackwell P., and Alexander R. Stoesen, ed. by Sydney M. Cone, Jr., The History of Guilford County, North Carolina, U.S.A. to 1980, A.D., 1981.
 * Salsi, Lynn, and Burke Salsi, Guilford County: Heart of the Piedmont (The Making of America series), Arcadia Publishing, 2002. (Google Books link)
 * Scarlette, Gladys, Summerfield, North Carolina: A Pictorial History, Greensboro, North Carolina: Younts, 1995.
 * Sharpe, Stella Gentry, Tobe, Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1939.
 * Sloan, John Alexander, Reminiscences of the Guilford Grays, Co. B, 27th N.C. Regiment, Washington, D.C.: R.C. Polkinhorn, 1883.
 * Stockard, Sallie Walker, The History of Guilford County, North Carolina, 1902 (complete text in Google Books) (complete text in Internet Archive)
 * Stoesen, Alexander R., Guilford County: A Brief History, 2000 (Google Books link) (NC Office of Archives &amp; History Publications Shop)
 * Teague, Bobbie T., Cane Creek: Mother of Meetings, North Carolina Friends Historical Society, 1995.
 * Weatherly, Andrew Earl, The First Hundred Years of Historic Guilford, 1771-1871, Greensboro, North Carolina: Greensboro Print Company, 1972.
 * Zopf, Paul E., The People of Guilford: Growth and Changes in the Population of Guilford County, Greensboro, North Carolina: Chamber of Commerce, 1972.

Maps

 * Guilford NCGenWeb maps page

Military

 * Military: Guilford Co. (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
 * Military Records &amp; Information (Guilford Co. GenWeb)

Revolutionary War

 * 1779 - 1782 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * Index to Individuals Present at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (March 15, 1781) (Greensboro Libraries)

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

Other Resources
 * Moore, Carol. Greensboro's Confederate Soldiers (Images of America series). Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008. | Google Books page (limited preview)


 * -2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company F
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, 2nd Company E
 * - 4th Battalion, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company A
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (63rd Regiment Volunteers), Company I
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (63rd Regiment Volunteers), Company K
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain George F Fisher's Company
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company C
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company D

World War I

 * 1917 - 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * Guilford County Men &amp; Women Who Served in World War II
 * 1940 - 1948 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Greensboro News &amp; Record

Probate
Online Probate Records
 * Pre - 1790 - Pre-1790 Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.
 * 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
 * 1771 - 1943 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.
 * 1894 - 1968 - Guilford County Widows’ Year’s Support, 1894-1968 - available from the NC State Archives
 * Images of Wills & Estates 1779-1813; 1813-1838; 1837-59 North Carolina Pioneers ($)

Vital Records

 * Guilford County Register of Deeds Vital Records Information

Births

 * Guilford County Bastardy Bonds at USGenWeb - free.
 * 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 $
 * 1771 - 1899 - Guilford County Marriage and Death Records, 1771-1899 (Greensboro Libraries, with online search)
 * 1868 - 1961 - Guilford County Marriage Index 1868-1961 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * Guilford County Marriages at USGenWeb - free (scroll to bottom of the page)
 * 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

Yearbooks

 * Bennett College: 1962-2002 (Historically Black College)
 * Greensboro College: 1908-2005
 * Guilford College: 1911-2005
 * High Point University: 1927-2007
 * North Carolina Agricultural &amp; Technical College: 1929-2009
 * UNC-Greensboro: 1902-1993


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

Societies and Libraries
Guilford County Genealogical Society PO Box 4713, Dept. W Greensboro, NC 27404-4713 Facebook Home


 * Friends Historical Collection at Guilford College
 * Greensboro Library 219 No. Church St.
 * Greensboro Libraries: Genealogy
 * High Point Library Public Library &amp; its Heritage Research Center
 * Penny Postcards from North Carolina: Guilford County
 * UNC-Chapel Hill Library's North Carolina Collection, Guilford County materials

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Goldsboro North Carolina Family History Center

Websites

 * Guilford County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * African Americans in Guilford County
 * Family History Catalog: Guilford County, North Carolina
 * Guilford County Genealogy (North Carolina Genealogy)
 * Guilford County Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Guilford County Historic Preservation Commission
 * Guilford County Markers (The Historical Marker Database)
 * Guilford County, North Carolina (RootsWeb)
 * Guilford County, North Carolina (Wikipedia)
 * Guilford County, North Carolina GenWeb (has a lot of information on its website)
 * Guilford County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives
 * Guilford County Website: History
 * History of Guilford County, North Carolina (with several biographies)
 * The History of Guilford County, North Carolina (GenGateway)
 * History of the Sheriffs of Guilford (Guilford County Sheriff's Office)
 * North Carolina - Guilford County (National Register of Historic Places)