Duplin County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Duplin County North Carolina 118 Duplin Street Kenansville, NC 28349 910-296-2108

Reg of Deeds has b &amp; d rec from 1913 m rec from 1749 maps &amp; land records from 1749 &amp; business rec from 1899 Clk Sup Ct has pro &amp; ct rec Register of Deeds PO Box 970 Kenansville, NC 28349 Telephone: 910-296-2108 Fax: 910-296-2344  Clerk of Superior Court PO Box 189 Kenansville, NC 28349 Telephone: (910) 275-7000

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

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
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.

Baptist

 * Bear Marsh. Constituted 1763.
 * Bear Swamp. Constituted 1791.
 * Bull Tail aka Wells Chapel, Wallace, N.C. Established 1756. Official website.
 * Great Cohara. Constituted 1759.
 * Muddy Creek. Constituted 1792.
 * Naughungo. Established by 1808.

Church of England

 * St. Gabriel's Parish. Established 1749.


 * 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

Presbyterian
Scots-Irish immigrants established Presbyterian churches in colonial Duplin County.


 * Grove Church. Founded about 1737.
 * Rockfish Church. Organized about 1756.

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]

Land
The Duplin County Register of Deeds Office has a complete record of all property conveyances dating back to 1750 when the county was founded. All of the indexes to Duplin County property records from 1784 thru the present are available for searching both at the Register of Deeds Office and also remotely via their internet website: rod.duplincounty.org. Additionally, all of the property records books have been scanned and are available for viewing and downloading with the exception of books 20, 22, 33, 43, 106, 249, 276, and 318. These books are however available at the Register of Deeds Office.

A number of land records have been transcribed and are available at the following sites:


 * NCGenWeb Deeds Database- perform a Search of the deeds
 * Duplin County Deeds at NCGenWeb Archives
 * The FamilySearch Catalog lists some in . (In the Catalog, click on the link to a title to see details.) Some of the books – and others – may be on Google Books, on WorldCat, or available at public libraries.

Revolutionary War

 * 1779 - 1782 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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


 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, 1st Company C
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company I
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company A
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company B
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina State Troops, Company B
 * - 8th Battalion, North Carolina Cavalry (Partisan Rangers), 5th Company
 * - 8th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain Henry Broadhurst's Company

World War I

 * 1917 - 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * 1940 - 1948 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Newspapers

 * Duplin County newspapers - a listing of newspapers published in the county &amp; libraries that hold them; via the Library of Congress. If you find a paper of interest on microfilm, you may be able to request it via Interlibrary Loan with your local public library.
 * Duplin County residents in the newspaper - name listing of people from the county as located in misc. newspaper articles; time span varies. Articles indexed in the NC People in the Papers database from the NCGenWeb project.
 * North Carolina Newspaper Digitization Project - contains full-text papers from 1752-1890s. Search for your Duplin County ancestors to see if they were mentioned.

Probate
The Duplin County Clerk Office is located in the city of Kenansville. The North Carolina Constitution mandates that there be a Clerk of Superior Court for each county. The clerk is elected for a period of 4 years. The responsibilities of the Clerk are numerous and varied. As the judge of probate the Duplin County Clerk handles probate of wills and the administration of estates of decedents, minors and incompetents.

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.
 * Images of Wills and Estates, Book A, 1760-1848 North Carolina Pioneers ($)

Duplin County Clerk 112 Duplin St., Kenansville, NC 28349 Phone: (910) 275-7000


 * Pre - 1790 - Pre-1790  Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.
 * 1760 - 1962 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

A number of Wills and Estate Records have been transcribed and are available at the following sites:


 * Wills &amp; Estates from the NCGenWeb Archives

Vital Records
You may search Duplin County public birth, death, marriage and property records in the Office of the Register of Deeds free of charge. No appointment is necessary. The office is located in Room# 106 of the Duplin County Courthouse Annex at 118 Duplin Street; Kenansville, North Carolina 28349.

Births

 * 1913 - Present - Duplin County Births, 1913 - present -- search all birth records online at the Duplin County Register of Deeds website; includes more than 2,000 delayed birth certficates
 * 1800 - 2000 -  at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1866 - 1964 -  at FamilySearch.org — index

Marriages

 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1867 - Present - Duplin County Marriages, 1867 - present - search all Duplin County marriage records on the Register of Deeds website.
 * 1867 - 1961 - Duplin County Marriage Index 1867-1961 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * African-American cohabitation records - search at the Register of Deeds website
 * Duplin County Marriages - misc. marriages added to the NCGenWeb Archives
 * 1799 - 1893 - Duplin County marriages - may be included throughout Carrie Broughton's 6-volume index of the Raleigh Register &amp; State Gazette newspaper (1799-1893). Marriages are listed by year and PDF files are searchable. Available on the North Carolina Digital Collections website.
 * 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

Divorce

 * 1958 - 2004 - North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Deaths

 * 1913 - Present - Duplin County Death Certificates, 1913- present - search all Duplin County death records on the Register of Deeds website
 * Duplin County deaths - list of county area deaths reported in various newspapers; dates range from late 1700s to 1900s.
 * Duplin County Obituaries - misc. obits added to the NCGenWeb Archives
 * 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

Yearbooks

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

Societies and Libraries
Duplin County Historical Society Historical Society/Commission L. H. Sikes President PO Box 220 Rose Hill, NC 28458-0220

Websites

 * Duplin County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Duplin County, NCGenWeb - free genealogy resources; part of the national USGenWeb Project
 * Duplin County, NCGenWeb Archives
 * Duplin County, NCGenWeb Archives