North Carolina Compiled Genealogies

Most archives, historical societies, and genealogical societies and some public libraries, have special collections of previous research and indexes of genealogical value. You must usually search these in person.

Nationwide Indexes
Information on nationwide genealogical indexes are available in the United States Research Outline(30972). Some of them are:

Ancestral File:
Available at: http://www.familysearch.org/

1. Click on Search Tab.

2. Click on Ancestral File.

3. Enter Search information.

FamilyFinder™ Index
Available at: www.genealogy.com/ifftop.html [cited 15 December 2007]

(FamilyTreeMaker and FamilyFinder are trademarks of Brøderbund Software, Inc.)

Family History Library Catalog Surname Search
Available at: http://www.familysearch.org/

1. Click on Library Tab.

2. Click on Family History Library Catalog

3. Click on Surname Search.

Genealogical Index of the Newberry Library. Primarily an index of sources published from the 1800s to 1917. ( FHL Microfilm 928135, 928136 and 928137, and FHL 929 N424g, 4 Vols.)

Index to American Genealogies  (known as Munsell's Index). 1900. Reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1967. (FHL book 973 D22m 1900; film 599811) This indexes 63,000 citations in family and local history books and periodicals published prior to 1908.

National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) Annual. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 1959-. (FHL book 016.091 N21)

Also available at http://lcweb.loc.gov/coll/nucmc/nucmc.html

Index to Personal Names in the National Catalog of Manuscript Collections, 1959-1984. 2 vols. Alexandria, Virginia.: Chadwyck-Healey, 1988. (FHL book 016.091 N210

International Genealogical Index ( Also available on FamilySearch™ Internet Genealogy Service.)

Old Surname Index File ("North_Carolina_Genealogy'" section)

Periodical Source Index (PERSI) ('Periodicals North Carolina PeriodicalsNorth Carolina Periodicals section. Also available on the Internet at: www.Ancestry.com/  for a subscription fee. Ancestry is a trademark of Ancestry, Inc..  It is also available online through Heritage Quest which can be accessed at most local public libraries and family history centers at www.heritagequestonline.com.

For another nationwide index of importance to North Carolina research, see:

Rider, Fremont, ed. American Genealogical- Biographical Index. Vols. 1–186+. Middletown, Connecticut: Godfrey Memorial Library, 1952–. (FHL book 973 D22am, ser. 2; on 31 films starting with 1698167.) This is a continuing series. An earlier version of 48 volumes was published as The American Genealogical Index, 1942–1951. The index includes over 4 million brief citations (name, date, and source) to manuscripts, periodicals, and books. The earlier version had reference to 350 sources; the references have been included in the second version. The second version has consulted an additional 800 sources. Also available through:

"American Genealogical Biographical Index (AGBI)." In Ancestry.com [database on-line]. Orem, Utah: Ancestry, 1999 [cited 7 October 1999. Available at: http://www.ancestry.com under the heading of Research and Finding Aids on the right. This on-line database is available only to Ancestry.com members. Ancestry is a trademark of Ancestry, Inc.

To help interpret citations and locate the original sources, use the colored pages in some volumes or use:

Clark, Patricia I., and Dorothy Huntsman, eds. American Genealogical Biographical Key Title Index. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1990. (FHL book 973 D22am index; film 1698167 item4; fiche 6088377). This index shows which sources are at the Family History Library and their call numbers.

Statewide Bibliography
A major index to genealogical works on North Carolina families is:

Hehir, Donald M. Carolina Families: A Bibliography of Books about North and South Carolina Families. Bowie, Maryland.: Heritage Books, 1994. (FHL book 975.6 D23hd.) This book lists over 1,400 family surnames and gives full bibliographical information about books and microfilms.

Manuscript Collections
The Daughters of the American Revolution Genealogical Collection contains transcripts of Bible, cemetery, church, will, marriage, death and obituary records. See the "Bible Records" section of this outline.

McCubbins’ Collection. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1956. (FHL films 19828–903.) This collection, gathered by Mamie G. McCubbins, contains cemetery, Bible, newspaper, family, and county records of Rowan County and more than 30 other counties formed from Rowan County. The records are arranged alphabetically by surname. The first three films are an alphabetical surname guide. The collection is at the Rowan County Library in Salisbury.

Published Collections
Hathaway, James R. B., ed. The North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register. 3 vols. Edenton, North Carolina: J.R.B. Hathaway, 1900–1903. (FHL book 975.6 D25n; film 1206449 items 3–5). This register includes 50,000 names found in land, court, and probate records. Indexes to Hathaway’s work include:

Worth, S. Ray. Ray’s Index and Digest to Hathaway’s North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register: With Genealogical Notes and Annotations. Baltimore, Maryland: Southern Book, 1956. (FHL book 975.6 D25n index; film 1697387 item 2. A 1979 reprint of this index is found on film 1320669 item 7.)

Wimberly, Vera Meek. ''Index to Hathaway’s North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register. Conroe, Texas: Montgomery County Genealogical and Historical Society, 1989. (FHL book 975.6 D25n index 1989.)''

Hamrick, David O. Index to the North Carolina Historical and Genealogical Register: Hathaway’s Register. 3 vols. Greenville, South Carolina: A Press, 1983. (FHL book 975.6 D25n index 1983.)

Index of North Carolina Ancestors. 2 vols. Raleigh, North Carolina: North Carolina Genealogical Society, 1981–1984. (FHL book 975.6 D2i.) This is a list of ancestors names submitted by members of the North Carolina Genealogical Society. The names and addresses of the contributors are given at the end of each volume. Each volume lists different ancestors’ names. There is also a spouse index.

Smallwood, Marilu Burch. Some Colonial and Revolutionary Families of North Carolina. 3 vols. Washington, North Carolina: M. B. Smallwood, 1964. (FHL book 975.6 D2s; film 795957 items 4-5 and film 795958 item 1.)

Eaker, Lorena Shell, ed. German Speaking People West of the Catawaba River in North Carolina 1750–1800. Franklin, North Carolina: Genealogy Publishing Service, 1994. (FHL book 975.6 W2e.) This book contains the genealogies of many families of German origin who settled in western North Carolina.

Genealogy sources can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

NORTH CAROLINA- GENEALOGY

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- GENEALOGY

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- GENEALOGY