Dare County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

North Carolina Online Genealogy Records

County Facts

County seat:

Manteo

Organized:

3 February 1870

Parent County(s):

Currituck, Hyde, Tyrrell

Neighboring Counties

Currituck • Hyde • Tyrrell
See County Maps

Courthouse

Location Map

Adoption

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County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Dare County is located in the Eastern portion of North Carolina and was named in honor of Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America^[1].

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Dare County Courthouse
400 Budleigh Street
P O Box 70
Manteo, NC 27954
Phone: 252-473-3438
Dare County Website

Registrar of Deed has birth and death records from 1913
marriage records from 1870 and land records
Clerk Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1870^[2]

Dare County, North Carolina Record Dates[edit | edit source]

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Known Beginning Dates for Major County Records^[3]
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1913	1870	1913	1870	1804	1870	1784
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1913. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

1870--Dare County was created 3 February 1870 from Currituck, Tyrrell, and Hyde Counties.
History of Dare Co., NC
County seat: Manteo^[4]

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.

Populated Places[edit | edit source]

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:^[5]

Towns
Duck Kill Devil Hills	Kitty Hawk Manteo	Nags Head Southern Shores
Unincorporated communities
Buffalo City Colington Island East Lake	Little Kinnekeet Martins Point Sanderling	Scarborotown Stumpy Point
Census-designated places
Avon Buxton Frisco	Hatteras Manns Harbor Rodanthe	Salvo Wanchese Waves
Townships
Atlantic Croatan	East Lake Hatteras	Kinnekeet Nags Head

History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Dare Co., NC Bible Records & Family Papers

Biographies[edit | edit source]

Business, Commerce, and Occupations[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Dare County, North Carolina online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Findagrave.com NCGenWeb NCGenWeb Archives Tombstone Project North Carolina Cemeteries Billion Graves
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)	Family History Library WorldCat
List of Cemeteries in the County	Findagrave.com Billion Graves Access Genealogy for Dare Co., NC Cemeteries
See North Carolina Cemeteries for more information

North Carolina, Historical Records Survey, Cemetery Inscription Card Index at FamilySearch

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Church Records[edit | edit source]

1700-1970 - North Carolina, Church Records, 1700-1970 at FamilySearch — index

List of Churches and Church Parishes

FamilySearch Places

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Court Records at NCGenWeb Archives

Directories[edit | edit source]

Medical Directory for Avon, NCat NCGenWeb Archives

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups[edit | edit source]

African Americans

Roanoke Island Freedman's Colony - website dedicated to camp on the island of refugee slaves just after the Civil War. Site includes history, documents, lists of slaves who lived on the island and more.

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

The Lost Colony articles
Dare Co., NC Penny Postcards at NCGenWeb Archives

Photographs

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Dare Co., NC Maps

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Dare Co., NC Military Records (from Colonial Militia to Vietnam)

Revolutionary War

1779-1782 - North Carolina Revolutionary Pay Vouchers 1779-1782 at FamilySearch

War of 1812

Jones, Gordon C.: .Abstracts of land-grants, tax lists, orphans dockets, inventories and other records, Currituck and Dare counties, North Carolina, 1666-1831 Chesapeak, Virginia, G.C.Jones c1982) pages 91 FHL Book 976.6132 P28

Civil War

1861-1865 - North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch.org
1861-1865 - North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch.org
1861-1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
1861-1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
1885-1953 - North Carolina, Confederate Soldiers and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1953 at FamilySearch

Civil War Battles
The following Civil War battles were fought in Dare County:

August 28-29, 1861 Hatteras Inlet Batteries, also known as Forts Clark and Hatteras^[6]
February 7-8, 1862 Roanoke Island, also known as Fort Huger^[7]

Map showing Civil War battles in North Carolina.

World War I

1917-1919 - North Carolina, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch

World War II

1940-1948 - North Carolina, Discharge and Statement of Service Records, 1940-1948 at FamilySearch

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

News articles pertaining to Dare County, NC

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Dare Co., Obits
Dare Co., NC Obituaries at NCGenWeb Archives

Other Records[edit | edit source]

County Records

1833-1970 - North Carolina, County Records, 1833-1970 at FamilySearch
Misc County Records

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Records

1660-1790 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry $
1663-1979 - North Carolina Estate Files, 1663-1979 at FamilySearch
1665-1998 - North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry $
1735-1970 - North Carolina Probate Records 1735-1970 at FamilySearch.org
1760-1800 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
1823-1963 - Will Books (1823-1963) have been digitized by FamilySearch
1870-1967 - Dare County North Carolina list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills. - Free
1870-1946 - Will Books 1 to 2 (1870-1946) have been digitized by FamilySearch
Dare Co., NC Wills
Dare Co., NC Estates

School Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Research Facilities[edit | edit source]

Archives[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers[edit | edit source]

Family History Centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

For current information about a center near you, go to the Family History Center Map

Nags Head North Carolina Family History Center

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

Albemarle Genealogical Society
142 Waterlily Road
Coinjock, NC 27923
website
Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
Dare County NCGenWeb
USGenWeb Archives-Dare County
FamilySearch Catalog – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection. Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.
Dare Co., NC Organizations & Links

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

↑ https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/dare
↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Dare County, North Carolina. Page 506-514 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 505-509.
↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Dare County, North Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dare_County,_North_Carolina, accessed 12 February 2020.
↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 9 August, 2012)
↑ Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 9 August, 2012)
↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/4/4d/Iginorthcarolinaa.pdf.

[1] ttps://www.ncpedia.org/geography/dare

[2] Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.

[3] Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Dare County, North Carolina. Page 506-514 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002; Alice Eichholz, ed. Ancestry’s Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources, Third ed. (Provo, Utah: Ancestry, 2004), 505-509.

[4] Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), North Carolina.At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.

[5] Wikipedia contributors, "Dare County, North Carolina," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dare_County,_North_Carolina, accessed 12 February 2020.

[6] Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 9 August, 2012)

[7] Heritage Preservation Services, Civil War Battle Summaries by State, (accessed 9 August, 2012)

[8] Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/4/4d/Iginorthcarolinaa.pdf.

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