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Granville County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

County Facts
County seat: Oxford
Organized: June 28, 1746
Parent County(s): Edgecombe[1]
Neighboring Counties
Durham  • Franklin  • Halifax (VA)  • Mecklenburg (VA)  • Person  • Vance  • Wake
See County Maps
Courthouse
NorthCarolinaGranvilleCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
Nc-granville.png
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County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

Granville County is located in the central portion of North Carolina and shares a border with Virginia. It was named for John Lord Carteret, second Earl Granville, who was granted the land of the Granville District by King George II.[2]

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Granville County Courthouse
101 Main Street
Oxford, NC 27565-3318
Phone: 919-693-6314
Granville County Website

Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and land records.[3]

Granville 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[4]
Birth* Marriage Death* Court Land Probate Census
1913 1758 1913 1742 1746 1746 1784
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1913. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

Many early Marriage Bonds missing. Will Books from 1746-1772 missing, although 71 unrecorded wills for that time period are on microfilm. Court Minutes 1746-1780 missing. Many Court Minutes from 1780-1820 are missing.

For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see:


Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1746 Granville County was established 28 June 1746 from Edgecombe County.
  • County seat: Oxford[5]

Granville County has gone through many boundary changes over the years since it was originally an extremely large area that engulfed much of the northern Piedmont section of the territory along the Virginia border.As stated above, most of the counties in the area were once a part of Granville, first when Orange was formed from parts of Granville, Bladen & Johnston in 1752, and then in 1764 when Bute County was formed.Both Orange and Bute Counties spawned new counties of their own over the succeeding years, and current day Granville only covers a small portion of its once vast holdings.

Then in 1786, there was another slight variation in County lines. While Bute County had been retired in 1779 when it was divided to form Franklin County from its sourthern half and Warren from the northern half, there was a further change a few years later. According to "Formation of the NC Counties 1663-1943", by David Leroy Corbitt, part ofGranville was annexed to Warren in 1786 "Beginning at the point where the line of division between Warren and Granville counties shall touch the line of division between this State and the State of Virginia, and running thence west along the said line to Nutbush creek; thence up said creek it meanders to the mouth of Anderson's swamp, thence to Stark's mill, thence by a line to be run due south until it shall touch the aforesaid line of division between Warren and Granville, be, and the same is hereby annexed to and shall remain a part of the county of Warren..."

This same area later became a part of Vance County in 1881 when that county was formed mostly from Granville and parts of Warren County.

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]

The following are locations in Granville County, North Carolina:

History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Granville County was formed in 1746 from Edgecombe County, in honor of the Earl of Granville, "the owner of the soil". As Edgecombe came out of Craven about 1733, Granville is therefore a grandson of Craven. When it was first established in 1746 Granville embraced for a period of five years, until 1751, all of present Warren, Franklin and Vance, most of Orange, including the present Person, Caswell, Orange, and Wake, Chatham, Durham, Alamance, a part of Guilford and perhaps all of Rockingham, a vast territory, of which one William Person was the first Sheriff. After 1751 Orange County and Granville dominated this wide Virginia line area until Wake and Chatham were formed around 1770, for the evident purpose of forestalling the restless and embryonic "regulator" element, who were becoming enraged over the aggravating fees and burden levied by the prosperous "office holders" of the two large domains. In 1764, Bute County was established out of the territory now embraced by Warren and Franklin Counties, and thus Granville's size was again appreciably reduced. From 1764 until 1851, a period of eighty-seven (87) years, Granville County included its present boundaries plus most of present Vance Co.The first officers of the County were Wm. Person, 1st Sheriff; Robert Foster, Clerk; Robert Jones, Jr., King's Attorney; Wm. Eaton, William Person, James Payne, Edw'd Jones, Edw'd Martin, John Wade, Lemuel Lanier, Gideon Macon, John Brantly, West Harris, Lemuel Henderson, and Jonathan White, Justices of the Peace. According to the earliest records of North Carolina, the area that became Granville was first settled around 1715, at which time most of the Native American Indians migrated to other locations leaving it ripe for new settlements. Among the first settlements in Granville were those along the northern border on Nutbush and Grassy Creek, and on Tar River.

The courthouse was located in what is now Warren County, seven miles above Gaston, on Rocky Creek, near Boiling Spring. Bute county was formed from Granville in 1764, which was, in 1779, divided into Warren and Franklin, and the name of Bute was obliterated from the list of counties in North Carolina. Granville being reduced in 1764 to its present dimensions, the place for holding its courts was removed some two miles above the town of Henderson, at the mouth of Mr. Brodie's lane, on the road leading to Oxford, where one or two terms of the court were held, when it was removed to Harrisburg, and after holding one court, it was removed to Oxford about 1769.

Resources[edit | edit source]

Bible Records[edit | edit source]

Biographies[edit | edit source]

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

Cemeteries[edit | edit source]

Cemeteries of Granville County, North Carolina online and in print
Tombstone Transcriptions Online
Tombstone Transcriptions in Print (Often more complete)
List of Cemeteries in the County
See North Carolina Cemeteries for more information

 

Census Records[edit | edit source]

Historical populations
Census Pop. %±
1790 10,982 —
1800 14,015 27.6%
1810 15,576 11.1%
1820 18,222 17.0%
1830 19,355 6.2%
1840 18,817 −2.8%
1850 21,249 12.9%
1860 23,396 10.1%
1870 24,831 6.1%
1880 31,286 26.0%
1890 24,484 −21.7%
1900 23,263 −5.0%
1910 25,102 7.9%
1920 26,846 6.9%
1930 28,723 7.0%
1940 29,344 2.2%
1950 31,793 8.3%
1960 33,110 4.1%
1970 32,762 −1.1%
1980 34,043 3.9%
1990 38,345 12.6%
2000 48,498 26.5%
2010 59,916 23.5%
Source: "Wikipedia.org".


Church Records[edit | edit source]

Baptist

Church of England

  • Granville Parish. Established 1746. St. John's Church aka Nutbush Church was located in this parish. It is currently situated in Vance County.[7]


List of Churches and Church Parishes

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

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

African-American

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

The Register of Deeds Office exists to provide proper maintenance, storage, recording, and indexing of the County’s public records. The Department files and indexes vital records (birth, death and marriages) and issues marriage licenses. Real Estate documents (deeds, deeds of trust, plats, etc.) are recorded, indexed and scanned for permanent records. Military discharges are filed and indexed. The office provides copies of all documents when requested. Oath of office is given to notaries commissioned in the county.

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

Halifax CountyMecklenburg CountyVance CountyFranklin CountyWake CountyDurham CountyPerson CountyNC GRANVILLE.PNG
Click a neighboring county
for more resources

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War

Civil War

Regiments. Men in Granville County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies that were specifically formed in Granville County:

- 8th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, 2nd Company D
- 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company B
- 15th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 5th Volunteers, Company E
- 1st Brigade, North Carolina Reserves, Company B
- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company B
- 3rd Battalion, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company C
- 8th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company D

World War I

World War II

Naturalization and Citizenship[edit | edit source]

Newspapers[edit | edit source]

Obituaries[edit | edit source]

Other Records[edit | edit source]

County Records

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

  • Granville County Courthouse
    Clerk of the Superior Court
    101 Main Street
    Oxford, NC 27565
    Phone: 919-693-2649
    The courthouse has copies of Wills, Estate Records, etc. starting from 1746. Contact the County Clerk's office for details and pricing.

Online Probate Records

School Records[edit | edit source]

Yearbooks

Social Security Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

Copies of birth, death and marriage records can be obtained from the
Granville County Register of Deeds
101 Main Street
PO Box 906
Oxford, NC 27565
Phone: 919-693-6314
Birth & death records start at 1913, marriage records started in 1758.

Online Records

Birth[edit | edit source]

Marriage[edit | edit source]

Death[edit | edit source]

Divorce[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, free access to center-only databases, and to premium genealogical websites.
FamilySearch Affiliate Libraries have access to most center-only databases, but may not always have full services normally provided by a family history center.

Local Centers and Libraries

Libraries[edit | edit source]

  • Granville County Public Library
    Website

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

  • Granville County Genealogical Society, Inc.
    PO Box 1746
    Oxford, NC 27565
    Website
  • Granville County Historical Society
    PO Box 1433
    Oxford, NC 27565
  • Tar River Connections Genealogical Society
    PO Box 8764
    Rocky Mount, NC 27804
    Website

Websites[edit | edit source]

Research Guides[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/Granville
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Granville 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.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 George Washington Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists, 2 vols. (1930; reprint, Gallatin, Tenn.: Church History Research and Archives, 1990), 1:231, 475, 481; 2:564. FHL Book 975.6 K2p 1990.
  7. ↑ "St. John's Episcopal Church," North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program, http://www.ncmarkers.com, accessed 22 October 2012; Donna Sherron, "North Carolina Parishes," accessed 12 October 2012. Digital version at Lost Souls Genealogy - free.
  8. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/9/91/Iginorthcarolinag.pdf.
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