Iredell County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States

North Carolina

Iredell County

Guide to Iredell 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: Statesville Organized: November 3, 1788 Parent County(s): Rowan Neighboring Counties Alexander  • Cabarrus  • Catawba  • Davie  • Lincoln  • Mecklenburg  • Rowan  • Wilkes  • Yadkin See County Maps Courthouse Location Map Adoption Adopt-a-wiki page This page adopted by: NCGenWeb Project who welcome you to contribute. Adopt a page today

County Information

Description

Iredell County is located in the western portion of North Carolina and was named for James Iredell, North Carolina attorney general during the Revolution and delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention who was later appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President George Washington.

County Courthouse

Iredell County Courthouse
221 East Water St
PO Box 904
Statesville, NC 28677
Phone: 704-872-7468
Iredell County Website

Register of Deeds has birth, marriage and death, burial and land records.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce records from 1820 and court records from 1788.

Records about persons in Iredell County are available online in FamilySearch and through the Iredell County Register of Deeds website. See Rowan County, North Carolina for marriage, land and probate records back to 1753 for persons living in what is now Iredell County prior to 1788.

Iredell County, North Carolina Record Dates

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
Birth*	Marriage	Death*	Court	Land	Probate	Census
1913	1788	1913	1788	1788	1787	1784
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1913. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss

1852, 1854 Courthouse fires destroyed some court records. For suggestions about research in places that suffered historic record losses, see: Burned Counties. By Michael John Neill. Online at: Family History Circle.

Boundary Changes

1788 Iredell County was created 3 November 1788 from Rowan County. County seat: Statesville (since 1789) Alexander County, North Carolina was formed from portions of what was then Iredell, Caldwell, Wilkes counties in 1847. 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

The following are locations in Iredell County, North Carolina:

Early settlers used the names of streams, mills, land owners, and post offices to identify where the land that they owned. Prior to the Revolution in 1755 when Iredell was still part of Rowan County, Fort Dobbs was established near the present day city of Statesville. The first post office in Iredell County, located in Iredell County Court House, came into existence in 1794. The 1800 Census listed the new town of States Ville (sic, later changed to Statesville).

Townships: Barringer, Bethany, Chambersburg, Coddle Creek, Concord, Cool Springs, Davidson, Eagle Mills, Fallstown, New Hope, Olin Township, Sharpesburg, Shiloh, Tatesville, Turnersburg, Union Grove

Cities, Towns and Unincorporated Communities (Unic)--Current and Historical (H): Amity Hill (Unic), Barium Springs (Unic), Callahan (H), Carstown (H), Cool Springs, Davidson, Eagle Mills (H), Fallstown, Fort Dobbs (H), Harmony, Houstonville (Unic), Love Valley, Mooresville, Mount Mourne (Unic), New Hope, Olin (Unic), Pisgah, Rocky Creek, Scotts (Unic), Shepherds, Statesville (City, County Seat), Statesville West, Stony Point (CDP), Troutman, Turnersburg (Unic), Union Grove (Unic)

Former Iredell County Towns that are now part of other counties (county, period that they were in Iredell): Mount Pisgah (Alexander, 1817-1849), Spring Grove (Rowan, 1818-1847), Stony Point (Alexander, 1826-1849), Zion (Yadkin, 1830-1856). Taylorsville (aka James Cross Roads, Alexander, 1847-1847), Spring Grove (Rowan, 1818-1847 1855-1883), Tulin (Cabarrus, 1856-1870), Catawba Station (Catawba, 1856-1859), Elk Shoal (Alexander, 1875-1881), Grade (Alexander, 1882-1883), Evalin (Wilkes, 1884-1906)

Both the Wikipedia, J.D. Lewis website, and Homer Keever's book have lists showing historical towns in Iredell County. Prior to 1800, many locations were designated by streams, creeks, mills, or militia Captain's Districts.

Resources

Cemeteries

Cemeteries of Iredell 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
See North Carolina Cemeteries for more information

List of hard copy transcriptions:

• Time is, time was : gravestone art, burial customs and history, Iredell County, North Carolina, by Mildred J. Miller, Pat M. Crooks, date: 1990
• Iredell County, North Carolina, cemetery records, Author: Lois Schneider; Snow Creek Methodist Church (Iredell County, N.C.); Centre Presbyterian Church (Iredell County, N.C.); New Perth ARP Church (Iredell County, N.C.); Hebron Baptist Church (Iredell County, N.C.); All authors; Publisher: Troutman, North Carolina : L.M.P. Schneider, 1992.
• Iredell County, North Carolina, cemetery records, 1700-1970, Author: Daughters of the American Revolution (N.C.). Genealogical Records Committee. Publisher: Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1972.
• Iredell County North Carolina cemeteries, by Russell C Black; Irene Clanton Black, Print book, Language: English Publisher: Statesville, NC : Russell C. Black, Jr., 1999.
• Fourth Creek Memorial Burying Ground (Statesville, North Carolina), Author: National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina. Publisher: North Carolina : National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina, 1967.

Census Records

The following information comes from the Census images and published summaries. The last page of the Census sometimes contains the totals for each column in the Census. It was not until the 1860 Census that the county Census takers began designating districts and post offices on the Census records, except for the 1800 Census that had a separate page for the newly created town of States Ville.

Iredell County, North Carolina US Federal Census
Year	Population	Year	Population	Year	Population	Year	Population
1790	5,430 (770 Heads of Household)	1800	8,856 (95 in Statesville)	1810	10,972	1820	13,071
1830	14,918	1840	15,685	1850	14,719	1860	15,347
1870	16,931	1880	22,675	1890	25,462	1900	29,064
1910	34,315	1920	37,956	1930	46,693	1940	50,424
1950	56,303	1960	62,526	1970	72,197	1980	82,538
1990	92,931	2000	122,660	2010	159,437	2017 Est	175,711

Notes:

• 1790 Census: The FamilySearch Index for the 1790 Iredell County Census is missing several page, e.g. pages 390, 391, and 402. The pages are in the film record but missing from the index. This has been reported to FamilySearch. For an alternate index, see WikiTree.
• 1800 Census: The 1800 Census District Headquarters was located in Salisbury, Rowan County. The Census for Iredell, Mecklenburg, and Rowan counties list Salisbury as the location in the index for these counties, even though Salisbury was and still is located in Rowan County. The 1800 Census has a double entry for the 11 heads of household and 95 inhabitants of States Ville, Iredell County--one entry under Iredell County and one entry under the States Ville section of the Census. The overall number of inhabitants for Iredell County is correct.

Church Records

Most of the early Iredell County churches are described in Homer Keever's book or in the two volume series, The Heritage of Iredell County. Some churches have written histories of their churches, as listed below (on-going effort).

Baptist

• Grassy Knob. Constituted 1789 near present day Union Grove, Iredell County.

Methodist

• McKendree United Methodist Church, located in Mooresville, organized in the 1790s

Presbyterian

• Bethany Presbyterian Church, located in Statesville, Iredell County, organized in 1778
• Bethesda Presbyterian Church, located in Statesville, Iredell County, organized in 1775
• Centre Church, Mount Mourne, Iredell County. Organized 1765. Originally known as the Osbourne Meeting House and located in Rowan.
• Concord Presbyterian Church, located in Statesville, Iredell County, organized in 1775
• Coddle Creek Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, organized in 1761 near present day Mooresville, Iredell County
• Fourth Creek Meeting House and Congregation, located in Rowan County (present day Statesville, Iredell County) organized about 1750. Originally located in Rowan.
• New Sterling Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, located in Stony Point, Iredell County, organized in 1787

Court Records

• United States Freedmen's Bureau, Freedmen's Court Records, 1865-1872
• North Carolina Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records

Directories

• Statesville: 1910

Genealogies

The following Iredell family histories have been located:

• A history of Major Amos Sharpe, Iredell County, North Carolina, by Mildred J. Miller, published 1975
• History of the Campbell Family compiled by H. P. Van Hoy in 1925. Zerox copy of the original history from the H. P. Van Hoy family. This is the history of the Campbell Family compiled in 1925 by H. P. Van Hoy, a descendant of Sarah Campbell, daughter of John R. Campbell, who married William A. Van Hoy. It was given out at the first annual Campbell family reunion in Union Grove, Iredell, North Carolina. It was written based on recollections of the oldest living descendants in 1925 that lived in Union Grove, North Carolina and correspondence with descendants in Izard County Arkansas, as well as research of property deeds.
• Templeton - Templeton, Ronald H. "Possible North Carolina/South Carolina Templeton Relationships," The South Carolina Magazine of Ancestral Research, Vol. 35, No. 3 (Summer 2007):123-130. FHL Book 975.7 B2sc v. 35 Presents discoveries of previously unknown kinships based on the Templeton DNA study.
• The family of John Sharpe, Revolutionary soldier, by by Mildred J. Miller, published 1976

• Iredell County Surnames', Linkpendium, Link, accessed Jan 11, 2019
• National Register of Historic Places in Iredell County, Wikipedia, Link, accessed Jan 11, 2019

Land and Property Records

Land records for residents of Iredell County are found in either the Iredell or Rowan County Register of Deeds web sites. Land records, Granville and State land grants, and Deeds back to 1750 are now searchable on-line at one of the following links:

• North Carolina Land Grants Search, Search
• Iredell County Register of Deeds Search
• Rowan County Register of Deeds, Rowan County Deeds Search
• 1788 - 1870 - List of Estate Files, North Carolina Genealogical Society, Link

Local Histories

• Iredell Piedmont County, by Homer M. Keever, with illustrations by Louise Gilbert and maps by Mildred Jenkins Miller, published for the Iredell County Bicentennial Commission by Brady Printing Company from type set by the Statesville Record and Landmark, copyright, November 1976
• Towards a New History: Iredell County, North Carolina, A Thesis by JAMIE LEANNE HAGER, Submitted to the Graduate School Appalachian State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS, May 2010 Department of History
• The Heritage of Iredell County, 1980, published by the Genealogical Society of Iredell County, PO Box 946, Statesville, North Carolina 28677, ISBN 0-89459-087-1, 642 pages with index
• The Heritage of Iredell County, NC Vol II - 2000, published by the Genealogical Society of Iredell County, PO Box 946, Statesville, North Carolina 29866, LC # 00-110956, 574 pages with index
• Iredell County Early Settlers, NCGenWeb, Broken Link (based on Homer Keever's book)

Maps and Gazetteers

• A 1773 Map depicts landowners in the Fourth Creek Congregation, Iredell County, N.C. Notes at the bottom of the map give directions to the center of the congregation. One of the notes reads, "At the "Meeting House' Statesville was located in 1790. The Court House of Iredell County, N. Ca." A transcription of the map appears in Homer Keever's book and The Heritage of Iredell County. The original map is in the North Carolina archives and a copy can be seen on-line.

• Several maps of Iredell County, including the Fourth Creek Congregation, early settlers, mills, post offices, etc. can be found on NCGenWeb
• Iredell County Maps, Link, UNC Digital Collection

NC Iredell

Military Records

Revolutionary War

• 1779-1782 North Carolina Revolutionary Pay Vouchers 1779-1782 at FamilySearch
• United States, Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers - FamilySearch Historical Records will often contain the date of death of a pensioner
• Many of the Revolutionary War veterans that were residents of Iredell County after 1788 fought in the Rowan County Regiment of the North Carolina Militia during the Revolutionary War. A listing of known persons that resided in Iredell County during their lifetime is available on-line. This list was based on an earlier survey of Revolutionary War Veterans by the Genealogical Society of Iredell County The 1840 Census also contains the names of Revolutionary War Pensioners living in Iredell County and their age.
• J.D. Lewis has an on-line database of North Carolina Revolutionary War Soldiers that contains the rosters of North Carolina military units and service records of members, including the 1st and 2nd Rowan County Regiment.
• The Daughter of the American Revolution (DAR) has an on-line database of revolutionary ancestors that can be searched by anyone. The database contains the veterans date and place of birth and death, unit, and lineage to DAR members applications (Link, accessed Jan 10, 2019)
• The Rowan County Committee of Safety was set up as one of the county committees set up prior to the Revolutionary War that took the lead in organizing resistance to British rule. Many of the members of this committee lived in what became Iredell County

Civil War

• 1861-1865 North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch
• 1861-1865 North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch
• 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

Regiments. Men in Iredell 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 Iredell County:

- 4th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry

- 7th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry

- 11th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry

- 11th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company E

- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company B

- 4th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company A

- 4th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company C

- 4th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company H

- 4th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company D

- 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company F

- 8th Battalion, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company A

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

Newspapers

• Iredell County people in NC Newspapers. 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.
• Iredell County newspapers. Listing of newspapers published in the county libraries that hold them. If you find a paper of interest on microfilm, you may be able to request it via Interlibrary Loan with your local public library. (Library of Congress)
• Statesville Record and Landmark. Current newspaper of Statesville.
• Mooresville Tribune. Current newspaper.

Probate Records

• North Carolina Probate Records tips

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
• 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
• Pre-1790 Pre-1790 Iredell County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills (North Carolina State Archives)
• 1790-1865 SAMPUBCO. Browsable index of testators of wills.
• 1790-1965 Will Books 1 to 19 (1790-1965) at FamilySearch
• 1800-1808 Images of Wills and Estates. North Carolina Pioneers $

Tax Records

Iredell County, prior to County Formation was part of Rowan County and some Iredell residents were included in the following:

• 1747 "Earl Granville's Quit Rents in the Rowan Area," [1747; instructions, no personal names] Rowan County Register, Vol. 3, No. 2 (May 1988):578-579. Available at FHL.
• 1754-1767 Linn, Jo White. "Number of Rowan County Taxables 1754-1767," Rowan County Register, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Feb. 1993):1689-1693. Available at FHL. Details interesting statistics, but lists few personal names.
• 1758 "1758 Rowan County Tax List," Rowan County Register, Vol. 15, No. 4 (Nov. 2000):3531-3532. Available at FHL.
• 1758 - Tax Lists, Rowan County, 1758 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
• 1759 - Tax Lists, Rowan County, 1759 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
• 1761 - Tax Lists, Rowan County, 1761 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry ($)
• 1761 Tax Lists for 1761-1845 (transcripts) online at FamilySearch
• 1761 Linn, Jo White and Michael Brown. "1761 Rowan County Tax Lists," Rowan County Register, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Nov. 1992):1629-1630; Vol. 9, No. 2 (May 1994):2023-2025. Available at FHL 975.671 P28
• 1769-1770 Linn, Jo White. "Undated [1769-1770] Rowan County Tax List Fragment," Rowan County Register, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Feb. 1998):2939-2946. Available at FHL.
• 1772 Enochs, Richard A. "A List of Taxables Returned by Wm. Sharp, 1772," Rowan County Register, Vol. 2, No. 2 (May 1987):342-344. Available at FHL.
• 1778 Tax Lists, Rowan County 1778 (transcript) online at FamilySearch

After County Formation:

• 1800 Land Valuations for Direct Tax, 1800 (images) at FamilySearch
• 1815 Tax Lists, Iredell County, 1815 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections

Vital Records

Birth

• 1800-2000 North Carolina Birth Index 1800-2000 at FamilySearch
• 1866-1964 North Carolina Births and Christenings 1866-1964 at FamilySearch

Marriage

• 1741-2004 North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast
• 1741-2004 North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry $
• 1759-1979 North Carolina Marriages 1759-1979 at FamilySearch
• 1762-1979 North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 at FamilySearch
• 1763-1868 North Carolina, Civil Marriages, 1763-1868 at FamilySearch
• 1893-1934 Iredell County Marriage Index 1893-1934 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

Death

• 1898-1994 North Carolina Deaths and Burials, 1898-1994 at FamilySearch
• 1906-1930 North Carolina Deaths 1906-1930 at FamilySearch
• 1908-2004 North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry $
• 1909-1975 North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry $
• 1931-1994 North Carolina Deaths 1931-1994 at FamilySearch

Divorce

• 1926-1975 North Carolina, County Divorce Records, 1926-1975 at FamilySearch
• 1958-2004 North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry $

Research Facilities

Family History Centers

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.

• Introduction to Family History Centers
• Lake Norman North Carolina Family History Center (Mooresville)
• Statesville North Carolina Family History Center

Libraries

Iredell County Public Library
Local History Section
201 N Tradd Street
Statesville, NC 28677
Phone: 704-878-3090
Website

Societies

• Genealogical Society of Iredell County
  PO Box 946
  Statesville, NC 28687
• Genealogical Society-Iredell
  200 S Center St
  Statesville, NC 28677
  Phone: 704-878-5384
  Website
• Iredell County Historical Society

For more information, call Mike Trivette at gsic@iredell.lib.nc.us or call 704-878-5384.

Websites

• Wikipedia: Iredell County, North Carolina and Category:Iredell County, North Carolina
• J.D. Lewis, Iredell County
• Iredell County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
• Iredell County, NCGenWeb
• 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.