Surry County, North Carolina Genealogy

Surry County
	Surry County, North Carolina
	Map
	; Location in the state of North Carolina
	; Location of North Carolina in the U.S.
	Facts
Founded	1771
County Seat	Dobson
	Courthouse
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United States

North Carolina

Surry County

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

Surry County, North Carolina History

Parent County

1771--Surry County was created from Rowan County.
County seat: Dobson ^[2]

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

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

Brief History

Surry County, North Carolina is said to have been named after Surrey County, England. The county's northern boundary is the Virginia state line.

Surry County was originally formed from Rowan County in 1771. Rowan had been formed from Anson in 1753, and Anson was formed from Bladen in 1750. The act to form Surry County was proposed to the assembly of North Carolina in December 1770, and was passed the following month, January 1771. This act became effective 1 Apr 1771.

Wilkes County was formed in 1777 from Surry County and, according to some sources, Washington District, also known as the District of Washington. Evidently, however, the District of Washington was created in the same legislative session. Washington District is, today, Washington County, Tennessee. Stokes County was formed ten years later, in 1789, from the eastern section of Surry County.

Surry County records dated from the 1770s and 1780s cover parts of present-day Ashe, Alleghany, Forsyth, Stokes, Wilkes, and Yadkin Counties.

In 1790, the county seat of Surry County became Rockford.

Yet another division took place in 1851, as Yadkin County was formed from the area south of Yadkin River. In 1853, the county seat was moved from Rockford to the new town of Dobson, and has remained there to this day. Dobson is named for William Polk Dobson, a prominent citizen. The Registrar of Deeds Office in Dobson welcomes visitors to its very user-friendly collection of vital records.

The 1860 census for Surry County shows about 1,200 slaves in the county.

Settlers from Virginia and Pennsylvania who were of the Quaker religion came from the New Garden and other meetings in Guilford County, North Carolina. Some of those families include Bond, Burcham, Hill, Hiatt, Horton, Love, Pinson, Jackson, Jessup, Simmons, Stanley and Taylor. Many of them moved on to Indiana but numerous descendants are still in the area.

Those of the German Moravian faith who came from other North Carolina settlements include the Brinkley, Hauser, Kiger, Moser and Shouse lines. Families of French descent include Hardin, Poindexter, Lambert, Laurence, and probably Laffoon.

The Riggs family, said to descend from Edward Riggs III who came to Massachusetts in the 1630s and founded Morristown, New Jersey, came to Surry County with the Henson, Jarvis and Wilmoth families.

Families that came from Albermarle County, North Carolina, were Burrus, Cave, Easley, Fleming, Franklin, Ollesby, Perkins, Snow, Taliaferro and Tucker. Those that came from neighboring Stokes County were East, Hill, King, Pratt, Simpson, Venable and Vernon.

Other prominent familes were Marion, Creed, McKinney, Moore, Dudley and McCraw.

Present-day Surry County is southern living at its best. Because of being somewhat isolated at the base of the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia, it has been able to retain the long-held traditions of the families lines that have remained there for over 220 years. Some have clung to the old Elizabethan English and many have strong roots in their Primitive Baptist upbringing. Most of these second-generation Americans were born in Virginia and migrated to North Carolina looking for the fertile land that had been advertised and scouted.

Surry County, North Carolina Places / Localities

Populated Places

Dobson (county seat)
Elkin
Mount Airy
Pilot Mountain

Neighboring Counties

Townships

Bryan
Dobson
Eldora
Elkin
Franklin
Long Hill
Marsh
Mount Airy
Pilot Mountain
Rockford
Shoals
Sloam
South Westfield
Stewarts Creek
Westfield

Major Rivers

Ararat River
Fisher River
Mitchell River
Yadkin River

Resources

Cemeteries

Tombstone Transcriptions Online	Tombstone Transcriptions in Print	List of Cemeteries in the county
Findagrave.com	Family History Library	Findagrave.com
NCGenWeb	WorldCat	Billion Graves
NCGenWeb Archives
Tombstone Project
North Carolina Cemeteries
Internment
Billion Graves
See North Carolina Cemeteries for more information.

Fisher's Gap Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery (online list, New River Notes)
Liberty Union Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery (online list, New River Notes)
Stony Ridge, Wolff Family Cemetery (online list, New River Notes)
Surry County, North Carolina Cemetery Transcriptions (Access Genealogy)
USGS: List of cemeteries in Surry County (USGS)
Wolff Family Cemetery (online list, New River Notes)

Censuses

For tips on accessing Surry County, North Carolina Genealogy census records online, see: North Carolina Census.

1786 State Census for Surry County; 15 districts were established, but the returns from six are missing.
1790 Census, Surry County, North Carolina (transcription, alphabetical order, GenWeb Archives)
1790 Census, Surry County, North Carolina (transcription, searchable by surname, Don Chesnut)
1810 Census, Surry County, North Carolina (last name index, GenWeb Archives)
1850 Census, Surry County, North Carolina (index, GenWeb Archives)

Church Records

Baptist

Deep Creek. Constituted 1781.^[3]
Hunting Creek. Constituted 1781.^[3]
Little Yadkin River. Constituted 1785.^[3]
Shallow Fords. Founded before 1773.^[3]

Dunker

Fraternity Church of the Brethren, near Clemmons, N.C. Established about 1775.^[4] Later located in Stokes and Forsyth counties.

Lutheran

Nazareth Church aka Old Dutch Meeting House. Organized about 1778 by German settlers.^[5] Later located in Stokes County and presently situated in Forsyth County.

Moravian

Friedberg Church. Begun 1759; organized 1773.^[6] Later located in Stokes County and presently situated in Forsyth County.

Court

Family Histories

[Adamson] Dixon Ben F. and Alice L. Dwelle Dixon. The Adamson Source Book, a Genealogy of the Descendants of Rachel Williams Adamson, 1776-1850 of Surry County, N.C., Jefferson County, Tenn., and Lawrence County, Ind.: with an Addendum of Miscellaneous Historical Material on the Name Adamson. 2 vols. Washington, D.C.: B.F. Dixon, 1942-1961.
Coats, Charlotte, Joshua Richardson, Lazarus Tilley, William Mason: The American Revolution and Before, 2006.
Combs &c Families of Surry County, North Carolina (website)
Dunagin, Percy E., The Early Dunagins of Surry County, North Carolina, Family Heritage Publishers, 2007.
Heinegg, Paul, Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2005.
[Whitaker] Whitaker-Buck, Ruby M. Mark Whitaker, Baltimore County, Maryland (c1670-1729) and Allied Families. Sacramento, Calif.: privately published, 1992. Digital version at FamilySearch Books Online - free.

Land

Surry County, North Carolina deed records date from 1771, when the county was formed. In addition to more ordinary deeds, Surry County land records at the Register of Deeds' office also include records involving Lord Granville's agents, and state land grants. Bills of sale for slaves are also included.

According to the Register of Deeds' web pages in the county government site, the earliest deed index for the county covers 1771 to 1870. This was followed by a second index, which covers the period from 1870 to 1937.

The office of the Register of Deeds is located at 201 E. Kapp Street in Dobson. More information, including phone number and office hours, can be found in the Register of Deeds' web pages.

Local Histories

Absher, Mrs. W.O., and Mae R. Hayes, Surry County, North Carolina Deed Book C (1777-1788). Self-published.
Boyles, Carolyn, Wilma Hiatt, and Surry County Genealogical Association, Surry County (Images of America series), Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2000.
Columbine, Mary Felts, Surry County, North Carolina: Early Settlers and Road Builders, 1771-1850, 2005.
Heinegg, Paul, Free African Americans of North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2005.
Holcomb, Brent, Marriages of Surry County, North Carolina, 1778-1868, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1982.
Hollingsworth, Jesse Gentry, History of Surry County, or Annals of Northwest North Carolina, W.H. Fisher Company, 1935. (Google Books link, without preview)
Jackson, Hester B., Surry County Soldiers in the Civil War, Dobson, North Carolina: Surry County Historical Society, 1992.
Linn, Jo White, Surry County, North Carolina Wills, 1771-1827, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1992.
Snow, Carol Leonard, Surry County, North Carolina, Deed Abstracts, Toast, North Carolina: Self-published, 1995, 3 vols. (FHL)
Thompson, Evelyn Scales, Around Surry County (Black America Series), Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing, 2005. (Google Books link with preview)

Maps

Map created by William Dollarhide that shows the counties in North Carolina. It was published by The Red Book.

Military

Revolutionary War

1779 - 1782 - North Carolina Revolutionary Pay Vouchers 1779-1782 at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War

Online Records

1861 - 1865 - North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Confederate Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch.org — index and images
1861 - 1865 - North Carolina, Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 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 - North Carolina, Confederate Soldiers and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1953 at FamilySearch — index and images
Act of 1885 - Pension Applications at North Carolina State Archives -- Searchable Images in Mars Catalog

Regiments. Service men in Surry County, North Carolina Genealogy 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 Surry County, North Carolina Genealogy:

- 2nd Battalion, North Carolina Infantry

- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry

- 37th Battalion, Virginia Cavalry (Dunn's Battalion, Partisan Rangers) (Confederate). Company D and Company F.^[7]

- 1st Battalion, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company E

- 2nd Battalion, North Carolina Infantry, Company B

- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Detailed Men, Company C

- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Detailed Men, Company D

- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Detailed Men, Company E

- 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, 2nd Company A

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

- 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves

Probate

Online Probate Records

1660 - 1790 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
1663 - 1979 - North Carolina Estate Files, 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 - North Carolina Probate Records 1735-1970 at FamilySearch.org — images
1760 - 1800 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry.com — index and images $

Pre-1790 - Pre-1790 Surry County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.
1771 - 1963 - Will Books 1 to 14 (1771-1963) have been digitized by FamilySearch - free
1771 - 1963 - Surry County North Carolina list of will book testators SAMPUBCO - Browsable index of testators of wills. - Free
Images of Wills and Estates: 1771-1783;- and 1783-1792. North Carolina Pioneers ($)

Research Guides

Sweeney, Alice J. "Bassett Historical Center," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Aug. 2002):1-3. Available at FHL; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.

Taxation

Tax lists, 1784-1789, are extant.

1771 - Tax Lists, Surry County, 1771 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
1771 - 1771 Surry County, North Carolina Tax List (Signal Mountain, Tennessee: Mountain Press, 199-). FHL Book 975.665 R4sn
1771-1772 - Lists of Taxables, 1771-1772 (images) online at FamilySearch
1771-1777 - Surry and Wilkes Counties, North Carolina Taxables, 1771-1800 [1771, 1772, 1774, 1775, 1777] (transcripts) online at FamilySearch
1772 - Tax Lists, Surry County, 1772 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
1774 - 1774 List of Tithables for Surry County, North Carolina (transcript) online at New River Notes
1782 - Tax Lists, Surry County, 1782 (images) online at North Carolina Digital Collections
1782 - Lists of Taxables, 1782 (images) online at FamilySearch
1786 - 1786 Taxables, Surry County (online lists)
1786 - 1786 Taxables, Atkins District, Surry County, North Carolina (GenWeb Archives)
1786 - 1786 Taxables, Krous' District, Surry County, North Carolina (GenWeb Archives)
1790 - 1790 Tax List, Surry County, North Carolina (transcript) online at New River Notes
1790-1800 - 1790-1800 Tax Lists (images) online at FamilySearch
1791-1792 - List of Taxables, 1791-1792 (images) online at FamilySearch
1815 - Harvey, Iris M. Surry County, North Carolina Tax List 1816 (Raleigh, North Carolina: I.R. Harvey, 1990).
1815-1835 - Tax Lists, 1815-1835 (images) online at FamilySearch
1835-1866 - Tax Lists, 1835-1866 (images) online at FamilySearch

Vital Records

Birth Records

1800 - 2000 - North Carolina Birth Index 1800-2000 at FamilySearch.org — index
1866 - 1964 - North Carolina Births and Christenings 1866-1964 at FamilySearch.org — index
1912 - 1963 - Surry County Birth Index 1912-1963. Batch C752291 at FamilySearch - free.^[8]
Obtain Certified copies of Birth Certificates at Register of Deeds.

Death Records

1898 - 1994 - North Carolina Deaths and Burials, 1898-1994 at FamilySearch.org — index
1906 - 1930 - North Carolina Deaths 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 - North Carolina Deaths 1931-1994 at FamilySearch.org — index
Obtain Certified copies of Death Certificates at Register of Deeds.

Divorce Records

1926 - 1975 - North Carolina, County Divorce Records, 1926-1975 at FamilySearch — index and images
1958 - 2004 - North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriage Records

Brent Holcomb, in his book Marriages of Surry County, North Carolina 1779-1868, points out that no Surry County marriage bonds from prior to 1779 are extant. Most bonds are housed in Raleigh, North Carolina at the State Archives, but Holcomb points out that about 120 Surry County marriage bonds were found to remain in the Surry County Courthouse in Dobson.

1741 - 2004 - North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
Surry County Marriages at USGenWeb - free.
1741 - 2004 - North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
1759 - 1979 - North Carolina Marriages 1759-1979 at FamilySearch.org — index
1762 - 1979 - North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 at FamilySearch — index and images
1763 -1 868 - North Carolina, Civil Marriages, 1763-1868 at FamilySearch — index and images
1853 - 1940 - Surry County Marriage Index 1853-1940 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.^[9]
Obtain Certified copies of Marriage Licenses at Register of Deeds.

Yearbooks

Surry Community College - various issues between 1969-1995