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Warren County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

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County Facts
County seat: Warrenton
Organized: 1779
Parent County(s): Bute[1]
Neighboring Counties
Brunswick (VA)  • Franklin  • Halifax  • Mecklenburg (VA)  • Nash  • Northampton  • Vance
See County Maps
Courthouse
NorthCarolinaWarrenCourthouse.jpg
Location Map
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County Information[edit | edit source]

Description[edit | edit source]

The county was named for Joseph Warren of Massachusetts, a physician and general in the American Revolutionary War who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. It is located on the north central border of the state.

County Courthouse[edit | edit source]

Warren County Courthouse
109 S. Main Street
PO Box 709
Warrenton, NC 27589
Phone: 252-257-3261
Warren County Website

Register of deeds has birth and death records from 1913, marriage and land records from 1764.
Clerk Superior Court has divorce and probate records from 1764 and court records from 1968.[2]

Warren 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 1764 1913 1968 1764 1764 1784
Statewide registration for births and deaths started in 1913. General compliance by 1920.

Record Loss[edit | edit source]

1935 Fire burned courthouse, some record loss.
County Court Records from about 1814 -1823 are missing. Deed Books 15 and 16, 1799-1803, are missing from the court house and from the NC Archives.
For the status of records for all North Carolina Counties see:Status of Courthouse Records in North Carolina

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

Boundary Changes[edit | edit source]

  • 1779 Warren County was created from Bute County, which was abolished in 1779.
  • County seat: Warrenton[4]

Territory north of Roanoke River, in Roanoke Township, transferred from Northampton County to Warren County in late 1800's.Portion of Warren along western border, became part of Vance County in 1881. Town of Littleton, previously spread over Warren & Halifax, transferred entirely to Halifax in 1970's.

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 Warren County, North Carolina:

Townships

Fishing Creek, Fork, Hawtree, Judkins, Nutbush, River, Roanoke, Sandy Creek, Shocco, Sixpound, Smith Creek, Warrenton

History Timeline[edit | edit source]

Warren and Franklin Counties were formed in 1779 from Bute County which had been established in 1764. For several years the inhabitants of Bute had longed for a division of the county because of the hardships to fulfill civil duties from the remote parts of the very large county. On 26 April 1777 Mr. Benjamin Seawell introduced a petition in the North Carolina General Assembly from the several inhabitants of Bute for a division of the County. For some reason the division was not made. Two years later, in 1779, Mr. Edward Jones introduced another petition 'for the division. A bill was slated and enacted into law on 20 January 1779:

.... That from and after the passing of this Act the County of Bute shall be divided into two distinct Counties by a direct line from the Granville line to Halifax or Nash County line as the case may be, leaving in each part or division an equal quantity of Acres as near as can be ascertained ... and all that part or division which lies North of said line and adjacent to Virginia shall be a distinct County by the name of Warren, and all that part or division that lies South of said line shall be a distinct County by the name of Franklin;.. (SRNC, XXIV, 227)

On 29 January 1779 the General Assembly meeting at Halifax appointed the Commissioners for dividing Bute County. Julius Nichols, John Faulcon, William Duke, John Norwood, and Matthew Thomas were to be responsible for measuring the bounds of Bute County, running the dividing line, and choosing sites near the center of each county whore courthouses and public buildings were to be built. Later in 1779 two other acts of Assembly established Warrenton and Louisburg as County Seats of Warren and Franklin Counties respectively,

In 1786 Warren County annexed more territory, a part of Granville County:

.... 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 as it meanders to the mouth of Anderson's Swamp, thence up the said swamp to the fork, thence up the south fork of the said swamp 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 .... (SRNC, XXIV, 866)

Warren County remains today the same except for a western part which was cut off to form a part of Vance County when it was formed in 1881.

Bute Co. was formed from Granville Co. in 1764 and abolished in 1779 when it was divided into Warren Co. and Franklin Co. The courthouse of Bute Co. was located at a place called "Buffalo Rice Path" on land owned by Jethro Sumner about 6 miles southeast of present Warrenton, North Carolina. Most of the records of Bute County are still located in Warren Co. though some may be found in Franklin Co.

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 Warren 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]

Church Records[edit | edit source]

Baptist

Court Records[edit | edit source]

Directories[edit | edit source]

Emigration and Immigration[edit | edit source]

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

African Americans

Funeral Homes[edit | edit source]

Genealogies[edit | edit source]

Guardianship[edit | edit source]

Land and Property Records[edit | edit source]

The Registry cannot do research for you but the following records are available to the public:

-Real Estate since 1756
-Warren County Online Deeds Search, currently from abt 1974

A number of Deeds for Warren County have been transcribed; check the following sites:

Local Histories[edit | edit source]

Maps and Gazetteers[edit | edit source]

NC Warren

Migration[edit | edit source]

Military Records[edit | edit source]

Revolutionary War

Civil War

Regiments. Men in Warren 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 Warren County:

- 8th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
- 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, 2nd Company C
- 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company F
- 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company K
- 14th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 4th Volunteers, Company A
- 1st Brigade, North Carolina Reserves, Company A
- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company E
- 1st Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company A
- 3rd Battalion, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain D W William's Company
- 8th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company F

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]

Periodicals[edit | edit source]

Probate Records[edit | edit source]

Online Probate Records

Warren County has copies of wills and estate records available from the Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court. Please be specific about what you want when you contact the office.

Warren County Courthouse
109 S. Main Street
Warrenton, NC 27589
Clerk of Superior Court
Phone: 252-257-3261

It is generally more cost effective to order copies of records directly from the County; however, most originals of the early records have been sent to the State Archives and what remains in the County offices are hand-copied translations of those originals, so you may want to keep that in mind.

Records can be ordered from the North Carolina State Archives by contacting them giving them specific information on what you are looking for.Click onto this page for a detailed guide on Contacting the NC State Archives.

Most original wills, inventories, settlements and other materials associated with estate records have been sent to the State Archives. The Archives has the following available on microfilm:

-1763-1963 Index to Wills, 1763-1963 (1 reel)
-1764-1863 Records of Wills, Accounts, Inventories & Settlements, 1764-1863 (16 reels)
-1820-1821 Division of Estates, 1820-1821 (1 reel)
-1863-1964 Record of Wills, 1863-1964 (3 reels)
-1868-1964 Record of Accounts, 1868-1964 (5 reels)
-1878-1964 Record of Settlements, 1878-1964 (3 reels)
-1905-1906 Record of Administrators and Guardians, 1905-1906 (1 reel)
-1912-1964 Record of Administrators, 1912-1964; Cross Index to Administrators, 1866-1965 (3 reels)
-1919-1964 Record of Executors, 1919-1964; Cross Index to Administrators & Executors, 1927-1936 (1 reel)
-1923-1964 Inheritance Tax Records, 1923-1964 (1 reel)
-1926-1964 Record of Guardians, 1926-1964; Cross Index to Guardians, 1926-1936 (1 reel)

The North Carolina State Archives will give you pricing information when you contact them for ordering microfilm.

North Carolina State Archives
4614 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-4614

Physical address:
109 E. Jones St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: 919-807-7310

A number of Wills & Estates have been transcribed and are available as follows:

The early Warren County Court records have been transcribed and published and are available for purchase from the author. The books are:

-1780-1786 Warren County, NC Minutes to the Court of Pleas, 1780-1786 (author has put complete book online)
-1787-1792 Warren County, NC Minutes to the Court of Pleas, 1787-1792
-1793-1796 Warren County, NC Minutes to the Court of Pleas, 1793-1796
-1797-1800 Warren County, NC Minutes to the Court of Pleas, 1797-1800
-1801-1805 Warren County, NC Minutes to the Court of Pleas, 1801-1805
-1806-1809 Warren County, NC Minutes to the Court of Pleas, 1806-1809
-1810-1813 Warren County, NC Minutes to the Court of Pleas, 1810-1813

There is an index to the books on the website where you can check for your ancestors name. Please check the site Ancestral Tracks for prices.

School Records[edit | edit source]

Tax Records[edit | edit source]

Vital Records[edit | edit source]

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 and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes.

Libraries[edit | edit source]

Museums[edit | edit source]

Societies[edit | edit source]

  • Warren County Historical Association
    210 Plummer Street
    Warrenton, NC 27589
  • North Carolina Genealogical Society
    PO Box 30815
    Raleigh, NC 27622-0815
    Website
  • Afro American Historical Genealogical Society
    PO Box 36254
    Greensboro, NC 27416
    Website
  • Tar River Genealogical Society
    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. ↑ 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), Warren 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. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 George Washington Paschal, History of North Carolina Baptists, 2 vols. (1930; reprint, Gallatin, Tenn.: Church History Research and Archives, 1990), 1:233, 483, 491; 2:569. FHL Book 975.6 K2p 1990.
  6. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/f/f5/Iginorthcarolinap.pdf.
  7. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/f/f5/Iginorthcarolinap.pdf.
  8. ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/images/f/f5/Iginorthcarolinap.pdf.
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