Watauga County, North Carolina Genealogy
Guide to Watauga County, North Carolina ancestry, family history, and genealogy birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.
| Watauga County, North Carolina | |||||||||
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 Location in the state of North Carolina | |||||||||
 Location of North Carolina in the U.S. | |||||||||
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| Founded | 1849 | ||||||||
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| County Seat | Boone | ||||||||
| Courthouse | |||||||||
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Contents
- 1 County Information
- 2 History
- 3 Places/Localities
- 4 Resources
- 5 Societies and Libraries
- 6 Websites
- 7 References
County Information
Description
Watauga County is located in the Western portion of North Carolina and shares a border with Tennessee. It was named after the Watauga River ("Watauga" is an Indian word meaning "beautiful river")[1].
County Courthouse
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Watauga County Courthouse
842 W King Street
Boone, NC 28607-3531
Phone: 828-265-8052
Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1914
marriage records from 1872 and land records
Clerk Superior Court has divoce, probate and court records from 1872[2]
Register of Deeds
842 W. King Street, Courthouse, Suite 9
Boone, NC 28607
Phone: 828-265-8052
Fax: 828-265-7632
Website
Clerk Superior Court
842 W King St
Boone, NC 28607-3560
Phone: 828) 268-6600
History
The area that became Watauga and Ashe counties was part of Anson County during the early period; part of Rowan County in 1753, Surry County in 1771, Wilkes County in 1777 and was briefly part of the State of Franklin from 1784-89. After Franklin it was claimed as part of Washington County (part of the Southwest Territory, and later Tennessee) until it was annexed back by North Carolina into Wilkes County again in 1792.[3] Ashe was incorporated as a separate entity by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1799. North Carolina erected Watauga County primarily from Ashe County in 1849.
Parent County
1849--Watauga County was created from Ashe, Caldwell,Wilkes, and Yancey Counties.
County seat: Boone [4]
County histories are available such as:
- A History of Watauga County, North Carolina : with sketches of prominent families by John Preston Arthur (1915)
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
1873--Courthouse fire destroyed all of the land records and most of the court records.
Places/Localities
Populated Places
- Beech Mountain
- Blowing Rock
- Boone
- Seven Devils
Neighboring Counties
Resources
Bibles
- Watauga County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives: Bibles (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
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. | ||
- North Carolina, Historical Records Survey, Cemetery Inscription Card Index at FamilySearch — index and images
- Watauga County Cultural Features: Cemeteries, locations and maps (NC HomeTownLocator)
Census
For tips on accessing Watauga County, North Carolina Genealogy census records online, see: North Carolina Census.
Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records
- Howard's Chapel
County Records
- 1833-1970 - North Carolina, County Records, 1833-1970 at FamilySearch — index and images
Court
Land
Local Histories
- Arthur, John Preston, A History of Watauga County, North Carolina with Sketches of Prominent Families, 1915, reprinted 2002. (information in Genealogy.com)
- Watauga County Genealogy Study from the William Allan Papers (manuscript collection), Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina
Maps
Migration
Early migration routes to and from Watauga County for European settlers included:[5]
- Great Indian Warpath pre-historic
- Old Cherokee Path pre-historic
- Great Valley Road about 1744 (overlapped the Great Indian Warpath)
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
Regiments. Service men in Watauga 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 Watauga County, North Carolina Genealogy:
- - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company D
- - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company G
World War I
- 1917 - 1919 - North Carolina, World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images
World War II
- 1940 - 1948 - North Carolina, Discharge and Statement of Service Records, 1940-1948 at FamilySearch — index and images
Newspapers
- Watauga County, North Carolina Obituaries (Newspaper Obituaries)
- Watauga Democrat
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
- 1873 - 1968 - Will Books A to E (1873-1968) have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.
- Watauga County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives: Wills & Estates (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
Taxation
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
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
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
- 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
- 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 - 1868 - North Carolina, Civil Marriages, 1763-1868 at FamilySearch — index and images
- 1873 - 1954 - Watauga County Marriage Index 1873-1954. Batch M869955 at FamilySearch - free.[6]
Yearbooks
- Appalachian State University: 1923-2006
- Watauga County students at NC colleges - via the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index
Societies and Libraries
Genealogical Society of Watauga County
PO Box 126
Boone, NC 28607
Watauga County Historical Society
E. Mast, 253 Wm. Hardy Mast Road
Sugar Grove, NC 28679-9707
Website
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. See family history center for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.
Websites
- Watauga County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
- NCGenWeb: Watauga County - free genealogy resources; part of the national USGenWeb Project
- FamilySearch Catalog
- Watauga County Genealogy (North Carolina Genealogy)
- Watauga County, North Carolina (New River Notes)
- Watauga County, North Carolina (RootsWeb)
- Watauga County, North Carolina (Wikipedia)
- Watauga County, North Carolina Cemetery Inscriptions (Access Genealogy)
- Watauga County, North Carolina Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
- Watauga County, North Carolina Genealogy Links (Genealogy Links)
- Watauga County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives (U.S. GenWeb Archives)
References
- ↑ https://www.ncpedia.org/geography/Watauga
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), Watauga County, North Carolina. Page 513 At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 973 D27e 2002.
- ↑ Arthur L. Fletcher, Ashe County: A History (Jefferson, N.C.: Ashe County Research Assoc., 1963), 33-34.
- ↑ The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America,10th ed. (Draper, UT:Everton Publishers, 2002).
- ↑ Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America, 10th ed. (Draper, Utah: Everton Pub., 2002), 847-61. (FHL Book 973 D27e 2002) WorldCat entry., and William E. Myer, Indian Trails of the Southeast. (Nashville, Tenn.: Blue and Gray Press, 1971), 12-14, and the book's pocket map "The Trail System of the Southeastern United States in the early Colonial Period" (1923). (FHL Book 970.1 M992i) WorldCat entry.
- ↑ Genealogical Society of Utah, Parish and Vital Records List (July 1998). Microfiche. Digital version at https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/images/f/f5/Iginorthcarolinap.pdf.
