North Carolina County Resources

The Lords Proprietors planned three counties in Carolina in 1664: Albemarle, Clarendon, and Craven. Craven County lay in South Carolina, and Clarendon County was abandoned in 1667 after achieving a population of about 800. Albemarle County included too large an area to provide adequate local government, so it was subdivided into Berkeley, Carteret, and Shaftesbury precincts about 1668. About 1681, the three original precincts were divided and renamed Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank, and Perquimans precincts. By about 1689 the four precincts functioned as de facto counties. In 1696 Bath County was formed; it was divided into Archedale, Pamptecough, and Wickham precincts in 1705. The Provincial Government of North Carolina recognized the de facto status of the precincts and declared all precincts to be counties in their own right in 1739, and Albemarle and Bath counties were abolished.

Research in North Carolina county records can begin with the microfilmed North Carolina material at a central collection, such as the North Carolina State Archives, Allen County Public Library (see page 204), the FHL, or other repositories with the North Carolina Core Collection. However, county seats may still hold additional material, including original deed and will books. What follows is an outline of beginning dates of extant records of each county. When counties were formed in North Carolina, many county clerks copied appropriate records from the parent county. In other cases, records pertaining to the land and families of the new county were transferred wholesale. Most counties therefore have some records that pre-date the formation of the county. The register of deeds at the county seat holds land and vital records; the clerk of the superior court holds probate records and court records if they have not been transferred to the state archives in Raleigh. Land records may include deeds, grants, plats, and other miscellaneous items. Probate records include not only wills, but also loose estates records, most of which have not been microfilmed. Court records may include apprentice bonds, bastardy bonds, and officials' or constables' bonds in addition to dockets, fee and account books, and court minutes and orders. The beginning dates do not imply that all records are extant since some of North Carolina's county records have been lost due to fire and other causes.

County records information is quoted from Guide to Research Materials in the North Carolina State Archives, Section B: County Records (11th rev. ed., Raleigh, N.C.: North Carolina Department of Archives and History, 1997), describing more than 9,000 bound volumes, 21,000 boxes of loose records, and 24,000 reels of microfilm. County formation information is derived from the above Guide, David Leroy Corbitt, The Formation of the North Carolina Counties, 1663'1943 (1950; 2d printing, Raleigh, N.C.: State Department of Archives and History, 1969); William Perry Johnson, 'North Carolina Precincts and Counties, 1663'1911,' The North Carolinian 2, no. 2 (June 1956): 165-72; and Helen F. M. Leary, ed., North Carolina Research: Genealogy and Local History, 2d ed. (Raleigh, N.C.: North Carolina Genealogical Society, 1996).

Map	County	County Address	Date Formed	Parent County(ies)	Birth	Marriage	Death	Land	Probate	District Court #
E2	Alamance	124 W. Elm St., Graham 27253-1312	1849	Orange	1913	1853		1793	1832	1849
	Albemarle		1664	(abolished 1739 when its precincts were declared counties) original
	Divided into Carteret, Berkeley, and Shaftesbury precincts about 1668. Divided into Carteret, Berkeley, and Shaftesbury precincts about 1668.
A2	Alexander	621 Liledoun Rd., Taylorsville 28681-0000	1847	Iredell/Wilkes/Caldwell	1913	1867	1913	1833	1847	1853
	Record loss, 1865.
B1	Alleghany	P.O. Box 366, Sparta 28675-0366	1859	Ashe	1914	1861	1914	1859	1859	1862
	Record loss, 1932.
C5	Anson	114 N. Greene St., Rm. 30, Wadesboro 28170-2100	1750	Bladen	1921	1741	1921	1749	1751	1771
	Record loss, 1868. Records fragmented.
	Archdale Precinct		1705 (renamed Craven Precinct about 1712)	precinct of Bath
A1	Ashe	150 Government Cir., Ste. 2500, Jefferson 28640-9378	1799	Wilkes	1913	1828	1913	1778	1801	1805
	Record loss, 1865. Records fragmented.
A2	Avery	P.O. Box 640, Newland 28657-0640	1911	Caldwell/Mitchell/Watauga	1914	1911	1914	1911	1911	1911
	Bath		1696	(abolished 1739 when its precincts were declared counties) original
	Divided into Archedale, Pamptecough, and Wickham precincts, 1705.
J3	Beaufort	P.O. Box 1027, Washington 27889-1027	1705	(as Pamptecough Precinct; renamed 1712; declared a county, 1739) precinct of Bath		1847		1695	1720	1744
	Records fragmented. Delayed birth certificates are available.
	Berkeley Precinct		about 1668	(renamed Perquimans Precinct about 1681) precinct of Albemarle
J2	Bertie	P.O. Box 530, Windsor 27983-0530	1722	Chowan Precinct, Albemarle County		1762		1721	1728	1724
F5	Bladen	P.O. Box 1048, Elizabethtown 28337-1048	1734	(as Pelham Precinct; renamed 1734)New Hanover Precinct, Bath County	1913	1868	1913	1784	1766	1866
	Record losses, 1800 and 1893. Also called Pelham Precinct.
G6	Brunswick	P.O. Box 249, Bolivia 28422-0249	1764	New Hanover/Bladen	1914	1804	1914	1764	1764	1782
	Record loss, 1865.
C7	Buncombe	205 College St., Ste. 300, Asheville 28801-3001	1791	Burke/Rutherford	1887	1842		1791	1815	1790
	Record losses, 1830 and 1865. Records fragmented.
A3	Burke	200 Avery Ave., Morganton 28655-3103	1777	Rowan	1913	1780	1913	1770	1776	1755
	Record loss, 1865.
	Bute		1764 (abolished 1779)	Granville				1778	1760	1764
	Records transferred to Warren and Franklin counties.
C4	Cabarrus	Governmental Center, P.O. Box 707, Concord 28025-0707	1792	Mecklenburg	1914	1792		1784	1793	1793
	Record loss, 1876.
A2	Caldwell	905 West Ave., N.W., P.O. Box 2200, Lenoir 28645-2200	1841	Burke/Wilkes	1914	1841	1914	1840	1830	1838
K1	Camden	117 N. NC 343, Camden 27921-0190	1777	Pasquotank	1913	1848	1913	1739	1766	1802
	Records fragmented.
J5	Carteret	402 Courthouse Sq., Beaufort 28516-1898	1722	Craven Precinct, Bath County	1912	1746	1912	1721	1744	1723
	Carteret Precinct		about 1668 (abolished about 1681)	precinct of Albemarle
	Divided into Currituck and Pasquotank Precincts about 1681.
E1	Caswell	P.O. Box 98, Yanceyville 27379-0098	1777	Orange	1913	1775	1913	1777	1771	1767
A3	Catawba	P.O. Box 389, Newton 28658-0389	1842	Lincoln	1913	1843	1913	1837	1843	1843
E3	Chatham	P.O. Box 87, Pittsboro 27312-0087	1770/1771	Orange		1772		1771	1771	1757
A8	Cherokee	75 Peachtree St., Murphy 28906-2947	1839	Macon	1913	1837	1913	1838	1848	1846
	Record losses, 1865, 1895, and 1926.
J2	Chowan	P.O. Box 1030, Edenton 27932-1030	about 1668	(as Shaftsbury precinct)*precinct of Albemarle	1913	1747	1913	1678	1694	1715
	Record loss, 1848. Records fragmented. * Formed as Shaftsbury Precinct about 1681, it was renamed Chowan about 1681 and declared a county, 1739.
	Clarendon		1664 (abolished 1667)	original
A8	Clay	P.O. Box 118, Hayesville 28904-0118	1861	Cherokee	1913	1870	1913	1845	1862	1868
	Record loss, 1870. Early records fragmented.
A4	Cleveland	P.O. Box 1210, Shelby 28150-1210	1841	Rutherford/Lincoln	1908	1851	1913	1792	1795	1838
F6	Columbus	111 Washington St., Whiteville 28472-3323	1808	Bladen/Brunswick	1913	1867	1913	1802	1808	1817
H4	Craven	406 Craven St., New Bern 28560-4911	1705	(as Archdale Precinct)*precinct of Bath		1740		1710	1737	1712
	Formed as Archdale Precinct, it was renamed Craven about 1712 and declared a county in 1739.
F4	Cumberland	P.O. Box 1829, Fayetteville 28302-1829	1754	Bladen	1913	1800	1913	1752	1757	1755
K1	Currituck	P.O. Box 39, Currituck 27929-0039	about 1681	(as a precinct; declared a county, 1739)Carteret Precinct, Albemarle County	1914	1851	1914	1735	1772	1799
	Record loss.
K3	Dare	P.O. Drawer 1000, Manteo 27954-1000	1870	Currituck/Tyrrell/Hyde		1870		1804	1832	1869
	Davidson (Tenn.)		1783	Washington, Tenn.
	Ceded to the United States in 1790 as part of the Southwest Territory (later Tennessee).
C3	Davidson	P.O. Box 1067, Lexington 27292-1067	1822	Rowan	1914	1822	1914	1808	1817	1820
	Record loss, 1866.
C2	Davie	123 S. Main St., Mocksville 27028-2464	1836	Rowan	1913	1851	1913	1792	1808	1829
	Dobbs		1758 (abolished 1791)	Johnston		1785		1746
	Divided into Glasgow and Lenoir counties, 1791.
G5	Duplin	P.O. Box 910, Kenansville 28349-0910	1750	New Hanover	1914	1755	1914	1754	1759	1784
	Records fragmented.
E2	Durham	200 E Main St., Durham 27701-3649	1881	Orange/Wake		1881		1881	1875	1881
H2	Edgecombe	P.O. Box 10, Tarboro 27886-0010	1741	Bertie	1914	1760	1914	1732	1730	1744
	Land records prior to 1759 are among those of Halifax County.
	Fayette		1784 (abolished 1784)	Cumberland
	Formation repealed 1784.
C2	Forsyth	201 N. Chestnut, 5th Floor, Winston-Salem 27101-4120	1849	Stokes		1849		1849	1845	1848
F2	Franklin	113 Market St., Louisburg 27549-2523	1779	Bute	1913	1789	1913	1781	1776	1774
A4	Gaston	P.O. Box 1578, Gastonia 28053-1578	1846	Lincoln		1848		1846	1839	1847
	Record loss, 1874. Records fragmented.
J1	Gates	P.O. Box 148, Gatesville 27938-0148	1779	Chowan/Hertford/Perquimans	1913	1779	1913	1776	1762	1768
	Glasgow		1791 (renamed Greene, 1799)	Dobbs
A8	Graham	P.O. Box 575, Robbinsville 28771-0575	1872	Cherokee	1913	1873	1913	1789	1847	1864
F2	Granville	P.O. Box 906, Oxford 25765-0906	1746	Edgecombe	1913	1758	1913	1746	1746	1742
	Greene (Tenn.)		1783	Washington, Tenn.
	Ceded to the United States in 1790 as part of the Southwest Territory (later Tennessee).
H3	Greene	229 Kingold, Ste. D,Snow Hill 28580-1331	1791	(as Glasgow; renamed 1799) Dobbs	1913	1875	1913	1857	1809	1861
	Record loss, 1876. Records fragmented.
D2	Guilford	301 W. Market St., P.O. Box 3427, Greensboro 27402-3427	1770/1771	Rowan/Orange	1913	1770	1913	1771	1771	1774
H2	Halifax	P.O. Box 38, Halifax 27839-0038	1758	Edgecombe	1913	1770	1913	1716	1759	1759
E4	Harnett	301 W. Cornelius Harnett Blvd., Lillington 27546-0759	1855	Cumberland	1914	1892	1914	1855	1854	1875
	Record losses, 1892 and 1894. Records fragmented.
	Hawkins (Tenn.)		1787	Sullivan, Tenn.
	Ceded to the United States in 1790 as part of the Southwest Territory (later Tennessee).
B7	Haywood	215 N Main St., Waynesville 28786-3869	1808	Buncombe	1913	1808	1913	1786	1803	1809
C8	Henderson	100 N. King St., Hendersonville 28792-5053	1838	Buncombe	1914	1838	1913	1835	1838	1838
J2	Hertford	County Office Bldg. #1 , P.O. Box 116	1759	Chowan/Bertie/Northampton	1911	1868	1911	1862	1868	1830
	Record losses, 1830 and 1862. Records fragmented.
E4	Hoke	P.O. Box 120 , Raeford 28376-0210	1911	Cumberland/Robeson	1911	1911	1911	1911	1911	1911
K3	Hyde	P.O. Box 188, Swan Quarter 27885-0188	1705	(as Wickham Precinct; renamed 1712; declared a county, 1739) precinct of Bath	1877	1742	1877	1736	1745	1713
B3	Iredell	P.O. Box 788, Statesville 28677-0788	1788	Rowan	1913	1788	1913	1788	1787	1786
	Record loss, 1854.
B8	Jackson	401 Grindstaff Cove Rd., Sylva 28779-3250	1851	Haywood/Macon		1853		1853	1853	1853
	Records fragmented. Delayed birth certificates are available.
F3	Johnston	P.O. Box 1049, Smithfield 27577-1049	1746	Craven	1914	1746	1914	1748	1760	1759
	Records fragmented.
H4	Jones	P.O. Box 340, Trenton 28585-0340	1779	Craven	1914	1851	1914	1779	1760	1807
	Record loss, 1862.
E3	Lee	P.O. Box 1968, Sanford 27331-1968	1907	Chatham/Moore	1913	1908	1913	1908	1906	1908
H4	Lenoir	P.O. Box 3289, Kinston 28501-3289	1791	Dobbs	1914	1791	1914	1737	1869	1874
	Record losses, 1878 and 1880. Records fragmented.
A3	Lincoln	115 W. Main St., Lincolnton 28092-2601	1779	Tryon	1913	1779	1913	1763	1765	1771
	Records fragmented.
B8	Macon	5 West Main St., Franklin 28734-3005	1828	Haywood	1913	1828	1913	1820	1830	1822
C7	Madison	P.O. Box 579, Marshall 28753-0579	1851	Buncombe/Yancey	1913	1851	1913	1851	1851	1837
H3	Martin	P.O. Box 668, Williamston 27892-0668	1774	Halifax/Tyrrell	1913	1872	1913	1774	1774	1809
	Records loss, 1884. Records fragmented.
D7, A3	McDowell	60 East Court St., Marion 28752-4041	1842	Burke/Rutherford	1914	1842	1914	1813	1841	1822
B4	Mecklenburg	600 E. Fourth St., Charlotte 28321-2846	1762	Anson	1913	1783	1913	1762	1713	1774
D6, A2	Mitchell	26 Crimson Laurel Cir., #2, Bakersville 28705-9510	1861	Burke/Caldwell/McDowell/Watauga/Yancey	1913	1861	1913	1789	1823	1861
	Record loss, 1907.
D4	Montgomery	P.O. Box 425, Troy 27371-0425	1779	Anson	1913	1779	1913	1769	1785	1807
	Record loss, 1835. Records fragmented.
E4	Moore	P.O. Box 905, Carthage 28327-0905	1784	Cumberland	1913	1851	1913	1787	1783	1784
	Record loss, 1889. Records fragmented.
G2	Nash	120 W Washington St. #3072, Nashville 27856-1376	1777	Edgecombe	1913	1777	1913	1739	1770	1751
G6	New Hanover	320 Chestnut St., Rm. 502, Wilmington 28401-4068	1729	(as a precinct; declared a county, 1739) Craven Precinct, Bath County	1879	1741	1879	1729	1732	1738
	Records fragmented.
H1	Northampton	P.O. Box 808, Jackson 27845-0808	1741	Bertie	1917	1811	1917	1741	1759	1771
H5	Onslow	118 Old Bridge St., Jacksonville 28540-4229	1734	New Hanover Precinct, Bath County	1914	1745	1914	1712	1735	1732
	Record losses, 1752 and 1786.
E2	Orange	P.O. Box 8181, Hillsborough 27278-8181	1752	Bladen/Granville/Johnston	1913	1779	1913	1752	1752	1752
J4	Pamlico	P.O. Box 776, Bayboro 28515-0776	1872	Beaufort/Craven	1913	1872	1913	1869	1752	1752
	Pamptecough Precinct		1705	(renamed Beaufort Precinct, 1712) precinct of Bath
K2	Pasquotank	P.O. Box 39, Elizabeth City 27907-0039	about 1681	(as a precinct;declared a county, 1739) Carteret Precinct, Albemarle County	1691	1691	1691	1666	1709	1737
	Pelham Precinct		1734	(renamed Bladen Precinct, 1734) New Hanover Precinct, Bath County
G5	Pender	P.O. Box 5, Burgaw 28425-0005	1875	New Hanover	1913	1875	1913	1875	1875	1875
K2	Perquimans	P.O. Box 45, Hertford 27944-0045	about 1668	(as Berkeley precinct; renamed about 1681;declared a county, 1739) precinct of Albemarle	1659	1659	1913	1681	1709	1688
E1	Person	304 S. Morgan St., Rm. 212, Roxboro 275739-5245	1791	Caswell	1913	1791	1913	1774	1792	1775
H3	Pitt	1717 W. Fifth St., Greenville 27834-1601	1760	Beaufort	1913	1826	1913	1762	1836	1850
	Record loss, 1857. Records fragmented.
D8, A4	Polk	P.O. Box 308, Columbus 28722-0308	1855	Henderson/Rutherford		1855		1830	1851	1847
D3	Randolph	707 McDowell Rd., P.O. Box 4728, Asheboro 27204-4728	1779	Guilford	1913	1779	1913	1779	1773	1772
D4	Richmond	P.O. Box 504, Rockingham 28379-0504	1779	Anson	1914	1779	1914	1762	1772	1772
E5	Robeson	701 N. Elm St., Lumberton 28358-4891	1787	Bladen	1913	1803	1913	1782	1783	1795
D1	Rockingham	371 NC 65, Wentworth 27375-0206	1785	Guilford	1913	1785	1913	1785	1772	1786
C3	Rowan	130 West Innes St., Salisbury 28144-4365	1753	Anson	1913	1753	1913	1753	1743	1753
	Record loss, 1865.
D8, A4	Rutherford	289 N. Main St., Rutherfordton 28139-2503	1779	Tryon	1913	1774	1913	1768	1782	1779
	Record loss, 1907.
F4	Sampson	County Office Bldg., 435 Rowan St., Clinton 28328-4729	1784	Duplin	1913	1867	1913	1752	1778	1790
	Record losses, 1865 and 1921.
D5	Scotland	P.O. Box 489, Laurinburg 28352-0489	1899	Richmond	1913	1900	1913	1900	1887	1887
	Shaftesbury Precinct		about 1668	(renamed Chowan Precinct about 1681) precinct of Albemarle
C4	Stanly	201 S. Second St., Albemarle 28001-5741	1841	Montgomery	1913	1850	1913	1840	1839	1841
C1	Stokes	P.O. Box 20, Danbury 27016-0020	1789	Surry	1913	1790	1913	1760	1753	1782
	Sullivan (Tenn.)		1779	Washington, Tenn.
	Ceded to the United States in 1790 as part of the Southwest Territory (later Tennessee).
	Sumner (Tenn.)		1787	Davidson, Tenn.
	Ceded to the United States in 1790 as part of the Southwest Territory (later Tennessee).
B1	Surry	118 Hamby Rd., Ste. 329, Dobson 27017-8820	1770	Rowan	1912	1778	1912	1771	1770	1770
A7	Swain	P.O. 2321, Bryson City 28713-2321	1871	Jackson/Macon		1871		1871	1871	1871
	Record loss, 1879. Delayed birth certificates are available.
	Tennessee (Tenn.)		1788	Davidson, Tenn.
	Ceded to the United States in 1790 as part of the Southwest Territory (later Tennessee).
C8	Transylvania	28 E. Main St., Brevard 28712-3728	1861	Henderson/Jackson	1913	1861	1913	1861	1861	1861
	Tryon		1768	Mecklenburg				1769		1769
	Divided into Lincoln and Rutherford Counties in 1779. Records transferred to Lincoln County.
K3	Tyrrell	P.O. Box 449, Columbia 27925-0049	1729	Bertie/Chowan, Currituck,Pasquotank precincts, Albemarle County	1913	1742	1913	1736	1739	1735
C4	Union	500 N. Main St., Rm. 921, Monroe 28112-4730	1842	Anson/Mecklenburg	1913	1842	1913	1842	1837	1843
F1	Vance	122 Young St. Ste. B, Henderson 27536-4268	1881	Granville/Franklin/Warren	1913	1881	1913	1849	1881	1881
F3	Wake	P.O. Box 550, Raleigh 27602-0550	1770	Cumberland/Orange/Johnston		1770		1774	1770	1769
	Walton (Ga.)		1803 (abolished 1812)
	Was a settlement of Georgia but was actually in North Carolina; see Walton (old), Georgia.
G1	Warren	P.O. Box 619, Warrenton 27589-0619	1779	Bute	1914	1779	1914	1764	1763	1769
	Washington District		1776	original
	Ceded to the United States in 1790 as part of the Southwest Territory (later Tennessee).
J3	Washington	P.O. Box 1007, Plymouth 27962-1007	1799	Tyrrell	1912	1851	1912	1779	1795	1815
	Record losses, 1862, 1869, and 1881.
A2	Watauga	842 W King St., Ste. 1, Boone 28607-3485	1849	Ashe/Caldwell/Wilkes/Yancey	1914	1873	1914	1830	1858	1873
	Record loss, 1873. Records fragmented.
G4	Wayne	P.O. Box 227, Goldsboro 27530-0227	1779	Dobbs	1913	1790	1913	1780	1776	1782
	Wickham Precinct		1705	(became Hyde Precinct, 1712) Bath
B2	Wilkes	110 North St., Wilkesboro 28697-2428	1777	Surry/Washington District	1913	1778	1913	1741	1777	1761
G3	Wilson	P.O. Box 1728, Wilson 27893-1728	1855	Edgecombe/Nash/Johnston/Wayne	1913	1855	1913	1836	1840	1850
B2	Yadkin	P.O. Box 146, Yadkinville 27055-0146	1850	Surry	1914	1850	1914	1793	1836	1845
D7, A2	Yancey	Courthouse, Rm. 11, Burnsville 28714	1833	Buncombe/Burke	1913	1851	1913	1831	1838	1834

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