North Carolina Genealogy Resources
Subjects & Keywords
Guides & Directories
African- American
Libraries & Archives
Dictionaries
Juvenile Sources
Organizations
Bibliographies
NC Genealogy Sites
How-to Manuals
Journals
Other Genalogy Sites
This page is written as a finding aid for beginning genealogists interested in families from North Carolina. As such, there are general sources applicable to all beginning genealogists, and some applicable only to North Carolina genealogy.
INTRODUCTION TO THE FIELD
In its broadest sense, genealogy is the study of one's family and how one is related to other family members,
be they immediate family members or distant ancestors. In order to find more about a person's ancestors, most genealogists interview relatives,
study public records, and read published genealogies (written accounts of people and their descendants or ancestors). While the amount of work
involved can seem daunting to the beginning genealogist, it can easily turn into a fascinating adventure in rediscovering lost family connections
to the past.
SUBJECT HEADINGS AND KEYWORDS
When using an online catalog or a search engine to find resources concerning genealogy in North Carolina,
the following subject headings or keywords are very useful for finding what you want. Simply do a subject or keyword search with the appropriate
subject heading or keyword. Please remember that your search strategy will vary depending on the online catalog or search engine you use. Be sure
to read all the available instructions. You may be able to do more advanced searches by using the Boolean operators "and," "or," and "not."
- Genealogy.
- North Carolina--Genealogy.
- North Carolina--Census.
- North Carolina. Division of Archives and History.
- North Carolina--Gazetteers.
- United States--Genealogy.
- United States--Census.
- Obituaries.
- African-Americans--Genealogy.
- African-Americans--North Carolina--Genealogy.
- Women genealogists.
- Smith family. (If you are looking for a specific family)
GENEALOGICAL ORGANIZATIONS
Durham-Orange Genealogical Society (DOGS)
D-OGS is a nonprofit organization established in 1989 and dedicated to the research and preservation of family history of Durham and Orange counties, North Carolina.
North Carolina Genealogical Society
NCGS is the primary statewide genealogical society in North Carolina. The society preserves and promotes genealogical
studies in the state, publishes a quarterly journal, and provides members and interested researchers with a variety of genealogical resources.
Click on "local societies" in the left-hand column of the site's home page for a list of societies by county.
National Genealogical Society
NGS is the primary national organization for genealogists in America. Their main goals are to lead and educate the
genealogical community in America. It was founded in 1903 and has over 17,000 members.
State and Local Genealogical Societies
A useful site for finding genealogical society Internet links in the United States.
NORTH CAROLINA LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
Some of the most useful libraries and archives for doing North Carolina genealogical research are located
in Chapel Hill, Raleigh, and Durham.
Durham County Library
Search the Durham County Library's catalog on the web! Use the subject headings listed under "subjects and
keywords."
Duke University Libraries - Special Collections
Duke offers no special help to genealogists, so users must search the collection on their own. Strengths include nineteenth-century family histories and twentieth-century Durham African-American families.
North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
The North Carolina Collection houses works about North Carolina and those written by and about North Carolinians.
The main focus of the collection is not genealogy, but there is a great deal of genealogical information in the collection. Many items are located
in the Reading Room and are freely accessible, while some items must be requested at the desk. All items acquired since 1993 are in the online
catalog, but a small percentage of older items are only listed in the card catalog in the Reading Room. Some of the more important genealogical resources
in the collection are:
Federal Census Records - All federal censuses of North Carolina that have been released to the public, for the years 1790 to 1920, are on microfilm in the North Carolina Collection. Indexes are shelved at call number CR310 in the Reading Room.
Local histories - the North Carolina Collection has a comprehensive collection of local histories relating to North Carolina. Genealogical information often can be found in these histories.
Newspapers - Newspapers can be a gold mine of genealogical information, and the North Carolina Collection has a large collection of old newspapers on microfilm. One strategy in using these newspapers is to find the death date of the person you are researching, and then look through the person's hometown newspaper for an obituary. With luck, a great deal of biographical information can be found in this manner. Often, marriage notices can also be found, complete with descriptions of the wedding and what everyone was wearing. However, it is important to know that before the twentieth century, obituaries and marriage notices were usually only printed for a town's prominent citizens, and some newspapers did not generally print obituaries until the 1920s or 1930s. The North Carolina Collection has an index to all newspapers ever published in the state, titled The North Carolina Newspaper Project Union List, located behind the main desk. They will gladly let you see it upon request.
Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
The SHC, one of the premier manuscript collections in the South, is renowned for its materials relating to the history of the South. It is particularly strong in antebellum plantation records, Civil War materials, and Reconstruction South materials. In the 1930s, UNC Professor of History J.G. de Roulhac Hamilton traveled around the South collecting historical materials for the collection. He convinced many leading families to donate their papers to the collection, and these are full of valuable genealogical information. It is definitely worthwhile to see if your family is represented in the collection. Almost all of the department's manuscripts collections are represented in the UNC Online Catalog. Detailed finding aids for 4165 of the 4968 collections in the Southern Historical Collection can be found on their web page, Southern Historical Collection and General and Literary Manuscripts Inventories, also available through their home page.
North Carolina Office of Archives and History, Raleigh
The North Carolina State Archives is one of the finest institutions of its kind. Its primary functions include collecting, preserving, and making available for public use historical and evidential materials relating to North Carolina. Its holdings consist of official records of state, county, and local governmental units, and copies of federal and foreign government materials. In addition to these official records are private collections, maps, pamphlets, sound recordings, photographs, motion picture film, and a small reference library. This site also provides a link to the Manuscript and Archives Reference
Systems (MARS), the Guide to Research Materials in the North Carolina State Archives: County Records, and listings of papers related to settling a person's estate, filed first by county, then by name.
Genealogical Research at the State Library of North Carolina, Raleigh
Genealogical Services of the State Library of North Carolina, an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, holds extensive published materials for genealogical and historical research. Beginners and researchers needing books (family histories, published abstracts, county, state, and federal records), periodicals, census indexes, and microfilms to trace families in North Carolina and the states from which and to which they migrated should begin their research in this library.
OUT-OF-STATE LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution was founded October 11, 1890 and was incorporated by an Act of the United States Congress in 1896. The objectives of the DAR are historic preservation, promotion of education, and patriotic endeavor. The DAR also has a comprehensive facility for historical and genealogical research located in Washington, D.C.
Family History Center Libraries
This site gives the locations of the 3400 Family History Centers worldwide. Owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they are open to the public. They are an excellent resource for researching genealogy, providing access to most of the microfilms and microfiche of the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
Librarians Serving Genealogists (LSG)
If you are interested in learning more about how librarians approach their work with genealogy collections spend some time browsing this site. You will find information and sites concerning genealogy libraries on the World Wide Web, heavily used ready reference sources in genealogy, readings for genealogy librarians, and guidelines for developing genealogical collections and services.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress has one of the world's premier collections of U.S. and foreign genealogical and local historical publications. The collection was started in 1815 when Thomas Jefferson's library was purchased.
National Archives and Records Administration
NARA has many records that are useful for genealogical research, such as the federal population census, 1790-1920; military service and pension records, ca. 1776-1900; immigration records, 1820-1957; and naturalization records.
Public ibraries in the United States
A link not only to North Carolina and other states' public library web sites, but to state university, national, and international collections as well.
HOW-TO MANUALS
The beginning genealogical researcher will find how-to manuals indispensable for help with devising strategies to find information, keep records, and do research, and discovering what types of information are available. Each manual has its strengths and weaknesses. Look carefully for the one that is right for you. In the Durham County Library, these manuals can be found under call number 929.107.
PRINTED GUIDES AND DIRECTORIES
Guides and directories are necessary to the genealogist for finding the books, documents, and journals they need, in addition to finding the particular organizations that will help them the most.
Cain, Barbara T. Guide to Private Manuscript Collections in the North Carolina State Archives. Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History, 1986.
A comprehensive guide to private manuscripts at the North Carolina State Archives in Raleigh. The NC State Archives collects and preserves public documents and government records relating to North Carolina, including birth, death, and marriage records from every county in the state. A real treasure trove for the genealogist.
Eichholz, Alice, ed. Ancestry's Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1992.
Major records that are available for research are listed for each state, along with the repository location. There is a chapter for every state, each beginning with a short history of the state and a handy county map, along with addresses and phone numbers for the register of deeds or vital records department in each county. Last updated in 1992, so the address and phone info may be a little out of date. The chapter for North Carolina begins on page 541.
Spencer, R. S., Jr. The North Carolina Genealogical Directory: A Listing of Tar Heel Societies and Selected Books for Sale. Raleigh: North Carolina Genealogical Society, 1992.
A directory of every genealogical society in North Carolina. The societies are organized by county, and in addition there is a list of available books for sale for each county.
Biography and Genealogy Master Index
This CD-ROM is an index to hundreds of different biographical sources, and hundreds of thousands of prominent people. If you run across someone in your family tree who is or was famous or someone who was a leader in their community, this is the best place to begin a search on them.
Ulrich's On Disc, by R.R. Bowker, 1998.
Ulrich's lists nearly a quarter of a million serials from around the world. A search on the subject "Genealogy" brings up over 1600 genealogical serials, along with ordering information. Most of these entries are local genealogical society journals, and a few are family surname journals.
DICTIONARIES
Genealogical dictionaries are surprisingly scarce; however, the one below is quite useful. The gazetteer listed can also be considered a dictionary, because it gives definitions of geographical and place names within the state.
Black, Henry Campbell. Black's Law Dictionary: Definitions of the Terms and Phrases of American and English Jurisprudence, Ancient and Modern. St. Paul, Minn.: West Pub. Co., 1990.
Black's Law Dictionary is an essential tool for deciphering many of the terms and phrases that you find used in legal documents, such as estate papers.
FitzHugh, Terrick V. H. The Dictionary of Genealogy. Totowa, NJ: Barnes & Noble Books, 1985.
First published in England and concentrates on British terms; however, it is still quite useful in looking up general genealogical terms, especially those that appear in colonial and early American records.
Powell, William S. The North Carolina Gazetteer. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1968.
A geographical dictionary listing all geographical features and place names in North Carolina, both current and historical. Not only can it help find obscure towns in the state, it is fascinating to read. Many entries also contain information on the origins of names. First published in 1968, it was re-released in 1985 and is still in print.
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
The bibliographies listed are all important resources for finding printed genealogies, which can save the genealogist many hours of research.
Genealogies Cataloged by the Library of Congress Since 1986. Cataloging Distribution Service, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, 1991.
This bibliography lists all compiled genealogies cataloged by the Library of Congress between 1986 and 1991.
Hoffman, Marian. Genealogical and Local History Books in Print. 5th ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996.
Lists all genealogies in print in 1996, along with ordering information.
Jarboe, Betty M. Obituaries: A Guide to Sources. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1982.
A bibliography of sources and indexes for eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth century obituaries. Most of the citations are from published newspaper indexes. This work is only current up to 1982, but is still a good starting point for finding old obituaries. North Carolina obituary sources are listed on pages 168-173.
Netti Schreiner-Yantis. Genealogical and Local History Books in Print. 4 vols. Springfield, VA: Genealogical Books in Print, 1985.
Although this book is a bit out been published, such as family histories or certain informational books. The books are organized into three sections: general reference, local resources by state, and family histories.
PRINT AND ONLINE JOURNALS, NEWS GROUPS, MAILING LISTS, VOLUNTEER HELP LISTS
Journals can be important sources of information for the genealogist and about the organization that published them.
North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal
The North Carolina Genealogical Society is the main statewide genealogical society.
The Journal publishes articles of interest to NC genealogists, including some on public records and family histories.
Durham-OrangeGenealogical Society
The Trading Path is the quarterly journal of the D-OGS.
Everton Genealogical Helper Magazine
Genealogy Helplist
Consists of volunteers who are willing to help others by looking up specific items at institutions near them or supply other information easily accessible to them.
Journal of Online Genealogy
The Journal of Online Genealogy is published to assist genealogists with online projects, research, and technologies. It is targeted to both beginning and experienced researchers. Issues for the past year are available online.
Other local genealogical society journals in North Carolina
North Carolina has many local genealogical societies and many of them publish journals. To find local genealogical society journals that may be of interest, do a subject search in the UNC Online Catalog for North Carolina -- Genealogy -- Periodicals. Some of them are located in the North Carolina Collection.
ROOTS-L Home Page
ROOTS-L is an email list for people interested in genealogy.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY
African-American genealogy can be more difficult than other genealogy research because sources are quite difficult to find in some situations.
Beasley, Donna. Family Pride: The Complete Guide to Tracing African-American Genealogy. New York: Macmillan, 1997.
This book has sections on available resources, oral history, slavery and the records pertaining to slavery, and the use of computers in genealogical research. The introduction is quite inspiring, showing that in spite of the difficulties, it is possible for many African-Americans to trace their family back to the original African village. The author is sensitive to the culture issues surrounding black genealogy research and how the reserach differs from research for white Americans.
Blockson, Charles L. Black Genealogy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1977.
Has sections on basic genealogy and useful public records, slavery and how slaves were sold and deeded, miscegenation, and one chapter entitled "Our African Heritage." This is a very thorough book explaining many of the difficulties and rewards of black genealogy.
Rose, James, & Alice Eichholz. Black Genesis: Volume 1 in the Gale Genealogy and Local History Series. Detroit: Gale Research Co., 1978.
Contains a bibliography of black genealogy and historical works useful in black genealogy. Has sections on useful records, including slave records. Also a section on the resources available in each state, with North Carolina on pages 88-95
Guide to African-American Documentary Resources in North Carolina
Invaluable list of approximately 45 repositories of genealogical and historical materials on African-Americans, plus a very interesting page of illustrations of African-American manuscripts and photographs.
AfriGeneas - African Ancestored Genealogy Home Page
AfriGeneas provides resources, leadership, promotion, and advocacy for the mutual development and use of a system of genealogy resources for researching African related ancestry.
JUVENILE SOURCES
Young people are also curious about their roots, and the following sources can help them find answers to their questions.
Hilton, Suzanne. Who Do You Think You Are?: Digging for Your Family Roots. Philadelphia, Westminster Press, 1976.
A very good introduction to genealogy and related subjects for teenagers. Written in an easy to understand style with plenty of illustrations, with sections on talking to older relatives about family history, how surnames got started, and how to find genealogical information in libraries. While a bit basic for the adult genealogist, the material is quite appropriate for teenagers or advanced preteens.
Shelby, Anne. Homeplace. Illustrations by Wendy Anderson Halperin. New York: Orchard Books, 1995.
Homeplace is suitable for elementary school readers and is a great book to be read aloud to young children. In the book, a grandmother tells her grandchild a story that begins, "Your great-great-great-great grandpa built this house," and then mentions each succeeding generation and what they did in the house. This is an excellent way to communicate that the actions of preceding generations are connected to the world today. The illustrations are very pleasing, in soft and inviting colors. Homeplace has won numerous awards, including the School Library Journal Best Books Award for 1995 and the Junior Library Guild Award for 1995.
Other books for young people can be found in the children's room under the call number 929.1.
Top of PageNORTH CAROLINA GENEALOGY WEB SITES
Following is a list of some of the web sites that contain information concerning North Carolina genealogy.
The Civil War Archive - Union Regiments in North Carolina
North Carolina Civil War Home Page
North Carolina Records: Census, Cemeteries, Land, Obituaries, Personal, Taxes
and Vital Records
This site provides an electronic index to available information within state and local governments. It includes a searchable database of series level descriptions of state agency records in the custody of the North Carolina State Archives.
NUCMUC Listing of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in North Carolina
Pitt County, North Carolina Court House - Marriage Register, 1851-1867
Pitt County, North Carolina - Will Abstracts, 1760-1858
Repositories of Primary Sources in North Carolina
Stokes County, North Carolina Census (1790) Part 1
Stokes County, North Carolina Census (1790) Part 2
Surry County, North Carolina Census (1790)
Surry County, North Carolina Census (1790)
U.S. Military Personnel Who Died from Hostile Action (Including Missing and Captured) in the Korean War, 1950-1957
Listed by home state, then name, then place.
Various North Carolina Marriage Records
These records come from various sources. Including bible records, church records, court records, family files.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - North Carolina
Includes name, rank, branch, and city town or country.
Wilkes County, North Carolina - Divorces, 1820-1899
Top of PageGENERAL NORTH CAROLINA GENEALOGY WEB SITES, GUIDES AND DIRECTIONS
While researching your North Carolina ancestors you may find that you will need to consult sources outside of North Carolina. The following is a list of a few sites that will be helpful in furthering your research on the World Wide Web.
Ancestry Library Edition
Offers over a billion names in over 3000 unique databases, including the Social Security Death Index. Available both at the Main Library and all Branches.
Books in Print, by R.R. Bowker
(available only at a Durham County Library Branch). Look under the subject heading of genealogy for a list of genealogical books in print. Many local and family histories are listed, and it also gives the necessary ordering information, such as prices and publisher information.
Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
This is the most comprehensive directory of genealogy sites on the web. Cyndi's List will lead you to over 40,000 genealogy web sites!
Family Search (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
The FamilySearchtm) Internet Genealogy Service gives you access to extensive genealogical resources gathered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is one of the best genealogical resources on the web.
Find A Grave
As the name of this site suggests, you can find names, birth dates, death dates, biographies, location of individuals, and in some cases photographs.
Genealogy.com
Focuses on genealogy software and Internet products including Family Tree Maker, the top-selling genealogy software program.
http://www.usgenweb.com/
The USGenWeb Project consists of a group of volunteers working together to provide Internet websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States.
World Cat
World Cat is an online catalog containing 40 million records from hundreds of libraries and is the best source for finding published genealogies. Following are directions for finding genealogies on World Cat:
If you are looking for something on the Smith family, enter "Smith family" in the Word, Phrase search field and make sure the Keyword search field remains "Subject.
If a book on your family has been published, it will probably come up in World Cat. Once you get a listing, click on one of the citations. You will see the bibliographic information, along with which libraries have the book. You can also see weather the book is available for interlibrary loan.
Last Update: July 1, 2008
