{"id":758,"date":"2014-12-15T14:34:06","date_gmt":"2014-12-15T14:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raogk.org\/?page_id=758"},"modified":"2019-06-21T00:50:20","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T00:50:20","slug":"northcarolina","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/raogk.org\/counties\/northcarolina\/","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina Counties and Historical Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/div>\n

North Carolina Counties and Historical Facts<\/h1>\n\n

North Carolina County records vary widely from county to county in both quality and quantity. Some have been carefully preserved while others have been much abused and neglected. Some North Carolina records have simply disappeared.<\/p>\n

For genealogists doing research in North Carolina there is no effective replace for an on-site search of county courthouse records.<\/p>\n

\"North<\/a>

North Carolina Map of Counties<\/p><\/div>\n

North Carolina County Records<\/h3>\n

The FHL, North Carolina State Archives and Allen County Public Library<\/a> all have centralized collections of county records available.<\/p>\n

Other information, such as will and deed books, may be found at the county seats.<\/p>\n

Many county clerks recorded documents and records from their parent counties when the new counties were formed. Sometimes all records were simply transferred.<\/p>\n

So, some counties may have records on file that are older than the counties themselves. The county seat is home to the register of deeds, which keeps vital records for the county.<\/p>\n

Probate records cab be found in the superior court clerk’s office.<\/p>\n

Other court records may also be available there, but many have been transferred to the North Carolina State Archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Probate records include estate records and wills. Land records may include plats, grants, deeds, and other documents. Court records may consist of bastardy bonds, dockets, constables’ bonds, apprentice bonds, account books, orders, and court minutes.<\/p>\n

Not all records are still extant. Some have been destroyed in fires and other circumstances over the years.\u00a0See also a list of\u00a0links to county and county seat government<\/a>\u00a0run websites.<\/p>\n\n

List of North Carolina Extinct Counties<\/h3>\n

North Carolina has counties that no longer exist<\/a> because they were discontinued, renamed or merged with another county.<\/p>\n

A lot of these counties were established and disbanded within the 19th century;\u00a0county borders<\/a> have changed very little since 1900.<\/p>\n

These are important for genealogy research purposes. Pay attention where the courthouse records went to if the county was eliminated or joined with some other county.<\/p>\n

See the History of North Carolina Counties<\/a> for more details.<\/strong><\/p>\n