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North
Carolina State Archives
Source: http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/archives/
Physical
address:
109 E. Jones St.
Raleigh, N.C. 27601
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Mail
should be addressed to:
North
Carolina State Archives
4614 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, N.C. 27699-4614
~~~~~
Contact
Information
Phone:
(919) 807-7310
Fax: (919) 733-1354
Email: [email protected]
Records
created by county governments. All of the county government records that
have been processed are now described in the MARS
Online Catalog. While these descriptions do not detail the
individual files, they do replicate the card catalog that is available
in the Search
Room.
Online
Resources for County Records
Original
County Estates Papers:
Listings of estates papers that related to the settlement of a
person's estate. These papers are filed first by county and then in
folders arranged by name and date. These listings were compiled by
volunteers and then proofed by staff members. At this time, the
listings of names do not link to images of the actual documents.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~---------
County
Records in the
North Carolina State Archives
For
information about record schedules and other records management topics,
please consult the Government
Records Branch web site.
For
more information about specific county records, see the Guide
to Research Materials in the North Carolina State Archives: County
Records (pdf) and the MARS
Online Catalog.
~~~~~~~~~~
Bonds
Apprentice
Bonds and Records:
Includes volumes and boxes of apprentice bonds (or indentures),
arranged chronologically. Other papers may include petitions for
apprenticeship, petitions for "freedom dues" upon the
completion of an apprenticeship, and civil and criminal actions
concerning masters or wards.
Bastardy
Bonds and Records:
Includes volumes and boxes of bastardy bonds, arranged
chronologically. Other papers may include presentments against and
examinations of unwed mothers and mothers-to-be, warrants to bring the
putative fathers to court, and receipts for payments made on behalf of
bastard children.
Officials'
Bonds and Records:
Includes bonds of various county officials, arranged alphabetically
by office, then chronologically. In some counties, there are
sufficient quantities to make up separate boxes of constables,
sheriffs or clerks bonds. May also include record or register of
officials' bonds (volumes). Some counties also include appointments,
oaths, resignations, and civil and criminal actions involving county
officials; in others, these are filed among the miscellaneous records.
Other
Bonds: Includes tavern (ordinary) bonds and miscellaneous bonds.
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Census
(County Copies)
These
include only the state copy and include census years 1850, 1860, and
1870 for most counties.
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Court
Minute
Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions:
County courts of pleas and quarter sessions evolved from precinct
courts in 1738. The courts were composed of three or more justices of
the peace and sat four times each year. The functions of county courts
may be categorized into three distinct areas - judicial, probate and
administrative - that are reflected in the minute dockets. The courts
exercised both civil and criminal jurisdiction, original and appellate
(from magistrates courts). Probate responsibilities included
acknowledgment and probate of deeds, probate of wills, appointment and
qualification of administrators, executors and guardians, binding of
apprentices, and inquisitions of lunacy. The court also served as the
governing body of the county, responsible for the appointment and
qualification of local officials, levying of local taxes, expenditure
of public funds, granting of licenses (tavern keepers, ferry
operators, and peddlers), registration of stock marks, paternity
inquisitions, and emancipation and manumission of slaves. Courts of
pleas and quarter sessions were abolished by the Constitution of 1868.
The judicial functions devolved to county superior courts and justices
of the peace courts; the probate function was vested in the clerk of
superior court; and administrative responsibilities were inherited by
the newly created boards of county commissioners. This series may
include both rough and smooth copies of the minutes.
Appeal
Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: Record of cases appealed
to Superior Court.
Appearance
Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: Record of issuance of
writs, summonses and subpoenas to bring defendants and witnesses to
following term of court. Also records appearances of appeals from
magistrates' courts and of proceedings by petition (sometimes recorded
in separate Petitions Docket). Columnar arrangement shows number of
case and name or initials of attorneys; names of parties; form of
action; disposition of writ; and any rule or action taken by court at
term, including confessed judgments. Prior to 1820, appearance dockets
were often kept in same volume with trial dockets (308), which see.
Execution
Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: Record of money due to
successful litigant, fines and court costs; the type of recovery writ
issued; and the execution of writ and satisfaction of judgment.
Recognizance
Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: Record of persons
expected and required to appear at term in criminal prosecutions.
Reference
Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: May serve one of three
purposes: 1) to track suits not concluded on appearance docket but not
yet ready to come to trial (usage rare after 1778); or 2) to record
causes referred to referee at law returnable during term, showing
decisions of referees; or 3) to show civil cases referred to the
present term for trial, in essence, a trial docket. Usually recorded
in the same volume with trial (308) and/or appearance (303) dockets,
which see.
State
(or Crown) Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: Criminal
docket tracking appearance and trial of state prosecutions. During the
colonial period, known as Crown Docket.
Trial
Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: Record of civil causes
expected to come to trial during term. Brings forward information from
appearance docket and also shows pleadings of defendant, prior ruling
by court, verdict, judgment, and final orders. In most counties prior
to 1820, appearance, trial and reference dockets were maintained in
one civil docket at the convenience of the clerk. These combined
dockets are generally included in this series. With the proliferation
of cases after 1820, most clerks began keeping the various civil
dockets in separate volumes.
Trial
and Reference Docket, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: Generally
filed under 308, which see.
Other
Dockets, Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions: Volumes may include levy
docket; costs docket; allowance docket; clerk's account, fee, and
receipt books; prosecution bond docket; witness fee docket; writs
docket; and petition docket. Several other miscellaneous dockets
peculiar to one or two counties are also included.
Minute
Docket, Superior Court: Superior courts were established in each
county in 1806, replacing the district superior courts that had
functioned since 1778. These courts were clothed with original and
appellate civil and criminal jurisdiction, as well as actions in
equity. Criminal jurisdiction extended to serious felonies, such as
murder, rape, larceny, house breaking, assault and battery, riot,
forgery and the like; civil jurisdiction extended to suits involving
$100 or more (after 1868, $200 or more). Extra-judicial matters
assigned to superior court included legitimization of bastards,
emancipation and manumission of slaves, registration of aliens, and
hearing of grand jury presentments and reports. County superior court
sat twice each year, spring and fall terms, with six judges riding
circuit. Each county had separate clerks for law and for equity. The
minute dockets record the daily transactions of the court, generally
giving judgments in civil and criminal actions. They also reflect the
internal workings of the court, recording the appointment and
qualification of clerks, the summoning and impaneling of juries, and
the hearing of grand jury reports.
Appeal
Docket, Superior Court: Record of cases appealed to the Supreme Court.
Appearance
Docket, Superior Court: Record of issuance of writs, summonses and
subpoenas to bring defendants and witnesses to following term of
court. Also records appearances of appeals from lower courts and of
proceedings by petition (sometimes recorded in separate Petitions
Docket). Columnar arrangement shows number of case and name or
initials of attorneys; names of parties; form of action; disposition
of writ; and any rule or action taken by court at term, including
confessed judgments. After 1868, the functions of the appearance
docket were continued with some modifications in the Summons Docket.
Equity
Minute Docket, Superior Court of Law and Equity:
Minutes of the Superior Court of Law and Equity (1806-1868).
Equity
Enrolling Docket, Superior Court of Law and Equity: Record of
complaints, petitions and answers filed in suits in equity.
Equity
Execution Docket, Superior Court of Law and Equity: Record of money
due to successful litigant in actions at equity, fines and court
costs; the type of recovery writ issued; and the execution of writ and
satisfaction of judgment.
Equity
Trial (and Appearance) Docket, Superior Court of Law and Equity:
Record of equity actions expected to come to trial during term. Brings
forward information from appearance docket and also shows pleadings of
defendant, prior ruling by court, judgment, and final orders. May
include Equity Appearance Docket in same volume or in a separate book.
Execution
Docket, Superior Court: Record of money due to successful litigant,
fines and court costs; the type of writ issued to recover same; and
the execution of writ and satisfaction of judgment. After 1868, in
most counties this information was recorded in Judgment Dockets,
although some continued to use separate Execution Dockets.
Recognizance
Docket, Superior Court: Record of persons expected and required to
appear at term in criminal prosecutions.
Reference
Docket, Superior Court: Record of causes referred to referee at law
returnable during term, showing decisions of referees.
State
Docket, Superior Court: Criminal docket tracking appearance and trial
of state prosecutions. After 1868, known as Criminal Issues Docket.
Trial
Docket, Superior Court: Record of civil causes expected to come to
trial during term. Brings forward information from appearance docket
and also shows pleadings of defendant, prior ruling by court, verdict,
judgment, and final orders. In most counties prior to 1820,
appearance, trial and reference dockets were maintained in one civil
docket at the convenience of the clerk. These combined dockets are
generally included in this series. With the proliferation of cases
after 1820, most clerks began keeping the various civil dockets in
separate volumes. After 1868, this information was recorded in civil
issues dockets.
Trial
and Reference Docket, Superior Court: Generally filed with trial
dockets (322), which see.
Other
Dockets, Superior Court: Volumes include costs or fee docket; motion
docket; transfer docket; clerk's account, fee or receipt books;
presentment docket; and clerks' minute docket (not special
proceedings). Other titles may be peculiar to one or two counties.
Civil
Action Papers:
Civil case files from magistrates courts, Court of Pleas and
Quarter Sessions, Superior Court, and, in some counties, other
inferior courts, arranged chronologically. In most counties, also
contains executions issued supplementary to civil judgments. Civil
actions concerning land are filed separately. Other sub-groupings may
include actions concerning county officials, the Board of County
Commissioners, occupational licensing boards, canals, mines, and
timber.
Criminal
Action Papers:
Criminal case files from magistrates courts, Court of Pleas and
Quarter Sessions, Superior Court and, in some counties, other inferior
courts, arranged chronologically. In most counties, also includes
executions issued supplementary to criminal actions.
Miscellaneous
Court Records: Includes boxes of miscellaneous court records and
dockets from both Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions and Superior
Court.
Executions:
Writs issued by magistrates and the clerks of Court of Pleas and
Quarter Sessions and Superior Court for the recovery of judgments,
fines, penalties and court costs. In most counties, these records are
interfiled with the civil and criminal action papers or in the series
of attachments, executions, liens and levies on land in the
miscellaneous land records (408). They are filed as a separate series
in Hyde and Tyrrell counties.
Minute
Dockets, Other Courts:
Includes minute dockets from various inferior courts which were
operational at times between the court reforms of 1868 and 1965, such
as Criminal Court (in Craven, Mecklenburg, New Hanover and Wake
counties), Inferior Court (1877-1885), Circuit Criminal Courts
(reconstituted as Eastern/Western District Criminal Courts,
1895-1901), Recorders Court (1900-1970), and General County Court
(1923-1970).
Other
Dockets, Other Courts: Includes criminal issues dockets, judgment
dockets, execution docket, clerk's minute docket, costs docket and
half fee docket from various inferior courts.
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Land
Deeds:
Includes record of deeds (volumes) and original handwritten deeds left
in the courthouse after being deposited with the clerk for probate and
recording. The loose deeds may be segregated into various types, such
as deeds of sale, deeds of gift, deeds of trust, mortgage deeds, and
quitclaim (or release) deeds. In many counties, all but the deeds of
sale are boxed together as miscellaneous deeds. Deeds of sale are
arranged alphabetically by the surname of the grantee; other deeds are
arranged chronologically.
(Cross)
Index to Deeds:
Superceded volumes of indices, usually cross referenced to grantee
and grantor.
Ejectments:
Papers in ejectment suits, arranged chronologically. Ejectment was an
artificial form under common law devised to try title to land. After
1868, when common law forms were abolished under the new state
constitution, ejectment cases were tried as a summary proceeding
(without a jury).
Land
Entries: Includes land entry books and boxes of loose entries.
Land
Grants: Includes Record of Grants (volumes) and boxes of loose grants.
Land
Divisions, Partitions and Surveys:
Includes volumes and boxes concerning divisions of land between
tenants in common and the processioning of boundary lines between
contentious neighbors. Volumes may include Land Divisions, Record of
Surveys, and Record of Processions. Loose papers may include petitions
for partition or sale of land (culled from actions at equity and,
after 1868, special proceedings) and processioners' records.
Land
Sales for Taxes: Includes volumes and boxes concerning the sale of
land for nonpayment of taxes. Volumes may include Tax Levies on Land,
Tax Suit Judgment Dockets, and Sheriffs' Deed Books. Papers from tax
suits that resulted in the sale of land are arranged chronologically.
Miscellaneous
Land Records: Contains records from other series of land records of
insufficient quantity to make a full box. May also include boxes of
records concerning land for which no series number has been assigned,
such as condemnation proceedings, foreclosures, and attachments,
executions, liens and levies on land, and volumes relating to the
probate of deeds. Many box and volume titles may be peculiar to one or
two counties.
Record
of Sale and Resale of Land: Twentieth-century record of land sold
under foreclosure by trustees and mortgagees. Case papers from
foreclosure actions may be filed in some counties as civil actions
concerning land (325) or as miscellaneous land records (408).
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Estates
Record
of Estates/Accounts: Prior to 1868, volumes entitled record of estates
may include inventories, accounts and final settlements of estates,
and guardians' accounts. After 1868, the series in most counties
contains only inventories, accounts of sales and annual accounts of
administrators and executors.
Record
of Sales of Estates: Record of sales by administrators and executors
of estates. Often included in record of estates/accounts (501) or in
inventories and accounts of sales (514).
Administrators'
Bonds: Volumes arranged chronologically. Loose bonds are filed in the
series of Estates Records (508). After 1919, see Appointment and
Record of Administrators (504).
Appointment
and Record of Administrators: Post-1868 record of appointment and
qualification of administrators of estates. After 1919, includes oath
and bond of administrators. Series also includes volumes
(1868-ca.1915) entitled Appointment of Administrators, Executors,
Guardians and Masters; in some counties, these are entitled Record of
Probate (Estates) or Minutes, Probate Court (both in 519). May also
include an index to administrators.
Appointment
and Record of Executors: Post-1868 record of qualification of
executors. Prior to ca. 1915, executors were included in an omnibus
volume entitled Appointment of Administrators, Executors, Guardians
and Masters, filed as 504, which see. In some counties, see also
records of probate (519).
Appointment
and Record of Guardians: Post-1868 record of appointment and
qualification of guardians. After 1919, includes oath and bond of
guardians. Prior to ca. 1915, guardians were included in an omnibus
volume entitled Appointment of Administrators, Executors, Guardians
and Masters; in some counties, these are entitled Record of Probate
(Estates) or Minutes, Probate Court (both in 519). May also include an
index to guardians and wards.
Record
of Dowers and Widows' Year's Support: Volumes relating to the
apportionment of widows' dower rights in the real property of her
deceased husband, and the allocation of a sufficiency of provisions to
enable her to support herself and family during the first year after
his death, while the estate was being settled. Papers concerning dower
and widows' year's support are filed in the estates records (508)
under the name of the deceased husband.
Estates
Records:
Loose estates papers arranged alphabetically by name of decedents.
Papers may include appointments and renunciations of executors and
administrators; administrators' and guardians' bonds; inventories;
accounts of sale; annual accounts; final settlements; civil actions
and executions involving administrators, executors and guardians; and
actions in equity or special proceedings involving property of an
estate. If the father of wards can be determined from guardians'
papers, they are filed with the estate of the deceased rather than
with the guardians' records. A list
of estates records is available. At this time, the listings of
names do not link to images of the actual documents.
Guardians'
Accounts: Volumes arranged chronologically. In most counties, these
have been numbered with the Guardians' Records (510); eventually, all
will be renumbered as 509.
Guardians'
Records:
Loose guardians' papers arranged alphabetically by surname of
wards, and volumes of guardians' accounts (but see 509). Papers may
include appointments, oaths and bonds of guardians; annual accounts;
final settlements; civil actions and executions involving guardians;
and actions in equity or special proceedings involving the property of
a ward's estate. These records also include indigent wards for whom
the clerk of superior court served as receiver. If the father of the
wards can be determined from the papers, they are filed with the
estate of the deceased rather than with the guardians' records.
Guardians'
Bonds: Volumes arranged chronologically. Loose bonds are filed in
either the estates records (by decedent) or the guardians' records (by
ward). After 1919, see Appointment and Record of Guardians (506).
Guardians'
Dockets: Includes dockets from Orphan's Court (days set aside in the
Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions for the handling of matters
relating to guardians and wards), guardians' summons dockets, and
guardians' scire facias dockets.
Inheritance
Tax Records: Twentieth-century record of settlement of tax assessed on
estates worth more than $2000 provided to the clerk of superior court
by the State Commissioner of Revenue. Statements include names of
deceased and administrator or executor, approximate valuation of
estate, and heirs or devisees. Loose papers concerning inheritance tax
are filed in the series of estates records.
Inventories
of Estates: Record of initial inventories of estates filed by
administrators and executors; before 1868, may also include accounts
of sale. May be recorded in series of record of estates/accounts (501).
Accounts
of Indigent Orphans: Twentieth-century record of Clerk of Superior
Court in his administration of estates of less than $300 (later $500?)
which accrue to orphans without guardians. Also includes accounts of
clerk in his capacity as receiver of estates of orphans without
guardians.
Records
and Accounts of Receivers and Trustees of Estates: Includes volumes of
Record of Receivers of Estates, and Record of Inventories and Accounts
of Assignees.
Record
of Settlements: Volumes of settlements or final accounts submitted by
administrators and executors after the complete distribution of the
assets of an estate.
Miscellaneous
Estates Records: May include records of probate of estates, including
minutes of Probate Court (1868-1883); clerks' account and receipt
books concerning estates; volumes concerning divisions of land and
slaves of estates; account books of individual fiduciaries; and
indices.
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Marriage
Bonds:
Includes boxes of marriage bonds and certificates (1741-1868),
arranged alphabetically by groom. Marriage bonds are statements of
intent to marry that were attested by the prospective groom before the
clerk of court in the bride's county of residence. Typically, one or
more bondsmen signed as security for the forfeiture of the penal sum
(originally 50 pounds, increased to 500 pounds in 1778, and to one
thousand dollars in the nineteenth century) should the marriage not
occur or prove to be illegal. Most marriage bonds give the names of
the groom, bride, bondsmen and witnesses, the county in which filed
and the date. If accompanied by a certificate of marriage, the
information may also include the date of marriage, the name of the
person performing the rites, and, towards the end of the period, the
names of parents. The more than 170,000 marriage bonds in the Archives
have been abstracted. Volumes of abstracts are available for each
county from which bonds have been received. There is also a statewide
index, arranged by both grooms and brides, available on microfiche.
Marriage
Licenses:
Includes boxes of marriage licenses (1868-), arranged
alphabetically by groom, and volumes of licenses, applications for
licenses, and record of licenses issued. Licenses prior to 1868 are
filed with the marriage bonds. May also include lists of marriage
bonds and licenses.
Marriage
Registers:
Includes record of marriage certificates (generally 1851-1867) and
marriage registers (1867-).
Cohabitation
Bonds and Records:
Volumes and boxes concerning the legal acknowledgment of
preexisting "marriages" of former slaves under statute of
1866, including cohabitation bonds and record of cohabitation.
Divorce
Records: Includes divorce actions pulled from civil actions and
arranged alphabetically, and a volume entitled "Maiden Names of
Divorced Women," beginning in 1937.
Birth,
Death and Vital Records: Includes record of births and deaths, county
copies of death certificates, and indices to vital statistics.
Miscellaneous
Marriage Records: May include indices to marriages, and miscellaneous
marriage and family records.
Disinterment/Reinterment
Permits: County copies (1953-1987) of permits to disinter bodies,
transport them across county lines, and rebury them. Only a few
counties have been arranged to date.
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Tax
Lists
of Taxables:
Includes volumes and boxes of tax lists, chronologically arranged.
Tax
Scrolls:
Volumes of tax rolls prepared by individual list takers, from which
the official tax list is compiled.
Miscellaneous
Tax Records: Volumes and boxes of records relating to taxation. Boxes
may include tax lists (if less than a box full), civil and criminal
actions concerning taxation, lists of insolvent taxpayers, tax
receipts, and merchants' purchase returns. Volumes may include Record
of Federal Direct Taxes Collected, Poll Tax Register, Record of
Assessment of Land for Taxation, and Schedule "B" Taxes.
~~~~~~~~~~
Wills
Wills:
Includes record of wills and original wills arranged alphabetically by
decedent. Many of the older record of wills may also record estates
matters (inventories, accounts of sale, and final settlements) and
deeds.
(Cross)
Index to Wills: Superceded volumes of indices, usually cross
referenced to devisee and devisors.
Other
County Records
Alien,
Naturalization and Citizenship Records: Includes volumes and boxes
relating to the naturalization of foreign-born citizens, in which the
clerk of superior court acted as federal agent. Volumes may include
Declaration of Intent to Become a Citizen, Petitions for
Naturalization, and Alien Registration.
Armed
Forces Discharges [none received]: Record of discharge from military
service, voluntarily filed with the register of deeds for
recording under 1921 statute.
Assumed
Business Names, Corporations and Partnerships: Includes volumes and
boxes concerning corporations and partnerships. Volumes may include
Record of Incorporation and Record of Partnerships (or more
accurately, Record of Assumed Business Names).
Minutes
of the Board of County Commissioners: Minutes of the board of county
commissioners, the county administrative body after 1868.
Minutes
of County Board of Education: Minutes of the county boards of
education (1868-) and their predecessors, the boards of
superintendents of common schools.
Minutes
of County Board of Health: Minutes of the county boards of health,
created by statute in 1893.
Marks,
Brands and Strays: Includes volumes relating to the registration of
marks and brands on livestock, and to the recovery of lost animals.
County
Accounts and Claims: Includes volumes of county accounts and boxes of
accounts and claims against the county for services rendered. Volumes
may include County Claims Allowed; Settlement of County Accounts with
the Committee of Finance (or County Trustee); Minutes of the Committee
of Finance; Treasurer's Account Book; and Record of Official Reports,
a compilation of financial reports from the sheriff, treasurer, clerk
of superior court, and register of deeds to the board of county
commissioners (1875-). Boxes of claims against the county are arranged
chronologically.
County
Boundaries: Records concerning boundary agreements between two or more
counties.
Election Records: Includes volumes and
boxes of election returns, arranged chronologically. Other volumes may
include Permanent Registration of Voters (grandfather clause
registrations, 1902-1908), poll books, and minutes of the county board
of elections. Boxes may also include civil and criminal actions
concerning elections.
Coroners' Records: Records of coroners'
inquests, arranged chronologically. May also include record of
coroners (volumes).
Insolvent Debtors and Homestead and
Personal Property Exemptions: Includes boxes of records relating to
insolvent debtors (1773-1868) and homestead and personal property
exemptions (1868-). Records include applications of debtors, oaths,
notices to creditors, property schedules of insolvents, and reports of
committees to lay off homesteads exempted from forced sales. May also
include volumes of homestead returns.
Jury Lists and Tickets: Includes
volumes and boxes of jury lists and tickets, arranged chronologically.
Journals and Ledgers of County
Officials: Includes account books of county officials, except those of
clerks of court (filed under 310 or 324), county treasurer (910),
county trustee (910), and committee of finance (910)
Records of Magistrates and Justices of
the Peace: Includes volumes and boxes of records concerning the
appointment, election, qualification and resignation of justices of
the peace. Volumes may include the minutes of the Board of
Magistrates, record of magistrates (1893-), and record of oaths.
Merchant and Professional Licenses and
Registration Books: Includes registry of licenses to trades, a listing
of merchants and other tradesmen subject to a license tax (Schedule
"B"), and stub books of professional licenses for doctors,
dentists, nurses, optometrists, chiropractors and architects.
Lunacy Records: Records of lunacy
inquisitions, arranged chronologically. Papers may include appointment
of guardians to oversee the property of the unfit. After 1899, the
clerk was required to keep lunacy matters in a distinct volume,
entitled Record of Inquisition of Lunacy or simply Lunacy Docket. From
1868 to 1899, lunacy proceedings were recorded in the Orders and
Decrees (922), which see.
Military Records: Includes volumes and
boxes of records
relating to military service and militia activities. Volumes may
include record of courts martial, minutes of Confederate veterans
associations, and rosters of soldiers from a county in the Civil War
or World War I.Oaths: Includes volumes of loyalty oaths of
ex-Confederates and oaths of county officials.
Orders and Decrees and Special
Proceedings: Includes volumes created in the hearing of special
proceedings before the clerk: special proceedings (summons) docket,
clerk's minute docket, orders and decrees, and (cross) indices. In all
but three counties, the special proceedings case files were appraised
and distributed among other series, especially estates and guardians'
records, land divisions, partitions and surveys, miscellaneous land
records and miscellaneous records. In Forsyth, Gaston and Sampson, the
files were kept in their original sequence and are included in this
series.
Pension Records: Includes volumes and
papers concerning the issuance of pensions for Confederate service.
The clerk of superior court served as chairman of the county pension
board and maintained the records of application and examination of
prospective pensioners, and of payment and receipt of pensions.
Personal Accounts: Includes boxes of
personal and merchants' accounts, arranged chronologically. The
majority of these records were probably submitted in court as evidence
in civil actions for debt, but became separated from the case files in
the appraisal process.
Road Records: Includes volumes and
boxes of records concerning appointment of road overseers, reports on
condition of roads, and petitions for new roads. Boxes may also
include criminal actions concerning negligence of overseers and claims
against the county for services on the roads. Records concerning
bridges and railroads are also included in this series, usually as
separate sub-series. Volumes may also include minutes of the county
highway or good roads commission.
School Records: Includes boxes and
volumes of school census records, school registers, school fund
account books, vouchers of teachers, and miscellaneous school
records.
Records of the Wardens of the Poor:
Includes volumes and boxes concerning the care of the poor and infirm,
a function of the county before assumed by the State Board of
Charities and Public Welfare in 1917. In colonial times, care for the
poor was an ecclesiastical responsibility; records from this period
may be found in vestry minutes. From 1777 to 1868, maintenance of the
unfortunate was entrusted to the Wardens of the Poor; after 1868, the
Board of County Commissioners assumed the responsibility. Volumes may
include vestry minutes, minutes and accounts of the Wardens of the
Poor, accounts and registers of the county home, and accounts of
outside poor (impoverished persons living at home rather than in the
county home).
Miscellaneous Records: Includes records
from other series, except land records, of insufficient quantity to
make a full box. May also include box(es) of records for which no
series number was assigned, including records of slaves and free
persons of color; bills of sale; promissory notes; canal and drainage
records; shipping and fishing records; mill records; mining records;
timber records; powers of attorney; grand jury records; and witness
tickets. Many box and volume titles may be peculiar to one or two
counties.
Records of Assignees, Receivers and
Trustees: Includes boxes of records concerning assignees, receivers
and trustees appointed to settle the financial affairs of bankrupt
individuals and businesses. In some counties, the records are merged
into one chronological series; in others, the records of the three
types of agents have been separated. Also includes volumes of accounts
of assignees, receivers and trustees.
Academic
Records
Student academic and (in some cases)
financial aid records of a number of defunct proprietary,
church-supported, or other non-public schools and colleges in North
Carolina.
Related Information:
Bible Records
Copies of family information pages from
privately-held Bibles. These Bible entries are arranged
alphabetically by family surname but are seldom indexed by
individual name. Family genealogies, including those which William
Perry Johnson listed in North Carolina Genealogy, have been
transferred to the Genealogical Services Branch, North
Carolina State Library. All bible records held by the State
Archives are now described in the Manuscript
and Archives Reference System (MARS).
~~~~~~~~~~
Cemetery Records
Grave inscriptions for persons buried in
many (but not all) North Carolina cemeteries prior to 1914 are
available in an index arranged by name of decedent. This card file
and DAR compilations and the records of the North Carolina Cemetery
Survey Project are available for use in the Search Room. Those
interested in submitting cemetary information to the North Carolina
Survey Project should complete a North
Carolina Cemetery Survey Form and mail it to the North Carolina
State Archives. For information about laws protecting cemeteries,
please consult the General
Statutes web page (in particular Chapter 65 and Chapter 14,
Section 148 and Section 149).
~~~~~~~~~~
Nearly 5,000 maps depicting North Carolina
or some portion thereof. These maps have been brought together from
various sources to create a reference collection consisting of
manuscript and published maps, as well as photographic and facsimile
copies of maps that have been made from originals located elsewhere
in the United States and abroad. Many of the maps that in the State
Archives collection are now described in the Manuscript
and Archives Reference System (MARS).
~~~~~~~~~~
Records related to the military affairs of
the State of North Carolina and the military service of her citizens
dating from the 1740s to the present.
~~~~~~~~~~
Newspapers
Microfilm copies of newspapers that, for
the most part, are no longer being published. Since 1959 more than
1,000 titles have been preserved. An ongoing joint project between
the Division of Archives and History and the Division of State
Library is attempting to identify and catalog every existing
newspaper published in North Carolina. Those meeting specific
criteria are being microfilmed. Copies of film made by the North
Carolina Newspaper Project will be available for use by researchers
in the Microfilm Room. Information for titles on film is available
in the Search Room or at: http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/tss/newspape.htm.
~~~~~~~~~~
Includes films, videotapes, sound
recordings, slides, posters, postcards, negatives, and photographic
prints.
~~~~~~~~~~
Records of many of the state's private,
professional, or civic organizations judged to be relevant to the
history of the state. Some of these organizations are defunct, while
others are currently active.
Related Information:
Papers of individuals important to North
Carolina's history.
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This page was last updated August 1, 2010.
© 1997-2010 by the Alleghany County Coordinator
for the NCGenWeb Project
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