Research Guides: North Carolina: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide: Vital Records (2024)

• Ancestry Library Edition External This link opens in a new window

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  Ancestry Library Edition includes primary-source document images and database records such as: census, military, court, land, probate, church, directories, passenger lists, and more.

Using Ancestry Library Edition for North Carolina

Begin your search through Ancestry's vast collections, by viewing the list designated as North Carolina records External.

• FamilySearch External This link opens in a new window

  FamilySearch offers the largest collection of online genealogical and historical records in the world. There is no fee to use this website. Create a free account and login to view digital images of original documents from censuses, churches, courthouses, military draft cards, state vital records, and much more. Also use the sites wiki pages for timelines of records kept and current contact information to local repositories.

  See Also

  Where to Search for Free Obituaries OnlineCalifornia ObituariesBCSO deputies sued after man dies while being booked into jail, records showUnited States Death Records

Using FamilySearch for North Carolina

FamilySearch provides useful state and county wikis that make excellent starting points for research. The North Carolina Wiki External includes links to its 100 counties.

FamilySearch has digitized many of its microfilms containing county courthouse records including birth, death, and marriage. Not all records have been indexed yet, so search engine results may NOT show you the full range of FamilySearch data. You must browse the FamilySearch catalog External listings for each county to view the full set of records available. The vast amount of accessible original records is well worth your time to explore.

There is no fee to use FamilySearch, but you must create a free, personal account to access the databases and digital records.

Visit North Carolina Vital Records to learn instructions for obtaining copies of vital records.

• Birth Certificates are available for births from 1913 - Present

  Note: Birth records filed before 1913 are available through the county register of deeds office where the birth occurred. Contact the North Carolina Association of Registers of Deeds and select the appropriate county.

• Death Certificates are available for deaths from 1930 - Present

  Note: To obtain death certificates prior to 1930, contact the State Archives of North Carolina in Raleigh (telephone number 919-814-6840).

Below are selected print publications for statewide vital records. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

To locate additional published materials, go to the Print Resources section of this guide for search tips on locating published county courthouse records, abstracts, and indexes that may aide you in locating original records at the county level.

• Marriage & death notices, 1816-1840 : abstracted from the Fayetteville observer and predecessor papers by Hubbard, Bessie R.

  Call Number: F264.F28 H83 1991

  Published/Created: 1991

  See Also

  Largest Obituary Search Finder By Name | GenealogyBank

• Marriage & death notices abstracted from the Fayetteville observer, 1851-1865 by Bridges, Myrtle N.

  Call Number: F264.F28 B75 2009

  Published/Created: 2009

• Marriage and Death Notices from Raleigh, North Carolina Newspapers, 1796-1826 by Silas Lucas; Brent Holcomb

  Call Number: F253 .C79 1977

  ISBN: 0893080462

  Published/Created: 1984-01-01

• Marriage and death notices in newspapers published in Wilmington, North Carolina, 1797-1842 : marriage contracts of New Hanover County citizens, 1728-1855 by Kellam, Ida Brooks.

  Call Number: F264.W7 K46 1993

• Marriage and death notices in Raleigh register and North Carolina State gazette, 1826-1845. by Baltimore, Genealogical Pub. Co., 1968.

  Call Number: F253 .B78 1968

  Published/Created: 1968

• New Hanover County, North Carolina, index to delayed births, 1879-1928

  Call Number: F262.N5 H378 1992

  Published/Created: Wilmington, N.C. (201 Chestnut St., Wilmington 28401) : New Hanover County Public Library, [1992]

• News items & marriage and death notices in Weekly standard, a newspaper printed in Raleigh, North Carolina, 1859-1864 by Bridges, Myrtle N.

  Call Number: F264.R1 B75 2003

• North Carolina genealogical records by Burns, Annie Walker

  Call Number: F253 .B4

  Published/Created: 1943

• Old Albemarle County, North Carolina, Pasquotank Precinct (County). Births, marriages, deaths, brands and flesh marks & county claims, 1691-1833

  Call Number: F262.P25 H38 1981

  Published/Created: Durham, N.C. (243 Argonne Dr., Durham 27704) : W.P. Haun, c1981.

• Old Albemarle County, North Carolina, Perquimans Precinct. Births, marriages, deaths, and flesh marks, 1659-1820

  Call Number: F262.A33 H38

  Published/Created: Durham, N.C. : Haun, c1980.

• Old grave sites revisited in Gaston and Lincoln County, North Carolina : containing thousands of graves with their authentic names, locations, and dates of births and deaths by Editors, Mrs. Paul E. Rhyne (Rean), Mrs. John A. Grissop (Sara), Terry Waldrop

  Call Number: F262.G2 R96 1986

  Published/Created: [Dallas, N.C. : R.C. Rhyne ; Stanley, N.C. : S.H. Grissop, 1986]-<[1989] >

• Real Estate and Legal Notices from Charlotte, North Carolina, Newspapers, 1848-1862 by Glenn M. Cook (Compiled by); Ellen Poteet (Editor)

  Call Number: F262.M4 C658 2006

  ISBN: 9780972096065

  Published/Created: 2006-04-01

• Real Estate and Legal Notices from Charlotte, North Carolina Newspapers, 1835-1847 by Glenn M. Cook (Compiled by); Ellen Poteet (Editor)

  Call Number: F262.M4 C657 2005

  ISBN: 9780972096058

  Published/Created: 2005-09-01

• Somebody knows my name : marriages of freed people in North Carolina county by

  Call Number: E185.96 .W53 1995

  Published/Created: 1995