Genealogy Research

We have extensive genealogy information on site and online. You can also contact us with genealogy questions (please consult our FAQ first).

Online

On Site

Search the catalog for specific books, journals, newspapers, and more. Popular genealogy databases, like Ancestry, may be used for free at our library.

Genealogical Microfilm

These can be used on site or borrowed by North Carolina libraries through interlibrary loan.

North Carolina County Records

  • includes wills, deeds, marriages, court minutes, tax lists, estate records and more
  • primarily pre-1868
  • available records vary from county to county

North Carolina Census Records

  • federal census population census schedules:1800-1930, the 1930 Soundex index, and the 1930 enumeration district maps/descriptions
  • federal census slave schedules: 1850 and 1860
  • federal mortality schedules: 1850-1880
  • federal agricultural, industrial, and social statistics schedules: 1850-1880

Organization of the Genealogy Collection

In 1963 Dorothy C. Grigg, at that time Head of the Cataloging Branch, devised a special classification scheme for genealogical source materials which needed to be arranged by place. Called the Grigg Genealogical Classification Scheme, it has since received much attention for its ease of use, even for patrons visiting the library for the first time.