County Records in the
State Archives of North Carolina
Sources of Information on County Records
- County Record Guide: For more information about specific county records, see the Guide to Research Materials in the State Archives of North Carolina: County Records (pdf) or visit the NC Historical Publications Shop for the 2009 revised version.
- Online Catalog: Information on many county records is available in the MARS Online Catalog.
- Container Lists of Selected County Records: Container lists for some county records are available.
- Definitions of Types of County Records in the State Archives: Definitions of record types are available, including: Bonds, Census (County Copies), Court Records, Land Records, Estates, Marriage Records, Tax Records, Wills, and Other County Records. This page does not include any information about individual records, only broad definitions of the types of records.
- Record Schedules: For information about record schedules and other records management topics, please consult the Government Records Branch web site.
Container Lists of Selected County Records
Civil Actions | Coroners' Inquest | Criminal Actions | Divorces | Estates | Guardians | Inheritance Tax | Lunacy Records | Marriage Licenses | Widows' Support | Wills
Civil Actions
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
- Durham County Civil Actions - Word | PDF
- Graham County Civil Actions - Word | PDF
- Harnett County Civil Actions - Word | PDF
- Lenoir County Civil Actions - Word | PDF
Coroners' Inquest
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
- Columbus County Coroners' Inquest, 1914-1968, 1981[These records are stored offsite and are not available on Saturday unless requested in advance.] - Word | PDF
Criminal Actions
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
- Perquimans County Criminal Action Papers, 1861-1948 - Series II (Arranged by Last Name of Defendant) - Word | PDF
Divorces
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
Estates
These are the most current box lists created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
- Alamance County Estates - Word | PDF
- Alexander County Estates - Word | PDF
- Alleghany County Estates - Word | PDF
- Avery County Estates - Word | PDF
- Bute County Estates - Word | PDF
- Cabarrus County Estates - Word | PDF
- Camden County Estates - Word | PDF
- Catawba County Estates - Word | PDF
- Cherokee County Estates - Word | PDF
- Clay County Estates - Word | PDF
- Cleveland County Estates - Word | PDF
- Columbus County Estates - Word | PDF
- Dare County Estates - Word | PDF
- Durham County Estates - Word | PDF
- Gaston County Estates - Word | PDF
- Graham County Estates - Word | PDF
- Hertford County Estates - Word | PDF
- Jackson County Estates - Word | PDF
- Macon County Estates - Word | PDF
- Martin County Estates - Word | PDF
- McDowell County Estates - Word | PDF
- Mitchell County Estates - Word | PDF
- Moore County Estates - Word | PDF
- Pamlico County Estates - Word | PDF
- Pender County Estates - Word | PDF
- Perquimans County Estates - Word | PDF
- Polk County Estates - Word | PDF
- Sampson County Estates - Word | PDF
- Stanly County Estates - Word | PDF
- Stokes County Estates - Word | PDF
- Swain County Estates - Word | PDF
- Transylvania County Estates - Word | PDF
- Washington County Estates - Word | PDF
- Yancey County Estates - Word | PDF
Guardians
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
- Avery County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Catawba County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Clay County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Columbus County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Gaston County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Jackson County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Northampton County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Perquimans County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Sampson County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Stokes County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Swain County Guardians - Word | PDF
- Washington County Guardians - Word | PDF
Inheritance Tax
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
Lunacy Records
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
Marriage Licenses
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
- Caldwell County Marriage Licenses, 1878-1882 - Word | PDF
- Haywood County Marriage Licences, 1857-1914 - Word | PDF
- Haywood County Marriage Licences, 1915-1925 - Word | PDF
Widows’ Year’s Support
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
- Durham County Widows’ Year’s Support, 1881-1927 [These records are stored offsite and are not available on Saturday unless requested in advance.] - Word | PDF
- Guilford County Widows’ Year’s Support, 1894-1968 [These records are stored offsite and are not available on Saturday unless requested in advance.] - Word | PDF
Wills
These box lists were created by Local Records staff and are available in either Word document or PDF format. Many of the lists are very long and may take a while to load. Those patrons using slower speed connections or older computers are advised to use the Word document version rather than the PDF version.
- Ashe County Wills - Word | PDF
- Avery County Wills - Word | PDF
- Beaufort County Wills - Word | PDF
- Buncombe County Wills - See below
- Cherokee County Wills - Word | PDF
- Cumberland County Wills - Word | PDF
- Davidson County Wills - Word | PDF
- Forsyth County Wills - Word | PDF
- Gates County Wills - Word | PDF
- Greene County Wills - Word | PDF
- Haywood County Wills - Word | PDF
- Hyde County Wills - Word | PDF
- Jackson County Wills - Word | PDF
- Macon County Wills, 1830-1966 - Word | PDF
- Mecklenburg County Wills - See below
- Pamlico County Wills - Word | PDF
- Richmond County Wills - Word | PDF
- Rowan County Wills - Word | PDF
- Stokes County Wills - Word | PDF
- Wilkes County Wills - Word | PDF
Buncombe County Wills
- A - Word | PDF
- B - Word | PDF
- C - Word | PDF
- D - Word | PDF
- E - Word | PDF
- F - Word | PDF
- G - Word | PDF
- H - Word | PDF
- I - Word | PDF
- J - Word | PDF
- K - Word | PDF
- L - Word | PDF
- M - Word | PDF
- Mc - Word | PDF
- N - Word | PDF
- O - Word | PDF
- PQ - Word | PDF
- R - Word | PDF
- S - Word | PDF
- T - Word | PDF
- UV - Word | PDF
- W - Word | PDF
- XYZ - Word | PDF
Mecklenburg County Wills
- A - Word | PDF
- B - Word | PDF
- C - Word | PDF
- D - Word | PDF
- EF - Word | PDF
- G - Word | PDF
- HI - Word | PDF
- J - Word | PDF
- K - Word | PDF
- L - Word | PDF
- M - Word | PDF
- Mc - Word | PDF
- N - Word | PDF
- O - Word | PDF
- P - Word | PDF
- PQ - Word | PDF
- R - Word | PDF
- S - Word | PDF
- T - Word | PDF
- UV - Word | PDF
- WYZ - Word | PDF
Last Modified: 07/27/2012