North Carolina Vital Records

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Introduction to Vital Records

Vital Records consist of births, adoptions, marriages, divorces, and deaths recorded on registers, certificates, and documents. United States Vital Records has additional research guidance on finding and using vital records. In North Carolina, the county Register of Deeds office houses birth, marriage and death records. The North Carolina State Archives Guide to Research Materials in the North Carolina State Archives: County Records lists which records are available at the State Archives for each county as original records or as microfilmed records. A copy or an extract of most original records after 1913 can be purchased from the county register of deeds of the North Carolina Department of Health.

	Birth	Marriage	Death
Earliest	1659	1659	1911
Statewide Registration	1913	1868	1913
General Compliance	1920	1868	1920

Online Resources[edit | edit source]

Order Certificates[edit | edit source]

National Center for Health Statistics: Order North Carolina Certificates online -$
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services: Vital Records - $

Birth Records[edit | edit source]

Birth records usually give the name and sex of the child; the names, birthplaces, and ages of the parents (with the mother’s maiden name); the occupation of the father; and the number of children born to the mother. Birth records of adopted children may give the birth parents but have frequently been amended to show only the adoptive parents. A year-by-year search of birth records may reveal other children born to a couple.
Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1913 and was generally complied with by 1920. In some cities record keeping began earlier. For example, Raleigh began recording births in 1890 and deaths in 1885. Counties where the births and deaths occur keep a duplicate copy of the information they send to the state office.

The county Register of Deeds office maintains vital records and is the first place to search for birth records. Copies requested for genealogical purposes, which are not certified, do not require a notarized signature and the cost is nominal. Certified copies are only available to close family members. Most of the county indexes to births and deaths through the 1960s have been microfilmed and are available at the Family History Library. Search the FamilySearch Catalog by:

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- VITAL RECORDS

In addtion, the North Carolina State Archives holds microfilmed indexes to births for all counties except Wake and Durham counties.
Additional indexes are online at:

FamilySearch: North Carolina Births and Christenings, 1866-1964. (free)
Ancestry.com: North Carolina Birth Index, 1800-2000 ($)

Copies of originial birth records from 1913 to the present are available at the Vital Records office: Dept. of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources
225 North McDowell Street
Raleigh, NC 29537
Telephone: 1-919-733-3526

For Mail requests:
North Carolina Vital Records
1903 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1903 Include the appropriate fees.

Some NC Registers of Deeds are making their vital records available online.

For up-to-date information about vital records, see: North Carolina Vital Records Information ^[1]This site has links to the state vital records office’s Internet site. It also shows their current address, telephone, fax, fees, and years for which records are available. It includes addresses of county vital records offices, and many county genealogical societies and links to related information such as local record searching volunteers.

Do not contact North Carolina Vital Records for births before 1913. Some county registrars have birth records prior to 1913. Contact the respective county Register of Deeds for record availability.

Pre-1913 Birth Records Kept by Cities. The city of Raleigh kept birth records beginning with 1890 and the city of Wilmington from 1904. Raleigh death records begin in 1885 and Wilmington’s begin in 1903.

Collections available at FamilySearch:

Delayed Birth Certificates[edit | edit source]

Due to Social Security requirements and other federal acts, many people needed proof of birth. If no birth record was available, they could go to the county where they were born and file a delayed registration of birth. These may be found in county offices of the Register of Deeds. These records may list births from the 1870s to the 1960s. They usually give the exact date of birth, town or city of birth, and often the full names of both parents, as well as the volume and page. The library has microfilm copies of some of these important documents. Search the FamilySearch Catalog by:

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- VITAL RECORDS or

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- VITAL RECORDS- INDEXES

Still Births Vital Records Section. Death Certificates, 1906–1994; Still Births, 1914–1953; Fetal Deaths, 1960–1974; Index, 1906–1967 ^[2]has the certificates are arranged by file number or volume number. These births are included in an online index titled North Carolina Deaths and Burials 1898-1994.

Bastardy Bonds[edit | edit source]

A book with birth information about children born out of wedlock is North Carolina Bastardy Bonds by Betty Camin. At various libraries (WorldCat); FHL Book 975.6 P2c ^[3] Records for 30 counties are included in this book. These bonds are from the time the county was created until about 1880. The original records are at the North Carolina State Archives. The bondsman listed may be the father of the child, the mother or her father, or another party. About 22,000 names are listed.

The counties included in this book are Alamance, Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Bertie, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Bute, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Camden, Carteret, Caswell, Catawba, Chatham, Cherokee, Chowan, Clay, Cleveland, Craven, Cumberland, Granville, Moore, New Hanover, Rowen, Rutherford, Surry, and Wake.

Marriage Records[edit | edit source]

Different types of county marriage records are available in North Carolina in different time periods. In general, the following types of records are available:

1669-1741 Limited availability
1741-1851 Marriage bonds
1851-1868 Marriage bonds, licenses and certificates
1868-present Marriage licenses

FamilySearch Historical Records collections

Marriage Records, Early to 1868[edit | edit source]

From 1669 to 1742, marriages were performed by clergy or civil authorities and were recorded in county records. Few of these records have survived, except for those of Pasquotank FHL Film 19496and Perquimans FHL Films 370661 370662 counties.

From 1741 to 1868, either a publication of banns or the posting of a bond was required before a marriage could take place. These practices are described below:

Banns. The publication of banns was areligious procedure. For three consecutive Sundays, the couple posted in church their written intention to marry. If no objection was voiced, permission to marry was granted by the church. Before 1851 marriages performed by banns were not recorded in public records, so they must be located in church or Bible records. Beginning in 1851 ministers were required to file marriage returns with a clerk in the county.

Bonds. Couples could also obtain a license to marry if the groom posted a bond of 50 pounds in the county where the bride resided. Marriages performed by bonds were recorded in county records. Some of these pre-1868 bonds have survived for about half the counties. Marriage by bonds was discontinued in 1868. Please be aware that owing to the absence of actual marriage record books in some localities the bond date may be given as the marriage date in some index publications. As with all secondary sources, the original should be always be consulted to verify the index data.

An Index to Marriage Bonds Filed in the North Carolina State Archives. The index refers you to the county of marriage. It contains a brides index and a grooms index. It includes the entire state, except Granville County. This index is available on Ancestry.com ($). Most of these pre-1868 marriage bonds are also listed in the International Genealogical Index available at the Family History Library FHL fiche 6330241 and at each family history center and online at FamilySearch.org. Additionally, these records are found on North Carolina Marriages, 1759-1979. Many county marriage records are on microfilm or have been published.

For a fee, the North Carolina State Archives will search the index for you and send you a copy. Instructions are found in Archives Information Circular 15 September 1977. ^[4]Only the microfiche is circulated to Family History Centers.

Clemens, William M. North and South Carolina Marriage Records: From the Earliest Colonial Days to the Civil War. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1927. Digital version at World Vital Records ($). 1981 reprint: FHL Collection.

Marriage Records after 1868[edit | edit source]

Marriage records from 1868 to 1962 are kept by the register of deeds in each county. In 1868, new laws made the only official marriage record the county marriage license. Statewide registration of marriages began in 1962. You can write to the Division of Health Services (see address above) to obtain copies of records since January 1962. For records from 1868 to 1962, write to the county register of deeds or the North Carolina State Archives listed in the "Archives and Libraries" section.

County Marriage Records at the Family History Library[edit | edit source]

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of county marriage records for most counties through the 1950s. From Guilford County, for example, the library has six films of marriage abstracts (1770–1868) and 65 films of marriage licenses (1873–1961). Numerous published sources are also available, such as:

North and South Carolina Marriage Records: From the Earliest Colonial Days to the Civil War. FHL Book 975 V28c 1981 ^[5]

Marriage Records, Early–1850. FHL CD-ROM no. 9 pt. 229 ^[6]This does not circulate to Family History Centers. This resource indexes Family History Library microfilms of selected marriage records from Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Almost all North Carolina counties are represented. This index shows each spouse’s name, Soundex code, and marriage date. The state and county and marriage years covered are in the upper left of the screen.

Marriage Records. Part 4, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. ^[7]This does not circulate to Family History Centers. This resource, once titled Hunting for Bears, indexes original marriage records to about 1868 from 102 North Carolina counties. Family History Library microfilm copies were not used to compile this index. This index lists each spouse’s name and marriage date. The state and county of the marriage are displayed on the upper left of the screen.

North Carolina birth, marriage, and death records can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

NORTH CAROLINA- VITAL RECORDS

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- VITAL RECORDS

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- VITAL RECORDS

Many eloping couples went to Mt.Airy, Surry County, North Carolina to be married and avoid the waiting period between the time of issuing a license and the performance of the marriage.

Death Records[edit | edit source]

Statewide registration of deaths began in 1913. Compliance in most counties was reached by 1917. Death records usually give information about the deceased, such as name, age, birth date, state or country of birth (sometimes the city or town), names of the parents (frequently including the maiden name of the mother), and the informant (who may be a close relative). The date and place of death are given. Sometimes burial information, the cause of death, and the names of the physician and mortician are provided. The length of residence in the state or county may also be given.

The best place to obtain a death certificate is from the county Register of Deeds. Uncertified copies of certificates are available without a notarized signature and for a nominal fee. Indexes generally give the name of the person, the name of the father (or mother), and the place and date of death and need to be used if the county of death and date of death is not known. Refer to the following indexes:

FamilySearch: North Carolina Deaths 1906-1930 index and images
FamilySearch: North Carolina Deaths and Burials 1898-1994 Information abstracted from death records
Ancestry.com North Carolina Death Collection 1908-2004 ($)
Death indexes for 1906–1967 and death certificates for 1906–1994 are on microfilm at the Family History Library. FHL Films 1909181 (first of 1,022)

Original death records 1913–1975 for most counties and indexes for 1913–1979 are available from the North Carolina State Archives. It is less expensive to request a death certificate from the county Register of Deeds. You may order death records from the North Carolina State Archives. Contact them for specific information about ordering records from the Archives. A few delayed death records exist as early as 1909.

Death records 1930 to present are located at North Carolina Vital Records. Request an uncertified copy unless you are requesting own vital record or that of the your spouse, sibling, direct ancestor, direct descendant, stepparent, or stepchild. An uncertified copy gives the same information as a certified copy, but it cannot be used for legal purposes.

Any death records prior to 1913 are located at the county Register of Deeds.

Collections available at FamilySearch:

Cause of Death[edit | edit source]

Causes of Death - use this resource when trying to interpret a disease or medical condition listed on a death record or certificate

Divorce Records[edit | edit source]

Divorce records may provide information about the date and place of marriage, names and ages of children, the cause of the divorce, and terms of settlement. After the American Revolution and through 1827, divorces could be granted by the general assembly, and these records are among the legislative papers at the state archives. The superior court for each county also had jurisdiction over divorce cases beginning in 1814. The Family History Library has very few of these documents. You can write to the superior court clerk at the county courthouse for copies or information. North Carolina Vital Records has divorce records from 1 January 1958 to the present. For records prior to 1958, contact the county clerk of court where the divorce was filed.

Divorce records can be found in the FamilySearch Catalog by using a Place Search under:

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY] - DIVORCE RECORDS

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY] - COURT RECORDS

Online Records

1926-1975 - North Carolina, County Divorce Records, 1926-1975 at FamilySearch — index and images
1958-2004 - Divorce Index 1958-2004 Ancestry.com - $

Additional Helps[edit | edit source]