The Basics
Public Domain, Link
- North Carolina State Archives
- North Carolina State Library
- North Carolina Genealogy Society
- Federation of North Carolina Historical Societies
- North Carolina History Project
- Digital Public Library of America
- UNC Digital Collections
- Documenting the American South
- North Carolina Gen Web
- Ancestry Wiki: North Carolina Family History Research
- Family Search Wiki: North Carolina, United States Genealogy
- Cyndi’s List: North Carolina
- North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program
- North Carolina State Research Guide (from Ancestry) (All the other state guides)
Maps
- North Carolina and South Carolina — Civil War era (loc.gov)
- Where is the Piedmont?
- Archaeology of North Carolina Map
- Physiographic Map of NC found on NC District Science Plan
- NC Geologic Map found on NC Geological Survey
- Newberry Historic Maps
- DeedMapper data pool
- North Carolina Maps from UNC including Sanborn maps
North Carolina Timelines
- North Carolina Timeline
- Cleveland County, North Carolina Timeline
- North Carolina Facts and Trivia (from 50states.com)
- North Carolina Timeline (from datesandevents.org)
- North Carolina Maps Timeline
- North Carolina Museum of History Timelines
- North Carolina Timeline (from worldatlas.com)
- Timelines from History
- North Carolina Secretary of State’s History Page for Kids
Photos
- Government & Heritage Library, State Library of NC on Flickr
- North Carolina Vintage Signs on Flickr
- The Library of Congress on Flickr
- North Carolina Digital Collections
- The U.S. National Archives on Flickr
- Internet Archive Book Images on Flickr
North Carolina Vital Records
North Carolina began requiring statewide registration of births and deaths in March 1913. Compliance was considered full by 1920. Marriage records were recorded with the Register of Deeds in each county after 1868. Earlier marriages could be solemnized by numerous authorities, so records were sporadically kept. Marriage bonds are available for about half of the counties, and some marriages may be found at the county level.
- North Carolina Division of Vital Records: Holds records of births from 1913; deaths from 1930; marriages from 1962; divorce certificates from 1958.
State Vital Records on Ancestry.com
- North Carolina, Birth Indexes, 1800-2000
- North Carolina, Death Indexes, 1908-2004
- North Carolina, Marriage Index, 1741-2004
- North Carolina Divorce Index, 1958-2004
- North Carolina, Death Certificates, 1909-1975
- North Carolina, Deaths, 1906-1930
- North Carolina, Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868
North Carolina Census Records
Federal census records for North Carolina began in 1790. The 1790 enumeration is missing for Caswell, Granville, and Orange counties; the 1810 is missing the counties of Craven, Greene, New Hanover, and Wake, (though the information has been substituted in most publications with tax lists); and the 1820 is complete except for Currituck, Franklin, Martin, Montgomery, Randolph and Wake counties. The only surviving portions of the mostly destroyed 1890 census are South Point and River Ben townships in Gaston County, and Township No. 2 in Cleveland County.
In 1784 the North Carolina General Assembly requested that a list of inhabitants be taken. Compliance was slow and apparently incomplete, with some counties not responding until 1786. Tax lists may be used to substitute for other early censuses.
Related Censuses Available on Ancestry.com:
- North Carolina, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1790-1890
- North Carolina, State Census, 1784-178
- State census of North Carolina, 1784-1787
- Census records and Cherokee muster rolls
- North Carolina, Native American Census Selected Tribes, 1894-1913
North Carolina Military Records on Ancestry
- U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947
- U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
- North Carolina, Confederate Soldiers and Widows Pension Applications, 1885-1953
- North Carolina Revolutionary War Soldiers
- North Carolina Volunteers, Spanish American War
- Roster of North Carolina troops in the war between the states
- Roster of the North Carolina volunteers in the Spanish-American War, 1898-1899
- Colonial Soldiers of the South, 1732-1774
- Roster of soldiers from North Carolina in the American Revolution
North Carolina Probate, Wills, and other Estate Records on Ancestry
- North Carolina, Wills and Probates
- North Carolina Wills and Inventories
- North Carolina, Will Abstracts, 1760-1800
North Carolina Land Records
- North Carolina and Tennessee, Early Land Records, 1753-1931 (Ancestry)
- North Carolina Land Grant Images and Data (David McCorkle)
Data Collections
- Data Collections Specific to North Carolina on Ancestry.com
- North Carolina from Red Book: American State, County, and Town Sources
- NCPedia
Civil War
- North Carolina Military Installations — Civil War
- Confederate States of America, A Digest of the Military and Naval Laws of the Confederate States
cluster genealogy 
I have a “brick wall” that I know someone out there can help me with. I am trying to find the father of Jesse Smith who was born in Anson Co., N.C. on 16 Apr 1765. He was a RW soldier and his DAR # is A 210280. His 2nd wife, Anna Mitchell, was my great. She received a Widow’s Pension (W.2450). On Ancestry.com, Jesse’s father is listed as Col. John “Little River” Smith, but I can find no proof of this. If you can, please help me solve this mystery that has been vexing me for months.