Vance County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States   North Carolina    Vance County

History
The county was formed in 1881 from parts of Franklin County, Granville County, and Warren County. According to the 1955 book, Zeb's Black Baby, by Samuel Thomas Peace Sr., "The formation of Vance County was accomplished largely as a political expediency. It was in 1881 when Blacks in large numbers were voting solidly Republican. Granville and Franklin Counties were nip and tuck, Democratic or Republican. From the Democratic standpoint, Warren County was hopelessly Republican. But by taking from Granville, Franklin and Warren, those sections that were heavily Republican and out of these sections forming the new county of Vance, the Democratic party could lose Vance to the Republicans and save Granville and Franklin for the Democrats (see gerrymandering). [U.S.] Senator [Zebulon Baird] Vance was a Democrat. He took kindly to this move and thanked the [North Carolina] Legislature for honoring him with naming the new county after him. At the same time Vance showed his humor by always referring to Vance County as 'Zeb's Black Baby.' In the 1890 Census, Vance County was more than 63 percent African American.

• Formation and Naming of Vance County

• Vance County Quick Facts

• Henderson in the 1920s

Parent County
1881--Vance County was created from Granville, Warren, and Franklin Counties. County seat: Henderson

Neighboring Counties

 * Franklin
 * Granville
 * Mecklenburg County, Virginia
 * Warren

Cemeteries

 * NC Vance: Cemeteries
 * Vance County USGenWeb Archives
 * Vance County Cemeteries from Cemetery Census
 * Plank Chapel Cemetery
 * Vance County Cemeteries from Find-A-Grave

Local Histories
Life in Henderson in the 1920s, by Frances Parker Woodlief

Maps
NC Vance: Maps

North Carolina Maps, collaborative digitization project by the North Carolina State Archives, the Outer Banks History Center, and the University Library at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Newspapers
The Daily Dispatch (Henderson, NC)

Vital Records
Vance County has a number of marriage records missing, reason unknown. They have Marriage Registers that cover 1881-1962; Marriage Licenses for 1897, 1902, 1911-1968; there is an Index to the Marriage Register, 1963-1969.

Societies and Libraries
Vance County has an active Historical Society and a new Genealogical Society which is an offshoot of the Historical Society.

H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library

Web Sites

 * NC Vance: Vance County History &amp; Genealogy
 * Vance County, NCGenWeb
 * Vance County, USGenWeb Archives
 * Vance County Government
 * City of Henderson (Vance County seat of government)
 * City of Henderson (Vance County seat of government)