Ashe County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States &gt; North Carolina &gt; Ashe County

Brief History
The line between Virginia and North Carolina was established in 1749 by a surveying party led by Peter Jefferson, thus establishing the northern border of what became Ashe County. The first recorded visit to the area occurred in 1752 when Bishop Augustus Spangenberg, head of the Moravian Church of America, came, looking for 100,000 acres of land upon which to settle.

The area that became Ashe County was part of Anson County during the early period; part of Rowan County in 1753, Surry County in 1771, Wilkes County in 1777 and was briefly part of the State of Franklin from 1784-89. After Franklin it was claimed as part of Washington County (part of the Southwest Territory, and later Tennessee) until it was annexed back by North Carolina into Wilkes County again in 1792. It was incorporated as a separate entity by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1799 and was named for Samuel Ashe, a Revolutionary War Patriot and Governor of North Carolina. The county seat of Jefferson, the first town in the nation to be named for Thomas Jefferson, was also established in 1799. Thomas Jefferson was Vice-President of the United States at the time.

Parent County
1799 -- Ashe County was created 18 November 1799 from Wilkes County. County seat: Jefferson

Boundary Changes
There have been several small adjustments to Ashe County borders.

Record Loss
1865 -- A courthouse fire destroyed many records, but many survived and are available.

Populated Places
U.S. Federal Census Townships (names bold on first appearence)


 * 1860 - Jefferson, North Eastern District, North Fork, Oldfields, Peak Creek, Scattering, South Eastern District, Town
 * 1870 - Chestnut Hill, Helton, Horse Creek, Jefferson, Laurel, Oldfields, Peak Creek, Pine Swamp, Piney Creek, Staggs Creek
 * 1880 - Chestnut Hill, Helton, Horse Creek, Jefferson, Laurel, North Fork, Oldfields, Peak Creek, Pine Swamp, Piney Creek, Staggs Creek
 * 1900 - Chestnut Hill, Clifton, Creston, Grassy Creek, Helton, Horse Creek, Jefferson, Laurel, North Fork, Obids, Oldfields, Peak Creek, Pine Swamp, Piney Creek, Walnut Hill
 * 1910 - Chestnut Hill, Clifton, Grassy Creek, Helton, Horse Creek, Jefferson, Laurel, North Fork, Obids, Oldfields, Peak Creek, Pine Swamp, Piney Creek, Walnut Hill
 * 1920 - Chestnut Hill, Clifton, Creston, Grassy Creek, Helton, Horse Creek, Jefferson, Laurel, North Fork, Obids, Oldfields, Peak Creek, Pine Swamp, Piney Creek, Walnut Hill
 * 1930 - Chestnut Hill, Clifton, Creston, Elk, Grassy Creek, Helton, Horse Creek, Hurricane, Jefferson, Lansing, Laurel, North Fork, Obids, Oldfields, Peak Creek, Pine Swamp, Piney Creek, Pond Mountain, Todd, Walnut Hill, West Jefferson

Church
Fletcher, James Floyd. A History of the Ashe County, North Carolina and New River, Virginia Baptist Associations. 1982.

Stafford, Garland R. Methodism in Ashe County, North Carolina from the Beginning to 1961. 1974.

History
County histories often provide important details of events and people of the local area. They often list such things as the names of first settlers, dates of settlement of communities, names of those who served in military organizations, details about the establishment of churches and businesses in the county and its towns, and many other facts helpful to the genealogist and family historian.


 * Ashe County Historical Society. Ashe County. Jefferson, North Carolina: Ashe County Historical Society, 2000. -- A photo history of the county.
 * Ashe County Historical Society. Ashe County Revisited. Jefferson, North Carolina: Ashe County Historical Society, 2002. -- Another photo history.
 * Cooper, Leland R. and Mary Lee Cooper. The People of the New River: Oral Histories from the Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga Counties of Nortrh Carolina.
 * Fletcher, Arthur L. Ashe County: a history. Jefferson, North Carolina: Ashe County Research Assn., c1963. FHL book 975.6835 H2f
 * Goss, Bernard. The Heritage of Ashe County, North Carolina. Winston-Salem, North Carolina : Ashe County Heritage Book Committee in cooperation with the History Division of Hunter Pub. Co., c1984. FHL book 975.6835 D3h v. 1
 * Reeves, Eleanor Baker. A Factual History of Early Ashe County, North Carolina: Its People, Places and Events. 1986.

Land

 * Ashe County Register of Deeds is responsible for recording and maintaining the Land Records for Ashe County.

See the Maps section of this article for information about plat and ownership maps.

For more information about land in North Carolina please refer to the North Carolina Land and Property page.

Civil War (1861-1865)

 * Crawford, Martin. Ashe County's Civil War: Community and Society in the Appalachian South (Nation Divided: New Studies in Civil War History). Sep. 2001.

World War I (1917-1918)
World War I draft registration cards, 1917-1918, for Ashe County have been microfilmed. Copies of these records are available at the Family History Library (their microfilm number 1765559) and are also available online at Ancestry.com, for a subscription fee. The original cards are maintained in the Southeast Regional Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in East Point, Georgia and have been microfilmed by the National Archives as their Microcopy M1509.

Probate
The recording of wills and probate proceedings for the residents of Ashe County are the responsibility of the Clerk of Superior Court in the County Courthouse.

Taxation

 * [1815] Mullins, Johnny C. "Ashe County, North Carolina - 1815 Tax List," The Mountain Empire Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 2, No. 4 (Winter 1983):236-238; Vol. 3, No. 1 (Spring 1984):10-11. FHL US/CAN Book 975 D25m v. 2 (1983) ff.

Vital Records
Vital records maintained by Ashe County are the responsibility of the Register of Deeds in the County Courthouse. Divorces are included in the duties of the Clerk of Superior Court at the Courthouse.

Birth

 * starting 1913
 * near full compliance by 1920

Marriage

 * starting in 1828
 * starting in 1868, register of deeds issued marriage licenses

Death

 * starting in 1913
 * near full compliance by 1920

Divorce

 * Superior court issues since 1814

Societies and Libraries

 * Ashe County Historical Society
 * Museum of Ashe County History

Web Sites

 * The Ashe County NCGenWeb Project, a member of The NCGenWeb Project, an affiliate of The USGenWeb Project.
 * My North Carolina web site, referencing links to resources for Ashe County
 * Linkpedium Site, referencing links to resources for Ashe County
 * Family History Library Catalog