Rockingham County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States   North Carolina   Rockingham County

History
On December 29, 1785, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation that created Rockingham County from the northern half of the Guilford County. The assembly chose to name the new county for Charles Watson-Wentworth, second Marquess of Rockingham (1730-1782). Rockingham was a leading Whig and was Prime Minister of Britian from 1765 to 1766 and again in 1782. His popularity in America was assured when he secured repeal of the hated Stamp Act in 1766 and led the ministry that initiated negotiations to terminate the Revolutionary War. From 1768 to 1781 he had been the leading Parliamentary opponent of both the government's American policy and the war.

Parent County
1785--Rockingham was from Guilford County. County seat: Wentworth

Record Loss
Some of the court records are missing.

Neighboring Counties

 * Alamance
 * Caswell
 * Forsyth
 * Guilford
 * Henry County, Virginia
 * Pittsylvania County, Virginia
 * Stokes

Cemeteries
Rockingham County Cemeteries

Court
Rockingham County Courthouse 1086 NC Highway 65 Wentworth, NC 27375-0127

Mail Address: P. O. Box 127 Wentworth, NC 27375-0127

Phone: (336) 342-8700

The following sites have copies of transcribed Court Records:


 * Rockingham County Court Records

Maps

 * Eden-area
 * Ellisboro area
 * Madison
 * Mayfield
 * Midway area
 * Reidsville area
 * Stephens Crossroads
 * Stoneville area
 * Wentworth area
 * Williamsburg area
 * 1795 Carey Matthew Map
 * 1796 Carey Matthew Map

Civil War
Civil War Confederate units - Brief history, counties where recruited, etc.

Probate
The Rockingham County Clerk of Superior Court's office employs 29 Assistant and Deputy Clerks with over 325 years of combined service. The office is divided into five separate divisions, each of which is administered by an Assistant Clerk. While it is a function of the Office of the Clerk of Superior Court to serve the public in connection with legal matters, employees of the Clerks Office cannot give legal advice. Nonetheless, it is the goal of the Office of Clerk of Superior Court to be as helpful as possible to all persons seeking its services.

The Clerks office is open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The mailing address is P. O. Box 127, 1086 Hwy 65 Wentworth, NC 27375. The telephone number is (336) 342-8700. Payment methods acceptable are cash, money order or cashiers check when paid in person and money order or cashiers check when paid by mail.

The Clerk of the Superior Court has copies of wills, estate records and all records associated with the administration of estates starting from 1772.

The following sites have transcribed copies of Probate Records, some including Wills &amp; Estates:


 * Rockingham County Wills &amp; Estates

Research Guides

 * Sweeney, Alice J. "Bassett Historical Center," The Virginia Genealogical Society Newsletter, Vol. 28, No. 4 (Aug. 2002):1-3. Available at ; digital version at Virginia Genealogical Society website.

Vital Records
The following sites have transcribed Vital Records:


 * Dr. Simpsons Birth Books, Rockingham County, NC - births from 1861-1892
 * Rockingham County Marriages
 * Rockingham County Obituaries

Societies and Libraries

 * Bassett Historical Center, Bassett, Virginia. Website includes descriptions of collections. Excellent resource for family history research in Henry, Patrick, Floyd, Franklin and Pittsylvania counties in Virginia, the city of Martinsville, Virginia, and Rockingham, Stokes and Surry counties in North Carolina.
 * Rockingham County Historical Society
 * Genealogical Society of Rockingham &amp; Stokes County, North Carolina

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Eden North Carolina Family History Center

Web Sites

 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Rockingham County, NCGenWeb
 * Rockingham County, NCGenWeb Archives
 * Rockingham County, NCGenWeb Archives