Lenoir County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States   North Carolina    Lenoir County

County Courthouse
Lenoir County Courthouse P O Box 3289 Kinston, NC 28502 Phone: 252-523-2390 Courthouse burned 1878 Clerk Superior Court has divorce probate and court records from 1880 Register of Deeds has marriage and land records

Parent County
1791--Lenoir County was created 4 December 1791 from Dobbs County. Dobbs County was abolished in 1791. County seat: Kinston

Record Loss
1878, 1880--Most court records were destroyed in fires.

Neighboring Counties

 * Craven
 * Duplin
 * Greene
 * Jones
 * Pitt
 * Wayne

Cemeteries

 * Lenoir County Cemeteries - via the NCGenWeb Archives
 * Lenoir County Cemeteries - via Find-A-Grave.com

Census

 * Lenoir County census records - via Lenoir County NCGenWeb

Church

 * Lenoir County church records - via the NCGenWeb Archives

Baptist

 * Bear Creek. Established by 1785.
 * Beaver Dam. Established by 1808.
 * Wheat Swamp, near Kinston, N.C. Organized about 1760. Has belonged to the Disciples of Christ since 1843.

Court

 * Lenoir County court records - transcribed for the NCGenWeb Archives

Directories

 * Statewide NC Business Directories - page provides direct link to Lenoir County pages

Education

 * Grainger High School - senior class listings from 1927-1970
 * Lenoir County students at NC colleges - via the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index

Land

 * Deeds of Lenoir county - via the NCGenWeb Archives

Maps

 * Maps of Lenoir County - about 40 various maps; via the North Carolina State Library

Military

 * Lenoir County military records - via NCGenWeb Archives

Civil War Battle
The following Civil War battles were fought in Lenoir County.


 * December 14, 1862 = Kinston
 * March 7-10, 1865 = Wilmington, also known as Wilcox’s Bridge, Wise’s Fork, Second Kinston, Second Southwest Creek, or Kelly's Mill Pond


 * Map showing Civil War battles in North Carolina.

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


 * -5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry

Newspapers

 * Kinston Free Press Index -- various transcriptions of articles from the paper
 * Newspaper articles of Lenoir County - via NCGenWeb Archives
 * Newspapers of Lenoir County - a listing of newspapers published in the county; via the Library of Congress
 * North Carolina Newspaper Digitization Project - search historical newspapers from the 18th &amp; 19th century. Includes papers from the New Bern area so there will be Lenoir county persons mentioned

Probate

 * Wills &amp; Estates - transcribed for the NCGenWeb Archives


 * 1869-1922 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

Taxation

 * Lenoir County Tax Lists - via the NCGenWeb Archives

Vital Records
Uncertified copies of vital records can be ordered for a small fee from the Register of Deeds. Please visit their website for more information.

Births

 * North Carolina Births and Christenings, 1866-1964 - search this name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state ; via FamilySearch

Marriages

 * North Carolina Marriages, 1762-1979 - via FamilySearch; images included
 * Lenoir County marriages are included in Carrie Broughton's 6-volume index of the Raleigh Register &amp; State Gazette newspaper (1799-1893). Marriages are listed by year and PDF files are searcheable. Available on the North Carolina Digital Collections website.

Deaths

 * Lenoir County NCGenWeb - various records for deaths and obituaries
 * Deaths of Lenoir County - list of county area deaths reported in various newspapers; dates range from late 1700s to 1900s.
 * Lenoir County Obituaries- via the NCGenWeb Archives
 * North Carolina Death Certificates, 1906-1930 - via FamilySearch; images included


 * North Carolina Deaths &amp; Burials, 1898-1994 - via FamilySearch

Societies and Libraries

 * Heritage Genealogical Society
 * Heritage Place at Lenoir Community College

Family History Centers

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

Web Sites

 * NCGenWeb: Lenoir County - part of the USGenWeb Project.