North Carolina Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary greatly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age; date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. Records may include names of other relatives who were witnesses or members of the congregation. The members of some churches were predominantly of one nationality or ethnic group.

Major religious denominations were established in North Carolina in the following years: Society of Friends (Quakers) (1672), Anglican (1700), Baptist (1727), Presbyterian (1730), Lutheran (1740), Moravian (1753), and Methodist (1772). The Baptist church was dominant by 1860 and remains so today.

The Family History Library has some church records for the Baptists, Society of Friends, and other groups. The library also has histories of the Baptist, Christian, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Society of Friends, Methodist, Moravian, and Protestant Episcopal denominations.

The Moravians, Lutherans, and Society of Friends kept detailed records, and some of these have been published. Many denominations have collected their records into central repositories. You can write to the following addresses to learn where their records are located:

Baptist
Baptist Historical Collection Z. Smith Reynolds Library Wake Forest University P.O. Box 7777 Winston-Salem, NC 27109-7777

Telephone: 910-759-5475 Fax: 910-759-9831

Free Will Baptist Historical Collection Moye Library Mount Olive College 634 Henderson St. Mount Olive, NC 28365-1699

Telephone: 919-658-7168 Fax: 919-658-8934

The Primitive Baptist Library 4023 North Highway 87 Elon College, NC 27244

Telephone: 910-584-8531 (An appointment should be made before visiting.)

For a history of the Baptist churches, see:

Paschal, George Washington. History of the North Carolina Baptists. 2 vols. Raleigh, North Carolina: North Carolina Baptist State Convention, 1930–55. (FHL book 975.6 K2p; fiche 6049246–2472.) There are useful chapters in these volumes concerning the various Baptist associations and groups from the 1600s to about 1860. Mention is made of the various ministers.

There are several inventories that describe the churches and records of Southern Baptist associations, such as:


 * Alleghany Association (FHL book 975.6 K2ha; film 1320847 item 11.)
 * Brunswick Association (FHL film 1036844 item 28.)
 * Central Association (FHL book 975.6 K2hc; film 1320847 item 4.)
 * Flat River Association (FHL book 975.6 K2hf; film 1320847 item 1.)
 * Raleigh Association (FHL book 975.6 K2hr; film 1320847 item 5.)
 * Stanly Association (FHL fiche 60465955.)
 * Yancey Association (FHL book 975.6 K2hy; film 1320847 item 3.)

A two-volume collection of biographies is:

Hamby, Robert P. Brief Baptist Biographies, 1707–1982. 2 vols. Greenville, South Carolina: A Press, 1982. (FHL book 975.6 K2h.) The Family History Library has volume 2 only.

Disciples of Christ
Discipliana Collections Barton College Wilson, NC 27893

Telephone: 252-399-6352 (Call for an appointment.)

Episcopal
Diocese of North Carolina 201 St. Alban’s Drive P. O. Box 17025 Raleigh, NC 27619

Telephone: 919-787-6313 or 1-800-448-8775

Diocese of Western North Carolina P. O. Box 369 Black Mountain, NC 28711

Telephone: 704-669-2921

Diocese of East Carolina P. O. Box 1336 Kingston, NC 28503

Telephone: 919-522-0885

Lutheran
Archives, North Carolina Synod Lutheran Church in America 1988 Lutheran Synod Dr. Salisbury, NC 28144-5700

Telephone: 704-633-4861 Fax: 704-638-0508

For historical background information, see:

Bernheim, Gotthardt Dellmann, and George H. Cox. The History of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and Ministerium of North Carolina: In Commemoration of the Completion of the First Century of Its Existence. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.: Published for the Synod by the Lutheran Publication Society, 1902. (FHL book 975.6 K2b.) The history of the various congregations is discussed. The ministers to about 1900 are listed with the dates when they served.

Methodist
United Methodist Church Archives P.O. Box 127 Drew University 36 Madison Ave. Madison, NJ 07940-3189

Telephone: 973-408-3590 Fax: 973-408-3909

Records of the Methodist Episcopal Church are at this archive. Searches are limited to obituaries of ordained clergy and can be conducted for a non-refundable fee.

Western N.C. Conference Archives 3400 Shamrock Drive P. O. Box 18005 Charlotte, NC 28218

Telephone: 704-535-2260, ext. 44

Eastern North Carolina Conference Archives Methodist Building 1307 Glenwood Ave. Raleigh, NC 27605

Telephone: 919-832-9560

Southern North Carolina Conference Archives Heritage Center 39 Lake Shore Dr. Lake Junaluska, NC 28745

Telephone: 1-800-222-4939

Mailing address: Southern North Carolina Conference Archives P. O. Box 1165 Lake Junaluska, NC 28745

Moravian
Moravian Archives 4 E. Bank St. Winston-Salem, NC 27101-5307

Telephone: 910-722-1742

An extensive set of books about the Moravians in North Carolina is:

Records of the Moravians in North Carolina, 1752–1879. 11 vols. Raleigh, North Carolina: Edwards &amp; Broughton, 1922–1969. (FHL book 975.6 F2m; films 1321198 and 1321210–11.) Each volume is indexed.

Presbyterian
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Department of History P.O. Box 849 Montreat, NC 28757

Telephone: 704-669-7061 Fax: 704-669-5369

Location: 3400 Shamrock Drive

Roman Catholic Archives of the Diocese of Raleigh The Catholic Center 300 Cardinal Gibbons Drive Raleigh, NC 27603

Telephone: 919-821-9750 (call in advance for an appointment)

Archives of the Diocese of Charlotte 1524 East Morehead St. Charlotte, NC 28236

Telephone: 704-377-6871 (An appointment is required.)

Mailing Address: Archives of the Diocese of Charlotte P. O. Box 36776 Charlotte, NC 28236

Society of Friends (Quakers)
Friends Historical Collection Hege Library 5800 West Friendly Ave. Greensboro, NC 27410-4175

Telephone: 336-316-2264 Fax: 336-316-2950

A useful history of the Society of Friends is:

Anscombe, Francis Charles. I Have Called You Friends: The Story of Quakerism in North Carolina. Boston, Massachusetts: Christopher Publishing House, 1959. (FHL book 975.6 K2a.)

The records of the 33 oldest monthly meetings that belonged to the North Carolina yearly meeting of Friends (dating from the 1680s to as late as 1914 in some cases) are published in volume 1 of:

Hinshaw, William Wade. Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy. 7 vols. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing, 1969. (FHL book 973 D2he 1969; fiche 6051277 [set of 118].)

Another source is:

Bjorkman, Gwen Boyer. Quaker Marriage Certificates: Pasquotank, Perquimans, Piney Woods, and Suttons Creek Monthly Meetings, North Carolina, 1677–1800. Bowie, Maryland.: Heritage, 1988. (FHL book 975.6 K2bg.)

Church records can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- CHURCH RECORDS

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY], [TOWN]- CHURCH RECORDS