Guilford County, North Carolina Genealogy

Guide to Guilford County, North Carolina ancestry, genealogy and family history, birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Description
Guilford County is located in the central portion of North Carolina and was named for Francis North, First Earl of Guilford and father of the prime minister of Great Britain at the time.

County Courthouse
Guilford County Courthouse 201 S Eugene Street PO Box 3427 Greensboro, NC 27402 Phone: 336-641-7556 Guilford County Website Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1913, and a limited list of slave deeds. Clerk of the Superior Court has divorce records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

Bible Records

 * Bible Records at North Carolina Digital Archives - index and images
 * Guilford County, NC Bibles at USGenWeb Archives

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images Also at: Ancestry ($)


 * New Garden Friends Meeting Cemetery, Greensboro (Benbow listings only)

Church Records

 * 1700-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Baptist
 * Caraway Creek. Founded before 1773.
 * Cross Roads. Constituted 1786.
 * Matrimony Creek. Founded by 1778. Later located in Rockingham County. Church membership lists and minutes (1776-1814) are available online, with an index at the end: online.
 * Sandy Creek. Founded 1755. Later located in Randolph.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Ward and Branch Records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints


 * Greensboro

German Reformed
 * Old Brick Church, near Whitsett, N.C. Organized late 1700s.

Lutheran
 * Friedens Church, near Gibsonville, N.C. Organized before 1791.
 * Low's Lutheran Church, near Kimesville, N.C. Organized about 1771.

Presbyterian List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Alamance Church, near Greensboro, N.C. Organized about 1764.
 * Buffalo Church, Greensboro, N.C. Organized about 1764. Session minutes 1777-1788 online at FamilySearch. Index in History of Buffalo Presbyterian Church and her people, Greensboro, N.C., pp. 93-94; online at FamilySearch
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1781-1864 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1781-1868 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1826-1844 (*); Court of Equity at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1826-1867 (*); Court of Equity at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1832-1852 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1869-1930 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1894-1968 (*); Justice of the Peace, County Commissioners and Clerk Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions 1781-1811 at Greensboro Public Library
 * Old Guilford, North Carolina Court Minutes, 1781-1788 and Genealogical Implications of the Laws in Effect. By Stein, Nancy Hawlick; and Hammersmith, Mary Powell. Guilford County, North Carolina : Guilford County, North Carolina. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.

Directories

 * 1922 (*) at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1955 Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina, City Directory, 1955 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1956 Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina, City Directory, 1956 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1959 Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina, City Directory, 1959 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1960 Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina, City Directory, 1960 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups
African Americans 
 * 1862-1870   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1863-1872   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only
 * AAHGS-Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society has a local chapter for the North Carolina Piedmont/Triad, with bi-monthly meetings.
 * Bennett College yearbooks, 1961 to 2002
 * Bennett College scrapbook from 1945
 * International Civil Rights Center and Museum has a permanent exhibit and several other special exhibits, events, and speakers.
 * North Carolina Agriculture & Technical State University

Land and Property Records

 * Guilford Deeds Click on Old Index Books to find the indices.

Local Histories

 * Arnett, Ethel Stephens, Greensboro, North Carolina: The County Seat of Guilford, Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1955, 1983 (excerpt) (Google Books link)
 * Arnett, Ethel Stephens, The Saura and Keyauwee in the Land that Became Guilfod, Randolph, and Rockingham, Greensboro, North Carolina: Media, 1975.
 * Batchelor, John, The Guilford County Schools: A History, Winston-Salem, North Carolina: John F. Blair, 1991.
 * Bowles, David, Spring House (Book 1 in the Westward Sagas), Plum Creek Press, 2006.
 * Greensboro Business Directory, 1886 (GenWeb Archives)
 * Guilford County Bicentennial Commission, Guilford County, a Brief History, Greensboro, North Carolina: Guilford County Bicentennial Commission, 1971.
 * Guilford County, NC GenWeb Local History (includes links to book excerpts)
 * Hatch, Charles E., Jr., The Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, 1971.
 * Haworth, Cecil E., Deep River Friends: A Valiant People, Greensboro, North Carolina: North Carolina Friends Historical Society, 1985.
 * Haworth, Sara A., Springfield, 1773-1940: A History of the Establishment and Growth of the Springfield Monthly Meeting of Friends, High Point, North Carolina: Barber-Hall Printing Company, 1940.
 * High Point Business Directory, 1886 (GenWeb Archives)
 * Hill, Jane Smith, An Annotated Digest of Will Book A, Guilford County, North Carolina, 1771-May Court 1816, Heritage Books, 2007. (Google Books link)
 * Hughes, Fred, Guilford County: A Map Supplement, The Custom House, 1988. (excerpt)
 * Jordan, Pauls Stahls, Women of Guilford County, North Carolina: A Study of Women's Contributions, 1740-1979, Greensboro, North Carolina: Women of Guilford, 1979. (Google Books link)
 * Kars, Marjoleine, Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina.
 * Pegg, William Wesley, Sr., Something of the Story of Deep River, Greensboro, North Carolina: Self-published, 1980.
 * Robinson, Blackwell P., and Alexander R. Stoesen, ed. by Sydney M. Cone, Jr., The History of Guilford County, North Carolina, U.S.A. to 1980, A.D., 1981.
 * Salsi, Lynn, and Burke Salsi, Guilford County: Heart of the Piedmont (The Making of America series), Arcadia Publishing, 2002. (Google Books link)
 * Scarlette, Gladys, Summerfield, North Carolina: A Pictorial History, Greensboro, North Carolina: Younts, 1995.
 * Sharpe, Stella Gentry, Tobe, Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press, 1939.
 * Sloan, John Alexander, Reminiscences of the Guilford Grays, Co. B, 27th N.C. Regiment, Washington, D.C.: R.C. Polkinhorn, 1883.
 * Stockard, Sallie Walker, The History of Guilford County, North Carolina, 1902 (complete text in Google Books) (complete text in Internet Archive)
 * Stoesen, Alexander R., Guilford County: A Brief History, 2000 (Google Books link) (NC Office of Archives &amp; History Publications Shop)
 * Teague, Bobbie T., Cane Creek: Mother of Meetings, North Carolina Friends Historical Society, 1995.
 * Weatherly, Andrew Earl, The First Hundred Years of Historic Guilford, 1771-1871, Greensboro, North Carolina: Greensboro Print Company, 1972.
 * Zopf, Paul E., The People of Guilford: Growth and Changes in the Population of Guilford County, Greensboro, North Carolina: Chamber of Commerce, 1972.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Guilford NCGenWeb maps page
 * Early Settlers Map Index
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Guilford County Military (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Guilford County Military Records &amp; Information (NCGenWeb)

Revolutionary War 
 * 1778-1833 Delamar Transcripts of Revolutionary War Petitions at North Carolina Genealogical Society - index ($)
 * 1779-1782 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Index to Individuals Present at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (March 15, 1781) (Greensboro Libraries)

Civil War 
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1885-1953  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1885 and 1901 1885 and 1901 Confederate Pension Applications at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * Moore, Carol. Greensboro's Confederate Soldiers (Images of America series). Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008. | Google Books page (limited preview)


 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company F
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, 2nd Company E
 * - 4th Battalion, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company A
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (63rd Regiment Volunteers), Company I
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (63rd Regiment Volunteers), Company K
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Captain George F Fisher's Company
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company C
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company D

World War I 
 * 1914-1918 World War I Papers at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1917-1919  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II 
 * 1939-1945 World Ward II Papers at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1940-1948  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Guilford County Men &amp; Women Who Served in World War II

Newspapers

 * Greensboro News &amp; Record
 * North Carolina Newspapers at DigitalNC

Other Records
Postcards
 * Penny Postcards from North Carolina: Guilford County

Voter Registration
 * 1868-1898 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1660-1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1663-1789 Secretary of State Wills at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1663-1978 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1663-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1665-1998 North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1720-1960  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1735-1970  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1771-1943 (*); County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1771-1943  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1771-1943 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions and Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1771-1968 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1778-1942 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1790 Pre-1790 Guilford County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills (North Carolina State Archives)
 * 1820-1853 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1821-1849 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions and County Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1886-1947 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1894-1968 Guilford County Widows’ Year’s Support, 1894-1968 (NC State Archives)
 * Images of Wills & Estates 1779-1813; 1813-1838; 1837-59 North Carolina Pioneers ($)
 * Montgomery Wills from North Carolina; Genealogy : a Journal of American Ancestry - v. 7, 1917. No. 07. 1917. Hackensack, New Jersey : William M. Clemens. Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * North Carolina Probate Records tips

School Records
Yearbooks 
 * Bennett College: 1962-2002 (Historically Black College)
 * Greensboro College: 1908-2005
 * Guilford College: 1911-2005
 * High Point University: 1927-2007
 * North Carolina Agricultural &amp; Technical College: 1929-2009
 * UNC-Greensboro: 1902-1993
 * Guilford County students at North Carolina colleges. Alphabetized surname from the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index.

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Vital Records

 * 1800-2000 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Guilford County Register of Deeds Vital Records Information

Birth

 * 1800-2000  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1866-1964  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1913-1922  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images


 * Guilford County Bastardy Bonds (NCGenWeb)

Marriage

 * 1741-2004 North Carolina, United States Marriages at Findmypast
 * 1741-2004 North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1759-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1762-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1763-1868  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1771-1899 Guilford County Marriage and Death Records, 1771-1899 (Greensboro Libraries, with online search)
 * 1868-1961 Guilford County Marriage Index 1868-1961 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * Guilford County Marriages at USGenWeb (scroll to bottom of the page)

Death

 * 1771-1899 Guilford County Marriage and Death Records, 1771-1899 (Greensboro Libraries, with online search)
 * 1898-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1906-1930  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;index and images  Also at:  MyHeritage ($)
 * 1908-2004 North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1909-1975 North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry $
 * 1931-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Divorce

 * 1926-1975  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1958-2004 North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry $

FamilySearch Centers

 * Introduction to FamilySearch Centers
 * Caswell North Carolina Family History Center
 * Goldsboro North Carolina Family History Center
 * Greensboro North Carolina Family History Center

Libraries
Greensboro Library 219 No. Church Street Greensboro, NC 27401 Telephone 336-373-2471 Email [mailto:refstaff@greensboro-nc.gov refstaff@greensboro-nc.gov] Website Facebook The library system has 7 branches. High Point Library Public Library 901 N Main Street High Point, NC 27262 Telephone 336-883-3660 Website Facebook University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Libraries 208 Raleigh Street CB #3916 Chapel Hill, NC 27515-8890 Telephone 919-962-1053 Website

Museums

 * Friends Historical Collection at Guilford College Quaker Archives Guilford College 5800 W Friendly Avenue Greensboro, NC 27410 Telephone 336-316-2264 Email [mailto:archives@guilford.edu archives@guilford.edu] Website Facebook

Societies
Guilford County Genealogical Society 219 N Church St PO Box 4713 Greensboro, NC 27404-4713 Email: [mailto:gcgsoc@yahoo.com gcgsoc@yahoo.com] Website Facebook

Websites

 * African Americans in Guilford County
 * Family History Catalog: Guilford County, North Carolina
 * Guilford County Genealogy (North Carolina Genealogy)
 * Guilford County Genealogy and Family History (Linkpendium)
 * Guilford County Historic Preservation Commission
 * Guilford County Markers (The Historical Marker Database)
 * Guilford County, North Carolina (RootsWeb)
 * Guilford County, North Carolina (Wikipedia)
 * Guilford County, North Carolina GenWeb (has a lot of information on its website)
 * Guilford County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives
 * Guilford County Website: History
 * The History of Guilford County, North Carolina (GenGateway)
 * History of the Sheriffs of Guilford (Guilford County Sheriff's Office)
 * North Carolina - Guilford County (National Register of Historic Places)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.