Gates County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States North Carolina  Gates County

Guide to Gates County North Carolina genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
Gates County Courthouse P O Box 345 Gatesville NC 27938 Phone: 252-357-0850

Reg of Deeds has birth, marriage and death records Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and Court records from 1780

History
Gates County was formed in 1779 from Chowan, Hertford, and Perquimans counties. It was named in honor of General Horatio Gates, who commanded the American Army at the Battle of Saratoga. Gates County is in the northeastern section of the State and is bounded by Camden, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Chowan and Hertford counties, and the state of Virginia. The present land area is 340.67 square miles. The act establishing the county provided that commissioners be appointed to select a site centrally located for the erection of a courthouse, etc., and to have the building erected. In 1781, an act was passed to levy an additional tax for the completion of the public buildings. The Legislature of 1830-1831 passed an act which said that the place now known as Gates Court House, in the county of Gates, shall in the future be known and described by the name of Gatesville. Gatesville is the county seat.

Gates County was a part of an area originally called "Albemarle", named for George, Duke of Albemarle. Later, what is now Gates County was split into three separate entities: Hertford, Chowan, and Perquimans counties. Most of the land within the present boundaries was considered to be Nansemond County, VA, until 1728, when William Byrd had surveyed the "dividing line" between Virginia and North Carolina.

Parent County
1778--Gates County was created 14 April 1778 from Chowan, Hertford, and Perquimans Counties. County seat: Gatesville

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating North Carolina county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation North Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1664-1965) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
For a list of record loss in North Carolina counties see: North Carolina Counties with Burned Courthouses

Neighboring Counties

 * Camden
 * Chowan
 * Hertford
 * Pasquotank
 * Perquimans
 * Southampton County, Virginia
 * Suffolk, Virginia

Family Histories

 * [Southall] Warner, Seth. "Descendants of the Reverend Daniel Southall of Eastern North Carolina," The Genealogist, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Fall 2007):175-190; Vol. 22, No. 1 (Spring 2008):107-127; Vol. 22, No. 2 (Fall 2008):221-240.

Land
Gates County Register of Deeds 202 Court Street P.O. Box 471 Gatesville, NC 27938 Phone: (252) 357-2411

Online Records Search Page

Gates County Register of Deeds office contains records concerning real estate recordings, including Deeds and Deeds of Trust. Copies of survey maps are recorded in the Register of Deeds office. Also recorded in this office are Marriage, Birth &amp; Death Records, as well as Military Discharge Records. Discharge records 50 years of age or older are available for public view. More recent discharge recordings are only available for the Veterans' needs.

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Gates County for European settlers included:


 * Atlantic Ocean
 * King's Highway about 1704
 * Secondary Coast Road late 1730s

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


 * -5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry

War of 1812
Muster Rolls 7th Company from Gates County - on Archives.org

Probate

 * Pre-1790 - Pre-1790 Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.


 * 1762-1964 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

Marriages

 * 1783-1877 - Gates County Marriages 1783-1877 North Carolina Pioneers - fees applicable
 * Early-1799 - North Carolina Marriages to 1799, a database North Carolina Pioneers - fees applicable
 * 1851-1951 - Gates County Marriage Index 1851-1951 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.
 * Gates County, NC Archives
 * North Carolina County Marriages 1762-1979 - FamilySearch, includes images
 * North Carolina Marriages 1759-1979 - FamilySearch, abstracts from most of the NC Counties

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Gates County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Gates County NCGenWeb
 * Gates County USGenWeb Archives
 * North Carolina Pioneers North Carolina Pioneers $
 * North Carolina Pioneers North Carolina Pioneers $