Gates County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Gates County is located in the eastern portion of North Carolina and shares a border with Virginia. It was named for General Horatio Gates, an American brigadier general in the Revolutionary War.

County Courthouse
Gates County Courthouse PO Box 345 Gatesville, NC 27938 Phone: 252-357-0850 Gates County Website Register of Deeds has birth, marriage and death records. Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1780.

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:

History Timeline
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.

Cemeteries

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

Church Records
List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * 1700-1970 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * FamilySearch Places

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

 * 1862-1870   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1863-1872   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only

Genealogies

 * 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 and Property Records

 * Gates County Register of Deeds 202 Court Street PO Box 471 Gatesville, NC 27938 Phone: 252-357-2411 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.
 * Online Records Search Page

Maps and Gazetteers

 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

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

Military Records
Revolutionary War 
 * 1779-1782  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

War of 1812 
 * Muster Rolls 7th Company from Gates County (Internet Archive)

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


 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company C
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company B
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company H

World War I 
 * 1917-1919  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II 
 * 1940-1948  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * North Carolina Newspapers at DigitalNC

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

Probate Records

 * North Carolina Probate Records tips

Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1660-1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry $
 * 1663-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1663-1789 Secretary of State Wills at North Carolina Digital Collections - 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 - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
 * 1762-1964  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1779-1819 Images of Wills and Estates North Carolina Pioneers $
 * Pre-1790  Pre-1790 Gates County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills (North Carolina State Archives)

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.

Tax Records

 * 1782 Tax Lists, Gates County, 1782 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2 at Ancestry $
 * 1782 Tax Lists, Gates County, 1782 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1786 Tax Lists, Gates County, 1786 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry $
 * 1786 Tax Lists, Gates County, 1786 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1789 Tax Lists, Gates County, 1789 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, online at Ancestry $
 * 1789 Tax Lists, Gates County, 1789 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1815 Tax Lists, Gates County, 1815 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections

Vital Records

 * 1800-2000 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

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

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
 * 1783-1877 Gates County Marriages 1783-1877 North Carolina Pioneers $
 * Pre-1799 North Carolina Marriages to 1799, a database North Carolina Pioneers $
 * 1851-1951 Gates County Marriage Index 1851-1951 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch.
 * Gates County Marriage (USGenWeb Archives)

Death

 * 1898-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1906-1930  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection;index and images
 * 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 $

Societies

 * Gates County Historical Society PO Box 98 Gates, NC 27937

Websites

 * 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 $
 * – 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.