McDowell County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
McDowell County is located in the southwestern portion of North Carolina and was named for Revolutionary War Colonel Joseph McDowell.

County Courthouse
McDowell County Courthouse 21 S Main Street Marion, NC 28752-4041 Phone: 828-655-4200 McDowell County Website Register of Deeds has birth, marriage, death and land records. Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court records from 1842.

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
The court was ordered to be held at the home of Jonathan L. Carson until the county seat could be established. The act also named commissioners to select a site as near the center of the county as possible, acquire land, lay out a town by the name of Marion, and erect a courthouse. Marion is the county seat.

Bible Records

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

Biographies

 * Elijah Benoni (Ben Oney) Allen
 * William Preston Bynum Jr.
 * Mary J. Mode &amp; Augustus C. Dover

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
 * McDowell County Churches (NCGenWeb)
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1815-1922 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1822-1935 (*); Superior Court and County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1843-1867 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1843-1873 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1852-1866 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images

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

Funeral Homes

 * Beam Funeral Service and Crematory in Marion.
 * Westmoreland Funeral Home and Crematory in Marion and Old Fort.

Land and Property Records
Online Land Indexes and Records Register of Deeds records and keeps copies of all documents pertaining to land and issues certified copies or photocopies of same, as required. Deed images are available for download from January 1, 1971 to the present day at the McDowell County Deeds Register of Deeds Website.
 * North Carolina Land Grants at NC Historical Records Online - index, requires free account to view images

Maps and Gazetteers

 * McDowell County Maps (NCGenWeb)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

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


 * Old Cherokee Path pre-historic
 * Jonesboro Road 1769
 * Rutherford's War Trace 1776

Military Records
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

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 and 1901 1885 and 1901 Confederate Pension Applications at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1885-1953  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images


 * - 1st Battalion, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company A
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company G
 * - 6th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 6th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company E

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

Newspapers

 * North Carolina Newspapers at DigitalNC

Other Records
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 - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1830-1939 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1843-1865 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1843-1923  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1843-1968 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1843-1968 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1859-1867 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1869-1926 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1923-1966 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images

The Clerk of Superior Court is elected for four years and must be a resident of the county in which he or she is elected. Unlike clerks of court in other states, the Clerk of Superior Court in North Carolina has numerous judicial functions.

As judge of probate, the Clerk has exclusive original jurisdiction over matters relating to the probate of wills, and the administration of estates, including appointing personal representatives, auditing their accounting, and removing them from office if necessary. The Clerk also presides over many other legal matters including adoptions, incompetency proceedings, condemnation of private lands for public use, and foreclosures. The Clerk is responsible for all clerical and record-keeping functions of the district and superior court. In addition, the Clerk receives and disburses money collected each year from court fees and fines.

McDowell County Clerk of the Superior Court (828) 652-7717

Has probate records starting from 1841, if they haven't been transferred to State Archives. Contact the Clerk of the Court to confirm which records are available at their office.

It is generally more cost effective to obtain records at the County level, however, the North Carolina State Archives has originals and/or copies of most older County records.

North Carolina State Archives 4614 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-4614 919-807-7310

Check their Guide to Research Materials for what kinds of records are available, and also download their forms to request information by mail.

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

 * The Register of Deeds is the custodian of various records which are filed for safe-keeping. Examples of documents housed are numerous types of deeds, deeds of trust, leases, assignments, powers of attorney, separation agreements, contracts, cancellations, assumed names, partnerships, corporations, notices of foreclosure, notices of bankruptcy, releases, restrictive covenants, military discharges, financing statements and terminations, birth and death records, maps and plats.
 * The Register also issues marriage licenses (see the link below for more information) and administers the oath of office to notaries public. As a service to McDowell County citizens, the Register of Deeds records and keeps copies of all documents pertaining to land and issues certified copies or photocopies of same, as required.
 * Deed images are available for download from January 1, 1971 to the present day at the McDowell County Deeds Register of Deeds Website.

Online 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
 * 1847-1877 Marriages - Marriage Bonds. North Carolina Pioneers $
 * 1851-1966 McDowell County Marriage Index 1851-1966 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch

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  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

 * Asheville North Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Hickory North Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Marion North Carolina FamilySearch Center
 * Morganton North Carolina FamilySearch Center


 * Buncombe County Public Library - an affiliate library

Libraries
McDowell County Public Library 90 West Court St PO Box 2122 Marion, NC 28752-2122 Phone: 828-652-3858 Facebook Website
 * The Abe Simmons Genealogy and North Carolina History Room is open Monday through Friday.

Societies
McDowell County Historical Society 55 W Carson St Old Fort, NC 28762 Phone: 828-559-0331 Email: [mailto:mcdowellco.historicalsociety@gmail.com mcdowellco.historicalsociety@gmail.com] Facebook Website Website Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society 128 Bingham Rd, Suite 950 PO Box 2122 Asheville, NC 28806-2122 Phone: 828-253-1894 Email: [mailto:info@obcgs.com info@obcgs.com] Facebook Website

Websites

 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * McDowell County NCGenWeb
 * USGenWeb Archives-McDowell County
 * Piedmont Trails Major genealogy resources complete with surnames and family stories. Various maps of area and much more.
 * North Carolina Genealogical Society
 * List of North Carolina Genealogical Societies
 * McDowell County Public Libraries
 * – 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.