Moore County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States   North Carolina    Moore County

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

County Courthouse
Moore County Courthouse 102 Monroe St Carthage, NC 28327 Mailing Address: PO Box 936 Carthage, NC 28327 Phone: (910) 947-2396

Courthouse burned in 1889 registrar of deeds has birth and death records from 1913 land records from 1889 &amp; land grants from 1784 Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and Court Records

History
Moore County was formed in 1784 from Cumberland County. It was named in the honor of Captain Alfred Moore of Brunswick, a soldier of the Revolution and afterwards a judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. Moore County is in the south central section of the State and bounded by Harnett, Hoke, Scotland, Richmond, Montgomery, Randolph, Chatham, and Lee counties. The act establishing the county provided for the erection of the public buildings. In 1795 an act was passed which stated that the location of the courthouse was inconvenient; it named commissioners to purchase land near the center of the county and erect a new courthouse. In 1796 an act was passed establishing Carthage on land where the courthouse was to stand. In 1803 an act was passed naming commissioners to lay out a town and build a courthouse as directed in the act of 1796. In 1806, Carthage was changed to Feaginsville. In 1818, "Feaginsville" was changed back to Carthage, and is now the county seat.

Parent County
1784--Moore County was created from Cumberland County. County seat: Carthage

Boundary Changes
"Rotating Formation of North Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1664-1965) may be viewed for free at the North Carolina Genealogy 101 website. The maps rely on AniMap 3.0 software.

Record Loss
1889--Courthouse fire destroyed most of the land records and many court records.

Neighboring Counties

 * Chatham
 * Cumberland
 * Harnett
 * Hoke
 * Lee
 * Montgomery
 * Randolph
 * Richmond
 * Scotland

Cemeteries

 * Moore County Cemeteries
 * Partial list of Bensalem Church Cemetery
 * Smyrna Methodist Church Cemetery
 * Long Street Church Cemetery
 * Dover Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Acorn Ridge Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Bethesda Presbyterian Church Cemetery
 * Brown's Chapel Christian Cemetery
 * Cross Hill Cemetery
 * Lamm's Grove Primitive Baptist Church
 * Pine Rest Cemetery
 * Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church Cemetery
 * Tabernacle United Methodist Church Cemetery

Church
LDS Ward and Branch Records


 * Cameron

Court
Moore County Clerk of Superior Court 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.

Clerk of Superior Court's Office 910-947-2396 910-947-1444 (FAX)

A number of Court Records have been transcribed and are available at the following sites:


 * Mary Arnold v Henry Arnold 1845
 * Solomon Arnold, deceased 1846
 * John Baker v John Cole 1857
 * Edward Borroughs v Joseph Dunlap 1856
 * James Caddell, deceased 1804
 * Edward Chambers v William Farar, 1855
 * Amos &amp; Susannah Cheek, Inheritance 1811
 * Joseph Cook v David Cook, 1845
 * Cornelius David v Richard Oldham, et al 1808
 * Delinquent Tax Seizures 1857
 * Delinquent Taxpayers 1854
 * Delinquent Taxpayers 1854, pt.2
 * Direct Tax of 1815 &amp; 1816
 * W.W. Dye v. Archibald McFarland, 1854
 * Court Records from NCGenWeb Archives

Genealogy
The Tidwell family of Moore County, North Carolina is discussed in:


 * [Tidwell] Johnson, Charles Owen. "The Tidwell Family," The Virginia Genealogist, Vol. 17, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1973):3-7; Vol. 17, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1973):114-121; Vol. 17, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1973):181-186; Vol. 17, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1973):295-299; Vol. 18, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1974):35-40; Vol. 18, No. 2 (Apr.-Jun. 1974):129-135; Vol. 18, No. 3 (Jul.-Sep. 1974):175-182; Vol. 18, No. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1974):257-264; Vol. 19, No. 1 (Jan.-Mar. 1975):39-45. Digital version at American Ancestors ($)..

Land
Moore County Register of Deeds 100 Dowd Street Carthage, NC 28327

Mailing Address: P. O. Box 1210 Carthage, NC 28327 910-947-6300

Has Land Records starting from 1787; their website includes a searchable database for their records.

A number of websites have transcribed deed and land records as follows:


 * Index to Moore County Grants, Vol. II
 * Moore County Original Landowners
 * Benjamin Caddle Land Grant 1799
 * William Cole to W. W. Sears 1856
 * Robert Green Land Grant 1853

Military

 * 1835 Moore County Revolutionary War Pension list (partial)
 * The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads
 * The Memorial of James Campbell, 1800
 * Campbell Men in the War
 * Veterans Roll of Honor

Civil War

 * Confederate Prisoners Information
 * Civil War Soldiers Buried at Bethesda Cemetery
 * Moore County Confederate Veterans Roll of Honor
 * Jarrett B. Graham, 30th Infantry Company H

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

Probate
Moore County Clerk of Superior Court 910-947-2396 Has wills, estate records, and all transactions having to do with the settlement of estates starting from 1783. Contact their office to verify their records and fees.


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


 * 1783-1818 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

The following websites have transcribed copies of Wills or Estate Records for Moore County:


 * Archibald Black Estate
 * Robert Boals, 1798
 * Benjamin Britt, 1810
 * Joab Cheek, 1820
 * Richard Cheek, 1836
 * Allin Martin, 1816
 * Henry Jackson Dennis, 1890
 * Lockhart Frye, 1852
 * Duncan Murchison, 1836
 * Duncan Murchison, 1853
 * Kenneth Murchison Sr. 1834
 * Druary Richardson, 1811
 * William Richardson, 1805
 * Peter Shamburger, 1838
 * John Sheffield, 1794
 * Margaret Short, 1862
 * John Sinclair Sr. 1828
 * Jacob Stutts, 1796

Vital Records
The Moore County Register of Deeds has an online searchable database for their Vital Records, including Birth, Death, and Marriage records.

Search Moore County Vital Records

Births

 * 1880-1955 - Moore County Marriage Index 1880-1955. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Marriages

 * 1851-1965 - Moore County Marriage Index 1851-1965 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

A number of websites have transcribed Vital Records, here are links to the following:


 * Moore County Marriages 1858-1865 at USGenWeb - free.
 * Felix Eugene Addor, Death 1918
 * Doc Annarias Blake, Death 1949
 * John Westley Blake, Death 1955
 * Robert Lee Lunday, Death 1980
 * Deliltia Sheffield, Death 1917
 * Elijah Sheffield, Death 1924
 * Henry Clay Sheffield, Death 1931
 * Herbert Wilson Sheffield, Death 1977
 * Isaac E. Sheffield, Death 1915
 * Jonathan Sheffield, Death 1917
 * Liddie Francis Sheffield, Death 1926
 * Martha Francis Sheffield, Death 1948
 * Sara Sheffield, Death 1919
 * Martisha Jane Shiffield, Death 1941
 * Rebecca Shuffield, Death 1919
 * John Robert Standin, Death 1918
 * 1785 Marriage Grant Document
 * Moore County Marriages 1858-1867
 * Moore County Marriages

Societies and Libraries

 * Moore County Genealogical Society
 * Moore County Historical Association
 * Moore County Libraries

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers
 * Pinehurst North Carolina Family History Center

Web Sites

 * Moore County NCGenWeb Project
 * Moore County USGenWeb Archives
 * Moore County USGenWeb Archives