Moore County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Moore County is located in the south-central portion of North Carolina and is bounded by Harnett, Hoke, Scotland, Richmond, Montgomery, Randolph, Chatham, and Lee counties. The county was named for Alfred Moore, a Revolutionary War captain who later served as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

County Courthouse
Moore County Courthouse 102 Monroe Street PO Box 936 Carthage, NC 28327 Phone: 910-947-2396 Moore County Website Clerk of Superior Court has wills, estate records, and estate settlement records starting from 1783. Register of Deeds has land records starting from 1787, and birth, death, and marriage 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:

History Timeline
Moore County was formed in 1784 from Cumberland. 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.

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Partial list of Bensalem Church Cemetery
 * Smyrna Methodist Church Cemetery
 * Long Street Church Cemetery
 * Dover Baptist Church Cemetery
 * Tabernacle United Methodist Church Cemetery (photos)
 * Flint Hall Baptist Church Cemetery (photos)
 * Calvary Baptist Church Cemetery (photos)

Church Records

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

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Cameron
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records
The Clerk of the 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.
 * Moore County Clerk of Superior Court Phone: 910-947-2396 Fax: 910-947-1444

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.

Transcribed court records:
 * Court Records from NCGenWeb Archives

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

 * [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 and Property Records
Transcribed deed and land records:
 * Moore County Register of Deeds 100 Dowd Street PO Box 1210 Carthage, NC 28327 Phone: 910-947-6300 Has land records starting from 1787; website includes a searchable database.
 * 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
 * Over 500 original Moore County Land Grants

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Over 1000 upper Moore County Land Grants mapped out and plotted on present day map
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Military Records
Revolutionary War 
 * 1779-1782  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1835 Moore County Revolutionary War Pension list (partial)
 * The Memorial of James Campbell, 1800

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
 * Campbell Men in the War

Prisoner of War Records
 * Confederate Prisoners Information

Veteran and Burial Records
 * Confederate Veterans Roll of Honor
 * Moore County Confederate Veterans Roll of Honor
 * Civil War Soldiers Buried at Bethesda Cemetery


 * - 1st Brigade, North Carolina Reserves, Company E
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company E
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company I
 * - 6th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company H
 * - 6th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company I
 * - Jarrett B. Graham, 30th Infantry Company H

Civil War Battles 
 * The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads

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
County Records
 * 1833-1970 - at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images. (incomplete)

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

Probate Records
Online Probate Records

Transcribed copies of wills or estate records:
 * 1660-1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry $
 * 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 $
 * 1783-1818  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * Pre-1790 Pre-1790 Moore County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills (North Carolina State Archives)
 * Images of Wills and Estates Vol. A, 1783-1818; Vol. B, 1818-1852; Vol. C, 1853-1881. North Carolina Pioneers $
 * Moore County Clerk of Superior Court Phone: 910-947-2396 Has wills, estate records, and all transactions having to do with the settlement of estates starting from 1783.
 * 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

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

 * Original Tax Records including 1755, 1767, 1777-1780, 1783 for Cumberland County and 1793, 1795, 1797, 1807-1808, 1815, 1818-1823, 1844-1849 for Moore County
 * 1793 1793 Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1795 1795 Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1797 1797 Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1807-1808 1807-1808 Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1815 Tax Lists, Moore County, 1815 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1815 1815 Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1818-1823 1818-1823 Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1844 1844 Districts 6 and 8 (partial), Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1845 1845 Districts 8 and 9 (partial), Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1846 1846 District 9 (partial), Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1847 1847 Districts 8 and 9 (partial), Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1848 1848 District 8 (partial), Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1849 1849 Districts 8 and 9, Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1851 1851 Districts 6 and 8, Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1852 1852 Districts 6, 8, and 9, Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1853 1853 Districts 6, 8, and 9, Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1854 1854 Districts 6, 8, and 9, Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1855 1855 Districts 6, 8, and 9, Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1856 1856 Districts 6, 8, and 9, Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC
 * 1857 1857 Districts 6, 8, and 9, Moore County Tax List (images) at Histories: The Wallaces of Moore County, NC

Vital Records

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

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
 * 1858-1865 Moore County Marriages 1858-1865 (NCGenWeb)
 * 1857-1867 Moore County Marriages 1858-1867 (NCGenWeb)
 * Moore County Marriages (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 $

Family History Centers

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

Libraries

 * Moore County Libraries Website

Societies

 * Moore County Genealogical Society PO Box 1183 Pinehurst, NC 28374-118 Website
 * Moore County Historical Association Website