Hertford County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Hertford County is located in the eastern portion of North Carolina and shares a border with Virginia. It was named for Francis Seymour Conway, Earl and later Marquis of Hertford.

County Courthouse
Hertford County Courthouse King Street PO Box 36 Winton, NC 27986 Phone: 252-358-7850 Hertford County Website Register of Deeds has birth and death records and burial records from 1913, marriage records from 1884 and land records from 1866. Clerk Superior Court has divorce and court records from 1883, and probate records from 1869.

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 first official court proceedings in the area were held at Cotton's Ferry. In 1766 Assembly Representative Benjamin Wynn donated fifty acres for a town to be properly established and it was briefly called "Wynntown". Shortly following the 1766 incorporation of the town "Winton" became the county seat of government as it proudly remains today.

Church Records

 * 1700-1970 - at FamilySearch — index

Baptist
 * Mr. Arthur Cotten's. Established by 1782.
 * Old Meherrin, Murfreesboro, N.C. Established 1735.
 * Buckhorn Baptist, Como, N.C. Established 1835.

Church of England
 * St. John's Chapel. Established by 1782.

Local Histories

 * The colonial and state political history of Hertford County, N.C. 1906. By Benjamin Brodie Winborne. (OpenLibrary)

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Hertford 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

Civil War 


 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch
 * 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


 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 11th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 11th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company F
 * - 17th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry (1st Organization), Company D
 * - 1st Brigade, North Carolina Reserves, Company K
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company F
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company K
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company C
 * - 3rd Battalion, North Carolina Light Artillery, Company C
 * - 4th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (59th North Carolina State Troops), Company D
 * - 4th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (59th North Carolina State Troops), Company E

World War I 
 * 1917-1919  at FamilySearch

World War II 
 * 1940-1948  at FamilySearch

Probate Records

 * North Carolina Probate Records tips

Online Probate Records
 * 1660-1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry $
 * 1663-1979  at FamilySearch
 * 1665-1998 North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry $
 * 1735-1970  at FamilySearch
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry $
 * Pre-1790 Pre-1790 Hertford County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills (North Carolina State Archives)
 * 1830-1963  at FamilySearch

School Records
Yearbooks 
 * 1911-2006 1911-2006 Chowan College
 * Hertford County students at NC colleges. Yearbook index. (NCGenWeb)

Tax Records

 * 1779 Tax Lists, Hertford County, 1779 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, at Ancestry $
 * 1779 Tax Lists, Hertford County, 1779 (index) Raymond A. Winslow Jr., “1779 Tax List of Hertford County, N.C.,” North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal 20 (1994).
 * 1779 Tax Lists, Hertford County, 1779 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1784 Tax Lists, Hertford County, 1784 (index) in NC Taxpayers vol. 2, at Ancestry $
 * 1784 Tax Lists, Hertford County, 1784 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections
 * 1815 Tax Lists, Hertford County, 1815 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections

Vital Records

 * 1800-2000 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Birth

 * 1800-2000  at FamilySearch
 * 1866-1964  at FamilySearch
 * 1913-1922  at FamilySearch — index and images

Marriage

 * 1741-2004 North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast
 * 1868-1872 Hertford Marriages 1868-1872 at USGenWeb
 * 1868-1963 Hertford County Marriage Index 1868-1963. Batch  at FamilySearch
 * 1741-2004 North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1759-1979  at FamilySearch
 * 1762-1979  at FamilySearch
 * 1763-1868  at FamilySearch

Death

 * 1898-1994  at FamilySearch
 * 1906-1930  at FamilySearch
 * 1908-2004 North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1909-1975 North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry $
 * 1931-1994  at FamilySearch

Divorce

 * 1926-1975  at FamilySearch
 * 1958-2004 North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry $

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Libraries
Hertford County Public Library PO Box 68 Winton, NC 27986 Website

Websites

 * NCGenWeb: Hertford County - part of the USGenWeb Project
 * USGenWeb Archives - many additional records for Hertford
 * – 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.