Pender County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Pender County is located in the southeastern portion of North Carolina and is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and New Hanover, Brunswick, Columbus, Bladen, Sampson, Duplin and Onslow counties. The land area is 870.76 square miles (2,255.3 km2). The county was named for William D. Pender of Edgecombe County, a Confederate General mortally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg.

County Courthouse
Pender County Courthouse 300 East Freemont Street PO Box 43 Burgaw, NC 28424 Phone: 910-259-1225 Pender County Website Registrar of deeds has birth, marriage and death and land records. Clerk Superior Court has divorce, probate and court 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
The county commissioners were ordered to hold their first meeting at Rocky Point. The act provided for the establishment of the town of Cowan as the county seat. In 1877 an act was passed repealing that section of the law relative to the town, and another law was enacted whereby the qualified voters were to vote on the question of moving the county seat to South Washington or any other place which the majority of the voters designated. Whatever place was selected, the town should be called Stanford. In 1879 Stanford was changed to Burgaw, which was by that law incorporated. It is the county seat.

Cemeteries

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

Many Pender cemeteries have been surveyed and photographed. Pender County Cemeteries:

Church Records

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

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

List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Hampstead
 * 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

 * [Lewis] Lewis, J.D. My Neck of the Woods: The Lewis Families of Southeastern North Carolina and Northeastern South Carolina. Little River, S.C.: J.D. Lewis, 2002.

Land and Property Records

 * Online Search of Land Records (must create a free login)


 * Pender County Registrar of Deeds Howard Holly Building 300 East Fremont Street Burgaw, NC 28425 Phone: 910-259-1225 Has copies of birth, marriage and death records as well as land and deed records. Most originals of the older records have been transferred to the State Archives, and the records contained at the County level are usually hand-copied into the County Books. Check first with the County Registrar, as it may be more cost effective at the County level rather than at the Archives.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Pender County Maps Page
 * FamilySearch Places:Cities and Towns- How to Use FS Places

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Pender 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

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

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 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 $
 * 1875-1910  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * Index of Pender County Estates (North Carolina State Archives)
 * Pender County Clerk of the Superior Court Pender County Courthouse 100 Wright Street Burgaw, NC and 100 Dickerson Street Burgaw, NC Phone: 910-663-3900 Has copies of wills, estate and other probate records. Most originals of the older records have been transferred to the State Archives, and the records contained at the County level are usually hand-copied into the County Books.

School Records
Yearbooks 
 * Pender County Yearbooks

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

 * 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
 * 1875-1921 Pender County Marriage Index 1875-1921 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
 * 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

Societies
Pender County Museum and Historical Society 200 West Bridgers St. P. O. Box 1380 Burgaw, NC 28425 910 259 8543 E-mail: [mailto:pchs1875@hotmail.com pchs1875@hotmail.com] Website Facebook

Historical Society of Topsail Island 720 Channel Boulevard P.O. Box 3653 Topsail Beach, NC 28445 Website Facebook

Websites

 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Pender County NCGenWeb
 * Pender County, NCGenWeb Archives
 * – 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.