Cleveland County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
The county was named for Benjamin Cleveland, a colonel in the American Revolutionary War, who took part in the Battle of King's Mountain. Cleveland County is located in the western area of the state.

County Courthouse
Cleveland County Courthouse 11 East Marion St PO Box 1210 Shelby, NC 28150 Phone: 704-484-4834 Cleveland County Website Register of Deeds has birth and death records from 1914, marriage records from 1851 and land records from 1841. Clerk Superior Court has divorce records from 1921, probate records from 1843 and circuit records from 1914.

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:

Cemeteries

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

Church Records

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

Methodist List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Mount Harmony United Methodist Church, near Polkville, N.C. Organized by 1791.
 * 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

Maps and Gazetteers

 * 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

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


 * - 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company E
 * - 14th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 4th Volunteers, Company D
 * - 15th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 5th Volunteers, 1st Company D
 * - 15th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 5th Volunteers, Company C
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Detailed Men, Company C
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company D
 * - 4th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (59th North Carolina State Troops), Company I
 * - 4th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company H
 * - 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company E

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

Obituaries

 * Cleveland County Obituaries (GenealogyBuff)

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
 * North Carolina Probate Records tips
 * 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 $
 * 1841-1868, 1910-1942  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)

School Records

 * Cleveland Community College Yearbooks: 1969-1991

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

 * 1840-1848 Cleveland County Tax Scroll, 1840-1848 (images) at FamilySearch
 * 1849-1857 Cleveland County Tax Scroll, 1849-1857 (images) at FamilySearch: Part 1 and Part 2

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
 * 1870-1938 Cleveland County Marriage Index 1870-1938 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 $

Societies

 * Broad River Genealogical Society PO Box 2261 Shelby, NC 28150-2261 Website

Websites

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