Lee County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Lee County is located in the Central portion of North Carolina and was named for Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

County Courthouse
Lee County Courthouse 1400 S Horner Blvd Sanford, NC 27330 Mailing Address: PO Box 4209 Sanford, NC 27331 Telephone: (919) 718-6300

Register of Deeds P.O. Box 2040 Sanford, NC 27331 Phone: 919-718-4585 x1 Fax: 919-718-4586 Website

Clerk Superior Court P.O. Box 4209 Sanford, NC 27331 Phone: (919) 718-6300

Parent County
1907--Lee County was created 6 March 1907 from Moore and Chatham Counties. County seat: Sanford

Boundary Changes
For animated maps illustrating North Carolina county boundary changes, "Rotating Formation North Carolina County Boundary Maps" (1664-1965) may be viewed for free at the MapofUS.org website.

Record Loss
There is no known history of courthouse disasters in this county.

Neighboring Counties

 * Chatham
 * Harnett
 * Moore

Presbyterian

 * Buffalo, Sanford, N.C. Founded 1797.

County Records

 * 1833-1970 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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.

Lee County Clerk of Court Address: 1408 S. Horner Blvd. Sanford, NC 27330- Ph. (918) 774-4821 Records available: Wills and Estates, Court Records

Land
Lee County Register Of Deeds Lee County Courthouse 1408 S. Horner Blvd P.O. Box 2040 Sanford, NC 27330 Telephone: (919)718-4585

Has land records starting from 1908

Deed Records available for online research

Revolutionary War

 * 1779 - 1782 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Civil War
Online Records
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861 - 1865 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1861 - 1865 - U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry — index (free)
 * 1885 - 1953 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War I

 * 1917 - 1919 - at FamilySearch — index and images

World War II

 * 1940 - 1948 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Probate
Online Probate Records


 * 1660 - 1790 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1663 - 1979 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1665 - 1998 - North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1735 - 1970 - at FamilySearch.org — images
 * 1760 - 1800 - North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry.com — index and images
 * 1908 - 1937 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

There are Probate records available through theLee County Clerk of the Superior Court which includes wills, estate records and all transactions in reference to settlement of estates.

Vital Records
Lee County Register Of Deeds Lee County Courthouse 1408 S. Horner Blvd P.O. Box 2040 Sanford, NC 27330 8:00am - 5:00pm Mon - Fri (919)718-4585

Records available: Birth, delayed Birth, Death, Marriage, Deeds, Military Discharges

Copies of transcribed Vital Records can be found at the following websites:
 * 1888 - Vital Statistics from the Jonesboro Leader
 * Lee County Obituaries USGenWeb Archives
 * Lee County Marriages USGenWeb Archives

Birth

 * 1800 - 2000 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1866 - 1964 - at FamilySearch.org — index

Death

 * 1898 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1906 - 1930 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 1908 - 2004 - North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1909 - 1975 - North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry.com — index and images $
 * 1931 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index

Divorce

 * 1926 - 1975 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1958 - 2004 - North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriage

 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina, United States Marriages at FindMyPast — index $
 * 1741 - 2004 - North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $
 * 1759 - 1979 - at FamilySearch.org — index
 * 1762 - 1979 -  at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1763 - 1868 - at FamilySearch — index and images


 * 1908 - 1926 - Lee County Marriage Index 1908-1926 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch - free.

Societies and Libraries
Lee County Genealogical and Historical Society PO Box 3216 Sanford 27331-3216

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers

Websites

 * Lee County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * USGenWeb Project. May have maps, name indexes, history or other information for this county. Select the state, then the county.
 * Lee County NCGenWeb
 * Lee County NCGenWeb Archives