North Carolina Bible Records

Bibles were often given to a bride as a wedding gift, and families recorded in them information about their immediate family and close relatives. Bible records can include birth, marriage, and death dates; parents’ names; and names of children and their spouses, including maiden names. A person’s age at the time of death may be given. Many families kept Bible records from the 1700s to more recent times, although few of these records have survived. Some have been donated to local libraries or societies, but you may need to contact descendants to find some family Bible records.

Copies of Bible records are in the McCubbins’ Collection described in North Carolina Genealogy. Other collections with Bible records include:

Daughters of the American Revolution (North Carolina). Genealogical Collection. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1971. (On 54 Family History Library films beginning with 860336. This collection includes family histories and transcripts of Bible, cemetery, church, will, marriage, death, and obituary records. The volumes are generally arranged by county, and many have individual indexes. There is a surname index to this collection:

Kirkham, E. Kay. An Index to Some of the Family Records of the Southern States: 35,000 Microfilm References from the NSDAR Files and Elsewhere. Logan, Utah: Everton Publishers, 1979. (Family History Library book Ref 973 D22kk vol.1; fiche 6089183.)

Lester, Memory Aldridge. Bible Records from the Southern States. 7 vols. in 6. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: M.A. Lester, 1956–1962. (Family History Library book 975 D28L; film 978067.) These volumes often provide birth, marriage, and death dates, as well as marriage places. The entries are arranged alphabetically by Bible owner.

Martin, Ruth. North Carolina Bible Records. 8 vols. N.p., 1932?–1936?. (Family History Library book 975.6 D2mr; fiche 6049149–56.) Series one (vols.1–7) has Bible, church, and cemetery records. Series two (vol.1) has Bible, birth, and marriage records, and genealogies.

Dance, Martha. Index to North Carolina Bible Records, Volumes 1–4 and 6. Comp. Ruth Martin. San Diego, California: San Diego Family History Center, 1991. (Family History Library book 975.6 D2mr index; fiche 6075800.

Spence, Wilma C. North Carolina Bible Records Dating from the Early Eighteenth Century to the Present Day: Including Genealogical Notes and Letters Found in Some Bibles. Logan, Utah: Unique Printing Service, 1973. (Family History Library book 975.6 D2sw ; fiche 6087228.) Birth, marriage, and death dates are often given for several generations. The book includes a surname index.

Bible records may also be found in periodicals. These are referenced in the "Families" section of the Periodical Source Index described in North Carolina Periodicals

Bible records can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

NORTH CAROLINA- BIBLE RECORDS

NORTH CAROLINA, [COUNTY]- BIBLE RECORDS

Websites
The North Carolia Library and State Archives hosts a digital collection of North Carolina family Bible records. The Library owns over 2000 copies of family Bibles. The online collection grows as more of these Bibles are digitized and added to the website. These records are searchable by surname or locality. Note that only names mentioned the title are indexed.