Cherokee County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Cherokee County is located in the extreme Southwest corner of North Carolina and shares borders with Georgia and Tennessee. It was named for the Cherokee Indians who inhabited its land before European settlement began.

County Courthouse


Cherokee County Courthouse 53 Peachtree Murphy North Carolina 28906 Phone: 282-837-2613

Clerk Superior Court has divorce records, Registrar of Deeds has land records Register of Deeds 75 Peachtree Street, Suite 126-A Murphy, NC 28906 Telephone: 828-837-2613 Fax: 828-837-8414 Website  Clerk of Superior Court 75 Peachtree St Rm 201 Murphy, NC 28906 Telephone: (828) 835-7740

History
Proud, resourceful people -- many descended from the Cherokee Indians who once lived in the region now known as Cherokee County -- welcome visitors to share their peaceful spot in the Blue Ridge Mountains, if only for a little while. It is no wonder why the Cherokees made the area their home or why they hid in the mountains when the Indian removal took place in 1838.

Hundreds of waterfalls and creeks, forests filled with wildflowers and tall pines wrapped in mountain breezes invite strangers to stay awhile and enjoy one of Mother Nature's finest creations.

Descendants of hearty Scottish and English settlers who married fine young Indian maidens carry on traditions from generations past. Descendants who never lived in Cherokee County venture back "home" to find their roots. Murphy, the county seat, offers a wealth of history at its courthouse, library and the Cherokee County Historical Museum which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Travelers passing through the small communities surrounding the town of Murphy such as Hanging Dog, Culberson and Grape Creek may want to stay and experience the warmth of the people at the spring festival or the Christmas parade in Murphy or the fall festival at the John C. Campbell Folk School in nearby Brasstown.

Parent County
1839--Cherokee County was created 4 January 1839 from Macon County. County seat: Murphy

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
1865, 1895, 1926--Courthouse fires destroyed many court records.

Neighboring Counties

 * Clay
 * Fannin County, Georgia
 * Graham
 * Macon
 * Monroe County, Tennessee
 * Polk County, Tennessee
 * Union County, Georgia

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch — index and images
 * TVA Cemetery Listings

County Records

 * 1833-1970 - at FamilySearch — index and images

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


 * 39th Regiment, NC Confederate Troops
 * 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry, Company A
 * 5th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company G

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
 * 1869 - 1934 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.
 * Images of Wills and Estates, Vol. 1, 1869-1918; Vol. 2, 1918-1934. North Carolina Pioneers ($)

Births

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

Deaths

 * 1898 - 1994 - at FamilySearch.org — index and images
 * 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 $
 * 1869 - 1939 - Cherokee County Marriage Index 1869-1939. Batch at FamilySearch - free.
 * 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

Societies and Libraries
Buncombe County, North Carolina 128 Bingham Road, Suite 950 Asheville, North Carolina 28806 Website

Cherokee County Historical Society 205 Peachtree Street  Murphy 28906 Website

Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian Enrollment Office PO Box 455 Cherokee, NC 28719 Telephone Number: 828-497-7000 fax: 828-497-2952 Website To be eligible for enrollment with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian requirements must be met

Family History Centers

 * Murphy North Carolina Family History Center

Websites

 * Cherokee 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.
 * NCGenWeb Cherokee County - many records of all kinds for the County
 * Western NC Genealogy Resource Center - Census, Marriage, Birth &amp; Death records, Cemetery,Military, and various other kinds of records for Cherokee County
 * Western NC Genealogy Resource Center - Census, Marriage, Birth &amp; Death records, Cemetery,Military, and various other kinds of records for Cherokee County