Edgecombe County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

County Courthouse
Edgecombe County Courthouse 301 Saint Andrews Street P O Box 386 Tarboro, NC 27886 Phone: 252-641-7924 Register of Deeds has birth, marriage and land records Clerk Superior Court has probate and Court Records  Register of Deeds PO Box 386 Tarboro, NC 27801 Telephone: 252-641-7928 Fax: 252-641-7928 Website  Clerk of Superior Court PO Drawer 9 Tarboro, NC 27886 Telephone: (252) 824-3200

History
Edgecombe County was formed in 1741 from Bertie County. It was named for Richard Edgcombe, a Member of Parliament from 1701 to 1742 and a lord of the treasury, who became 1st Baron Edgcumbe in 1742.

In 1746 part of Edgecombe County became Granville County; in 1758 another portion became Halifax County; and in 1777 yet another part became Nash County. In 1855 the formation of Wilson County from parts of Edgecombe County, Johnston County, Nash County, and Wayne County reduced Edgecombe to its present size, with a minor boundary adjustments.

Land records prior to 1759 are among those of Halifax County.

Parent County
1741--Edgecombe County was established 4 April 1741 from Bertie County. County seat: Tarboro

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

 * Halifax
 * Martin
 * Nash
 * Pitt
 * Wilson

Cemeteries

 * Calvary Episcopal Cemetery - in Tarboro;site contains interactive burial plot map

Baptist

 * Swift Creek. Established by 1773.
 * Tar River Falls. Church built 1764. Edwards published a list of early members in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 131.
 * Toisnot. Founded 1756. Edwards published a membership list dated 1758 in Materials Towards a History of the Baptists... (1772), 138. Now located in Wilson County.
 * Town Creek. Constituted 1780.
 * Winstead's Meeting House. Constituted 1802.

Church of England

 * Edgecombe Parish, later St. Mary's Parish. Established 1741. A history was published in 1955.

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


 * Rocky Mount

Court
See also Probate.

Family Histories
Bibliography


 * Boddie - Leary, Helen F.M. "The Two William Boddies of North Carolina," The American Genealogist, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Jan. 1991):16-29; Vol. 62, No. 2 (Apr. 1991):106-110; Vol. 66, No. 3 (Jul. 1991):148-153. Available at.

Local Histories

 * Pamphlet: To the citizens and soldiers of Edgecomb County : I respectfully announce myself a candidate for the office of Sheriff of Edgecomb county (1864) by J.B Jenkins - full-text online via the Internet Archive
 * The History of Edgecombe County - online book at Eastern North Carolina Library

Maps

 * North Carolina Map-1779 - includes early Edgecombe Co.
 * North Carolina County Formations - clickable map for 1700 - 1912
 * Edgecombe County-1905
 * Edgecombe County Maps- from the UNC Digital Maps Collections
 * 1895 Edgecombe County - from Pam Rietsch's fantastic 1895 US Atlas Project

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 — images


 * -1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, usually known as the Bethel Regiment. Company A
 * - 13th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry formerly the 3rd Volunteers., Company G
 * - 15th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 5th Volunteers, Company I
 * - 15th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 5th Volunteers, Company K
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company G
 * - 3rd Regiment, North Carolina Artillery, 1st 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


 * Pre - 1790 - Pre-1790 Wills stored at the North Carolina State Archives are online - free. Website tips.


 * 1758 - 1959 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

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

 * '''1958 - 2004 - North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry.com — index $

Marriages

 * 1851 - 1929 - Edgecombe County Marriage Index 1851-1929 in International Genealogical Index 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

Yearbooks

 * Wesleyan College Yearbooks: 1962-2009 - freely available via the NC Digitization Center
 * Edgecombe County students at North Carolina colleges - a list alphabetized by surname from the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index.

Societies and Libraries
Edgecombe County Genealogical Society PO Box 656 Pinetops, NC 27864 Website

Edgecombe County Historical Society 130 Bridgers Street Tarboro, NC 27886 Website

Edgecombe County Genealogical Society 909 Main Street Tarboro 27886

Public Libraries
The following public libraries in Edgecombe County have collections of particular interest to genealogists.


 * Braswell Memorial Library 727 North Grace Street Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804 (252) 442-1951 The Kornegay Room offers a local history and genealogy collection which includes maps, local records, newspapers, city directories, photographs, and more.

Family History Centers

 * Rocky Mount North Carolina Family History Center

Web Sites

 * -county/ Edgecombe County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * Edgecombe County, NCGenWeb - free genealogy resources; part of the national USGenWeb Project
 * Edgecombe County, USGenWeb Archives
 * Edgecombe County, USGenWeb Archives