Hertford County, North Carolina Genealogy

United States   North Carolina    Hertford County

Guide to Hertford County North Carolina genealogy. Birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, family history, and military records.

County Courthouse
Hertford County Courthouse King Street P O Box 36 Winton, NC 27986 Phone: 252-358-7850

Courthouse burned 1832 and 1862 Register of Deeds has birth and death records and burial records from 1913 marriage records from 1884 and land records from 1866 Clerk Superior Court has divorce and court records from 1883 and probate records rec from 1869

History
1759 Hertford County named in honor of the Marquis of Hertford, Francis Seymour Conway, was officially formed from Bertie, Chowan and Northampton Counties by an act of legislature effective May 1, 1760.

The first official court proceedings in the area were held at Cotton's Ferry. In 1766 Assembly Representative Benjamin Wynn donated fifty acres for a town to be properly established and it was briefly called "Wynntown". Shortly following the 1766 incorporation of the town "Winton" became the county seat of government as it proudly remains today.

Parent County
1754--Hertford County was created 12 December 1754 from Chowan, Bertie, and Northampton Counties. County seat: Winton

Boundary Changes
In 1779 the northeastern part of Hertford County was combined with parts of Chowan County and Perquimans County to form Gates County.

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
1830, 1862--Courthouse fires destroyed the majority of the county's records.

For a list of record loss in North Carolina counties see: North Carolina Counties with Burned Courthouses

Neighboring Counties

 * Bertie
 * Chowan
 * Gates
 * Northampton
 * Southampton County, Virginia

Baptist

 * Mr. Arthur Cotten's. Established by 1782.
 * Old Meherrin, Murfreesboro, N.C. Established 1735.

Church of England

 * St. John's Chapel. Established by 1782.

Court
The first court was held at Cotton's Ferry.

Local Histories

 * The colonial and state political history of Hertford County, N.C (1906) - by Benjamin Brodie Winborne; freely available at OpenLibrary

Migration
Early migration routes to and from Hertford County for European settlers included:


 * Atlantic Ocean
 * King's Highway about 1704
 * Secondary Coast Road late 1730s

Civil War
Civil War Confederate units - Brief history, counties where recruited, etc.


 * -1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * -11th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry

Probate

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


 * 1830-1963 - have been digitized by FamilySearch - free.

Vital Records

 * 1868-1872 - Hertford Marriages 1868-1872 at USGenWeb - free.
 * 1868-1963 - Hertford County Marriage Index 1868-1963. Batch at FamilySearch - free.

Yearbooks

 * Chowan College: 1911-2006
 * Hertford County students at NC colleges - via the NCGenWeb Yearbook Index

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to LDS Family History Centers

Web Sites

 * Hertford County, NC History, Records, Facts and Genealogy (Genealogy Inc)
 * NCGenWeb: Hertford County - part of the USGenWeb Project
 * USGenWeb Archives - many additional records for Hertford
 * USGenWeb Archives - many additional records for Hertford