Wake County, North Carolina Genealogy

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

Description
Wake County was named in honor of Margaret Wake, wife of colonial Governor William Tryon. The county is located in the north central area of the state.

County Courthouse
Wake County Courthouse St Garland James Bldg 300 S Salisbury PO Box 1897 Raleigh, NC 27602 Phone: 919-856-5460 Wake County Website Registrar of Deeds has marriage and land records. Clerk of Superior Court has probate records.

Populated Places
For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit HomeTown Locator. The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:

History Timeline
Raleigh, History and the Present, NCpedia, site from the North Carolina State Library

Bible Records

 * Bible Records at North Carolina Digital Archives - index and image

Biographies

 * [Stacy] Marvin Hendrix Stacy, 1877-1919. 1919. University of North Carolina. (Internet Archive)

Cemeteries

 * at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * Raleigh City Cemetery
 * Cemetery Census - Wake County Cemeteries - over 300 cemeteries
 * FS Library Microfilm - Pre-1914 Cemetery Inscriptions, Wake County. FS Library Microfilm 882940 Item 9
 * Manuscript: Confederate deaths and burials in North Carolina. Find in a Library
 * Historic Oakwood Cemetery - in Raleigh, NC

Church Records

 * 1700-1970 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Wake County church information (NCGenWeb)

Baptist List of Churches and Church Parishes
 * Cross Roads. Constituted 1792.
 * New Light Meeting House.
 * Swift Creek. Constituted 1757.
 * FamilySearch Places

Court Records

 * 1760-1947 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1771-1776 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1781-1939 (*); Sheriff, Justice of the Peace, Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1790-1938 (*); Superior and Supreme Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1820-1839 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1856-1939 (*); Board of Education and Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1868-1950 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1877-1949 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1878-1949 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1879-1947 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1893-1939 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1921-1950 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1936-1940 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1942-1949 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images


 * Wake County, NC Court Records at USGenWeb Archives

Directories

 * 1921-1922 Hill Directory Co.'s Raleigh, Wake County, North Caorlina, City Directory, 1921 - 1922 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)
 * 1922-1923 Hill Directory Co.'s Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, City Directory, 1922 - 1923 at MyHeritage — index & images, ($)

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

 * 1862-1870   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1863-1872   at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only

Genealogies

 * [Lane] Haywood, Marshall DeLancey. "Joel Lane, Pioneer and Patriot." Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library.
 * [Massey] Massey, William W. "Richard Massey of Bartons Creek, Wake County, North Carolina: With the Search for his Parentage," The Genealogist, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Fall 2004):196-227.

Land and Property Records

 * Wake County deeds (USGenWeb Archives)

Local Histories

 * Historical Raleigh from its foundation in 1792 descriptive, biographical, educational, industrial, religious; reminiscences reviewed and carefully compiled. 1902. (NC Digital Collections)
 * History of Wake County, North Carolina with sketches of those who have most influenced its development. 1922. (Internet Archive)

Maps and Gazetteers

 * Wake County maps. 50+ maps of the area. (North Carolina State Library)
 * FamilySearch Places: Map of cities and towns in this county - How to Use FS Places

Military Records

 * Wake County military information (NCGenWeb)
 * Wake County military records (USGenWeb Archives)

Revolutionary War 
 * 1779-1782  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Civil War 
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1865  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1861-1865 U.S., Union Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 at Ancestry
 * 1885-1953  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images


 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 6th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 7th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry
 * - 14th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 4th Volunteers, Company E
 * - 14th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, formerly the 4th Volunteers, Company K
 * - 1st Brigade, North Carolina Reserves, Company D
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Artillery 10th Regiment Volunteers-1st Artillery, Company A
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company I
 * - 1st Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company D
 * - 2nd Regiment, North Carolina Junior Reserves, Company K
 * - 41st Regiment Volunteers - 3rd Cavalry, Company I
 * - 4th Regiment, North Carolina Cavalry (59th North Carolina State Troops), Company I
 * - 6th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry, Company I
 * - 6th Regiment, North Carolina Senior Reserves, Company K

World War I
 * 1917-1919  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

World War II
 * 1940-1948  at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index and images

Newspapers

 * 1799-1893 Raleigh marriage and death notices from five of the area's newspapers 1799-1893 are posted at the North Carolina Libraries and State Archives website. These papers include the Raleigh Register, the North Carolina State Gazette, Daily Sentinel, Raleigh Observer and News and Observer. The notices are originally found in book form in the SLNC's 6-volume Marriage and Death notices.
 * Wake County deaths, deceased individuals of the area as reported in various newspapers; dates range from late 1700s to 1900s.
 * Wake county newspaper articles (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Newspapers published in Wake County (Library of Congress)
 * North Carolina Newspapers at DigitalNC
 * NC People in the Papers

Obituaries

 * Obituaries from the Cary News newspaper are included in GenealogyBank from Feb 2011 forward. $
 * Obituaries from the Eastern Wake News paper of Zebulon, NC, are included in GenealogyBank from Jan 2011 forward. $

Other Records
Voter Registration
 * 1868-1898 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Probate Records
Online Probate Indexes and Records
 * 1660-1790 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1660-1790 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1663-1789 Secretary of State Wills at North Carolina Digital Collections - index and images
 * 1663-1978 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1663-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1665-1998 North Carolina Wills and Probate Records 1665-1998 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1720-1960 at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1735-1970  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1760-1800 North Carolina Will Abstracts 1760-1800 at Ancestry ($)
 * 1770-1946 (*); Superior Court and County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1771-1782 Images of Wills, Estates and Guardianships, 1771-1782 North Carolina Pioneers ($)
 * 1771-1802 Wake County, North Carolina Abstracts of Wills, Inventories, and Settlements of Estates: 1771-1802. 1984. By Frances Holloway Wynne. Includes index.
 * 1771-1897  at FamilySearch.org - How to Use this Collection; images only (by County)
 * 1772-1806 (*); at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1788-1794 Images of Wills, Estates and Guardianships, 1788-1794. North Carolina Pioneers ($)
 * 1790 Pre-1790 Wake County, North Carolina Genealogy Wills (North Carolina State Archives)
 * 1801-1953 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1820-1839 (*); County Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions at FamilySearch Catalog — images
 * 1858-1957 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1858-1958 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1868-1941 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1878-1880 (*); Probate Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1878-1949 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1878-1951 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1879-1928 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1883-1950 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1891-1959 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1910-1950 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * 1916-1940 (*); Superior Court at FamilySearch Catalog — index & images
 * Wake County Wills and Estates (USGenWeb Archives)

School Records

 * Education page at Wake County (NCGenWeb)
 * History of Meredith College (1972), by Mary Lynch Johnson
 * Vision Revisited: A History of Meredith College, 1971-1988, by Carolyn C. Robinson

Yearbooks 
 * Meredith College: 1904-2009
 * NC State University: 1903-2010
 * Peace College: 1902-2010
 * Wake County students at NC colleges. Yearbook Index. (NCGenWeb)

Social Security Records

 * 1935-2014 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index. Also at Ancestry, findmypast, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Steve Morse. Click here for more information.
 * 1936-2007 U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 at Ancestry ($) — index, click here for more information.

Tax Records

 * 1815 Tax Lists, Wake County, 1815 (images) at North Carolina Digital Collections

Vital Records

 * 1800-2000 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * Uncertified copies of vital records can be ordered for a small fee from the Register of Deeds.

Birth

 * 1800-2000  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1866-1964  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index
 * 1913-1922  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Marriage

 * 1741-2004 North Carolina, United States Marriages at Findmypast
 * 1741-2004 North Carolina Marriage Index 1741-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1759-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; Index
 * 1762-1979  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1763-1868  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1830-1958 Wake County Marriage Index 1830-1958 in International Genealogical Index at FamilySearch
 * Wake County marriage records (USGenWeb Archives)
 * Wake county, North Carolina Marriage Bonds Part 2 (NCGenWeb)

Death

 * 1898-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1900-1909 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; random records; index and images. (incomplete); Also at: Ancestry ($)
 * 1900-1909  at FamilySearch- How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1906-1930  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images  Also at:  MyHeritage ($)
 * 1908-2004 North Carolina Death Indexes 1908-2004 at Ancestry $
 * 1909-1975 North Carolina Death Certificates 1909-1975 at Ancestry $
 * 1931-1994  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images

Divorce

 * 1926-1975  at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index and images
 * 1958-2004 North Carolina Divorce Index 1958-2004 at Ancestry $

Family History Centers

 * Introduction to Family History Centers
 * Apex North Carolina Family History Center
 * Raleigh North Carolina Family History Center

Libraries
Olivia Raney Local History Library 4016 Carya Drive Raleigh, NC 27610 Telephone 919-250-1196 Email [mailto:lib.orl.researchquestions@wakegov.com lib.orl.researchquestions@wakegov.com] Website

Societies
Apex Historical Society PO Box 506 Apex, NC 27502 Email [mailto:apexhistoricalsociety@gmail.com apexhistoricalsociety@gmail.com] Website Wake County Genealogical Society PO Box 17713 Raleigh, NC 27619-7713 Email: [mailto:info@WakeCoGen.org info@WakeCoGen.org] Website Facebook Wake County Historical Society PO Box 26655 Raleigh, NC 27611 Website

Websites

 * NCGenWeb: Wake County - part of the USGenWeb Project
 * Wake County Genealogy (North Carolina Genealogy)
 * – The FamilySearch catalog contains descriptions and access information for all genealogical materials (including books, online materials, microfilm, microfiche, and publications) in their collection.  Use Historical Records to search for specific individuals in genealogical records.